Yahoo Autos 2024 BMW i5 Gives EV Shoppers a 5-Series, Including the Most Powerful One
Electrification has come to the BMW 5-series. The eighth generation of the sedan that fits in between the 3-series and the 7-series will now offer a full electric version, the 2024 BMW i5, in addition to gas-fired models.
The plan follows the one introduced by the 4-series and i4 and of the latest 7-series and i7, whereby a single platform underpins both gas and battery-electric versions.
More conservatively styled than the new 7-series, the 5 is larger in all major dimensions. Overall length is up by 3.9 inches, it’s 1.3 inches wider and 1.4 inches taller, and the wheelbase is stretched by 0.8 inch to 117.9 inches. The dash-to-axle proportion (the distance from the base of the windshield to the front tire) is long, and the hood spans far forward. BMW’s big-nostril grille makes an appearance, but it isn’t as massive as the one found on the 7-series, nor does it have the bucktooth grin of the 4-series and M3/M4.
A Choice of Five 5s
This fall, U.S. customers will be able to select from five different 5-series configurations, all of which will have automatic transmissions. The least expensive will be the 530i, which will get BMW’s familiar 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo four and the option of all-wheel drive. BMW claims a 60-mph time of 5.9 seconds for the rear-drive version and 5.8 for the all-wheel-drive version. Those four-cylinder models open at $58,895, with the 530i xDrive starting at $61,195 when they go on sale in October. At the top of the gas-powered range is the six-cylinder 540i xDrive. Power from the turbocharged 3.0-liter six is up to 375 horsepower, from 335, and torque is up to 384 pound-feet for the engine and 398 pound-feet when the 48-volt mild-hybrid system contributes. According to BMW, it’ll accelerate to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, but although it’s the quickest of the gas-engine 5s, it’ll be the last to arrive as it goes on sale in November of this year.
Two Electric 5s
Customers interested in a battery-powered 5-series will have two to choose from, neither of which will have a frunk under the long hood. Following the nomenclature introduced by the i4 and i7, the electric 5 will be called the i5. At the bottom of the EV lineup is the i5 eDrive40, a rear-drive setup with a rear motor with 335 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque (a Sport Boost function dials up the torque to 317 pound-feet).
With its 84.3-kWh battery, EPA range for the estimated 4100-pound sedan is expected to flirt with 300 miles. BMW tells us that 60 mph will arrive in 5.7 seconds. Pricing starts at $67,795, putting it above the $55,000 threshold for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. An optional M Sport package blacks out metal trim, adds different wheels, dresses up the front and rear end with a more aggressive look, and brings a retuned suspension.
