The continuous increase in taxes on electric vehicles places them where the tax authority sees every vehicle: a source of decent revenue for the state treasury. Air pollution and the climate crisis will have to wait for bureaucracy and a government interested in such esoterica.
The result can be seen in the new 5 series: Delek Motors has started selling the petrol 520i in Israel, about two months after the launch of the electric version, the i5. And even though a cheaper and less equipped version of the i5 has been launched concurrently, the petrol version is now about 25% cheaper: 469,000 Shekels compared to 479,000 Shekels.
The 520i pays lip service to environmental quality with a 2-liter mild hybrid engine, which together produce a power output of 208 hp and a maximum torque of 33.6 kgm delivered to the rear wheels. Performance? 7.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, a maximum speed of 230 km/h, and 16.9 km per liter in combined usage.
The M-Sport level includes sporty cosmetic markers, a 14.9-inch multimedia screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, navigation system, voice operations, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, 19-inch lightweight rims, panoramic sunroof with electric curtain, electric front seats, faux leather upholstery, and more.
The safety systems include autonomous emergency braking in forward and reverse, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, a safe exit system, and more.
On the other hand, in the 5i the Elegant trim level reduces the sporty features in the absence of the M-Sport package, removes the electric adjustment for the passenger seat, decreases the number of speakers from 17 to 12, replaces the Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Harman Kardon, rear USB ports, but gets smart cruise control, which has now also been added to the other equipment levels.
The performance of the electric version, which also comes with rear-wheel drive in the base model, is better: 340 horsepower and 6 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The combined range stands at 567 km, 17 km more than the more expensive version.