You all know me predominantly as a motorcycle guy. And I am. But I do not hate cars either. It is something that has happened gradually. I have driven a fair few performance cars. If you look up the xBhp archives, you’d know that we have been into cars for a while. Now, I used to think of cars as cages, but eventually, they grew on me. Especially sports cars. So now, I classify them into two categories. Cars that move you. And cars that just move you. It is usually easy to make that distinction. But every once in a while, I come across something that confuses me. I recently drove the BMW i5 eDrive35L, and it did just that. So to help myself and help the ones who can afford it, here’s my “review”. 

Well, let me start with my experience with BMWs. I have driven M8s, M4s, and Z4s. Sheer Driving Pleasure is what BMW used to call them, and they lived up to that. Among active and passive experiencers, I consider myself the former. Usually, I would hate to be the latter. I am someone who likes to have the wheel firmly under my command, but this car made me think otherwise. Assembled in India, relatively affordable, quiet, spacious, and luxurious: If I were a wealthy businessman, I’d love it. I am not. And I still quite liked it. 

What’s wrong with the regular 5-Series, you ask? Despite it being cheaper, lighter and more engaging? Well, you’d like to get behind the wheel of that one a bit too often. And that means you miss out on the work. And I would miss out on work to be behind the wheel of a 5-Series. But that is not always a smart option. I am as edgy as they come, but I also recognise the value of having the time to process what you rode or drove instead of always riding and driving. That is where this car comes in. Also, there is a huge gap between the iX1 and the i7. That is also where this car comes in. 

From all that I have said so far, it might seem like this is not such a good car to drive. That cannot be further from the truth. It has around 270 horses and 410 Nm of torque. It can do 0-100 in under 7 seconds and can go up to almost 200 kays an hour. Almost. Yet, you do not want to do that. What you want to do in this car is to be in the back. And despite my mind revolting against the very idea, I quite liked having this car move me. 

The interior is as opulent as they come. The LED-embedded roof, called Sky Lounge Panorama Glass Roof, is a sight to behold. Since this is a LWB, or long-wheelbase, version, there is tons of space in the rear. Most importantly, the sound system. A 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins setup with an output of 655 watts. That, to me, is extremely important if I am being driven around and not driving. Imagine Hans Zimmer conducting the masterpiece that was the Pirates of the Caribbean theme; listen to it on this setup, and you’ll feel like it is happening around you. 

Then there’s the Air suspension on the rear. It is simply magic. It absorbs everything in a way that makes you feel like bad roads are just a figment of your imagination. BMW also claims to have increased the ground clearance a bit compared to the ICE version, so speed bumps are not a bother either. No crab-crawling for us, good sir… None! 

While I had a lot of fun being chauffeured around in this car, I had to drive for the sake of the sanctity of journalism. The seats in the front are extremely comfortable. That screen setup is massive, and the experience of using it is crisp and smooth. The menus are a few too many, and it takes time to get used to everything. I miss buttons, but that is my general complaint about nearly every modern car. One thing that caught my fancy was the glass/crystal element. The few physical buttons/dials/rotary controllers this car has have been finished in glass/crystal. Neat. 

About the drive, well, it does quite alright. It is rear-wheel drive, which I always like. I would have tried drifting if I had the space and the time. NASA scientists say that to themselves every day. The feel of the throttle is quite sharp and direct in Sportier modes. The steering feels a little disconnected but not in a deal-breaking sense. The brakes vary based on the regen mode. The feeling is never direct, but in higher regen modes, the bite is sharp. 

The handling is okay, but this car is some 400 kilos heavier than the ICE variant, and it shows. It is not too lethargic, but the added weight will always be a factor. I keep saying this in all my electric or PHEV car reviews, but someone needs to invent lighter batteries. On that note, this car has an 81.6 kWh gross lithium-ion battery pack. They claim a range of 669 km, but that is optimistic. Anything between 350-400 km should be alright. More than that would be pretty awesome. 

And that is more or less it. You want a 5-Series, and this is a 5-Series. Why go for the heavier, slower, and more expensive one? Because it is also quieter, somewhat classier, and posher. Showing up to a high-society party with a petrol engine humming away is so tacky. Show up in this one so the only thing people hear is the sound that tons of money makes. For everything else, go for the ICE one.