[DBV1]

Originally Posted by wagonallterrain

Good review and right on point!

I just came back from a work trip and Hertz gave me a Tesla. I was surprised how basic Tesla is and totally ddon't get the hype some people have on this forum. How someone would pick a Tesla over i5 is totally beyond me!

Easy - range is king and their supercharging network. I have a 2021 Model S, after having 4 or 5 BMW 5 Series in a row and still have a X5d. Would prefer to have the BMW i5, as I am partial to BMW, but I travel a lot and the range is very disappointing. BMW could have done much better than that.

I also really have grown to love my Model S and love the looks of it. Think it drives great - super fast and like how it constantly gets updates that might add new features, which BMW/Mercedes do not do. Unlike, some people I love the Yoke steering wheel too.

Really like the looks of the i5 and would get one, but the range is just disappointing for someone that drives a lot like me. Probably only other EV I would get right now would be a Lucid Air Grand Touring and even with that the charging network scares me. And hopefully the Audi A6 EV will get over 400 miles of range.

[Gfit]

Good luck. For me, the massaging seats in my X5M are more of a gimmick. It’s more like a tickle than a massage

[JMD]

Originally Posted by alewifebp

Just picked up my i5 M60 that I custom ordered. Carbon black with black merino, carbon fiber trim. 20" 930M all seasons, M sport pro with red calipers, Executive package, driving assistance and front ventilated seats. Came from an X5 M50.

Had a nice long trip with mostly highway miles to bring it home. Overall, really loving it!

As expected, first things first, this thing moves! Put it in sport mode and it really moves. But acceleration is just effortless all throughout the power band. And even though the car is heavy, I didn't really feel it. Now, I'm coming from the X5 with a V8, and I had two F10s with the V8, so I'm kind of used to heavy cars. The suspension was very compliant and had a comfortable ride. But when pushed in to the corners, it was firmly planted. Overall, for the kind of driving I do, and the desire to have a mixture of luxury and sport, this really hits all of the right buttons for me. It also feels extremely tight and put together. So for me, driving dynamics are excellent.

First electric car for me, so I'm having a little bit of a paradigm shift in that area. Of course not specific to the i5, but the range isn't superb. Mind you, I rarely drive such long distances these days, and I do a lot of local driving, 800-900 miles per month. I was able to perform two complimentary charging sessions today. Between Baltimore and home, stopped at a Wawa in Deleware, charged and picked up something to eat. While I could have made it all the way home, I still wanted to drive more and didn't want to have to plug it in until I get the wall box installed. The Electrify America chargers seem to be very popular. I think many manufacturers have a complimentary period with them, so it was a little crowded. I've seen other chargers that aren't as busy, and the Electrify American network isn't all too large in NJ. EVgo is more popular around here. Then fulled up to 80% eating some dinner. The saving grace is being able to do other things while in the car with heat or A/C running.

One of my biggest concerns was the cheap(er) materials inside. While I'm not going to say it's amazing, I will say it feels solid, but also doesn't feel all too luxurious for the price point either. Harder plastic pieces, the cheaper looking grille right on the top of the dash you see all the time. And the door armrest is not all too comfortable on longer trips. However, at least things like interaction bar look good, plastic doesn't creak or give way. Looks to be a combination of cost cutting, emphasis on recycled materials, and maybe even some weight savings. It's good enough, but wish it was better.

Technology is pretty great all around. Wanted to get more used to how the highway assistant worked, but did use it for a little bit, and the hands free driving is really very relaxing. Glad to finally see BMW actually have more customization available in the gauge cluster, and overall iDrive 8.5 is pretty easy to use. Google Maps with Android Auto integrates very seamlessly, allowing you to not only have to see Android Auto or car functions, can see both at the same time, which is really nice. Waze doesn't integrate quite as nice though.

What could be better? I wish I could have ordered massaging seats, that's for sure. I don't like all of the shiny black plastic, that's going to be a pain to keep clean. No comfort access sensors on the rear door, but the phone integration and auto unlock works pretty damn well though mitigating that somewhat. And since I've drunk the Kool-Aid, wish you could get the traditional BMW gong. Given everything is just code anyway, don't see why they couldn't offer that. Would even be cool to see like a retro gauge cluster from the E39, kind of like what Ford has done with the Mustang.

