The BMW i5 is the all-electric version of the German premium brand's new 5 Series. The new 5 Series is now being built both with combustion engine technology and as a fully electrified battery car. This dual solution has both advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantage is that we get a fully electrified 5-series, for those who appreciate the model's classic driving pleasure and charisma, but want to step into the electrified battery car era.

Developing new car models is extremely expensive and with today's declining electric car market, it might not have been obvious that we would get a fully electric 5-series if it had not been developed in parallel with the internal combustion engine version. But now the car-loving family can choose whether they want a diesel, plug-in hybrid or an all-electric hatchback from BMW.

As a result, the 5 Series now has all the advantages of an electric car, such as instant throttle response, quiet running and phenomenal comfort combined with perfect road holding thanks to the low centre of gravity of the floor-mounted battery. The concessions made by the BMW i5 to the fact that it is also built with an internal combustion engine are mainly that it has no front boot to store charging cables. Lifting the long bonnet reveals mostly cables, but a lot of empty space, which could have been better planned. The other concession is that the legroom in the centre of the rear seat is eliminated by a gimbal tunnel. Although this is not needed on the electric car.

Anyone who gets behind the wheel of the BMW i5 Touring expecting to be entertained will not be disappointed. True to form, BMW has ensured that the i5 has chassis balance and steering precision to the exact calibration that you get plenty of driving pleasure in everyday driving, without it being too extreme. Take the steering and chassis of the first generation Tesla Model 3 for example. Extremely direct steering and a suspension comfort harder than in a supercar. Completely unnecessary and useless when you want to relax and enjoy your everyday commute. Something you like to do in the BMW i5. And this is, after all, the task of the family combi. To make the parent love every kilometre of transporting the child to and from activities, the everyday commute and long car journeys on holiday.

And long distance driving is something you'll be happy to do in this all-electric BMW i5. The adaptive cruise control works with you, making motorway driving both safe and relaxing. What we might miss are paddles behind the steering wheel to adjust the electric motor's engine brake, which can be handy when driving in city traffic. BMW chose to mount a paddle for a Boost function on the steering wheel that briefly provides extra power from the electric motor. Cool according to red-light racers perhaps, but an adjustable engine brake via the paddles would have been more appreciated in everyday driving. Instead, you have to go into the driving settings menu to adjust this or select the b-mode with the gear selector.

The infotainment screen is big. Above all, wide. You can choose from a whole host of different apps. If you own the car, design your home screen so you can easily find your favourite apps. Just like on your smartphone. A much appreciated feature, especially for those of us who have been driving BMW cars for many years, is that the iDrive knob on the centre console remains in place. You can therefore easily control the app's functions with this dial, instead of touching the touchscreen. The digital instrumentation combines the feeling of being futuristic while being easy to read. A combination that few car manufacturers have mastered.

Overall, there is a luxurious feel to the cabin and apart from the space, we might as well be sitting in a 7-series. Just the feeling of manoeuvring the electrically adjustable seat is extraordinary. When you press the button, the chair's movement starts smoothly and accelerates up to its speed within a second. Then it lands softly when you release the control. That's luxury.

The 800-volt ultra-high voltage technology that Kia/Hyundai and Audi/Porsche, for example, use in some of their electric car models has not found its way into BMW. Although BMW was early to offer electric cars on the market and today has a wide range of battery cars. But that may not be necessary. Our test i5 charges quickly anyway with its 400 volts in the high-voltage battery system. And we're up to a charging power of over 200 kW in the first half of the fast charging session every time we turn off the motorway to charge the battery.

The BMW i5 Touring is an incredibly well thought-out car. It offers driving pleasure and practicality for everyday life, but also luxury and state-of-the-art technology for the discerning car lover. It's an expensive family car, but as usual, you get what you pay for.

BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring

Price: 833 800 Kr

Motor: Electric motor 340 hp (250 kW), 430 Nm.

Transmission: single-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive.

Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 6.1 seconds

Top speed: 193 km/h

Weight: 2 255 kg

Dimensions (length/width/height): 5 060/1 900/1 515 mm