More than meets the eye

Let’s talk social media, but only for a minute because it’s not my thing.

The only post I make every week onto Instagram and Facebook is my respective test car and the response varies markedly.

At one end of the spectrum was a score of absolute zero, not even my friends and family liked this particular Japanese SUV despite it being an okay workhorse.

But this week I posted the BMW i5 M60 Touring and it lit up – well, by my modest standards anyway. I even had to reply to six comments, some of them strangers, about the merits of this electric estate car.

I must admit they seemed to know more about it than me. I knew it was an EV, of course, from the name – i5.

Then I made a schoolboy error in thinking the ‘M’ just denoted the level of trim because it came at the end of the moniker not at the front, like the M5.

How wrong could I be? Little did I know that this BMW is, in essence, the electric version of an M5. I must admit when I stepped on the throttle and it took off I did then think there must be more to this car than meets the eye.

M60 is smart but unassuming to look at. The 21in wheels are lovely but the bodywork is that of an estate car and not the rocket-ship this particular i5 undoubtedly is.

As I was flying through the air like a jet I did think it might be prudent to check the spec sheet of this car because its performance is astounding.

Pulling over, there it is in black and white and the realisation hits home just how special this EV is.

Twin electric motors not only generate a whopping 601HP and 820Nm of torque (that’s the pulling power, by the way), but as one sits on each axle it is, by default, all-wheel-drive.

That gives this estate car supercar-rivalling acceleration that will see 62mph come up in just 3.8 seconds and mid-range oomph that threatens to crick your neck every time you floor it.

The four wheel drive helps put the power down and the power delivery is as instant as switching on a light. It is truly illuminating.

Those broadly shod alloys and the xDrive system also give the i5 the grip of a barnacle and the poise and balance of the chassis make the BMW peerless in the handling stakes. It’s a phenomenal package and certainly one that warrants the M designation. Perhaps this car should be called the Mi5; now that would be cool.

It is difficult to describe the driving experience without sounding irresponsible because the car is so quick from A to B.

This doesn’t necessarily mean sustaining ridiculously high velocities – though on home-ground on the German autobahns it will do 143mph – it’s more about its ability to sprint by slower moving traffic in perfect safety that makes it rapid on the road. Point, squirt, lift off and the regenerative braking slows you down again nicely without the need to use the brake pedal.

BMW claims a maximum range of 321 miles, which would be great. But I must have been over-enthusiastic with the throttle because 100 per cent charge gives me 100 miles less than that.

Inside, the i5 boasts all the creature comforts, quality and specification you would expect from any BMW. The finish really is top notch as is the technology.

Cameras seem to monitor everything. The i5 even tells you how far it is to the next bend. Interestingly, when you lift off the throttle on a straight there is no regen braking, it just coasts along.

But if it spots that you are approaching a bend, then when you lift off, the regen braking kicks in. Now that is clever.

All the touchscreen gubbins is clear, sensitive and easy to navigate and the Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi is an absolute beauty and boasts amazing surround sound.

Interior space is also excellent and the Touring has a well-shaped and capacious estate car load-bay for your luggage.

BMW i5 M60 Touring is special by any measure and I’m sure the social media analytics will back that up all the way.