[RichardInCA]

I dropped my trusty M60 to the dealers today to have them work up my iDrive glitch (it rebooted on one occasion and shut down on another, while driving). In the meantime I ended up taking an eDrive40 as a loaner and thought it’d be fun to do a little comparison now I know the M60 so well. It’s running on 19’s vs my M60 which runs on 20’s, seems to have M Sport trim and maybe the Premium package.

Was gonna see how the efficiency compares, the sound system (B/W vs H/K in my M60) handling, dynamics and such.

What else do you guys want to know (if anything)?

[aabc]

Rear wheel steering and the adaptive dampers please!

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I dropped my trusty M60 to the dealers today to have them work up my iDrive glitch (it rebooted on one occasion and shut down on another, while driving). In the meantime I ended up taking an eDrive40 as a loaner and thought it’d be fun to do a little comparison now I know the M60 so well. It’s running on 19’s vs my M60 which runs on 20’s, seems to have M Sport trim and maybe the Premium package.

Was gonna see how the efficiency compares, the sound system (B/W vs H/K in my M60) handling, dynamics and such.

What else do you guys want to know (if anything)?

[patch5674]

Originally Posted by aabc

Rear wheel steering and the adaptive dampers please!

This

I am getting a 40 and have test driven one WITHOUT the adaptive suspension and was pretty happy but it was a 30 minute drive.

But a lot of the YouTube and reviews have all been driving 40s WITH the fancy suspension and praising it's ride comfort, but the reviews that have specifically called out the passive suspension have said it isn't great... (Top Gear in the UK is one that springs to mind).

But I think it is one of those situations where maybe if you hadn't driven an adaptive you would be incredibly pleased, but if you drive them back to back you might notice a difference in overall capability between comfort and sport.

ETA: Also keen to hear your thoughts on HK vs B&W. I know the B&W will be objectively better, but how is the HK?

[RichardInCA]

You got it….I have another day with the car today and will revisit tomorrow.

[Scrapula]

I wish I would’ve put in for a loaner. Getting tired of airing up my tire every time I drive. Supposedly, the back ordered Pirelli tires will be in next week.

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I dropped my trusty M60 to the dealers today to have them work up my iDrive glitch (it rebooted on one occasion and shut down on another, while driving). In the meantime I ended up taking an eDrive40 as a loaner and thought it’d be fun to do a little comparison now I know the M60 so well. It’s running on 19’s vs my M60 which runs on 20’s, seems to have M Sport trim and maybe the Premium package.

Was gonna see how the efficiency compares, the sound system (B/W vs H/K in my M60) handling, dynamics and such.

What else do you guys want to know (if anything)?

I'd love to know your perception about the ride quality between the two wheel sizes. I went with 19" on the 540, largely due to the inability to order the other ones in anything other than a staggered configuration.

[RichardInCA]

Alright here’s my thoughts, sorry for the long write up.

My loaner is a regular eDrive40 with an M-Sport pack (including M-sport suspension - still don’t think we’ve completely understood what that includes), 19” wheels but everything else is pretty much stock. Black veganza seats, dark wood trim.

My regular M60 build does not have active sway bars (early build) but has the exec package.

I thought this could be a fun comparison as I had a similar experience >10yrs ago when my old 328i sports wagon with sports suspension, bigger rims etc, and a few bells and whistles went in for a repair and I got a base 328i loaner. Boy the difference I felt was huge - the loaner 328i felt like a civic or a much lower car in terms of driving dynamics, handling (much softer/spongier ride, less refined interior) - I was quite taken aback that the two cars could wear the same badge. So I was curious to try the different levels of i5 this time around and see what I found. I’ve had the eDrive40 for a couple of days and run my usual commute route 27-28miles each way, much freeway with some surface streets of mixed quality.

What was kinda identical

Freeway gliding, build quality, comfort - this was perhaps not surprising, but the road feel was not terribly different while freeway cruising. Both cars are quiet and feel very solid/well put together.

