BMW M2 vs Geely EX5

What's the difference?

Proving good things still come in small packages, the pint-sized M2 remains my pick of the BMW M range. It's not the perfect daily drive, but I reckon the fun outweighs the foibles.

The Geely EX5 has good bones. It’s well packaged, sturdily built, efficient and jam-packed with technology. But questions remain. The EX5 really needs work on its safety systems and another round of chassis revisions to be competitive. 

Pricing, too, will be crucial for the EX5 to succeed in today’s savage new electric car market. 

If the list of nagging complaints can be fixed and Geely is able to back up its product with solid aftersales support, it could be a winner. The jury is still out on the EX5.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

There have been mixed reviews of the design of the BMW M range, but I reckon this one looks pretty damn good. In fact, I've always thought this kind of hyper-aggressive styling looks better on smaller cars than it does on big ones.

And it certainly is aggressive, right? From the huge bonnet bulges to the meshed out grille and angry rear diffuser, to the staggered alloys and flared wheel arches, to the blocky rear end with its four massive exhaust exits.

But my favourite exterior item has to be the blacked-out carbon roof, which helps shrink the M2 visually, and makes the whole car look more potent.

Inside, it's plenty sporty feeling, with hard-backed sports seats, lashings of carbon-fibre-look trimmings and the bright red M buttons on the steering wheel.

It's nice, but some of the touch points – like the hard plastics on top of the doors, where, if you're like me, you rest your elbow when driving – feel less than premium.

Still, all the tech is present and accounted for, with its digital dash and huge centre screen, and there's no shortage of spaces to connect or charge your phone.

The Geely EX5’s exterior design is conservative verging on anonymous. Perhaps that’s because the brand is unknown here, but forgettable details like the six-rectangle badge rear and haphazard ‘Geely EX5’ badge placement aren’t the height of fashion.

Inside, though, the EX5 improves. The two screens are presented well, as is the cabin with upholstery that isn’t just boring black. The design language is more conventional — in a good way — than, say, a BYD Atto 3 or Tesla Model Y and doesn’t seem to unashamedly copy elements from established carmakers.

Key touch points, such as the rotary volume control, the (wrong way around) window switches and door handles appear to be made of real metal, with knurling in some cases. The dash and door tops are all encased in squishy rubber, too.

As for sizing, the EX5 is the exact same length as a Toyota RAV4, at 4615mm long, though being wider (1901mm) and riding on a longer 2750mm wheelbase should mean more cabin space.

The M2 pocket rocket measures just over 4.5m in length, just under 1.9m in width, and just over 1.4m in height, and it rides on a 2747mm wheelbase. That makes it longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces.

Remember that 'lower' bit, as it will come up again in a moment.

Up front, you don't feel cramped, and there's the requisite cupholders, door pockets and hiding holes, as well as wireless device charging and USB connections.

But remember, this is a two-door, four-seat affair, which cuts into the practicality a little, or a lot.

Swing open the wide front doors, and push the front seat-back forwards, and the entire chair will slide forward automatically.

It does help create more room to climb into the back, but it's still a slightly embarrassing challenge to make getting back there look anything like graceful.

Once there, it's tight. I'm 175cm and my head was firmly pressed into the roof.

You do get your own vents and temp controls, but that's about it. Even the pull-down divider only gives you access to the 390-litre boot, rather than extra cupholders.

You do get two sets of ISOFIX attachment points, though, and let's be honest –  if you're buying this to make Bunnings runs, you've probably got it wrong.

Finding a comfortable driving position is easy in the EX5 Inspire with the octagonal steering wheel tilting and telescoping through a broad range of motion. The seats are supportive and well-bolstered, too — not a given in this class.

While we wish the front passenger seat was height adjustable, the Inspire’s leg rest and ability to lie the seats fully flat while charging is appreciated. The massage function has six modes, three intensity levels and is remarkably powerful. 

Between the EX5’s front seats is a floating centre console as gear selection is done via the right-hand stalk. It has two small cup holders on top, while under that is a generous, rubberised storage space perfect for handbags, cameras, or the like. It’s where the USB-A, USB-C and 12-volt socket are located for device charging.

