BMW’s first executive electric tourer is the silent-performer you do not know that you need

Singapore – Welcome to the inaugural car review by Asphalt Singapore! Now that we got that out of the way, we would like to present you with this cool “suit-and-tie”.

Estate cars have quite the niche following here, after-all many whom I have spoken to have gone on to say “Ohh, it looks like a hearse”, or “Eh! That one dead person’s car”.

But maybe that is the magic behind something like a BMW 5 Series Touring. Visually, the new electric Fiver is one of the very few cars which I know that has no bad angles. Even with BMW’s ongoing big grille fetish, this new G61/G61 5 Series, despite its large snout, has avoided the controversy, which has dogged the 7 and 4 Series cars.

And adding on to its presence, a chiselled shoulderline, paired with a gradual-departing rearward window contour-line contributes to the 5 Touring’s optical balance. To finish the look, it sits on a set of 20-inch wheels, shod with 245/40 tyres.

Almost Lounge-like

The midsize wagon’s interior carries with it design elements we first saw in the BMW iX. The i5’s tidy dashboard, fronted by a curved display panel, and equipped with a 14.9-inch infotainment screen, is powered by BMW’s Operating System 8.5. Which while loaded with many features, is arguably one of the easiest to use among the German “Big Three” brands.

The controls for the air-conditioning are a push away at the base of the screen, and to keep things neat, the vents with their obscured openings, are tweaked via rubberised roller-knobs discreetly located within the black lower half of the dashboard.

For the driver, a 12.3-inch driver display offers a considerable amount of customisable flexibility, while to retain optimal driving focus, there is also has a full colour head-up display.

Interior is truly a pleasant place to be in, as many of the interior materials are soft-touch, while mellow ambient lighting surrounding the front occupants, can be adjusted to your liking. Sadly, these light strips do not extend to the rear.

The Boot’s the Beaut

Be it if you need the added cargo space, or if you simply are here for its sublime looks, the i5 Touring’s boot boasts 570 litres – some 50 litres more than its sedan sibling. With the rear seats folded, you can load a maximum of 1,700 litres worth of your favourite Bavarian pretzels.

However, I am a little unhappy that BMW has done away with that rear windshield hatch, which would be one of the design traits synonymous with a BMW estate car.

Built to be Driven

The rear-motor puts out 340hp and 400Nm, like in many EVs, where max torque is made immediately available the moment your right foot goes flat. You hit 100km/h in a brisk 6.1 seconds, which for me is performance enough to keep me smiling. In my humblest opinion, the drive quality feels as natural is it can get (for an EV).

While the electric Fiver is not over-the-top, even when you commit its brains to think in ‘Sport’, it still accelerates in blisteringly quick fashion. Hungry for more? A simple lug on the ‘Boost’ paddle adds more blur to your peripherals for a good ten seconds.

I am also glad that there is nothing much to knock here, apart from the thick A-pillars, combined with wing mirror placement, which block your view.

The other complaint, which is not at all the fault of the car, is that massive “new age” vehicle IU screen, which creates a disturbing blind spot, where you will perpetually have difficulty checking for the right-hand curb when negotiating a right corner. Hear that LTA?

I was rather pleasantly surprised that even though the estate is equipped with the M Sport suspension, ride quality is not at all jarring. I like that it soaks up bumps without much complaint, while dialing in just enough firmness to hold its line around turns… and turns well it does! This is especially confidence-inspiring, given that you are after-all piloting a car which weighs in at 2,255kg!

But on most days, where this electric estate is not driven balls out, it gets you there in a delightful-hushed manner, allowing you to truly savour its lounge-like interior.

So, Here are my Thoughts

The i5 Touring does cost around $10k more than its electrified Sedan sibling, but it is a more practical and does the job looking better. For now, i5 Touring takes the stage unruffled. That is until Q2 this year, when Audi is slated to launch the Audi A6 Avant e-tron.

Words & Photos: Clifford Chow

ProsCons
Smooth delivery from electric driveLooking this good can be expensive
Beautifully balancedNow that almost everything is a virtual button on a screen, things are less user friendly
Added luggage space… who am I kidding?
It looks better than the sedan		Rear tailgate window does not open anymore

BMW i5 Touring eDrive40 M Sport

DrivetrainFull Electric
LayoutSingle Motor, Rear Drive
Motor power / torque340hp / 400Nm
Battery capacity81.2kWh
Efficiency20.7kWh/100km
Electric Range548km
0-100km/h6.1 seconds
Top Speed193km/h 
VES BandA1
DealerPerformance Motors / BMW Eurokars Auto
PriceS$427,888 with COE and VES
VerdictBalanced. Mighty fun to drive. Wonderful good looks.