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We take an in-person look at two of BMW’s most important sedans – The all-new i5 M60 and the flagship i7 M70
BMW’s All-Electric Sedans
BMW is in the midst of a difficult time. It, like many other luxury brands, is trying to navigate the transition to electric vehicles while also maintaining a robust internal combustion engine fleet. On top of that, it’s having to try to stand out in an ever-growing market of cars that continue to improve across the board. That means that to stay in its lofty perch, the brand has to go big.
The German automaker has to push past convention and offer things that buyers can’t necessarily get elsewhere. That’s where the i7 M70 and the all-new i5 M60 come into play. Each sits atop BMW’s model hierarchy and the i7 specifically is the flagship sedan of the entire brand. How do they shape up in the real world? We got our hands on each of BMW’s all-electic sedans to find out.
The BMW i7 M70 is a Masterclass
There’s no getting around one simple fact about the BMW i7 and that fact is that the exterior design isn’t immediately attractive to most. It’s very aggressive, it doesn’t feel cohesive, and frankly, it doesn’t immediately harken back to classic 7-Series generations of old. Of course, there are some workarounds for those who want to hide the awkward proportions. For instance, get an i7 in all black. One might be doing themselves a disservice though. Being a flagship means, in part, standing out. To that end, the design of the i7 does indeed stand out and it looks better in person than it does in photographs.
With talk of the exterior out of the way let’s focus in on what buyers can expect from living with the i7, specifically this M70 model. It makes 650 hp and up to 811 lb-ft of torque. It’ll do 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. That’s exceptional and far more than the lesser i7 models that make 449 hp and 536 hp respectively. The M70 also provides up to 295 miles of range and can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 34 minutes provided that it’s hooked up to an appropriate fast charger. So we’ve checked two boxes – it’ll turn heads and it’s seriously powerful.
The cabin is really where the i7 M70 is the most special though. It takes everything that we love about a BMW interior, great fit, and finish, high-quality materials, thoughtful classy design, and ratchets it up to 11. An expansive infotainment system blends directly into the driver gauge cluster. The system runs iDrive 8.5 which allows users to control it via voice command, hand gestures, physical control buttons and knobs, or through direct touches to the screen itself. It’s not the only tech-heavy portion of this sedan though. Simply getting in and out is a futuristic experience as all four doors have electric servos in them that can open and close the door with the press of a button by the corresponding passenger.
All four main seats get massaging functionality and the rear-seat occupants enjoy a massive 31-inch entertainment system that slides down from the ceiling. It comes fully equipped with Amazon, YouTube, and other video streaming services. To put it simply, the i7 M70 checks every box one might want in a flagship sedan and that’s good because it starts at $168,500.
The BMW i5 M60 Pushes the Limits
On the other hand, the i5 has a different mission than the i7. It’s the middle-tier mainstream sedan for BMW and it needs to bridge the gap between old and new trends and past and present design. To that end, it looks a lot more like a classic BMW on its face. It’s also smaller than the i7 by some margin but it’s still no small vehicle. It’s bigger than an E32 7-Series and it’s taller than the previous 5-Series too.
This version, the M60, makes 593 hp and sends it to all four wheels for a 0-60 mph time of just 3.7 seconds. It comes with 256 miles of range and tips the scales at 5,247 pounds. The i5 eDrive 40 is also available with 335 hp and up to 295 miles of range. Just like the i7, it’s capable of DC fast charging and can go from 10 percent to 80 percent state of charge in about half an hour.
Those stats are all well and good but what’s interesting about the i5 M60 is that it feels faster than the i7 despite technically being slower in a straight line. Some of that comes down to the reduction in overall weight and size. Of course, the suspension tuning and intent of the i5 M60 is a tad more aggressive than it is in the i7. There’s no getting around the heft of this i5. It feels weighty going into turns and lacks the eagerness to change direction quickly that older 5-Series models enjoy. Nevertheless, it’s engaging from behind the wheel.
Like the i7, the i5 features iDrive 8.5 along with all of the same controls. The seating situation isn’t as luxurious but it’s still top-notch for the class. There are a plethora of adjustments for the front seats and the rear seats provide more legroom and headroom than in any past 5-Series (as well they should considering how big this car is.) The brand ultimately says that its customers want that additional interior space so sales should be good. Is it as fun to drive as an older 5-Series? No, not really, but BMW has to change with the times and if the i5 and i7 are any indication, the future is at least fast and luxurious.
