At the base of the dash, there’s a shelf that can hold two smartphones (one space includes a wireless charging pad), but the position of the USB ports close to the cup-holders is a little awkward.
Seats & space in the back
Room in the rear seats is excellent, with more head and knee room than the Audi. The seats themselves have more under-thigh support, too, but foot space beneath the front seats is a little limited. Isofix points are mounted behind folding plastic clips, and all that space makes installing a child seat easy.
Boot space
At 570 litres, the i5 Touring’s boot is vast even with the rear seats up, swallowing all manner of bulky items with ease. That figure puts it 68 litres ahead of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron, and the BMW also has a lower load lip, which makes it easier to lift heavy items on board.
Unlike the awkwardly shaped boot of its saloon counterpart, the i5 Touring’s load bay is a neat, square shape, too. A pair of levers makes it easy to drop the rear seat backs from the boot and with them folded flat, the volume grows to 1,700 litres. It’s worth noting that the BMW 5 Series Touring has the same boot volume, whether it’s combustion-powered or a plug-in hybrid.
Towing
Estate cars are popular with caravanners, and the i5 Touring has a maximum braked towing capacity of 2,000kg. That’s 100kg behind the Audi A6 Avant e-tron, and the same as a 5 Series petrol can tow, but more than the 530e plug-in hybrid can achieve, at 1,800kg. Of course, hitching a trailer to the i5 Touring will have a negative impact on an already slightly disappointing range.
Expert view, on practicality
“One small gripe is that a previous signature of BMW’s Touring models, the opening tailgate glass, is not a feature on the i5. It was a really useful thing to have in tight spots or if you had only a small item to drop into the boot.” – Alex Ingram, chief reviewer. Has driven both the eDrive40 and M60 versions of the i5 Touring
The i5 Touring is packed with safety kit so it should keep occupants and other road users safe
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Strictly speaking, the i5 hasn’t been assessed by Euro NCAP, but its petrol twin, the 5 Series, has – and as a saloon it scored a maximum five-star rating in 2023. The way Euro NCAP’s scores work is that the rating for this model covers a range of bodystyles and powertrains – including EV variants – that use the same safety features.