BMW i5 LWB First Drive Review: Big, Luxurious and Surprisingly Fun | Times Drive

Hi there, I'm Manav Sinha and it's a great time to be a BMW fan, especially in the Indian market because they don't seem to be getting anything wrong. Whatever they're doing is working for them fantastically. They've never done this good in the Indian market and today I have a car which might just push them to the next level. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you today the BMW i5 long wheelbase. Now this is the second fully electric car to be assembled in the Indian market after the BMW ix1 long wheelbase which has been nothing short of a revolution in terms of sales, in terms of popularity and just how that car gets everything right. It's so popular that if you add up the next rivals of that car, you still won't match the popularity of the ix1 long wheelbase and now they're bringing the same treatment to the 5 series. The 5 series already had a long wheelbase version in the ice format but now it is happening in the EV format as well and this being assembled in India, you can be assured that this is going to have a very good price tag as well. So is this the perfect luxury EV that you've been waiting for? Well that's what we'll talk about today. Let's start with the design. Now I know, design and BMW always sparks a long conversation but to me, when I look at this car, especially in the flesh, I quite like it. I think this design has grown on me over the years and today I think this is one of the more handsome BMW cars that you can buy in the market. For the i5 version, you get this new i-badge on the grille and yes, the grille still lights up. At night, you still continue to get the adaptive LED headlamps in the BMW i5 as well and overall, what has happened is that now it looks even more bigger than the BMW i5 M60 which was on sale and continues to be on sale in the Indian market. Now there is a big differentiation between the two cars that we have to get out of the way. First question, does the BMW i5 M60 continue to be offered in the Indian market? The answer is yes. Does it continue to be offered with the standard wheelbase? The answer is yes. Does the long wheelbase version continue to be sold alongside it? The answer is yes as well. So this is how the 5 Series lineup is placed today. You of course have the really out there version of the 5 Series, the M5. You've got the 5 Series petrol. Now you have the BMW i5 long wheelbase electric version and if you want a sporty version in the 5 Series lineup but with an EV drivetrain, then you have the i5 M60 as well but if we put together the i5 M60 and the i5 long wheelbase next to each other, you'll realise that this car is of course longer than the standard wheelbase version but where this difference really comes through is in the proportions of the car, in the road presence of the car which in the long wheelbase guys is a lot better than the i5 M60. Although it is from the sides that you realise just how long this car is now, it's over 5.1 metres long, the wheelbase itself is 3100 millimetres which is huge. The biggest advantage of course will translate into the in cabin rear seat experience, we'll get to that in a minute but in sheer presence and size, this is a proper lumpy car, if you're into that, you're going to like this car quite a lot. Talking of design, you continue to get the high shoulder line on the car, this resemblance to the Hofmeister King continues to be there, you also get to see the 5 lettering on the C pillar although it does not light up like in some other markets where this car, this generation of the 5 Series is sold and there have been some changes that have been made to the India specific model as well. One of them is the increase in ground clearance, 18 millimetres extra than the global long wheelbase version of the i5 that is available, that is what we get for the Indian model right here. The other big change that we see for the Indian market is the inclusion of a rear axle air suspension which is meant to give you an optimum ride height in different kinds of driving conditions as well. In simple words, the added ground clearance and the rear axle air suspension combined meant that during our time with the car, the car did not scrape its belly on any speed breaker which is fantastic especially if you know that this can be something that you have to keep in mind if you drive the i5 M60 or the i7. The other design highlight that I quite like are these intricately designed alloy wheels, these M alloy wheels but the thing to keep in mind is that you still get thick sidewalls on the tyres as well which should translate into good road experience and again, we'll come to that in a bit. Now coming to the rear end design, well this is where the car looks properly distinctive, I really like these horizontally laid out sleek tail lamps on the car, I also like the contrast that comes from the gloss black element in the bumper and overall, it really adds to the width of the car, again giving it unique presence, this one does stand out of the crowd. If we talk about the interiors, we get to see the familiar dashboard here which we have seen in the i5 series before which is not a bad thing because this is a great cabin experience, I really like this open pore design over here on the dash, I really like the crystalline like glass elements across the dashboard on the dial over here as well, makes this car feel very special and premium and along with that, we also get to see this curved binnacle here, in which we get to see these two big digital screens, let's talk about this one by one, let's start with the instrument cluster, cleanly laid out, easy to read, has all the information available at a glance, no complaints in that department, it's also customisable, gives you different sets of information, this is what you want and the design will change slightly, Coming to the touchscreen infotainment system, great graphics, great touch response, but the UI could be better, this is something that I have spoken about this screen for a long time as well, this is not the first BMW where I'm experiencing this particular layout, I have experienced this across several BMW models and even today, if I have to find a particular feature, I really have to spend a lot of time and attention to find just the right place