While it's only been one day, it has been 250+ miles, and I'm definitely happy overall.

Nice write-up! Bryan over at Kies Motorsport has added "CA" to rear doors of an F30. I believe the rear doors only need the CA hardware and some mild coding. There's vid on Kies' YT channel. I believe the kit/parts were sourced via BavAuto. That said, BavAuto may come up with a CA kit for the rear doors of the G60. It's a pity BMW didn't think the new i5 rated CA on all 4 doors! SMH!

[cfm56d7b]

Great review. Thanks for sharing. The car looks simply great.

Where do you plan to charge the vehicle? At home? What charger do you have?

[Canuck335]

Originally Posted by wagonallterrain

Good review and right on point!

I just came back from a work trip and Hertz gave me a Tesla. I was surprised how basic Tesla is and totally ddon't get the hype some people have on this forum. How someone would pick a Tesla over i5 is totally beyond me!

One word: range.

[alewifebp]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Great review. Thanks for sharing. The car looks simply great.

Where do you plan to charge the vehicle? At home? What charger do you have?

For now, I'll be using the Electrify America complimentary sessions, and the flexible charger.

I will get a wallbox installed, but in order to get the credits from the state and my utility, I needed to have taken delivery of the car. My home is already prewired, so the install should be pretty easy.

[Scrapula]

Originally Posted by Canuck335

One word: range.

I don’t think so. Lots of Teslas in western Washington and range isn’t really a necessity here. I can head north and get to Vancouver in 100 miles. I can go south to Portland in less than 200 miles. West is water, east is the Cascade mountains.

I think it was that they were the only game in town. I’m starting to see a lot of Teslas on used car lots as people are buying cooler vehicles. I am seeing a lot of Rivians on the road. Ford Lightnings are snapped up as soon as they hit the lot. The i5s I saw at the dealership are all sold with 5 more in transit.

If I needed range, I would have bought a Lucid Air.

[MiamiFan13]

Originally Posted by alewifebp

For now, I'll be using the Electrify America complimentary sessions, and the flexible charger.

I will get a wallbox installed, but in order to get the credits from the state and my utility, I needed to have taken delivery of the car. My home is already prewired, so the install should be pretty easy.

Hopefully you have better luck with Electrify America than I have so far. They are SLOW, CONGESTED & UNRELIABLE (25% are out of service). I've determined that those who have the free 30min charges like we do receive much slower charging speeds than those who are paying out of pocket.

Love my car, despite range being 70% of advertised mileage, but most of the people who buy/drive these EV's are wacky/wierd people....you'll realize this after you hang out at a few EA charging sations. haha

[hufington]

Nice review and congrats on the new car.
I am also going to switch from an X5 m50 and also owned 3 previous V8 n63 versions back to back. Still not feeling ready for all electric but nice to know that it is "moving".
To me, the deal breaker is the same (rather cheap) interior & display setup in all current BMWs (no mater what series) and the generic look and feel. I may still switch to an X5M or go with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

[buddenfan]

Originally Posted by alewifebp

Just picked up my i5 M60 that I custom ordered. Carbon black with black merino, carbon fiber trim. 20" 930M all seasons, M sport pro with red calipers, Executive package, driving assistance and front ventilated seats. Came from an X5 M50.

Had a nice long trip with mostly highway miles to bring it home. Overall, really loving it!

As expected, first things first, this thing moves! Put it in sport mode and it really moves. But acceleration is just effortless all throughout the power band. And even though the car is heavy, I didn't really feel it. Now, I'm coming from the X5 with a V8, and I had two F10s with the V8, so I'm kind of used to heavy cars. The suspension was very compliant and had a comfortable ride. But when pushed in to the corners, it was firmly planted. Overall, for the kind of driving I do, and the desire to have a mixture of luxury and sport, this really hits all of the right buttons for me. It also feels extremely tight and put together. So for me, driving dynamics are excellent.

