Many Irish car buyers will roll their eyes at the real estate proposition, but this low-roofed, long-backed car could be experiencing a renaissance.
Tall and bulky SUVs are hostile to the energy efficiency needed to really kick-start the electric vehicle revolution, so SUVs are becoming more aerodynamic, have longer range, and are more frugal electric vehicles. In order to do this, you will need to lower the vehicle height a little. . And SUVs with low roofs are basically estates.
While the market and marketers fret over body shape decisions, BMW isn't sitting around. The i5 Touring we have here is undeniably a luxury car.
Since it is an electric estate, it is also a rare item these days. In terms of direct rivals for the premium badge, Audi's belated A6 e-Tron won't arrive until at least the end of this year, and its sibling the Avant Estate will probably arrive as well. Mercedes product planners basically shrug and turn a blind eye when asked about the possibility of an EQE for his estate. In fact, the only close rival is the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, which at its lowest price is nearly 10,000 euros more expensive than the i5 eDrive40 Touring's 92,880 euros.
For example, there's also a four-wheel drive 601hp i5 M60, priced at €121,890, and a plug-in hybrid 530e is also planned, but BMW Ireland hasn't set its price yet.
The new i5 Touring is 97 mm longer than the old 5 Series Touring, with an overall length of just over 5.0 meters, and is also slightly wider and taller. This additional size allows BMW to extend the wheelbase to his 2,995mm, which is a boon for those sitting in the back seats and allows them considerably more space than the old 5.
The luggage space is impressive. Storage space up to the luggage cover is 570 liters (regardless of which model you choose), which is 20 liters more space than a BMW X3 (what makes an SUV practical?). It also has 80 liters more than the i5 saloon. Fold down the rear seats and the capacity increases to 1,700 liters. By the way, that's 100 liters more than the X3.
The rear seats fold in a 40:20:40 three-way split, and there is storage space under the boot floor for a luggage cover, partition net and charging cable (there is no secondary 'frunk'). nose).
The M60's 3.9-second 0-100km/h sprint grabs the headlines, but the 340hp eDrive40's 6.1sec is no slow, and it has a longer range than the powerful four-wheel-drive version, with 560km compared to 505km. corresponds to From my experience with the i5 saloon, unless you're a very diligent driver with an air conditioning allergy, his daily range in mixed driving and weather conditions is likely to be closer to his 450km. The energy consumption of the i5 eDrive40 is rated at 31.0 to 26.5 kWh/100 km according to WLTP tests.
However, it can be charged quickly. The i5 handles up to 205kW from a fast DC charger. And thanks to standard 22kW AC charging for the eDrive 40 Sport and M60, charging is surprisingly fast from his ESB (and other) charge points on the side of the road.
As well as BMW's traditional 50:50 front:rear weight distribution, the i5 also features advanced adaptive suspension and an active anti-roll system. Meanwhile, within BMW there is a new advanced driver assistance feature known as Highway Assistant, which allows you to take your hands off the steering wheel for long periods on the highway, as long as you keep your eyes on the road ahead and are ready to take back control. can. When you need it. Currently available only in the United States, Canada, and Germany, with plans to expand to other markets as laws allow.
You can order the i5 Touring now, but the first customer deliveries won't occur until May at the earliest, followed by the 530e plug-in hybrid.
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