to go to, especially when you have all the apps listed down, there are just so many icons to choose from and then some menus to go through, that it's not a very intuitive experience, thankfully though, you have a good array of touch-based buttons in the centre console, which make things slightly easier, but then again, the UI could be better in this department, I really like though, that there is a physical volume knob on the centre console, which is a fantastic thing to have always, now let's talk about another design detail, when you look at the dashboard, you will realise that you won't be able to see the AC vent anywhere, because it is hidden in this car, BMW has given us a different design in this dashboard, in which you won't be able to see the AC vents, if you want to adjust it, then you have to adjust their airflow with this touch-based slider, and below, there are some fidgety controls, through which you can adjust the AC vent, again, since you can't see the AC vent directly, it is not a very intuitive experience, but in terms of sheer presence, design and looks, this is a properly premium cabin experience, other things to note is that you have a large underarm storage, you have a couple of cup holders, you have two USB-C chargers and a place to keep two smartphones up here in the front as well, last but not the least, this is a BMW, it's about the driving experience, so we have to talk about ergonomics and in that department, this car scores full marks, electrically adjustable has everything, even the steering is electrically adjustable for reach and height and you have two-stage memory function for the front seats, both for the passenger as well as the driver as well and you can find your perfect driving position and you will enjoy being seated here and experiencing the car in terms of ergonomics, in terms of how everything is laid out and how everything is well within your reach, but let's talk about the big interest area in this car because this is the long wheelbase model, which is the rear seat experience, for reference, I'm 5 foot 10 and you can see how much space I have available here, there's acres of knee room available, I can slide my feet under the seat and I can get really comfortable over here, the seats are reclined to 31 degrees, says BMW, which means they don't need to give you a recline function in the car as well, now this is a bit of a subjective matter, I do still wish that there was a recline function at the back over here, but purely in terms of comfort, there's nothing to complain about, I also get these really nice cushiony pillows over here for my neck, I also have a drop-down armrest, very sizable and it comes with an integrated wireless charger for my phone as well, if I press this little button over here, then it will extend to show the cup holders over here as well, I have four zone climate control, which is a great thing to have as always and I have this little touch button over here, which if I press, will open this massive panoramic sunroof as well and here's the kicker, this now has lighting elements inside the glass as well, just like the 7 series and I think this is a great party trick and this is something that is a great experience, especially at night, now speaking of lights, the cabin and the i5 at night, well you will really like the ambient light setup inside the cabin, it looks fantastic, it is great and now you also have lights inside these intricately designed speaker grills as well, but the experience is not perfect because I think there is one very big omission that needs to be addressed by BMW ASAP, which is the absence of blinds over here, I know how many people are fan of having blinds across the price segments, the BMW i5 long wheelbase should definitely have had blinds at the back, there's not even a blind for the rear glass as well and I think that is a big miss, although there is a solution, BMW says that you can buy the blinds as an accessory, but those are blinds that you adjust in your window frame rather than electrically operated or inbuilt blinds that would have been far better, the other thing to note is that you have this really nice holder over here to hold your iPad if you wish to, along with the USB-C charging port, so if you want to have entertainment on the go, you can do that with the i5 long wheelbase. To sum things up, you also get a decently sized boot, which also includes a space saver wheel and if you're wondering, no, you do not get a frunk storage compartment like some other EVs. And now finally, the only thing left to be talked about is the driving experience and this is one of the areas that sets BMW apart from the other German luxury car makers because this is an area that generally BMW aces and I'm happy to report that the i5 long wheelbase is no different, this could have been a great opportunity for them to get completely swayed by the fact that they're trying to make a car for the best rear seat experience in the segment and that is why they're going down the route of long wheelbase. Now, what happens when you increase the length of the car? The good side is that of course, you get more space on offer for rear seat passengers, which is what is the big draw of this car, but the downside is that that increases weight, that changes the way the car responds to driving inputs and all in all, it waters down the driving experience, which would have been much better with, say, the standard wheelbase 5 series as we have seen in the i5 M60, like I mentioned earlier, but BMW, being BMW, has made sure that the essence of driving experience is maintained with the i5 long wheelbase as well, so you still continue to get a 50-50 weight distribution, all things balanced as perfectly as they should be, yes, I did try to quote the Thanos meme over here, but yes, you do get the 50-50 weight distribution, you still have a great steering wheel, which is not only good to hold, but also has a lot of feedback and gives a lot of communication back to the letting the driver know how the car is behaving, how the road conditions are, how the car is set up on the edge of the grip, yes, if you want, you can actually operate on the edge of the grip with a lot of confidence as well, so the core essence of driving has not been watered down. Also, let's talk about the brakes, great bite from the brakes, the