For a change, we’re going to drive a BMW station wagon for a while.
At Car Whiz we are not averse to BMW Tourings, so it is only fitting that we subject the brand new 5 Series Touring to an endurance test. The electric version to be precise. The i5 Touring. This is one of the first electric station wagons, which currently has little or no competition.
eDrive40
When shopping for an i5, there are two options: the eDrive40 or the xDrive M60. The car that BMW gave us is the eDrive40. We would have liked to have the M60, but the eDrive40 is of course the most relevant version. And this is no modest entry-level model, because you have 340 hp and 430 Nm on the rear wheels.
The i5 eDrive40 is also the version with the longest range. That is 560 kilometers on paper. What remains of that in practice, we will find out during the endurance test. It sounds promising in any case.
Equipment
Let us introduce you to this specific car. The car is finished in ‘Cape York Grün’, which sounds more exciting than it is. The color is more blue-gray than real green. This metallic color normally costs €1,294.70, but with an M Sport Edition (which is this car) it is included.
The M Sport Edition naturally also comes with the M Sport package. This of course gives you different bumpers (with lots of black), Shadowline trim, an M Sport steering wheel and – last but not least – an M Sport suspension. This puts the car 8 millimeters closer to the asphalt. You get 19-inch rims as standard, ours is equipped with optional 20-inch rims. And you can even go a size bigger if you think it’s necessary.
The majority of the equipment (including Driving Assistant Plus, Parking Assistant and front seat heating) is otherwise standard. The real options are Harman Kardon audio (€441), Travel Pack (€822), steering wheel heating (€265) and sun blinds for the rear doors (€265). The Travel Pack doesn’t include much: it consists of Comfort Access and a system with which you can hang things on the backrest of the front seats.
Price tag
So this is a pretty complete car, but it does come with a price tag. This i5 Touring costs €82,455. That is a surcharge of almost 10 grand, because the starting price is €73,382. The cheaper (non M-Sport) version is more stylish with the chrome window frames, but it has to do without the sports suspension.
Wouter will certainly give his opinion about the BMW i5 Touring as an endurance tester, but in the meantime you can watch the driving test:
