Sublime and ridiculous: month 4 with our BMW i5 Touring

Published: 14 March 2025

► Does the i5 interior overcomplicate things
► Is all this tech useful?
► Read month 3


I’m getting used to the i5 and perhaps no longer noticing the things that bothered me at first. So I take a look through the notebook I keep in the i5’s centre console, which reveals quite a mix of positives and negatives.

The biggest positive actually comes from various passengers, who all comment on how successfully the BMW combines pace and serenity. From the driver’s seat, though, I find the big screens are fingerprint-magnets, and a complete pain to keep clean.

The boost paddle seems like a range-enhancing gimmick. Why not just have all the grunt available all the time, or use the equivalent of a kickdown on the accelerator pedal?

Logbook BMW i5 Touring: month 4


Price: £78,450 (£94,995 as tested)
Performance: 81.2kWh battery, e-motor, 340bhp, 6.1sec 0-62mph, 120mph top speed
Efficiency: 3.7 miles per kWh (official), 2.9 miles per kWh (tested)
Range: 301 miles (official), 242 miles (tested)
Energy cost: 3.0p per mile
Miles this month: 1323
Total miles: 3807

By Ben Whitworth

Contributing editor, sartorial over-achiever, younger than he looks

0 Comments