BMW i5 Touring review

Part of the appeal of luxury products has traditionally been their exclusivity, and yet prestige SUVs seem to be everywhere these days. So what do you buy if you want something big and upmarket that isn’t omnipresent? Well, the BMW i5 Touring might fit the bill.

As an estate version of the fully electric BMW i5 executive car, this model’s closest rival is the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo. But they’re far from direct competitors, with the i5 Touring having a less sporting focus and a much bigger boot.

If the latter quality is important to you, you might also have the conventionally powered Mercedes E-Class Estate on your shortlist. Plus, it’s worth noting that the i5 will soon be joined in the BMW 5 Series Touring line-up by new 530e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and 520i petrol variants.

Here, though, it’s the i5 Touring we’re focusing on, as we compare it with the main rivals and look at everything from how good it is to drive to how practical it really is.

Two versions of the BMW i5 Touring are available: the performance-focused M60, with its twin electric motors (for four-wheel drive) and 593bhp output, and the single-motor eDrive40 model that we tested, which is rear-wheel drive and produces a still healthy 335bhp.

As a result, while it’s slower than any Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, the eDrive40 offers all the performance you need. A prod of the accelerator pedal sees the car surge forwards strongly even when it’s heavily loaded.

In addition, the eDrive40 has an official range of up to 344 miles, which beats the 310 miles of the M60 and is only slightly down on the 351 miles of the entry-level Sport Turismo. Just bear in mind that a winter range of around 250 miles is likely to be more realistic.

As mentioned, the i5 isn’t as overtly sporty to drive as the Taycan, but it still responds crisply to steering inputs and its body stays quite upright through corners – at least in our test car's M Sport trim, which comes with a slightly firmer set-up than you get with the cheaper Sport Edition model.

Our test car also had 20in wheels in place of the standard 19s, and on these the ride is good rather than great, because things get a bit fidgety over patched-up road surfaces.

The i5 Touring doesn’t have the significant comfort advantage over the Sport Turismo that you might expect, then, and the Mercedes E-Class Estate is more cosseting than both. However, the handling of that car is far more ponderous.

In addition, the i5 is still a very relaxing cruiser, because it’s much better than the Taycan at shutting out tyre rumble and keeps wind noise to a minimum.

Unlike many electrified cars, the i5 has a brake pedal that responds consistently, allowing you to stop smoothly with ease. Alternatively, if you set the energy-recovering regenerative braking system to its highest setting, the car will slow so swiftly when you lift off the accelerator that you barely need to touch the brake pedal at all.

Driving overview

Strengths Punchy performance; hushed road manners; agile handling

Weaknesses Suspension could be more supple; unspectacular range

From behind the wheel, the i5 Touring looks identical to the BMW i5 saloon (at least until you peer over your shoulder or in the rear-view mirror). However, that's no bad thing, because it means it generally feels plush and well assembled.

In addition, every i5 Touring features supportive front seats that offer standard electric height and backrest angle adjustment, although it's worth noting that adjustable lumbar support costs extra on entry-level Sport Edition models.

You sit higher than you do in the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, which can be seen as a good or a bad thing depending on your personal taste. But the extra height does aid forward visibility, as do adaptive LED headlights, which can be left on high beam at night, because they automatically shape their light field around other road users to avoid dazzling them.

True, the view behind is more restricted. However, it’s better than it is in the i5 saloon or the Taycan Sport Turismo. Plus, the standard rear-view camera and all-round parking sensors help with manoeuvring.

A 12.3in digital instrument panel sits behind the steering wheel, and seems to flow directly into a 14.9in central touchscreen. Meanwhile, a head-up display, which projects useful information on to the windscreen right in front of your eyes, is available as an option.

The infotainment system runs BMW’s latest iDrive software, with a 5G sim card for connectivity. It's one of the best set-ups around, with sharp graphics, snappy responses and a generally user-friendly operating system.