Minor differences

Suspension - interestingly the eDrive40 with M-sport didn’t feel terribly different to me - occasionally a little firmer in the rear perhaps with a little more bounce once or twice, but really not terribly noticeable. Of note, I couldn’t tell a big difference with the 19” vs 20” wheels which is likely a testament to BMW’s engineering. I didn’t try to take a detour and go explore twisty roads in the hills….demands of the day job and such, but it surprised me how little difference I could perceive in “regular driving”. I think there’s a bit more of an edge in Sport mode for the M60 (Mr Hyde mode) as you might expect - steering sharpens up, and the difference in keeping the car more horizontal seems more pronounced, other than that, they’re very similar (Dr Jekyll mode for the M60)

Efficiency - this was an interesting one. I tried not to geek this, but didn’t find dramatic mi/kWh differences on the commute.

Some differences

IAS vs no rear wheel steering. The eDrive40 has a pretty good turning radius as it turns out - I have to pull a turn in my drive way and reverse into a space next to my wife’s car and while I could tell that the IAS in my M60 made that a little more nimble, the eDrive40 didn’t feel a world away. IAS definitely has the edge, but not a huge dealbreaker. Reversing into the charger at the office is an effortless in the M60, slightly more maneuvering in the eDrive40. I didn’t notice any differences on the highway or driving at regular speeds.

IDrive - on/off sounds and iconic sounds in personal and sport modes. That was kinda interesting - I actually preferred the iconic sounds on the eDrive40, while the on/off sound is more aggressive in my M60.

Steering - I think the M60 is a little more sensitive perhaps more so in Sport mode - see above. That might also be related to the IAS.

Glass controls - sorry, I like these, stepping into the base version felt cheaper. I also much prefer the carbon fiber dash relative to the dark wood trim on this loaner. It’s just a bit too plain to my eye and makes the cockpit a bit less visually interesting.

Window shades - I have to say, I miss my window shades from the M60 and actually the skylounge glass roof. I think the glass roof just looks better on a white car and I didn’t get a big difference in heat transfer to be honest.

Meaningful differences

Power - duh. The eDrive40 isn’t a slouch, the EV power does its thing - like being scooped up and thrust forward by a large invisible hand. It’s not hard to go fast in this car - the eDrive40 takes a bit more time to build but gets going, especially in Sport mode, but the M60 is just more instant and urgent. I have got quite used to being able to easily blast by slower traffic on the freeway and it always puts a smile on my face. It’s spoiled me I think. The M60 is truly a schizophrenic (Dr Jekyll AND Mr Hyde) car - it can be a wafting comfy car, but also a wildly fast sedan. The sport mode handling is just fun - but that duality means it’s not an “M” from my perspective. The eDrive40 is more of a single identity car - it’ll go faster but it never quite develops the wild side of the M60.

Recuperative braking - shouldn’t be a surprise but it was *very* noticeable from the get go - the dual motor braking in the M60 is much more pronounced/effective at stopping the car than the single motor in the eDrive40. I’ve become quite used to the aggressive recuperation in my M60 and am not a fan of the gentler version in the 40 - it made me use the brake pedal a lot more. Perhaps this would be less noticeable in the xDrive40.

Sound system - the Harmon Kardon is definitely not as good as the Bowers & Wilkins. It’s just not got as good a dynamic range. Interestingly both systems are improved when using the USB connection vs CarPlay, but the HK with USB doesn’t quite close the gap to the Bowers & Wilkins - I get super crisp percussion on my own car, but the high ends just aren’t as sharp with the HK. Now, the HK isn’t awful, and if you’re not used to a higher end audio in your car, it’s likely perfectly fine, but the BW is better.