First electric car for me, so I'm having a little bit of a paradigm shift in that area. Of course not specific to the i5, but the range isn't superb. Mind you, I rarely drive such long distances these days, and I do a lot of local driving, 800-900 miles per month. I was able to perform two complimentary charging sessions today. Between Baltimore and home, stopped at a Wawa in Deleware, charged and picked up something to eat. While I could have made it all the way home, I still wanted to drive more and didn't want to have to plug it in until I get the wall box [...]

How long did your charge take?

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by hufington

Nice review and congrats on the new car.
I am also going to switch from an X5 m50 and also owned 3 previous V8 n63 versions back to back. Still not feeling ready for all electric but nice to know that it is "moving".
To me, the deal breaker is the same (rather cheap) interior & display setup in all current BMWs (no mater what series) and the generic look and feel. I may still switch to an X5M or go with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

Oof, cheap interior… that hurts!

After going back to iD7 in the Z4 after dealing with iD8 in my previous M3 - and living with iD7 in my X5 for a couple years - and spending time in an Audi - then reverting to the new interiors in our X7 and M3 … they are actually quite wonderful places to spend time. Full leather takes them up a notch. I don’t like the new Ceyenne interior but also wouldn’t drop that kind of $. ID8.5 is a big step up btw in the X7. Audi and Porsche infotainment is clunky imo. Modern but lots of black blastic and glass that attracts lint and fingerprints. To me the i5 looks really nice inside - but there is also the lots-of-piano-black-trim problem.

[hufington]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Oof, cheap interior… that hurts!

After going back to iD7 in the Z4 after dealing with iD8 in my previous M3 - and living with iD7 in my X5 for a couple years - and spending time in an Audi - then reverting to the new interiors in our X7 and M3 … they are actually quite wonderful places to spend time. Full leather takes them up a notch. I don’t like the new Ceyenne interior but also wouldn’t drop that kind of $. ID8.5 is a big step up btw in the X7. Audi and Porsche infotainment is clunky imo. Modern but lots of black blastic and glass that attracts lint and fingerprints. To me the i5 looks really nice inside - but there is also the lots-of-piano-black-trim problem.

I would go for a Cayenne Turbo for its V8 power and driving dynamics. I really don't care for the latest infotainment as long as the car is fun to drive. But it's true that they also went for a cheaper interior quality. I guess everyone is trying to make the most profits.

[ST3]

Originally Posted by hufington

I would go for a Cayenne Turbo for its V8 power and driving dynamics. I really don't care for the latest infotainment as long as the car is fun to drive. But it's true that they also went for a cheaper interior quality. I guess everyone is trying to make the most profits.

Yep. And that will continue to work as long as we all keep purchasing them.

[alewifebp]

I think part of the problem with the cheaper interior is two-fold.

First, BMW made a lot of great strides, especially moving from the F to G 3 Series models, and even the F10 to G30 was an improvement. The Bangle era was pretty terrible in both look and feel in my opinion. And from modern standards, the E39 was pretty cheap inside. It got better, but now we seem to be going backwards.

I considered the iX as well. That does have some better interior elements, but I'm not sure it's that great either. And neither does it have massaging seats, and the interior is quite plain. Also, check out the MSRP on those. Now, they don't actually sell for that price with all of the money on the hood, but it's kind of clear that you want a better quality interior, you need to pony up more money. The next generation X5 will be a good indication of where things are going in the future, as that's the volume leader. Even with the X5 LCI, the vents had a cheaper feel to them though, so we might know. Mercedes isn't immune either. It all looks luxurious, but it's a little bit of a facade.

Second, I think this is a combination of a few other factors at play. Obviously, cost cutting. We all know the inflationary pressures, and costs are just higher for just about everything. But they still need to price this at a certain level. Neither can they come to market with subpar tech.

But perhaps the just as big factors are the heavy use of recycled materials, and the need to save weight wherever they can. The battery packs is just too damn heavy. So saving some weight here helps to get you there. And when you look at the entire lifecycle of parts, materials that are lighter will naturally have a cheaper feel. But that's less waste in a landfill, less material needed to craft, less weight when shipping. It might just be "that's just what it is" in the industry as a whole going forward. I don't know.

[alewifebp]

Originally Posted by ST3

Yep. And that will continue to work as long as we all keep purchasing them.

