BMW’s next generation of 5 Series is on the way and with it will come the all-electric BMW i5. As with the standard 5 Series, the BMW i5 will also come with a wagon version, which will make it the first electric wagon in BMW’s history and one of the more exciting Bimmers in the pipeline for customers. The BMW i5 Touring will likely be among the brand’s most popular EVs, due to its practicality, and its new shape can be see in some new spy photos. (We don’t own the photos but they can be seen here)
In these spy photos, you get a really good look at the BMW i5 Touring and its overall design. It’s covered in camouflage but you can see its profile and some of its new design elements through it. The i5 Touring’s profile is the same as the 5 Series Touring we saw a few days ago in its own spy photos. But that’s no surprise, as the cars will both be based on the same chassis and use the body, albeit with very subtle differences. Despite its electric nature, the new 5 Series will not be part of BMW’s Neue Klasse chassis, so it sticks with a modified CLAR chassis.
How do we know this is a BMW i5 Touring, rather than a normal 5er, if they look the same? A few different ways. For starters, it has no exhaust pipes, as it has no engine. BMW doesn’t do fake exhausts (mercifully), so without visible tips, you know it’s electric. Another tell is the grille. Looking at this car’s kidney grille, you can see that it’s shaped normally and is completely blacked out, just like the BMW i4. Again, no engine means no frontal cooling. Lastly, though, and this one might be a bit too subtle—it says “Electric Test Vehicle” on the side of the car.
Customers love the 5 Series Touring for its blend of handsome looks, near-perfect blend of handling and comfort, and its long-roof practicality. If BMW can offer that same package with an electric powertrain, decent range, and an attractive price, it will be every bit as popular as the standard car, potentially even more so. It will be very interesting to see what the i5 Touring is like when it debuts and how it’s received by customers but I have a feeling it’s going to be a hit. Especially since it looks like a properly handsome BMW, rather than a beaver-toothed ogre.
[Source: Car Scoops] [Top Rendering: TopElectricSUV]
