BMW i5 Touring estate spied, drops camouflage and exposes front …
The BMW 5 Series Touring estate is coming. The automaker is already teasing the hot M5 variant, and numerous spy shots have captured the electric i5 out testing. The latest photos show the long-roofed EV without any camouflage covering the front. However, the automaker continues to hide the estate's rump.
The lack of camo isn't a surprise, as the automaker revealed the 5 Series and i5 saloon[1] earlier this year, and the two body styles share front-end styling. However, the two feature different grilles, but that might just be BMW[2] trying to conceal the trim, like covering the M badges on the front wings. Good try.
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The i5 Touring will likely borrow the powertrain setups from the saloon, which is available in two configurations. The i5 eDrive40 has one rear-mounted motor making 335 bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque, which can increase to 317 lb-ft with overboost. It can hit 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds before topping out at 120 mph.
The i5 M60 uses two electric motors, giving it all-wheel drive and making 590 bhp and up to 605 lb-ft of twist. The saloon can reach 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and hit its 143 mph top speed. Both variants pack an 84.3-kilowatt-hour battery, providing an estimated 295 miles of range in the eDrive40 and 256 miles in the M60 xDrive. The i5 Touring should offer similar performance figures, though the estate's extra mass might ding those numbers.
The regular 5 Series estate will also be available, featuring hybrid electric powertrains. Even the beastly M5 is rumoured to get some electrical assist, possibly using the setup from the XM. The SUV pairs a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine with an electric motor to make 735 bhp and 735 lb-ft of torque. However, it's unclear if the M5 will make that much power.
With the saloon already revealed and the automaker teasing the M5 Touring estate[3], we doubt we'll have to wait long to see the long-roofed 5 Series break cover. The M5 is supposed to arrive in 2024, and half of this year is already in the rearview mirror, so BMW should have some exciting debuts scheduled before 2023 ends.
References
- ^ revealed the 5 Series and i5 saloon (uk.motor1.com)
- ^ BMW (uk.motor1.com)
- ^ teasing the M5 Touring estate (uk.motor1.com)