And based on Tesla, and a slew of other competitors, and the Chinese competition, they will. I was in the Netherlands during the summer and had a Lynk & Co as a loaner. That car was pretty full featured, had a nice look, but the interior bits were of a very low quality. It was all for show. I understand that they sell very well in the Netherlands because they deliver features at a good price point.

[DHDCF]

Originally Posted by PingBeamer

You can skip to next song on the steering wheel.. the scroll wheel can be pushed to the left or right. 😊

I swear I tried that!! Thx PB, gon try again....

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by MiamiFan13

Hopefully you have better luck with Electrify America than I have so far. They are SLOW, CONGESTED & UNRELIABLE (25% are out of service). I've determined that those who have the free 30min charges like we do receive much slower charging speeds than those who are paying out of pocket.

How did you determine this? I don’t think it’s true at all. We have three ev’s and only one has free charging at ea. The charge rate isn’t different for me free vs. paid.

Now I have had stations that are slower than others, but it has nothing to do with whether I paid out of pocket or not.

[linuxprophet]

alewifebp
Congratulations on the G60:

I got back from Paris (I live in Dubai) to meet my Black Sapphire Metallic G60 waiting at home. From the showroom, it was delivered by truck to have the PPF work done.

I wish I had chosen Red or Carbon Black, but a bit late to complain!

Indeed, the car is quick! But in the UAE, if one doesn't want speeding fines, one may be unable to explore the niceties it brings.

I don't think Massage option was available. I tried!

Compared to the i7 G70, the build is not as superior but has a lot of components to make it 'feel' like a mini-me i7.
Likewise, I miss the oomph of the B &W Diamond Surround System in the G70. I literally have to psych myself up to remind myself that the G60 didn't have the option available, no thanks to CLARS.

As quick as the G70 is, the G60 is quicker off the mark.

I may provide an in-depth review after a few weeks. I have managed to clock up 500Km in the 1 week that I have had it.

I plan over Christmas is to drive the G60 for 6 days, and the G70 for a day for comparison.

...watch this space!

[bmwterp]

Originally Posted by MiamiFan13

Hopefully you have better luck with Electrify America than I have so far. They are SLOW, CONGESTED & UNRELIABLE (25% are out of service). I've determined that those who have the free 30min charges like we do receive much slower charging speeds than those who are paying out of pocket.

Love my car, despite range being 70% of advertised mileage, but most of the people who buy/drive these EV's are wacky/wierd people....you'll realize this after you hang out at a few EA charging sations. haha

Yup. On everything.

If the range works, its a fantastic experience. Otherwise...

[MrDit]

Originally Posted by linuxprophet

alewifebp
Congratulations on the G60:

I got back from Paris (I live in Dubai) to meet my Black Sapphire Metallic G60 waiting at home. From the showroom, it was delivered by truck to have the PPF work done.

I wish I had chosen Red or Carbon Black, but a bit late to complain!

Indeed, the car is quick! But in the UAE, if one doesn't want speeding fines, one may be unable to explore the niceties it brings.

I don't think Massage option was available. I tried!

Compared to the i7 G70, the build is not as superior but has a lot of components to make it 'feel' like a mini-me i7.
Likewise, I miss the oomph of the B &W Diamond Surround System in the G70. I literally have to psych myself up to remind myself that the G60 didn't have the option available, no thanks to CLARS.

As quick as the G70 is, the G60 is quicker off the mark.

I may provide an in-depth review after a few weeks. I have managed to clock up 500Km in the 1 week that I have had it.

I plan over Christmas is to drive the G60 for 6 days, and the G70 for a day for comparison.

...watch this space!

Congrats on your new vehicle. Curious, is there something you don't like about the Black Sapphire Metallic??

[PsychDoc]

Is there a USB input in the glovebox?

[rundeyvoo]

Originally Posted by alewifebp

Just picked up my i5 M60 that I custom ordered. Carbon black with black merino, carbon fiber trim. 20" 930M all seasons, M sport pro with red calipers, Executive package, driving assistance and front ventilated seats. Came from an X5 M50.

….

Great write up, thanks for sharing! How does it compare to the quality and overall build (fit & finish) coming from your X5?