AutoTrader SCORE
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STYLING8/10
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Safety9/10
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PRACTICALITY9/10
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USER-FRIENDLINESS7/10
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FEATURES8/10
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POWER9/10
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COMFORT9/10
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DRIVING FEEL9/10
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FUEL ECONOMY7/10
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VALUE9/10
Although it’s fun to brag about output and acceleration, it’s important to remember that there’s an entire world out there beyond the racetrack.
It’s called reality, and it’s where the 2025 BMW i5 xDrive40 rightly resides. One of two trim levels currently offered in Canada, it’s less sporty than its M60 stablemate, but that doesn’t make it worse. In fact, the lack of performance ambitions suit this electric vehicle (EV) well, allowing it to shine as a comfortable, luxurious sedan whose only mission is to ferry you across great distances in style.
Styling: 8.5/10
With all due respect to the automotive designers of the world, vehicle interiors are pretty boring. The cabins of luxury products are seas of leather breaking on shores of piano black plastic, with only a few pieces of wood, aluminum, or carbon fibre to break the monotony. The same supposedly luxurious materials get trotted out year after year — which is why it’s genuinely exciting to sit inside the i5 and see something new.
Although BMW hasn’t gone wild, its designers have equipped this car with light-up trim panels that create a mosaic-like surface on the dash that’s subtly avant-garde. That transforms what would have been a conservative (read: dull) cabin into a space that feels cool, and — better still — looks good.
Outside, the design team has been slightly less successful, creating a sedan that looks a little staid and kind of deflated. Although the restraint is appreciated, the 1970s-style downward-sloping trunk looks out of place on a car that is otherwise so modern.
Comfort: 9/10
Perhaps the finest attribute of the i5 xDrive40 is simply how comfortable it is. The car is equipped with massive seats that can be endlessly adjusted up front (although the ones in this tester weren’t ventilated), while there’s a soft, accommodating rear bench with ample room for stretching out. On the move, the i5 is more or less silent, and the suspension soaks up any bumps, cracks, or potholes that your local roads can throw at it.
Power: 9/10
The i5 is offered two ways: the xDrive40 tested here, or the more powerful M60 variant. Both offer two-motor power and, because each is placed on an axle, both benefit from all-wheel drive.
But just because the i5 xDrive40 is the less powerful model doesn’t mean it’s a slowpoke. Its motors combine to deliver 389 hp and 435 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to get the car to 100 km/h from a standing start in just 5.4 seconds when the driver pulls the boost paddle behind the steering wheel. That’s significantly slower than the i5 M60, which completes the sprint in 3.8 seconds, but it’s still more than enough to pass traffic — and it comes with a bit of a range advantage (more on that later).
Driving Feel: 9/10
The ride is luxuriously smooth and quiet, and the steering is almost comically light. The wheel also spins a surprising amount, giving this big sedan a shockingly tight turning circle, which comes in handy during parking manoeuvres and u-turns.
Despite providing a sedate and supple ride, the i5 doesn’t wallow on the highway like land yachts of old. It still feels confident at high speeds, and it’s more than capable of tackling fast curves. At the other end of the spectrum, BMW’s engineers have managed low-speed driving well, too. In a less well-sorted vehicle, managing the crossover point between friction and regenerative braking at low speeds can lead to juddering, heaving, and surging, but not so here. During this test, the car felt as cool, calm, and collected on the highway as it did in city traffic.
Fuel Economy: 7/10
According to BMW, the i5 xDrive40 should be able to go 428 km when its 84.3-kWh battery is fully charged, which is 15 km or so more than the M60 is capable of. However, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) estimates this version, when equipped with optional 20-inch wheels like this tester, is actually good for 422 km of range. Regardless, that was more than enough to take me everywhere I needed to go in a week on a single charge, including a weekend day trip out of the city.
Once the battery is drawn down, it can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes at a DC fast-charging station, which is on par with the competition. At a Level 2 charger, such as the one you might install in your garage, it will take 10 hours to reach a full charge.
Practicality: 9/10
With 490 L of space in the trunk, this sedan holds 60 L more stuff than the Mercedes-Benz EQE is capable of. The cabin is also roomy enough to transport four adults in comfort and style.
Features: 8/10
As standard, the i5 xDrive40 comes with a curved display that consists of a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a 14.9-inch digital instrument cluster. In addition, a head-up display also provides the driver with helpful information right in their line of sight. The infotainment system also comes with gesture controls and a mood mode that adjusts the cabin lighting and soundscape to match one of a handful of selectable settings, although it’s more of a gimmick than anything actually useful.
The i5 also comes with plenty of driver assistance aids, including a hands-free system that will suggest lane changes that a driver can initiate simply by looking at the side mirror closest to the appropriate lane. The system controls the car confidently, handling complex highway situations surprisingly well. However, I did catch it gently ping-ponging within its lane on some occasions.
User-Friendliness: 7/10
Although the i5 offers a mix of touchscreens and buttons, both caused me some difficulties. The infotainment screen is a maze of menus that I found unintuitive. For instance, the page to adjust the interior lighting is buried in a submenu that requires many taps to reach. Meanwhile, although it’s nice to have a collection of buttons on the center console next to the scroll wheel, the action on the buttons requires a surprising amount of force, making them feel less refined and premium than the rest of the cabin.
Safety: 9/10
As you’d expect from such a technologically advanced vehicle, the BMW i5 is also loaded with advanced safety features like blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and keeping assistance, collision warnings and avoidance, and parking distance control, along with a wealth of cameras, and much more.
Value: 9/10
A starting price of $83,700 means the i5 xDrive40 costs about $13,000 more than the gas-powered 5 Series. It also isn’t eligible for federal EV incentives. However, it compares very well to its closest rival, the Mercedes EQE sedan, which starts at $95,000.
Despite that, the BMW comes relatively well equipped as standard, with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, air suspension at the back, and more. However, extras here pushed this tester’s price tag to more than $100,000.
The Verdict
While there’s nothing wrong with a shot of performance, the somewhat more sedate 2025 BMW i5 xDrive40 trim is a fine reminder that a smaller price tag and less power don’t always make a car worse. This model has more than enough power to meet your expectations of a BMW, and its light steering, smooth ride, and silent propulsion combine to make it feel even more luxurious than you might have hoped for. Rather than being a more is more kind of car, every aspect of the i5 xDrive40 is singing in chorus to deliver a harmonious performance that amounts to more than the sum of its spec sheet.
| Engine Displacement | 290 kW |
|---|---|
| Engine Cylinders | Dual electric motors |
| Peak Horsepower | 389 hp |
| Peak Torque | 435 lb-ft |
| Fuel Economy | 2.6 / 2.5 / 2.5 Le/100 km city/hwy/cmb, 22.8 / 22.3 / 22.6 kWh/100 km; 422 km est. range |
| Cargo Space | 490 L |
| Model Tested | 2025 BMW i5 xDrive40 |
| Base Price | $83,700 |
| A/C Tax | $100 |
| Destination Fee | $2,480 |
| Price as Tested | $100,330 |
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Optional Equipment
$14,050 — Premium Essential package, $5,900; Dark Violet/Atlas Grey merino leather, $2,900l Advanced Driver Assistance package, $2,500; 20-inch aero wheels, $1,000; Comfort seats w/lumbar support, $1,000; Illuminated grille, $500; Open-pore interior trim w/aluminum accents, $250
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