Louth Motoring: The BMW i5 M60 - The Epitome of Electric Cars

There is so much packed into the BMW i5 that if I spent the time figuring it all out I'd have had no time left to drive it.

It is a technological overload for the brain with more menus than a street in Chinatown.

The car is electric of course and the model I got was the showstopper M60 version

It had a few tasty extras as well like a technology pack, a comfort pack and the panoramic roof at €1,969 costs less than the M carbon exterior styling for €2,154 which did and didn't surprise me.

The i5 is a big car at over 5m long and weighs in with a curb weight of 2,380 kg.

For comparison it is only 38mm shorter than the 2015 7-series.

It is strikingly styled and the pendulum of design has swung more towards straight edge and away from curvy.

It has an 81.2kWh battery that claims a range of 455-516 kms. It charges at a max. rate of 210kW which greatly speeds up the recharging process and gives you 100 kms in just 5 mins.

I am a firm believer that the only way to own an electric car is if you have a home charger saving you time and money when replenishing the kWs you use when driving and that makes it a very appealing prospect.

For anyone who lives in an urban rather than rural location it is the way to go for a number of reasons but primarily because you will never need to use the full range often so you can seamlessly integrate an electric car into your life.

Once you do, you get the serene experience of driving quietness which remember was always the goal of car manufacturers before - a hushed cabin.

If you shod it with A rated Pirelli tyres then you get the quietest tyre rating possible. Add to that the immediate power of an electric motor - two in this case a front one with 261hp and a rear one with 340 - and you'll be instantly hooked on eclectic motive power.

Being a BMW the rear motor would have to be bigger of course and with two motors it gets the X Drive moniker denoting it is 4wd.

The M60 version gets an overall power value of 601 hp which is phenomenal and explains the pulsating power of this car.

The 0-100km/hr time of 3.9s, if you attempt it, will require passengers to wear neck braces when their heads are flung back into the seats. Top speed is 230 km/h.

Inside, the car is dominated by a light show that can be set to whatever colour you like and I'm not sure when this aspect of a car design started to dominate but I do like it and it's in the category of I don't know why I like it but I do.

The central display battles with the Mercedes hyperscreen for size and it won't be long before they are full width across.

It's all touch control of course and I still wish it wasn't.

If it wasn't it would need some array of buttons but there is balance to be had and the manufacturer that makes the next leap in this space will have my eternal thanks.

The front air vents are even touch control and for something that is not used that often it seems unnecessary.

The cabin space for a car that's 5m long is as expected - commodious and lush.

You'll get no quibbles from passengers seated on any seat in this car.

The boot at 490 litres is very usable but there is no spare space in the front for a frunk.

The suspension makes great work of keeping passengers in comfort either at a sedate or heightened pace and the BMW DNA of old is retained in doing that.

You get a choice of modes as well but the sense of theatre is delivered in Sports mode as the seats fold in on you to secure you for the expected G forces in the bends.

There is a boost button that releases the full power for 10 seconds for an injection of pace when you need it.

I loved the heads up display and was blown away by the full overview of the Red Cow junction as I was turning off the M50 - a first for me and the way forward.

The augmented feature in the drivers display is wondrous too as it actually points out the turn to take in a real live display to ensure you always take the right turn.

Motorways give passengers the best experience of the i5's ride prowess but the R roads that always present a challenge were batted off nicely too.

If you are on a back road you have to turn off the lane assist as it feels like it is always wrestling with you so that's task one on sitting in.

When you do sit in, the car has already been working on getting the car to the temperature you like and on pressing the start button you get the most amazing start-up sound that feels like a fighter spaceship from Star Wars and is nearly worth the asking price alone.

Speaking of which, this M60 model starts from €119,210 and with extras that rose to just over €135k.

This puts it beyond a lot of traditional 5 series drivers range and is on the pricey side.

That said, this is currently the best electric car that a car company currently provides, be it a new to us manufacturer or a traditional old school car maker that is switching to all electric drive, and despite my aversion to touch controls for everything.

I'd love an i5 M60 plugged into my home charger.