There’s no guarantee that if you splash the cash for one of BMW’s all-new, all-electric i5 sedans that you’ll start talkin’ like Walken. But it’s possible.
If you watched this year’s Super Bowl LVIII – congrats again to the Kansas City Chiefs – you might remember the inspired ad for the new i5 featuring the slightly-grizzled, 81-year-old thespian Christopher Walken.
It followed his daily encounters with ordinary folk who, with hilarious effect, tried to mimic his nasally Queens, New York accent.
It wraps-up with the inspired sign-off: There’s only one Christopher Walken, there’s only one Ultimate Driving Machine.
While it intentionally didn’t focus on the advanced features of this electrified new 5 Series, it left the message that even though a bunch of Duracells were motivating this new i5, it still shared the DNA of a true, ultimate-driving BMW.
After a week behind the wheel of an entry i5 eDrive40 – base price $67,995, or in our case, $78,995 generously-loaded – while not the ultimate-driving i5, it’s arguably the most appealing.
That’s because of the three i5 variants on offer, including the rock-out-of-a-catapult M60 xDrive with its towering 593 horsepower, it’s the eDrive40 that can go the distance with its 295-mile range. Think 240 with the $84,100 M60. Range, with less anxiety, is good, right?
Not that the eDrive40 is lacking in the power department. With a meaty 335-hp on tap from its single, rear-mounted electric motor, it can whizz away from the stop light and hit 60 mph in a zippy 5.7 seconds.
And like any good electric car, it delivers that initial, tummy-churning, rock-out-of-a-catapult thrust guaranteed to have passengers squealing like they’re riding Sheikra at Busch Gardens.
I know, I know; we’re hearing plenty of reports of a major push-back on EVs here in the U.S. with a recent survey showing that 46 per cent of buyers would gladly go back to gas-power.
Add to that to our diminishing love affair with four-door sedans in favor of more versatile sport utes might suggest the i5 is doomed.
Time will tell. But I think of the 5 Series as a model that’s different, largely because of its evergreen appeal among driving enthusiasts, its long lineage, and much-loved reputation for feisty performance, fun, dynamic handling and fine build quality.
And for 2024, this eighth-generation 5 Series got a serious makeover. While evolution-not-revolution is the name of the game here, the new design is significant. Thankfully BMW resisted the urge to slap the same, over-sized, swollen-kidney grille to the 5’s nose that blights pretty much every other model in the line-up. Yes, I’m talking about you i7.
No, it doesn’t have anywhere near the visual shock-and-awe appeal of, say, a Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, or Mercedes EQE. But it trades drama for restrained elegance, poise and good old-fashioned class.
Same with the cabin, which benefits spatially from the new 5 being longer, taller and broader than its predecessor. But the dash layout will be familiar to BMW aficionados because of the lovely, wide-screen, curved-glass display that sprawls across the dash.
New though is a seat fabric is something called Veganza that’s a vegan pleather, with real leather as an option.
Press the start button and revel in the total silence that’s electrification. Well not quite. There’s a muted Tron-like soundtrack, created for BMW by movie composer Hans Zimmer that sounds slightly weird. Thankfully it can be turned off.
With the i5’s hefty 84.3 kW lithium-ion battery pack mounted way low beneath the floor, the car’s center of gravity is somewhere near to Sydney, Australia. That keeps the car firmly planted through the curves, aided and abetted by grippy 21-inch rubberware at each corner.
Add to all this, nicely-weighted, laser-precise steering, with the optional M-tuned suspension on our test car – part of a $3,000 M Sport package – delivering super-responsive handling coupled with a firm, yet supple ride.
For 5 Series lovers, this new electrified i5 will not disappoint. Its excellent range, effervescent performance and hushed refinement, not only makes it a 5-star EV, but a 5-star BMW. Mr. Walken would approve.