There is a wireless charging pad that sits ahead of a large central storage box cooled by the air-conditioning. The Geely EX5’s door cards will easily accept a 600mL camping bottle.

Where the Geely EX5 falls down is the control layout. It is nice to have four physical switches beneath the touchscreen as shortcuts to switch the air-conditioning on or off, engage air recirculation and the front demister, but where’s the hazard light switch? It's on the ceiling.

Then there’s the large rotary dial which generally functions as a volume knob. Press it down and you can choose to have it adjust the temperature, fan speed, or — for some reason — one of several desktop backgrounds, including a computer-generated kitten playing with some wool. In this mode it also works as cursor for the multimedia screen, but never at any other time. Peculiar.

The convoluted menu structure has a strange control hierarchy. There's a shortcut target for the rear fog light, for example, yet to disable the lane-keep assist or adjust the regenerative braking power you need to jump through at least three sub-menus. And some of the text in the Geely EX5’s digital driver’s display is so small it’s almost illegible.

Then there are the typos and grammatical errors that should have been an easy pre-launch fix. A few include: ‘Distractive. Drive carefully’, ‘Keep safety distance’, ‘Driver is facial detection is missing’ and, a personal favourite: ‘The current battery is low, whether to enable super battery life?’ None of this inspires much confidence. At least the EX5’s processor is responsive for smooth tapping between the many menus.

The Geely EX5’s 1000-watt 16-speaker sound system is punchy and has presets – borrowed from Volvo and Polestar — which promise to emulate the sound quality of a recording studio, concert hall and other locations. Gimmicky in practice, plus, with the volume over 30 per cent, the EX5’s sound quality is disappointingly muddy.

Connectivity promises to be strong in the EX5 but the cars we drove were not fitted with 4G sims for live navigation, app downloads and remote smartphone control. Apple CarPlay will be added via a software update in July and Android Auto before the end of the year, says Geely. 

The Geely EX5’s back seat is very generous, at 188cm tall I had plenty of leg room, respectable toe room and excellent head room even underneath the standard panoramic sunroof. The floor is totally flat and, rarely, the middle seat is usable for adults.

Two more USB chargers can be found along with air vents, door pockets and a fold-down central armrest. There’s even a hidden sliding draw for storing valuables out of sight.

The Geely EX5 has ISOFIX child seat connectors on both outboard seats and three top tether anchors on its 40/60 split-fold backrest. 

The EX5 Inspire has a standard power tailgate which opens up to a total of 410 litres of boot space. If it looks a little shallow in pictures, that’s because the total space accounts for the large under-floor area (108L on its own) where Geely skipped a spare tyre.

There is one LED boot light, two shopping bag hooks and a wet storage area off to the side but, curiously, no parcel shelf.

The EX5 joins a new Chinese competitor set that’s bringing electric car prices down to — and below — size-equivalent combustion and hybrid-powered cars. 

Problem is, we still don’t know the exact price, but Geely has at least provided a guide. The Geely EX5 will be priced between $49,000 and $55,000. It has either 430km (Complete) or 410km (Inspire) WLTP-rated driving range and enough power to get out of its own way. 

When you consider high-spec combustion-engined mid-size SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser ($51,410, before on-road costs), the Geely EX5 is shaping up to offer stellar on-paper value.

The entry grade EX5 Complete features 18-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, full LED exterior lighting with auto high-beam, rear parking sensors and roof rails that accommodate up to 50kg.

Inside, a huge 15.4-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation and 10.2-inch digital driver’s display should embarrass any combustion-engined rival. The upholstery is artificial leather, the front seats are heated and power-adjustable, the sound system has six speakers and there’s keyless entry with pop-out door handles.

Moving up to the tested Inspire brings larger 19-inch alloy wheels, a power tailgate, front parking sensors and a sunroof. Cabin niceties improve with illuminated vanity mirrors and 256-colour ambient lighting, though it notably lacks dual-zone climate control.

