Eli and Joe Hountondji are known for their maximum performance, spectacular driving manoeuvres and adrenaline-pumping drifts. They are also known as the Red Bull Driftbrothers and have been among the top drivers in the action-packed world of motorsport for years, where hot tires and winding asphalt are particularly important. But, for this special mission, BMW M invited the two brothers to change terrain for once. They swapped a mild winter for minus 20 degrees Celsius, a racetrack for snow and ice, and the classic rear-wheel drive for the electric BMW xDrive all-wheel drive system in the new BMW i5 M60 xDrive. Got some burning questions? After this ride, so did we, and there were even a few left unanswered.
BMW M Magazine: Eli and Joe, we normally know you behind the wheel of your two specially modified BMW M4 Competition cars. Seeing you in the new BMW i5 M60 xDrive is quite an unusual sight. But you look like you had a lot of fun. What were your first impressions?
Joe: The power and acceleration are impressive. Not only does it go forwards properly but I was also surprised by the dynamic suspension tuning and the good feedback from the steering. All of this means that you feel very little drivetrain influence – for a vehicle in this class – especially when you consider how comfortable and quiet the i5 was when passing from one location to another. The different driving modes allow you to switch quickly between a leisurely glide and a very dynamic set-up – perfect for overtaking on a country road or for a winding mountain pass.
This car is equipped with some refinements in terms of driving dynamics that we would not have expected for a vehicle in this class.
When thinking about the joy of electric driving – what is typically BMW about the drive system of the new i5 from your point of view? Is there a feature that particularly impressed or surprised you?
Joe: We were impressed by the many "little things" that you might not necessarily use in everyday life, but which immediately caught our attention. For example, the car allows left-foot braking*, which is highly unusual for a vehicle like this, and it immediately tells me that this car is all about the driving dynamics despite the fact that it's not a high-performance vehicle. That's great. Overall, I would say it's the sum of all the characteristics that makes the i5 stand out. This stretch, from comfort to very sporty, has been implemented brilliantly.
*ELI HOUNTONDJI EXPLAINS: LEFT-FOOT BRAKING.
*ELI HOUNTONDJI EXPLAINS: LEFT-FOOT BRAKING.
"Left-foot braking means, as the name suggests, that you brake with your left foot instead of your right. This means that the right foot can remain on the accelerator pedal and operate it partly parallel to braking. It allows, among other things, the dynamic weight distribution of the vehicle to be influenced and to oversteer in a controlled manner – perfect for loose surfaces like the ones we found in Arjeplog. In many vehicles, stepping on the brake and accelerator pedals at the same time reduces engine power or even takes it away completely. But the BMW i5 M60 xDrive allows this, just like all other M GmbH cars."
Driving sideways is your job - the new BMW i5 is not necessarily designed for extreme drift angles. Did you try it out anyway?
Joe: Of course! And the nice thing is, even though the whole concept of the i5 with the high-traction all-wheel drive is not technically designed for this, the car allows you to drive through curves dynamically with slight oversteer on loose surfaces like we had in Arjeplog. That is unique in this vehicle class, which is often designed for maximum understeer by many manufacturers. In the right mode, the car really allows you to do a lot with it!
Eli: I can agree with that. In our case, we were of course able to do the odd four-wheel drift on the icy surface because of the low friction coefficients. What the all-wheel drive of the i5 really manages to do in this situation is to "pull free" when the drift angle became too big. The xDrive's tuning is so intelligent that you can really apply full throttle and steer out, and the car pulls itself straight again. Here, the new possibilities of the electric drive were used excellently. This is also a huge safety feature.
The BMW i5 M60 xDrive contains an impressively wide range of features.
Could you imagine the new i5 being use as an everyday vehicle in the future?
Eli: Yes, absolutely. I think as a car for everyday use, the i5 is truly brilliant. As Joe has already quite aptly described, the vehicle encompasses an incredibly high range of characteristics. From being very dynamic to whisper quiet and luxurious too.
Joe: With an everyday vehicle it also always depends on your personal driving profile. I, for example, have the luxury of a commute along beautiful country roads - and I wouldn't be able to get past a manual M4, as that’s my guilty pleasure! Maybe I'm just old school. But I don't want to go too far out on a limb here, because I might change my mind when the high-performance version of the i5 with the strong letter M is presented ...
What kind of emotions did you have while driving this car and what do they say about the electric drive?
Joe: This Polar Circle project has definitely changed something in me. I've become much more open to this drive system because I saw it in the i5 M60 xDrive: The things that make up the BMW M brand, the emotions, the driving dynamics, it totally works, even in the world of electric drive. It's cool, it's fun! And that really makes me happy.
Drifting in an electric car? Why not? The sport consists of many elements, driving skills, style, emotions - internal combustion engines are certainly only one part of the whole picture.
So, if you lived in a shared apartment, there would have to be at least two cars in the driveway: a manual BMW M4 and a BMW i5 M60 xDrive – the best of both worlds, right?
Eli: That's right.
Joe: You can leave it like that!
What do you think, will drifting eventually go fully electric?
Eli: I can well imagine it. Technically, it will work, and we've even tested smaller prototype projects. For drift racing, the drive is also interesting because the individual runs are usually very short - just to change the tires. At the same time, however, the power requirements are extremely high. So much power is currently only possible with relatively large batteries. But, as we know, development is progressing very quickly. Software-adaptable power curves are also an interesting option for electric drives.
Joe: Drifting consists of many elements, driving skills, style, emotions - internal combustion engines are certainly only one part of the whole picture. That's why I see the sport as almost predestined to introduce new technologies such as electric drive. On a professional level, however, no team has really managed it yet - so from that point of view, with the support of a certain unnamed manufacturer from Munich, you could make it happen...
We'll pass that along!