You can control it by pressing the touchscreen, but there's also a rotary dial and shortcut buttons between the front seats, which are less distracting to use when you're driving. Our only complaint is that you have to use the touchscreen or voice control to adjust interior temperature because there are no physical controls for this.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and a Harman Kardon sound system come as standard, with a Bowers & Wilkins upgrade on the options list. Wireless phone-charging is also included, with the tray accommodating up to two devices.

Interior overview

Strengths Comfortable driving position; user-friendly infotainment system 

Weaknesses The climate controls are on the touchscreen

As mentioned, the BMW i5 Touring has a much bigger boot than its closest electric car rival, the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo.

Yes, the Sport Turismo’s squared-off rear end gives it a respectable 446-litre luggage capacity (with the rear seats and load cover in place) and makes it practical enough for you to bring a pet spaniel on family outings. However, the i5 Touring offers 570 litres and allows a Great Dane to come along.

Even among conventionally powered estate car rivals, only the Mercedes E-Class Estate offers more space (615 litres), and that car’s boot shrinks to just 440 litres if you go for the E300e plug-in hybrid version; there’s no fully electric E-Class.

Rear seats that split and fold in a 40/20/40 configuration and lie at the same level as the boot floor add to the usability of the i5 Touring. And while it’s slightly disappointing that it misses out on the separately opening rear window that has long been a staple of BMW estates, you can still put shopping bags into the boot when you’ve parked with the back of the car close to a wall or another vehicle, because the powered tailgate opens in a relatively small space.

Similarly, it’s a bit of a pity that there isn’t a second load area under the bonnet where you can store charging cables, as there is in Teslas. There is room for them under the boot floor, but that means that when the boot is full you have to partially unload it to get to your cables.

Two passengers will be very happy in the back of the i5 Touring, thanks to the generous leg and head room on offer. Life is less comfortable for anyone who tries to sit between them due to a hump that runs down the spine of the car.

Up front, meanwhile, there’s loads of leg and head room even if you've chosen a version with a panoramic glass roof. And storage space includes a pair of cupholders, a cubby beneath the central armrest and large door bins.

Practicality overview

Strengths Spacious for four; bigger boot than a Mercedes E300 Estate or Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo

Weaknesses Not great for a fifth passenger; no under-bonnet storage

A BMW i5 Touring will cost you around £3000 more than an equivalent i5 saloon, so even the cheapest version costs more than £70,000. However, that still compares favourably with the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, and is even in line with the pricing of the Mercedes E300e Estate.

As for the i5 M60, this is obviously more expensive again, but it does undercut the Taycan GTS. What's more, all i5s are available with sizeable discounts if you buy through our free New Car Deals service.

The i5 is predicted to lose its value reasonably slowly and – like all electric cars – will make more sense as a company car than a petrol-powered equivalent because of the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax savings on offer.

When you need to charge up, the i5’s 81.2kWh (usable capacity) battery can accept a maximum charging rate of up to 205kW, so a 10-80% top-up takes just half an hour if you use a suitably powerful public charging point.

Entry-level, Sport Edition trim gives you 19in alloy wheels, faux-leather upholstery, climate control, adaptive LED headlights, heated front seats and a heat pump.

Upgrading to M Sport brings stylistic changes, but unless these really appeal, we'd recommend sticking with Sport Edition and adding the Comfort Plus Pack, which brings lots of desirable features, including keyless entry, a powered boot lid, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and four-zone climate control.

The i5 was too new to feature in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey but BMW finished a respectable 12th out of 32 brands included. By contrast, Porsche was 20th and Mercedes 24th.

BMW gives you a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, while the i5's battery is covered by a separate warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles.

All versions of the i5 come with a host of electronic driver aids, including blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and rear cross-traffic alert as part of the standard-fit Driving Assistant Pack. These aids helped the i5 score five stars (out of five) for safety when the saloon version was appraised by Euro NCAP; there hasn’t been a separate test of the i5 Touring.

Costs overview

Strengths Cheap to run as a company car; lots of standard safety equipment

Weaknesses A pricey private buy, and you'll still want to add options

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