car stops on the drop of a hat, but more importantly, it also has decent amount, decent amount of feedback as well, which is not something that you can say for a lot of EVs, which have a proper brake energy recuperation system like this car does, because there, the brake lever feels completely wooden and is very difficult to modulate in spirited driving conditions, here though, you can do that with a fair amount of confidence as well, so all in all, it's a great car to drive, this is an EV, there are a lot of numbers to talk about, so let's get to them one by one. The BMW i5 Long Wheelbase is powered by an 81.6 kilowatt hour battery and BMW says that this battery will give you a range of 669 kilometers, we say that if you drive the car in any way, then you can expect a rear-world driving experience of about 550 kilometers from this car, of course, now we are experiencing this first drive with the car, so we will do a proper range test in due time, so make sure you subscribe to the Time's Drive YouTube channel, but this is what BMW is claiming as of now. Let's talk about the charging, if you get a 160 kilowatt DC fast charger from somewhere, then BMW says that it will charge 10 to 80 percent in just 33 minutes, and if you happen to use the 11 kilowatt AC wall box charger that you get with the car, with free installation at your house, mind you, this can charge from 0 to 100 percent in about 8 hours, which means an overnight charging at your house will give you a comfortable real-world driving range of over 500 kilometers, which basically means that you don't have to worry about range, range anxiety is a thing of the past with modern-day BMW EVs, especially the Gen 5 EVs that we are driving today, but we have to also talk about performance, 268 horsepower is available with the car and 410 Newton meters of torque, now of course, these are not output numbers like BMW i5 M60, but in no capacity are these less as well, because mind you, these are electric horses, so you have power on tap the moment you press the accelerator and when you do that, you realize that this car is decently fast as well, like I mentioned earlier, and you also have this really nice lever on the left that says boost, if you press it, you have all the power on tap for 10 seconds, which actually makes this quite enjoyable to drive, and let's finally talk about the ride quality, you of course, realize when you're pushing it really to the limit that there is a bit of understeer that gets induced because of the weight, but the car manages it sublimely, there is nothing to in the handling department, but if we talk about pure ride quality, then it is a very comfortable ride experience, I have also driven BMW i7, I have also driven BMW i5 M60, which are the EV sedans on offer, just like the i5 long wheelbase now, but in those cars, whenever I used to pass through a speed breaker, then I had to be a little careful that maybe this car would scrape from below, Yes, as force of habit, I was a little bit cautious, but as I spent time driving it, I realized I don't have to worry about it, and a big thanks for this has to go to the rear axle air suspension, which is of course doing wonders for the ride quality, more ground clearance than before, means this is a no stress driving experience, and that is something that I'm very happy to report, if we talk about the rear seat experience, well, what you will immediately notice is the NVH levels of the car, because you don't have drivetrain noise, but that is not the case in this car, because the NVH levels are controlled very well, if at all you hear a little bit of tire noise at highway speeds, but that is to be expected, so you get a very quiet cabin experience, comfort wise, the sharp potholes, but in every other condition, in road undulations and in bad patches of road, you are not worrying about comfort, and if you happen to find a decent stretch of roads as well, which can be rather tricky in some of the places, let's be honest, but if you do happen to find a decent stretch of road, I'm not talking about pristine highways, but even decent everyday road conditions, on that conditions, the car performs excellently and is very comfortable for the rear passenger. So to sum it all up, I always like the ICE version of the 5 Series, because I think it is a car that strikes a great balance between being a car that you enjoy driving and between being a car that you enjoy being driven in. It's a great weekday commute to office kind of car with your chauffeur, and it's a car that you would take out for your own driving experience over the weekend as well, and I think all of that has translated very well to the BMW i5 long wheelbase which has come to the Indian market. We can't talk about the 5 Series without talking about the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, because these two are the biggest titans which are at loggerheads for decades in the Indian market, but I have to mention that car because I want to tell you where the i5 long wheelbase currently sits. You see, the E-Class continues to have a petrol and a diesel engine option, whereas the 5 Series only had a petrol engine option or an all-out M5 or an i5 M60, both of which were very heavily performance-oriented. In all of that gap, there is now an electric version in this setup, in this range of cars in the form of the BMW i5 and I think this is the masterstroke that BMW has done for the Indian market by not only identifying this white space and launching this car, but also making sure that this will come with a great price tag for the Indian market as well, because well, it is locally assembled. Now this strategy has already worked wonders with the BMW ix1 long wheelbase and we only wait to see what happens with the i5 long wheelbase in the Indian market as well. As for the car itself, I think it's a great balance between being an EV, being a car that you like to drive, like to be driven in and I would say this one has all bases covered. Yes, it's not perfect, there are a couple of omissions which are frankly surprising, but as a package, as a whole, this is a car that you definitely have to consider even if you're looking for an ICE car or a hybrid car or an EV car, because with this package, the drivetrain is only a part of the equation. The car overall is one that we highly recommend.