Electric by design, the new IM5 and IM6 are more than just another EV launch – they’re the embodiment of the car you always dreamed of owning. Think Ferrari-like performance with 0-100km/h in as little as 3.2 seconds and technology and refined luxury you’d expect from a prestigious European brand – all wrapped up to create your dream car. And remarkably, it delivers all this sophistication, innovation and power at a price point that truly redefines value.
Today we’re giving the new IM5 all-electric sedan and its SUV sibling, the IM6, a christening of sorts to the finer things in life, with a day-long sojourn to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Just an hour from Melbourne’s CBD by (almost exclusively) freeway, the Mornington Peninsula has become a weekend playground and retreat for many well-to-do Victorians with its wineries, hot springs, day spas, historic buildings, abundant local produce, lush greenery and shimmering waterways. It seems wherever you are on the Mornington Peninsula, you’ll always have at least a glimpse of Port Phillip Bay or the ocean-facing beaches of Portsea, Sorrento, Koonya and Gunnamatta.
Standing for Intelligence in Motion, and a joint venture between MG’s parent company SAIC and technology giant Alibaba, MG might tell you this new IM brand is to it, what Lexus is to Toyota. Both these luxurious, electric cars that range in DAP from $60,990 to $80,990 are fresh off the boat into Australia. In this article, we’ll learn about the IM5 and IM6 and give you four must-visit places when planning your own trip to this stunning part of Australia.
Eat and explore at Pt. Leo Estate
“Is this one of those new luxury electric MGs?” asks the curious man at Pt Leo Estate. It is, we say. He grabs his chin, and you can see him thinking. “Can I sit in it?”
Clearly this gentleman knows his cars, and when we tell him the price, it’s possible we may have just sold one.
Our first stop for today, Pt. Leo’s sculpture park is almost compulsory for any first-timers to the Mornington Peninsula. Roam among 330 acres of manicured grounds dotted with 70 enormous artworks from Australian and international artists, with views across to Phillip Island. Open 11am to 5pm daily (last entry 4:30pm), afterwards, treat yourself to fine dining at the on-site Laura restaurant – and make sure you try the petite fours.
It says much about a car’s exterior styling if it’s able to blend effortlessly into a setting such as Pt. Leo, as is the case with both the IM5 and IM6. Full disclosure – it was a bit of fun selecting the lowest air suspension settings for the photography.
We got a chance to sample each car’s fully autonomous, AI-powered parking. Parallel or reverse, these modes effectively park the car for you, banishing parking woes forever. Another mode can drive out of a parking spot for you. If you drive up a tight street and can’t turn around, there’s even a mode that will carefully reverse you back out the way you came. Clever.
Getting to know the IM5 and IM6
Press unlock with the funky, car-shaped keyfob and the flush, aerodynamic door handles pop out. Opening any of the doors reveals the windows to be frameless, even on the IM6 SUV – it might just be us, but have frameless door windows quietly become a rarity in 2025?
Entering the electric sedan and SUV market in Australia with luxuriously appointed interiors, very-sharp pricing and richly specified with standard equipment, IM says three pillars underpin its cars: “purposeful innovation, high-performance engineering and premium finishes”. There are three variants to both the IM5 and IM6 ranges starting with the Premium, working up to the Platinum, and then the blistering Performance variants we have with us.
As of writing, it seems nobody has told the people setting the prices for the IMs that it’s no longer 2015 – the base IM5 Premium starts from $60,990 drive-away and the Performance ‘just’ $80,990 drive-away.
Richly specified as you’d expect your luxury car
It’s startling what you get for your money. Even the base IM5 comes with 217kW and 450Nm (from a single, rear-drive motor) but also up to 490km of WLTP range from its 75kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, funky 19-inch aerodynamically improved wheels, ultra-soft upholstery, thermal-insulating glass roof, and semi-autonomous Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) with auto lane-change, four-wheel-steering and more.
There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an enormous 26.3-inch display paired with a 10.5-inch central touchscreen, ventilated wireless charging, 360-degree parking camera, 20-speaker sound system, LED headlights… the list of standard equipment goes on, and on.
