[RichardInCA]

I took delivery of my i5 M60 late last November and am now 8-9months in of living with my car and thought it was a good time to think about the ownership experience for those considering making the switch.

Driving - feels as crisp as day 1. The electric power is creamy smooth, ridiculously flat torque curve and so comfortable as a wafting sedan but also still has ridiculous acceleration that just *keeps* pulling past triple digits. I’ve not attempted to find the limit yet as I like my license. It corners well and has great grip. I’ve noticed that in bad traffic I arrive feeling fresher and the car doesn’t suffer that “getting too hot” feeling I used to get in my other ICE cars. Reception from people who’ve ridden as passengers has been positive, lots of curiosity about how it drives and the acceleration. I will admit to pulling a few amusing demonstrations.

User interface - I’m converted now. I’ve grown accustomed to using the iDrive wheel to navigate much of the interface so don’t think too much about fingerprints. I also have come to like the center console - the haptics work well and I have no problem navigating between the Nav, Home Screen or media screens without losing focus. I’m all in on the HUD - it’s really crisp and works well for not just speed and metrics, but the nav projections are good, the traffic camera warnings work, I can see my audio tracks and advance/replay, mute/unmute, join/leave calls with the HUD. Can’t go back on this now. Door materials etc? I don’t think about this. At all. I just drive my car and enjoy it. IDrive works for me, my iPhone as key is just routine, I pair my personal iPhone to CarPlay and my work iPhone can take Teams calls with both paired. It just works.

Build quality - rock solid, no rattles or squeaks - minor issue to be fixed is the fold/unfold of the door mirrors when the temperatures get warm but everything else works just fine.

Charging - really zero issues whatsoever. I charge at work and at home and haven’t used EA in months.

Tire life - seems solid - I’m at ~6,100 miles and all good.

A/C - works well - I really like preconditioning the cabin and do it all the time, year round.

Do I miss an ICE car? No, I actually don’t. We have frequent “spare the air” days here in NorCal at this time of year when you can see the smog and crap trapped in the inversion layers over the bay and the hills - it feels great to know I’m not contributing to that any more. I love the smoothness and quietness/efficiency of an EV. I still drive ICE cars - we have others in my family and also when I rent cars….I always feel how much more sluggish/clunky they feel off the line now. I really like how simple the concept of an EV is - less to go wrong, almost nothing in maintenance, I just think much less about wear and tear with the engine/drivetrain now.

In summary, I’m so far beyond the “initial impressions of the G60” topic that it’s kinda funny to me now. I’m fully adjusted and a fan of the car.

Who else has some long term ownership experience to drop in the forum?

[Ossian]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I took delivery of my i5 M60 late last November and am now 8-9months in of living with my car and thought it was a good time to think about the ownership experience for those considering making the switch.

Driving - feels as crisp as day 1. The electric power is creamy smooth, ridiculously flat torque curve and so comfortable as a wafting sedan but also still has ridiculous acceleration that just *keeps* pulling past triple digits. I’ve not attempted to find the limit yet as I like my license. It corners well and has great grip. I’ve noticed that in bad traffic I arrive feeling fresher and the car doesn’t suffer that “getting too hot” feeling I used to get in my other ICE cars. Reception from people who’ve ridden as passengers has been positive, lots of curiosity about how it drives and the acceleration. I will admit to pulling a few amusing demonstrations.

User interface - I’m converted now. I’ve grown accustomed to using the iDrive wheel to navigate much of the interface so don’t think too much about fingerprints. I also have come to like the center console - the haptics work well and I have no problem navigating between the Nav, Home Screen or media screens without losing focus. I’m all in on the HUD - it’s really crisp and works well for not just speed and metrics, but the nav projections are good, the traffic camera warnings work, I can see my audio tracks and advance/replay, mute/unmute, join/leave calls with the HUD. Can’t go back on this now. Door materials etc? I don’t think about this. At all. I just drive my car and enjoy it. IDrive works for me, my iPhone as key is just routine, I pair my personal iPhone to CarPlay and my work iPhone can take Teams calls with both paired. It just works.

Build quality - rock solid, no rattles or squeaks - minor issue to be fixed is the fold/unfold of the door mirrors when the temperatures get warm but everything else works just fine.

Charging - really zero issues whatsoever. I charge at work and at home and haven’t used EA in months.

Tire life - seems solid - I’m at ~6,100 miles and all good.

A/C - works well - I really like preconditioning the cabin and do it all the time, year round.

Do I miss an ICE car? No, I actually don’t. We have frequent “spare the air” days here in NorCal at this time of year when you can see the smog and crap trapped in the inversion layers over the bay and the hills - it feels great to know I’m not contributing to that any more. I love the smoothness and quietness/efficiency of an EV. I still drive ICE cars - we have others in my family and also when I rent cars….I always feel how much more sluggish/clunky they feel off the line now. I really like how simple the concept of an EV is - less to go wrong, almost nothing in maintenance, I just think much less about wear and tear with the engine/drivetrain now.

In summary, I’m so far beyond the “initial impressions of the G60” topic that it’s kinda funny to me now. I’m fully adjusted and a fan of the car.

Who else has some long term ownership experience to drop in the forum?

I'm only a few months in on my M60 experience, but thus far mine is playing out pretty much the same as yours. It is very difficult to imagine going back to a pure ICE car right now, but I am keeping an open mind about the M5 (obviously a PHEV) come lease end...

