BMW has taken the wraps off the 8th-generation BMW 5-Series. Alongside, the German carmaker has also unveiled the all-electric version of the sedan. Dubbed as the i5, in-line with the other all-electric cars from BMW, the sedan will be offered with two powertrain options.
BMW i5 exterior : More Details
The new i5 gets a new modern design language as compared to the existing all-electric offerings from BMW. The i5 is very similar to the 5-Series sedan.
It gets a traditional kidney grille at the front, however it is blocked off and finished in gloss black. The grille also comes with illuminated surrounds, similar to the ones found on the i7. The BMW i5 also comes equipped with slim, dual vertical DRLs and flush door handles. BMW has also equipped the i5 with features like a flat underbody, and other aerodynamic bits to reduce the drag. The i5 eDrive40 has a drag coefficient of 0.23.
The backside of the i5 comes with slim LED tail lamps with chrome elements. Otherwise the car is more or less similar to the regular 5-Series.
BMW i5 interior : More Details
Like other modern BMWs, the i5 comes with dual screens – a 12.3-inch all-digital instrument cluster along with a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment unit. Further, when the car is charging, the users will be able to play games on the screen using a smartphone as the controller.
Powertrain and Battery of the new BMW i5
BMW is offering two powertrain options. These include a rear wheel drive eDrive40 with 340 HP and 430 Nm and an all-wheel-drive M60 xDrive with 601 HP and 820 Nm. The M60 gets dual motors – one at each axle. The 0-100 km/h time of the eDrive40 is 6.0 seconds with a top speed of 193 km/h, while the M60 xDrive will do the same in just 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h.
BMW has equipped both the eDrive40 and the M60 xDrive with an 81.2 kWh battery pack. This has a claimed range of 497-589 km and 455-516 km respectively. Both numbers are WLTP cycle. The standard charger is a 11kW AC unit. Owners will be able to upgrade it a 22kW optional charger. The cars also support DC fast charging with 205 kW, with a 10-80 percent charging time of 30 minutes.
Also Read – BMW 5-Series 8th-generation sedan revealed.