The mid-spec Platinum adds the 800-volt SiC platform with 100kWh NMC battery (with up to 655km WLTP range), maximum 396kW ultra-fast DC charging, staggered 20-inch wheels with Pirelli P-Zero rubber, and a potent 300kW/500Nm single rear electric motor for rear-drive and 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds.
The top-spec Performance (the car we have today) adds the trick height-adjustable air suspension, the Continuously Control Damping (CCD) system and a front electric motor for all-wheel-drive. The front motor produces 200kW/302Nm and the rear motor, 372kW/500Nm. With its instant electric motor torque, all-wheel-drive traction and wide Pirellis (measuring 245mm front, 275mm rear), zero to 100km/h takes just 3.2 seconds. That’s Porsche 911 Turbo S acceleration from not long ago, for $81K today.
The IM6 range effectively mirrors that of the IM5 in terms of grade and standard equipment – and even price – with range up to 555km (WLTP) from the 100kWh Platinum. Even larger wheels make a statement at 21 inches in diameter.
Both vehicles can be pre-cooled and pre-heated, locked and unlocked remotely from your phone using MG’s iSMART app. Both are covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre factory warranty, and affordable capped-price servicing with 20,000km, 12-month service intervals.
Dine at the homely MOKE, Flinders
If you’re passing through Flinders, MOKE is a must-visit, with dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a lunch service on weekends.
Opened in 2019, cosy fine-dining restaurant MOKE is the brainchild of wife-husband duo Alex and Michael Cole. Chef Michael Cole selects from the freshest seasonal local produce with an ever-evolving menu. In 2025, The Age Good Food Guide awarded MOKE a prestigious One Hat.
After stopping by MOKE, the quaint Flinders village is an opportunity for us to plug the cars in. The 50kW Evie charger is enough for now, but these cars are built for more – way more – they make the most use of the 350kW+ ultra-fast chargers popping up around Victoria and Australia. With a maximum DC charge rate of 396kW, the 800-volt IM5 and IM6 can take as little as 15.2 minutes to recharge from 30 to 80 percent.
While sitting in the IM5, we notice a little thing: by swiping two fingers up and down the central touchscreen, you can change the AC temperature – one of many thoughtful touches we would discover during our days with these cars.
Stay at the Portsea Hotel
Established in 1876 and the subject of a $7m major rejuvenation in 2018, the iconic Portsea Hotel today offers a place to stay, eat and drink with a view of Port Phillip Bay. For our purposes – with a pair of EVs – helpfully there’s an on-site EV charger, as well.
While manoeuvring to get to the charger, we are grateful for one of the IM5 and IM6’s most underrated conveniences: all-wheel steering. Both cars just about make the three-point-turn a thing of the past. Even in the near five-metre-long IM6, the turning circle is just 10.2 metres, thanks to the rear wheels, which can turn up to 12 degrees opposite the front wheels. At higher speeds, the rear wheels subtly turn in the same direction as the fronts for higher-speed stability.
We’ve spent the day discovering sculpture parks, historic homesteads and the Mornington Peninsula, whisked along silently and smoothly using nothing but electrons. The biggest takeaway is the IM5 and IM6. Drive’s Rob Margeit said it best: “MG’s first foray into offering a more premium product in Australia is a good one. The IM5 has all the trappings and hallmarks of a luxury EV.”
“What we have here is a comfortable, refined, and nicely balanced car that does everything today’s buyers expect from a new car,” he added.
“Ride comfort is excellent thanks to adaptive air suspension fitted exclusively to this range-topping Performance variant. It works in tandem with IM’s continuous damping system that monitors road and driving conditions and adjusts the stiffness of the springs in real time.”
“The IM5 Performance is rewarding to drive, its unquestionable straight-line acceleration only one small part of the equation, with driving dynamics, ride comfort and overall refinement the real stand-outs in everyday driving.”
As overall packages, both IM5 and IM6 will have you inventing reasons to get out on even the shortest drives. Then there’s the value proposition. Just as both cars garnered plenty of attention in Mornington, you get all this for a price that’s sure to catch the eye of more than a few established luxury brands.
Until December 31, 2025, IM Presented by MG MOTOR is offering 12 months complimentary charging with Evie Networks with all new IM5 and IM6 vehicles sold. Click here to find out more.
