The 2024 BMW 5 Series celebrates its world premiere today, but we had the opportunity to see it at Villa d’Este last week on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. Much like it did during the teaser campaign in the build-up to today’s global debut, the luxury brand puts the spotlight on the first-ever fully electric 5er. Initially, it’ll be available in two flavors: i5 M60 and the i5 eDrive40. In 2024, an all-wheel-drive i5 will be introduced, likely slotted between the launch models.

Starting with the i5 M60, it’s the fourth electric M Performance model, after the i4 M50, iX M60, and the recently unveiled i7 M70. The kidneys have once again grown but they’re still not nearly as large as what you’ll find on the i7. This redesigned grille has horizontal slats, and yes, there’s an M logo despite not being a full-fat M car. As we’ve seen in other recent high-end BMWs, the grille has an illuminated contour to give the car a bit more presence.

The M Sport Pro Package lends the electric sedan a slightly more aggressive front fascia while the shape of the wraparound headlights reminds us of the E60. Carbon fiber side mirror caps and the M emblem on the front fenders denote this isn’t a run-of-the-mill 5 Series, while the flush door handles make the profile look cleaner and sleeker. Less visible here because of the black window trim but there’s now a “5” graphic in the Hofmeister kink.

Moving at the back, you can easily tell it’s the i5 M60 by the carbon fiber trunk lid spoiler. There’s also the obligatory badge and the familiar blue contour of the BMW roundel reserved for electric models. Fully redesigned taillights are slimmer and flatter than before, and just like the front lights, the new clusters have a pronounced wraparound layout.

As for the interior, the new 5 Series is a vast departure from the outgoing G30. That extends to the i5 as well by adopting a minimalist design for the dashboard. Most of the switchgear is gone since you’ll be accessing many of the functions from the 14.9-inch touchscreen. The infotainment runs on BMW’s iDrive 8.5, which we first saw a few weeks ago on the i7 M70.

The eDrive40 we shot had the M Sport Package. There are some differences between the two iterations of the i5, but the two can be even closer in design if the lesser variant is equipped with the M Sport Package Pro which brings an assortment of black parts. Understandably, the rear-wheel-drive model looks less aggressive and utilizes a more traditional grille with silver vertical slats and an “i” logo.

With the i5 riding on the same CLAR platform as the conventionally powered 5 Series, it means the gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrids all look nearly the same. BMW applied the same strategy already in place for the 3 Series/i3 and 7 Series/i7 sedans as well as for the X1/iX1 and X3/iX3 crossovers.