Looking Ahead: The BMW i5 M60 Is A Force To Be Reckoned With

For better or worse, being successful often means you can get away with things others simply can’t. And BMW, without a doubt, is successful. Last year alone, the mighty German marque posted record-breaking sales, soundly beating out its archrival Mercedes.

So yes, to state the obvious, the carmaker clearly knows it can get away with things — and the design of the all-new 5 Series proves it. The BMW i5 M60 is a controversial-looking car, or perhaps “avant-garde” would be a more democratic description.

But, moving past its contentious design, let’s focus on what really matters when a new 5 Series rolls around: the way it drives. For more than half a century, this nameplate has set the benchmark for mid-size, luxury sedans thanks to its sublime blend of ride comfort and driving experience. For years, a 5 Series with a big motor has been all any mid-level executive or sensible driving enthusiast could ever want.

Today, however, there are two different 5 Series model lines to pick from: one burns gas; the other burns nothing but rubber. And this latter, all-electric BMW i5 M60 is the flagship of the range (at least, until the new hybrid M5 arrives), with nearly 600 horsepower at its disposal. But there’s never been an electric 5 Series before, so diehard fans of BMW’s brilliant straight-sixes and excellent V8s may be skeptical. Take it from us — they shouldn’t be.

The i5 M60 floats down the road with supreme authority. From inside its palatial cabin, familiar roads will suddenly feel smoother. The i5 has the ability to iron out the world’s creases, and create a more serene environment in which drivers can relax and enjoy the rush of 593 electric horsepower and almost 800 lb-ft of torque.

BMW’s engineers have truly worked a kind of magic here. This car may be a behemoth — measuring over five metres long and weighing in at more than 2,300 kilograms — but it carves through turns in such a precise, balanced, and elegant manner that you’d swear it was smaller and lighter than it is. The suspension, which is soft over bumps, is somehow taut through corners, and the chassis is simply marvellous. Which is to say, the 5 Series is most certainly back.

The post Looking Ahead: The BMW i5 M60 Is A Force To Be Reckoned With appeared first on Sharp Magazine.