Veritable luxury features include driver’s seat memory and an ottoman for the front passenger, ventilation and massaging for both front seats, a 16-speaker sound system putting out 1000 watts, 13.4-inch head-up display and optional ‘Cloud’ cream upholstery colour.

With exact pricing still to be revealed, it’s impossible to say whether the Geely EX5 is better value than the Leapmotor C10, Deepal S07, Kia EV5, BYD Sealion 7 or XPeng G6, but it certainly shapes up well against the updated Tesla Model Y that has climbed north of $60,000.

Five paint colours are available; Arctic White is no cost, while Shadow Black, Volcanic Grey, Moonlit Silver and Aquatic Green attract an extra charge.

The Geely EX5 is capable of outputting electricity either to a load like hairdryer, coffee machine or power tools at 3.3kW and to another vehicle at 6kWm adding 40km of driving range in an hour.

Besides, this is what we're really here for, isn't it? The M2 gets the 'M TwinPower' 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six engine, producing a sizeable 338kW and 550Nm, sending that power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed auto or six-speed manual.

BMW says this engine is very, very close to the engine that powers the M3 and M4, and says it will rocket the M2 from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, and to 200km/h in either 13.5 seconds in the automatic, or 14.3 seconds in the manual.

Geely claims the EX5’s front axle-mounted 11-in-one motor, transmission and power unit is the lightest and most compact in class. Though power and torque outputs of 160kW and 320Nm are nothing groundbreaking it was perfectly adequate for the EX5’s 1765kg tare mass.

In Eco, Standard and Sport modes the tip-in response is intentionally dulled to minimise wheel spin. Three are three regenerative braking levels; medium felt most natural, though High was acceptable. There’s no one-pedal drive mode in the Geely EX5.

The front-drive Geely EX5 Inspire's claimed 0-100km/h time is 7.1 seconds and its top speed is limited to 175km/h.

A small fly in the ointment is fuel use, with the M2 said to use 9.7L/100km on the combined cycle. It also drinks 98 RON premium, and is home to a 52-litre fuel tank. Your theoretical driving range is around 540km.

Now, be warned, you'll be bored stiff if you drive it in the way that's required to get it that low. When we were being gentle, we were somewhere between 10.5 and 11.5 litres per hundred kilometres.

Emissions are pegged a 220g/km of C02.

Real-world efficiency is one of the EX5’s most impressive attributes, with the Inspire’s WLTP-range being 410km dependent on returning energy consumption of 14.7kWh/100km.

Over a 100km distance taking in suburban, motorway and country roads, the EX5’s dash showed a lower-than-rated energy consumption of 13.5kWh/100km, representing nearly 460km of real-world range from Geely’s 60.22kWh ‘Aegis’ lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

Along with the motor, some of the efficiency can be put down to the Geely EX5 Inspire’s quality 235/50R19 Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres.

Charging is middling for this pack, with the EX5 using a 400-volt architecture that allows DC power up to 100kW. Rejuicing from 20-80 per cent takes 28 minutes, says Geely, which is faster than the Deepal S07 and Leapmotor C10 but a long way short of the XPeng G6 and Model Y.

Three-phase AC charging caps out at 11kW, meaning you can take the EX5 from flat to full in around five and a half hours at home.

Let's be totally up front here: the BMW M2 isn't the most comfortable vehicle to live with. In fact, I recently climbed out of the M3 Touring, and found that to be more comfortable on broken city streets.

The M2 is fitted with adaptive suspension, but even in its most comfortable settings it can feel rough, bumpy and jarring on bad roads (of which Australia has lots), and unless you're gentle with the accelerator, it can feel a little jumpy when first taking off – a by-product of its prodigious power.

Now, let's be totally up front again: I don't care. The M2 is fun, plain and simple, and for mine, the above is a fair price to pay for something that brings so much joy.

The steering is lovely, the power immediate and the soundtrack intoxicating, and it's the kind of car that's fun no matter where, how far or how fast you drive it.

In fact, fun seems to be the very centre of the M2 proposition, which definitely doesn't take itself too seriously.

