BMW i5 Touring - long-term review

The last time I ran an electric car it was in 2022; the Skoda Enyaq. And those of you who follow me (yes, all two of you, thanks mum and dad) will know I’m not the greatest champion of electric cars. That’s not to say I don’t like them because they have many wonderful advantages over ICE cars. I just worry we haven’t thought it all through properly, and question the environmental claims, let alone the suspect mining for the batteries.

But here’s the thing. I had a choice of which car to spend a few months with - a Skoda Octavia VRS or the BMW i5 Touring - and to everyone’s surprise I chose... the BMW. Before you accuse me of badge snobbery, I really like Skodas and while the Enyaq wasn’t to my tastes I thought the TG award-winning Kodiaq we lived with previously was terrific.

Yes, the BMW is more ‘premium’ but it’s also an intriguing proposition. Until now, the only EV that’s ever really turned my head and came close to converting me was the BMW iX. Cracking car, with reliable range, a futuristic inside and a drive as good as an ICE BMW.

So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say BMW may make the best EVs. They certainly gave themselves a head start with the i3, which sadly never garnered the sales its innovation deserved. Where did the styling go for those cars? It certainly doesn’t seem to have appeared in the latest BMWs coming in for much criticism…

Does the classic dad wagon meld well with the world of the electric car? Times are changing, and so are prices. At base level our messily titled i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro comes in at £78,450, inevitably rising to £93,395 thanks to heaps of extras poured onto the spec sheet by BMW. Additional extras include a panoramic glass sunroof, M carbon exterior styling and an interior camera, the latter being the most expensive at £3k.

Inside there’s some very child friendly white leather seats. Though, which will last longer: the upholstery or extremely kerbable 20in wheels?

There's a claimed range of over 334 miles from an 81.2kWh battery and a more modest 335bhp to the rear wheels only (do we need dual-motor traction for winter? Let’s see) - promising stats to keep any dad happy as well as the kids with all the tech inside. But will it be enough to convince me that an i5 Touring could take the place of, say a 700-mile-per-tank 520d?