Overall I am enjoying the car as much as I have enjoyed any previous BMW, and the novel experience of having a performance-oriented BEV has been a lot of fun.

[azuki]

the car is a nice upgrade from the 230i i had. The i5 front/rear light design is very appealing in my opinion. i was choosing either the i4 m50 or i5 m60 but the i4 interior literally looks the same as 230i so i went with the i5. once the lease ends though i would like to switch to back to a 2 door...hopefully EV 2 door bmw will be out soon..

[Scrapula]

I feel the same, Richard. I’m in month 7 of ownership and I couldn’t be happier. I get the squeaky mirror thing when the weather gets above 80. It’s been warm for about 2 weeks, but still 58 this morning. This car is just so relaxing and enjoyable to drive. I also use the HUD for just about everything. I can look at my AppleMusic playlist and scroll through to songs or Sirius XM stations. I also use Teams for work calls. I couldn’t do without CarPlay but I use the BMW nav instead of Maps.

[MidnightMarauder]

As a prospective i5 buyer, these comments are very useful. Thanks!

[agorski]

Compared to my previous loaded 328i, the cabin luxury and seat comfort are far better and I really notice how it doesn't bog down and turbo lag when I start moving or pass someone. Lots quieter, too, especially at highway speeds. The 8 shortcuts nicely replace the dedicated buttons in the old car, although it takes 2 taps instead of just a button push. Once I got all the complex settings adjusted to the way I like them I don't need to dork around in the apps trying to find something.

[mariopl]

I went for 520xd and I am starting to regret.
When I was ordering the M60 was ultra expensive.
Now dealers are giving almost 30% discount on Stock Cars.
I could wait.
Driving i4 M50 on Daily Basis makes me hard to switch to diesel.
If I could I would swap now…

[DHDCF]

Originally Posted by mariopl

I went for 520xd and I am starting to regret.
When I was ordering the M60 was ultra expensive.
Now dealers are giving almost 30% discount on Stock Cars.
I could wait.
Driving i4 M50 on Daily Basis makes me hard to switch to diesel.
If I could I would swap now…

30%... whoa. Do you have a link to one that is discounted so heavily? That'd be great if could share. Ty.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by DHDCF

30%... whoa. Do you have a link to one that is discounted so heavily? That'd be great if could share. Ty.

Did you notice he's from Poland? Perhaps he is referring to cars in Poland. Let's see when he replies. :-)

[DHDCF]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

Did you notice he's from Poland? Perhaps he is referring to cars in Poland. Let's see when he replies. :-)

No. I didn't lol Ty

[syslakm]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I took delivery of my i5 M60 late last November and am now 8-9months in of living with my car and thought it was a good time to think about the ownership experience for those considering making the switch.

Driving - feels as crisp as day 1. The electric power is creamy smooth, ridiculously flat torque curve and so comfortable as a wafting sedan but also still has ridiculous acceleration that just *keeps* pulling past triple digits. I’ve not attempted to find the limit yet as I like my license. It corners well and has great grip. I’ve noticed that in bad traffic I arrive feeling fresher and the car doesn’t suffer that “getting too hot” feeling I used to get in my other ICE cars. Reception from people who’ve ridden as passengers has been positive, lots of curiosity about how it drives and the acceleration. I will admit to pulling a few amusing demonstrations.

User interface - I’m converted now. I’ve grown accustomed to using the iDrive wheel to navigate much of the interface so don’t think too much about fingerprints. I also have come to like the center console - the haptics work well and I have no problem navigating between the Nav, Home Screen or media screens without losing focus. I’m all in on the HUD - it’s really crisp and works well for not just speed and metrics, but the nav projections are good, the traffic camera warnings work, I can see my audio tracks and advance/replay, mute/unmute, join/leave calls with the HUD. Can’t go back on this now. Door materials etc? I don’t think about this. At all. I just drive my car and enjoy it. IDrive works for me, my iPhone as key is just routine, I pair my personal iPhone to CarPlay and my work iPhone can take Teams calls with both paired. It just works.

Build quality - rock solid, no rattles or squeaks - minor issue to be fixed is the fold/unfold of the door mirrors when the temperatures get warm but everything else works just fine.

Charging - really zero issues whatsoever. I charge at work and at home and haven’t used EA in months.

Tire life - seems solid - I’m at ~6,100 miles and all good.

A/C - works well - I really like preconditioning the cabin and do it all the time, year round.

Do I miss an ICE car? No, I actually don’t. We have frequent “spare the air” days here in NorCal at this time of year when you can see the smog and crap trapped in the inversion layers over the bay and the hills - it feels great to know I’m not contributing to that any more. I love the smoothness and quietness/efficiency of an EV. I still drive ICE cars - we have others in my family and also when I rent cars….I always feel how much more sluggish/clunky they feel off the line now. I really like how simple the concept of an EV is - less to go wrong, almost nothing in maintenance, I just think much less about wear and tear with the engine/drivetrain now.

In summary, I’m so far beyond the “initial impressions of the G60” topic that it’s kinda funny to me now. I’m fully adjusted and a fan of the car.

Who else has some long term ownership experience to drop in the forum?

I am also anal about fingerprints, but the majority of the functions can be done either with the iDrive controller or with voice commands. The voice commands seem to work surprisingly well (ie. more than 80% of the time).