BMW i5 eDrive40 2023 Review – International

How much does the BMW i5 eDrive40 cost?

The 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 sits in the middle of the new-generation 5 Series range in Australia, priced at $155,900 plus on-road costs for a car that could best be considered a zero-local-emission version of the old 530i, but with a LOT more torque.

It’s priced $41,000 above the four-cylinder 520i – the only combustion-powered 5 Series in the new range – and $60,000 south of the twin-motor BMW M60 xDrive.

The kick-off for a 520i is $114,900, while the M60 xDrive begins at $215,900 (both plus on-road costs), and all of them are covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. The battery in the EVs is expected to have an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

What equipment comes with the BMW i5 eDrive40?

The 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 is a seriously stacked car by most standards, with a panoramic glass roof, M sports suspension, a 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, adaptive LED headlights, merino leather trim, 20-inch alloys and a five-year Chargefox subscription.

Metallic paint is a no-cost option on the eDrive40, but there are only two blues (Phytonic Blue metallic and Tanzanite Blue) and a green (Cape York Green, to be precise) breaking up the sea of grey (five), black (two) and white (two) options.

It also has the M Sport trim package, including a flat-bottom, three-spoke leather steering wheel, dark blue metallic-painted brake callipers and an Alcantara headliner.

An extra $4200 will add in the M60 xDrive’s M Sport Plus package that includes red brake callipers, M Sport seat belts, 21-inch rims, black high-gloss bodywork accents and a carbon-fibre rear spoiler lip and mirror caps.

Alternatively, BMW offers the i5 eDrive40 with a Comfort Pack, for those not chasing the Australian automotive obsession with spinal injuries. For another $5700, they will deliver the eDrive40 with a heated steering wheel, roller sun blinds, active ventilation in the Comfort-spec front seats, rear seat heating, four-zone climate control and the swish-looking clarity glass gear levers and switches.

How safe is the BMW i5 eDrive40?

While neither Euro NCAP nor ANCAP have tossed one at a wall yet, there is every reason to think the 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 will take the impacts well, at least in part because BMW favoured its sensor array above its front-end design.

In terms of hardware, the i5 eDrive40 has front and side airbags for both front seat occupants, plus another airbag between them to stop their heads colliding. There are head airbags for the rear outboard seat occupants as well, along with seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters in the front and the outside rear seats.

Besides its 20-odd sensors, there is also a tyre pressure display and warning to help the active safety features before a crash even happens.

There is a dizzying array of active safety features, including a poorly integrated front Lidar sensor (the sore-thumb of a rectangle in the nose), radar, camera and ultrasonic sensors.

The software-driven safety systems include stability control, ABS, skid control, traction control, direct wheel-slip limitation, cornering brake control, brake assist and trailer stability control.

What technology does the BMW i5 eDrive40 feature?

The 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 has the ability to remember and autonomously drive up to 200 metres into a parking space or along a narrow pathway, in either drive or reverse. It can be controlled via the MyBMW app on a smartphone, while you leave it to do its thing.

It also has a Highway Assistant that allows for hands-free driving on divided motorways at up to 130km/h, provided the driver’s vision remains on the road ahead, alert and ready to take over.

In our tests with the system, it worked smoothly, switching lanes with just a turned head and a nod, but its camera struggled to peer through polarised lenses to figure out where the driver was looking.

Its sensor suite includes an 8-megapixel camera and a 300-metre long-range radar, and it delivers about 40 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), just like the 7 Series.

There’s also a Max Range feature, which adds 25 per cent to the normal range of the i5 by switching off the creature comforts and limiting the top speed to 90km/h. Not for everyday use, obviously, but probably welcome in a pinch.

What powers the BMW i5 eDrive40?

The 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 uses a single current-excited synchronous motor, bunged in to the same integrated housing as its single-speed gear and its power electronics, all sitting on the rear axle.

This gives the i5 eDrive40 a maximum of 250kW of power and 430Nm of torque, but that’s only in the My Sport mode. In standard operation, the peak figures are 230kW and 400Nm, which is more than enough anyway.

