BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring G60 vs Porsche Panamera 4 970.1: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the Panamera 4 hits 100 km/h in 5.77 s versus 6.12 s for the Bmw i5 eDrive40 Touring. Despite lacking instant torque, 304 hp of power compensates. At this point, the Panamera 4 leads by 0.35 s and sits roughly 15 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the Panamera 4 is doing 128 km/h against 134 km/h for the Bmw i5 eDrive40 Touring. The gap is 0.39 s. The gap remains stable from the start.

At 400 metres standing start, the Panamera 4 crosses the line in 14.11 s versus 14.33 s. The 0.22 s gap represents roughly 10 m of track - barely a car length.

Past 400 metres, the gap narrows. The Bmw i5 eDrive40 Touring maxes out at 193 km/h while the Panamera 4 keeps accelerating towards 247 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap is down to 0.06 s from 0.22 s at 400 metres.

At 1,000 metres, the Panamera 4 finishes in 25.94 s versus 25.96 s, with just 0.01 s to spare. The Bmw i5 eDrive40 Touring fails to fully close the launch gap.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the Bmw i5 eDrive40 Touring is capped at 193 km/h, the Panamera 4 at 256 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

Instant electric torque gives an advantage off the line. The higher top speed of the combustion engine gives an advantage over longer distances. The distance at which one catches the other depends on the top speed differential.

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 9.39 seconds. The 0.35 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.