For evidence, look no further than the 'M Drift Analyser', buried in a hopelessly busy multimedia system that will have you praising the CarPlay and Android Auto gods.

It will rate your best drift out of four stars, measure it for distance, and basically give you a pat on the back for doing your best hooligan impression (not on a public road, of course).

Fun, then, is the order of the day here. And I bloody love it.

Underpinning the Geely EX5 is the new Global Intelligent Electric Architecture, or GEA for short. It is a newer and lower-cost version of the group’s SEA platform as used in Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and Smart products and the bones are good.

The Geely EX5’s body doesn’t rattle, creak or shimmy over nasty road surfaces. Some solid knowhow has made its way into the brake pedal calibration which is light but delightfully smooth. It’s impossible to detect where regenerative slowing ends and hydraulic begins.

It has allegedly undergone Australian suspension localisation but don’t expect outright handling excellence, the EX5’s ride is still pillowy — verging on melted marshmallow — soft. Some will find this acceptable, however there’s plenty of potential for improvement.

Over large bumps both in town and at speed it takes the Geely EX5’s rear end between two and four rebound cycles to settle. There’s also a large amount of lateral ‘head toss’, with both attributes key ingredients in making back seat passengers car sick.

I also experienced a low-frequency boom in the EX5's cabin over concrete and rough coarse chip surfaces common on Sydney roads. Otherwise, the EX5’s is a mostly quiet car.

The sharp steering is light around town but weighted up unnaturally through corners. With high quality tyres and stability control that intervenes very early, you’re unlikely to get out of shape in the EX5 on a twisty road at least.

That said, with good bones like McPherson struts up front and multi-link rear suspension we would love to see Geely revise the EX5’s chassis to bestow the sort of fluency that makes the Kia EV5 and combustion equivalents like the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 so much more pleasant to drive. Doing so would provide the EX5 a clear point of difference from the XPeng G6, BYD Sealion 7, Deepal S07 and Leapmotor C10.

The Geely EX5 is yet to be tested by ANCAP or other relevant safety testing body. 

The EX5 has seven airbags including a front centre one, a Short Blade battery that has been extensively tested to minimise fire danger along with 16 advanced driver assistance features including auto emergency braking, driver attention monitoring, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and more.

It is all well and good to tick the safety aid boxes but in practice, the EX5 leaves a little to be desired. Various mysterious beeps and bongs are semi-constant but more soothing than some rivals.

The EX5’s lane-keep assist worked well enough in the morning but was flummoxed by brighter afternoon light and shadows, once grabbing control of the wheel and pointing the car at an upcoming vehicle, another time towards the grass. Sometimes the system simply didn’t work to keep the EX5 in the lane at all.

The adaptive cruise control has an ‘Intelligent’ program that convincingly changes lanes by itself when prompted by the indicator. Unfortunately, like the lane-keep system, shadows on the road caused a few phantom-braking episodes.

Activating the adaptive cruise control is not intuitive because the steering wheel controls are poorly labeled. It’s the left directional and ‘ok’ button set, if you’re wondering, and you cancel cruise by hitting the cross button below the similar looking asterisk customisable hot key.

The standard surround-view camera is high quality with plenty of different angles to minimise kerb strikes.

Like the suspension tuning, Geely ought to send out engineers with a fine tooth comb to iron out issues with the safety systems before hitting start on public sales.

The BMW M2 is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and servicing is 'condition based', in that the vehicle will tell you what maintenance is required, and when.

You can prepay your service costs at the time of purchase for all BMW vehicles, covering the first five years of ownership, for $3480 (which means $695 per service).

Geely is doing its best to ensure smooth parts supply from launch, having run around for 12 months stocking inventory and partnering with DB Schenker for logistics.

To promote the EX5, Geely’s launching with three years complimentary servicing and one year (or 1000kWh) of free charging on the Evie network for those who order an EX5 before February 28.

Geely has yet to announce warranty details. The brand will want to aim for more than five years, as seven years is fast becoming the minimum standard for new vehicles.

Service pricing is also yet to be confirmed, though maintenance will be due every 12 months or 20,000km.