A few months after the launch of the latest 5 Series saloon – and its i5 counterpart – the Touring estate version has now arrived
Say hello to the new BMW 5 Series Touring estate and, for the first time, the BMW i5 Touring estate. The latest 5 Series wagon is only available with electrified powertrains – UK buyers will only be offered the 530e plug-in hybrid or the fully electric i5.
2024 BMW 5 Series Touring prices and specs
Only the i5 Touring is available to order now, with the 530e plug-in hybrid following on later in the year. There are two powertrains in the i5 – a standard ‘eDrive40’ variant and a lightning-quick M60 range-topper, costing from £69,040 and £99,090 respectively. Unlike the saloon, there’s no normal petrol or diesel option.
Four trim levels are available – Sport Edition, M Sport Edition, M Sport Pro and the standalone M60.
For now, the i5 Touring has no direct rivals – the upcoming Audi A6 e-tron Avant isn’t due until later in the year.
The i5 Touring boasts a 570-litre boot, rising to 1,700 litres with the seats folded down. It doesn’t get the opening rear window like its 5 Series Touring predecessor, though.
2024 BMW i5 styling
The look of the new i5, along with the nearly identical 5 Series, is quite different from the outgoing car. Compared to the current 5 Series, the styling is much cleaner, with fewer creases and lines running down the car's sides.
At the front, the headlights look a little sharper and more angled inwards than the current model. This gives the i5 a recognisable signature look from the front and helps frame the brand's 'kidney' grilles. The rear end has also been substantially cleaned up, with flatter surfaces and thin, wide brake lights.
These intakes have been a point of controversy on recent BMWs with many commenters saying they look oversized. Compared to cars that have caused more offence, such as the XM SUV, the new i5's kidneys are fairly restrained without the snout-like look that's graced some other recent BMW models.
The cabin also features heavily updated styling compared to the old 5 Series, borrowing a lot of the same elements as recent BMW models such as the iX electric SUV. A super-wide screen stretches from behind the steering wheel all the way to the middle of the dashboard, with most of the car's functions now controlled through this screen.
A central rotary control remains for the infotainment system, which makes it a little easier for the driver to use on the move. The low-profile gear selector switch sits next to the infotainment dial but, other than that, there are remarkably few buttons in the i5's interior. BMW has fitted touch-sensitive controls for key climate functions but it's disappointing there's no longer any physical switches that can be easily used on the move.
2024 BMW i5 price
Entry-level i5 eDrive40 models will cost more than £70,000 when they arrives later this year, with the Touring estate adding around £2,250 to the price. Option packs will probably push the price closer to £80,000. Top-spec M60 models will go on sale at the same time, priced above £97,000.
Those prices position the new i5 noticeably higher in the lineup than the regular 5 Series, which costs slightly less than £52,000 for an entry-level 520i. The extra investment for the i5 is thanks to its large battery pack stuffed with expensive lithium-ion cells.
2024 BMW i5 specs
BMW offers the i5 in a few different flavours – all of which will use the same 81.2kWh battery pack. The first two to arrive on sale are the eDrive40 and M60. The former has a single-motor rear-wheel-drive setup with 250kW (335hp). Despite its entry-level status, the eDrive40 can hit 62mph from rest in six seconds, which is well into hot hatch territory. BMW claims a range between 309 and 361 miles.
For a substantial boost in performance, you can also pick the M60 version. This gains a second motor on the front axle for a total of 442kW (593hp) and a supercar-baiting 0-62mph time of just 3.8 seconds. Range estimates for the M60 are between 282 and 320 miles.
The company says it'll release yet another all-wheel-drive i5 in 2024. This will probably be called the eDrive50 and have specs that sit roughly between the eDrive40 and the range-topping M60.
When can I buy a BMW i5 from Motorpoint?
With the i5 due on sale in late 2023, nearly new examples should arrive for sale at Motorpoint around early 2026. If you like the look of this battery-powered BMW but don’t want to pay brand-new prices, you could take out a three-year PCP finance deal on a used BMW 5 Series, then use any equity you've built up at the end of your agreement towards the deposit for an i5 in 2026.
