[Auto] 2024 BMW i5 M60 Looks to Be Another Promising EV

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There it is again, that mix of affirmation and excitement. It's what you feel when the steering, brakes, and accelerator of a brand-new car sync driver inputs and create a sensory revelation. This time, the source is the new i5 M60, the high-performance variant of the new eighth-generation 5-series, which lived up to its dynamic promise throughout our first half-day outing. If this early pre-production model is anything to go by, BMW has another winner on its hands. And this time, the achievement is not tainted by a disfigured front end with a beaver-tooth grille.LogoMAKES & MODELS

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2024 BMW i5 M60 Looks to Be Another Promising EV

The eighth-generation 5-series impresses in all-electric form.

 

Headshot of Georg KacherBY GEORG KACHERPUBLISHED: APR 26, 2023

2024 bmw i5 prototypeVIEW PHOTOS

BMW

There it is again, that mix of affirmation and excitement. It's what you feel when the steering, brakes, and accelerator of a brand-new car sync driver inputs and create a sensory revelation. This time, the source is the new i5 M60, the high-performance variant of the new eighth-generation 5-series, which lived up to its dynamic promise throughout our first half-day outing. If this early pre-production model is anything to go by, BMW has another winner on its hands. And this time, the achievement is not tainted by a disfigured front end with a beaver-tooth grille.

 

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Logistics dictated that we bypass the 335-hp i5 eDrive40 and go straight to the 590-hp i5 M60 xDrive. From our base near Marseille, France, we headed out onto a section of BMW's official Research and Development evaluation loop, which stretches deep into the barren hinterland to the northwest, where the Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse departments meet. Piloting a still fully camouflaged i5 prototype, we followed BMW driving dynamics expert Jürgen Metz, who led the way in an M340d wagon. The challenging route is the legacy of BMW's recently retired chassis guru Jos van As.Driving the 2024 BMW i5 M60

As soon as the last small village started to fade away in the rearview mirror, Jürgen's voice came snarling over the radio: "It hasn't rained here for weeks, so there will be plenty of sand and gravel on the road." Squeak, pause, crackle. "Also, give cyclists a wide berth and keep an eye out for locals in a hurry, who are real experts at cutting corners." Moments later, a quick thumbs-up signals attack mode, and our two-car convoy begins its speedy climb up the steely gray spiral staircase to the first summit of the Parc naturel régional des Alpilles. The i5 is a brand-new car from top to bottom, and yet it feels encouragingly familiar and confidence-inspiring from the word go. The motors' massive 590 horsepower and 586 pound-feet of torque are distributed with sublime mastery

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a43696589/2024-bmw-i5-prototype-drive/

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