It’s good enough for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.0 seconds, and a 193km/h top speed.

According to BMW’s figures from WLTP testing, the 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 is capable of swallowing as few as 15.9kWh of electrons per 100km, or as many as 18.9, depending on its specification.

How far can the BMW i5 eDrive40 go on a charge?

Its maker insists the 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 is capable of 582km on a single charge of its 84kWh lithium-ion battery.

Based on WLTP testing, that figure will vary according to where, and how, it’s being driven, and it’s 66km more than the twin-motor i5 M60 xDrive can manage.

To recharge, there is manual or automatic battery pre-conditioning built into the big brain, so it can DC charge at its 205kW maximum upon arrival at the station, giving it a 30-minute 10-80 per cent charge.

It also comes standard with both a domestic Mode 2 charging cable and an AC public Mode 3 charging cable, and there’s a five-year subscription to Chargefox attached to each purchase.

What is the BMW i5 eDrive40 like to drive?

Across some of the roughest pieces of tarmac Portugal could muster, the 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 absolutely refused to be upset, or to transfer any of the discomfort its suspension must surely have been feeling into the cabin.

If its looks and its powertrain are a step away from the classic 5 Series style, the ride and handling remain bang on the money, and even better than before.

The i5 eDrive40 is a wonderful addition to the Australian motoring diaspora, and it feels a lot punchier out of corners and away from the lights than its numbers, particularly the 2130kg kerb weight figure, suggest.

The steering is wonderfully weighted and the body control is utterly exemplary. We aimed up at holes and bumps so big that we braced ourselves, only to find the i5 walking over them without a trace of concern. It’s impressive.

Also impressive is the way it can whip through corners, biting at the road surface with terrific balance and poise.

Are there concerns? Not really. I mean, it can feel like it could use more punch on overtaking from highway speeds, as the efficiency-oriented gearing reveals itself, but it’s quiet, it’s calm and it can be feisty when you want it to be.

What is the BMW i5 eDrive40 like inside?

For all the questionable aesthetics around the nose of the 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40, the interior is a better ballgame.

There is a warmth that didn’t exist in previous iterations, and while the sports seats seem like the obvious call initially, the comfort seats are the place to be over the long haul, with ventilation and heating coming with them.

It’s a bigger car – with another 97mm of length (out to 5060mm) overall, but only 20mm of that translates into the 2995mm wheelbase, which is given over to the rear seats. And rear seat comfort is higher than before, in every condition.

There’s a head-up display and a curved screen that houses both a 12.3-inch instrument cluster ahead of the driver and a 14.9-inch infotainment system. It’s mostly good, but when it’s frustrating, it’s REALLY frustrating.

The worst use-case is when you switch between driving modes and the screen just remains on the screen that shows you’ve changed driving modes.

There is also in-car gaming, ostensibly to entertain the kids while it’s charging, but there is capacity for seven players at a time, even though the i5 only seats five people.

It provides two data-transferring USB-C ports up front, another two in the rear and the option of two more, for charging, attached to the rear of the front seats.

The electric version of the 5 Series carries a space-saver spare tyre, which is tucked away, covered, in the corner of the boot, eroding the capacity from 520 litres in the combustion car to 490L. It can be accessed by a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat.

Should I buy a BMW i5 eDrive40?

The 2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 is one of the loveliest driving machines we’ve come across so far this year. It’s quiet, comfortable, surprisingly athletic and feels mature and cohesive.

Our only real niggles are the way it looks and the infotainment system’s infuriating lack of an automatic revert function when you change driving modes.

Aside from that, it’s a more rounded device than just about any EV out there, and feels very much like a cut-price i7 limousine, which even makes it excellent value.

2023 BMW i5 eDrive40 at a glance:
Price: $155,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Final quarter 2023
Powertrain: Single current-excited synchronous motor
Output: 250kW/430Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 84kWh lithium-ion
Range: 582km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 15.9-18.9kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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