Overall

To the beginning point, this hasn’t been the dramatic difference I thought I’d feel when I recalled my early 2010’s 328i comparisons. The eDrive40 is a really solid car, and if I didn’t have an M60, I’d probably be very happy. The eDrive40 may be the “base” i5, but it’s far from being a base 5 series. Many of the things I like about my M60 can be optioned. I likely wouldn’t notice the difference between the 19 vs 20” wheels (maybe I need a really bad road to test), and most of the time wouldn’t necessarily miss the IAS. I love the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the M60 though, and the fact that I’m not getting a dramatic difference in efficiency on my commute was a nice bonus. Hope some of that helps someone out there.

[epigram]

Thanks for the detailed write-up! Now I'm wondering whether to option the glass roof... having already opted for the adaptive suspension and BW sound system on the eD40.

[SkykingUSA]

Excellent write-up, thanks! What surprised me the most is the efficiency similarities. I would have thought that a single motor car would get better efficiency than a dual motor car - especially since the rear motors are the same power level between the two cars (I think they are both 250 kW motors in the rear).

Did you try the "Boost" paddle when on the freeway and wanting to pass? Or, did the loaner not have that option? I think that is part of the M Sport Pro package (not just the M Sport package) so maybe the loaner didn't have it.

Did the loaner have the same seats as your car? Luxury Seat package vs. Sport Seats?

It's interesting about the strength of the regen braking in B mode. I almost always drive in B mode now that I've gotten used to it and thought that my eDrive40 was pretty strong in that regard - I guess I'd have to re-learn the B mode sensitivity in an M60 if I started driving one. :-)

I may end up with a loaner next week from my dealer when I bring in my car for service. If I get a different variant than my eDrive40 I'll share any thoughts I have about it too. Thanks again for the comparison! Really interesting.

Edit: I forgot to ask - didn't you miss the colored stitching on the steering wheel and the red center marker? That's something I really wish I could have gotten on my car, but it was not available for the eDrive40. Does your M60 have the tri-color stiching on the seat belts, or is that a non-USA thing as well?

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

Excellent write-up, thanks! What surprised me the most is the efficiency similarities. I would have thought that a single motor car would get better efficiency than a dual motor car - especially since the rear motors are the same power level between the two cars (I think they are both 250 kW motors in the rear).

Did you try the "Boost" paddle when on the freeway and wanting to pass? Or, did the loaner not have that option? I think that is part of the M Sport Pro package (not just the M Sport package) so maybe the loaner didn't have it.

Did the loaner have the same seats as your car? Luxury Seat package vs. Sport Seats?

It's interesting about the strength of the regen braking in B mode. I almost always drive in B mode now that I've gotten used to it and thought that my eDrive40 was pretty strong in that regard - I guess I'd have to re-learn the B mode sensitivity in an M60 if I started driving one. :-)

I may end up with a loaner next week from my dealer when I bring in my car for service. If I get a different variant than my eDrive40 I'll share any thoughts I have about it too. Thanks again for the comparison! Really interesting.

Edit: I forgot to ask - didn't you miss the colored stitching on the steering wheel and the red center marker? That's something I really wish I could have gotten on my car, but it was not available for the eDrive40. Does your M60 have the tri-color stiching on the seat belts, or is that a non-USA thing as well?

It does have the boost paddle but I didn’t try it out (I figured that would really screw up my efficiency if I went too large on that). I think the thing I’m seeing is that if you are cruising there’s not a lot of difference in the power consumption between the two cars, but obviously the “peak” power use can be higher with the M60.

I’m pretty sure it has the same seats, but mine seem more adjustable….I can also adjust the passenger seat in iDrive on my M60 but not on this one.

Yes I have the blue/red stitching and red center mark on my m60 but no stitching on the seatbelts. I like the colors but the wheel is basically identical to the eDrive40 M-sport pro.

