![]() Its 21 miles of EPA-rated electric-only range is midpack among plug-ins, but it is reasonably attainable. The car's regenerative braking feel blends smoothly with that of the conventional friction stoppers. The gas engine and electric motor combine their efforts seamlessly. But it is taut, agile, and engaging in its own right.Īs a plug-in hybrid, the 530e does a respectable job. The current 5-series simply doesn't deliver the sublime steering feel and brilliant ride-and-handling balance of previous versions. But even on the less-aggressive tires the 530e's steering cuts sharply, though without so much as a whisper of feedback. As a precautionary measure in a frigid Michigan January, we swapped out the summer Michelins after testing for OE-size winter tires for driving on the street. (All-season 18-inch tires are standard.) Even though the stiffer, M Sport suspension that lowers the car by 10 millimeters isn't available on the 530e, its clipped ride motions are what you'd expect from a sports sedan. The 530e is nonetheless quick enough to be interesting, and it even has a sporty side-at least when equipped with our test car's M Sport package ($2500), M Sport brakes ($650), and no-cost 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP summer tires, sized 245/40R-19 in front and 275/35R-19 at the rear. 21) as it gets nearly double the battery capacity (17.1 kWh). In addition to singing that sweet BMW inline-six music, the plug-in SUV is both quicker and goes farther on electric-only power (30 miles vs. That 400-hp, plug-in-hybrid Swede hauls to 60 mph in a scant 4.3 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 109 mph.Īlthough the 5-series hybrid is quicker than before, BMW's mid-size lineup of plug-ins also includes the X5 45e, which gets a more powerful, six-cylinder hybrid powertrain. Just don't drag race a Volvo S60 T8 AWD like our long-term test car. It also got to 120 mph 1.3 seconds sooner. ![]() The 2021 car's 13.8-second quarter-mile run at 100 mph beat the previous 530e's pass by 0.6 second and 3 mph. The rear-wheel-drive model we drove-BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system is available for $2300-zipped to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, clipping 0.8 second from the time of a 2018 530e xDrive we tested. Our test equipment confirmed XtraBoost's, um, extra boost. LOWS: If only the steering had some feel, X5 plug-in is quicker and has more electric range. Briefly back off the go pedal, and XtraBoost is ready to go again. Floor the 530e's accelerator-you'll notice a little click in the last few millimeters of travel when you hit the kickdown switch-and the battery sends a burst of energy to the electric motor that adds 40 horsepower for up to 10 seconds at a time. While that name might sound a little contrived, the feature does work as advertised. In terms of combined system output, torque remains the same as last year, at 310 pound-feet, but horsepower is up 40 ponies to 288, thanks to a feature called XtraBoost. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the system's single electric motor-located where the torque converter normally lives between the engine and the standard eight-speed automatic transmission-have both been retuned for slightly more grunt. The capacity of the battery housed beneath the 530e's rear seat has been increased by 25 percent, to 9.1 kWh. More significant is the extra power from the hybrid system. 2018 BMW 530e xDrive Plug-In Hybrid Tested.2021 BMW 5-Series Gets New Tech and Altered Look.
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