My guess is that I could eke out more difference in efficiency but I wasn’t trying to go for an efficiency record. Clearly the estimated range was higher, but I didn’t see that difference in my commutes.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

It does have the boost paddle but I didn’t try it out (I figured that would really screw up my efficiency if I went too large on that). I think the thing I’m seeing is that if you are cruising there’s not a lot of difference in the power consumption between the two cars, but obviously the “peak” power use can be higher with the M60.

I’m pretty sure it has the same seats, but mine seem more adjustable….I can also adjust the passenger seat in iDrive on my M60 but not on this one.

I find the boost paddle makes a big difference on my car, even when just driving along at 50 mph.

Regarding the seats, sounds like the loaner doesn't have the Luxury Seat package.

[patch5674]

Thanks for the writeup, really useful and I think you have captured it perfectly in that the M60 just has that broader overall bandwidth - being able to be the comfortable cruiser and then sharpen/firm up to a greater degree than the 40.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

I find the boost paddle makes a big difference on my car, even when just driving along at 50 mph.

Regarding the seats, sounds like the loaner doesn't have the Luxury Seat package.

I’m taking it back later today, I’ll try the boost out for completeness.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by patch5674

Thanks for the writeup, really useful and I think you have captured it perfectly in that the M60 just has that broader overall bandwidth - being able to be the comfortable cruiser and then sharpen/firm up to a greater degree than the 40.

That’s the thing that has really surprised me as an owner, in a good way. Before I took delivery (no test drives available then!) I wondered if this would just be in permanent rocket ship mode, I really love how easily the car switches personality.

[Scrapula]

Great write up, Richard.

I drove the eDrive40 at the BMW Autocross and I thought the regen worked about the same. Although, I wasn’t really driving fast in a parking lot with cones and did not need the brake pedal, just a slow let up before cornering. I rarely use it now on my M60 unless it’s a panic stop from because of an idiot driver.

[ToddRGuy]

Thanks for this, Richard. It was a well crafted and thoughtful write up of your perspective. It’s interesting to see that while both vehicles have some pronounced differences, they also possess a lot of similarities that, at the end of the day, make either choice a respectable decision.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

Great write up, Richard.

I drove the eDrive40 at the BMW Autocross and I thought the regen worked about the same. Although, I wasn’t really driving fast in a parking lot with cones and did not need the brake pedal, just a slow let up before cornering. I rarely use it now on my M60 unless it’s a panic stop from because of an idiot driver.

I just drove it back to the dealer and there’s absolutely a sizable difference.

Closing thoughts - the eDrive40 is a great car. I enjoyed it, I tried the boost paddle and sport mode and it is absolutely a nice zippy car. It rides and drives really well. Per SkykingUSA you absolutely get a decent power boost when you pull the padddle - it feels great. It’s just that the M60 is bonkers. The eDrive40 makes me smile, the M60 makes me say “holy sh*t” out loud.

Picking up my M60 again, maybe there is a bit of a smoother ride, but the fact I have to ask myself the question tells you that the eDrive40 is a fine riding car regardless.

[epigram]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

smoother ride with the air suspension,.

I thought all i5 had rear air suspension as standard?

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by epigram

I thought all i5 had rear air suspension as standard?

It does in the rear. I suspect he is referring to the adaptive suspension or dynamic handling stuff that the M60 can have.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by epigram

I thought all i5 had rear air suspension as standard?

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

It does in the rear. I suspect he is referring to the adaptive suspension or dynamic handling stuff that the M60 can have.

Good catch - trying to accurately determine what suspension is in which car is a whole other rabbit hole. Edited the post

[Blue Sky]

You can use a VIN decoder if you have the VIN, the ones still working aren’t as good as in the past, but probably should be able to list the options like M Adaptive Suspension or whatever it is called.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by TLK

You can use a VIN decoder if you have the VIN, the ones still working aren’t as good as in the past, but probably should be able to list the options like M Adaptive Suspension or whatever it is called.

Ha - I did that, and this is what I saw - I’m not sure what “M Sports Suspension” means tbh.