The battery pack makes the 530e more than 500 pounds heavier than the 530i. Due to the battery pack being located in the back, it has a smaller trunk (10 cubic feet vs. 14). But because of where it is, the weight of the engine at the front is balanced out, giving it a more even weight distribution than the 530i.
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BMW 530e7/10
There are a lot of positive things to say about how the 530e goes about saving the world, largely because it doesn’t draw attention to itself by shouting about it to the driver or the general public.
We enjoy it even more because it’s essentially a superhero wearing underwear below his pants. When in EV mode, the 530e will quietly pull away from the curb while using battery power rather than fuel for up to 30(ish) kilometers. A nudge with your right foot is usually enough to get the gasoline engine to join in when you ask it to, which is another crucial aspect of the transition from green to gas.
Regardless of the drive mode, it is commendably quiet and so flawlessly smooth that you have to pay close attention to notice the eight-speed ‘box shifting gears at city speeds.
Downsides? It doesn’t feel quite as crisp as its siblings with conventional engines, though. Even with Sport mode activated, everything feels a little softer and less energetic due to the batteries’ around 230kg weight addition. The adaptive suspension setup and tuning, according to BMW, are the same, yet the 530e feels substantially softer while negotiating a winding backroad. And that makes you want to utilize your right foot a bit more, which defeats the purpose of using an electric device in the first place.
You can’t help but notice the 530e isn’t quite up to the challenge of switching from coddling comfort to rear-drive rocket when you want it to, which has always been one of the great joys of BMWs. However, if your driving will largely take place on city streets and highways, this plug-in BMW is hardly distinguishable from its gasoline-powered sibling.
Which BMW 530i or 530e PHEV should you choose?
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) ownership has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, you get unique parking spaces in malls and a peaceful driving environment, but on the other, you have to put up with the EV infrastructure that is still in its infancy and range anxiety. You can take use of these advantages with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) without encountering too many negatives.
The facelifted BMW 5 series, which was introduced in May of last year, provides a hybrid model in the form of the BMW 530e PHEV. It is available alongside the BMW 530e, whose ownership costs are around RM40,000 less. On the outside, these vehicles appear to be extremely similar, but as our former colleague Eu Jin points out, they are actually totally distinct vehicles. To understand why, you would need to view the complete video.
You may spend all day playing spot the difference by putting both automobiles side by side. The differences can be observed in the headlights, cargo capacity, window trims, and other areas. We could go on forever, but we don’t want to give away the footage.
The two automobiles’ individual powertrains serve as the main point of differentiation. The 530e is powered by a 50kW electric motor and a B48 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which together create 252 horsepower and 420 Newton meters of torque. Despite having less torque at 350 Nm, the 252 horsepower BMW 530i is equally as potent. An automated gearbox with eight speeds powers both vehicles.
Is the 530e’s hybrid powertrain worth the extra RM40k it costs? Or should you simply continue with the BMW 530i with a gasoline engine? To learn more, view the video!
The meaning of BMW 530e
The first plug-in hybrid model of the 5-series is the 530e iPerformance. BMW wants it to fill the gap between the conventional 5 Series and its futuristic I brand. The 530e is a part of the company’s ambition to sell 100,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in 2017.
BMW claims a remarkable 149 mpg fuel economy figure, however that can only be obtained on shorter trips and when the batteries can be fully charged by the mains. A 44g/km CO2 rating is given.
The 530e is still produced by BMW?
Along with the rest of the 5 Series series, BMW revised the 530e for 2021. According to BMW, the plug-in hybrid’s total combined power is increased, resulting in faster 0-60 mph timings. It has an eight-speed automated transmission and a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine that produces 181 horsepower in addition to a 107-hp electric motor. With an increase of 40 horsepower over earlier 530e versions, the overall output is now rated at 288 horsepower and 310 pounds-feet of torque. Additionally, the new XtraBoost feature boosts that by an additional 40 horsepower for up to 10 seconds after you depress the pedal when the Driving Control switch is in the Sport mode.
In addition, BMW claims that the 530e can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, which isn’t bad at all for a mid-size performance sedan. This information should dispel any misconceptions you may have about the 530e’s performance. It has an 181 horsepower four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor. A 12-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, which is a respectable size for this car, enables all of this. Using a 240-volt charger, you can recharge it in two to four hours, depending on how much of it has been used up. The 530e may be ordered with all-wheel drive, which results in the 530e xDrive, which has a range of 320 miles overall and 19 miles of EPA-rated EV range. However, my test vehicle was the rear-drive regular model.
Is the BMW 530e trustworthy?
In the 2021 Driver Power owner satisfaction poll, the BMW 5 Series placed a respectable 49th out of the top 75 vehicles. Even though a higher-than-average percentage of owners (20.8%) reported a problem in the first year of ownership, reliability received a good rating. While the engines offered to 5 Series buyers received some criticism for their high running costs, owners praised them.
The BMW 530e is it a hybrid?
BMW’s new 530e plug-in hybrid combines efficiency, luxury, and sportiness with additional power and an optional M Sport suspension. The BMW 530e is a plug-in hybrid, luxury, and sports sedan all rolled into one in 2021.
530i: Is it a hybrid?
The base 530i trim level, the plug-in hybrid 530e trim level, the more potent 540i trim level, and the performance-oriented M550i trim level are the four trim levels offered for the 2022 BMW 5 Series.
The BMW 530e is quick.
Although the 530e’s electric engine is incorporated into its eight-speed automatic transmission, driving in electric drive mode still results in constant acceleration. Criticism of performance is challenging. The 530e sprints to 62 mph from rest in 6.1 seconds (6.2 for the xDrive), which is on par with the 530i petrol variant thanks to 94 horsepower from the electric motor and 182 horsepower from the petrol engine.
By any standard, it’s swift, and you can definitely feel the electric motor kick in to help the 530e get moving with both gasoline and electricity working in concert. The BMW is still the more enjoyable car to drive and live with, even though the comparably attractive Mercedes E 300 e is usefully faster.
What is preferable, 330e or 530e?
While both of our competitors feature 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engines capable of 181 horsepower and 111 horsepower electric motors, the 330e’s maximum combined output of 288 horsepower outperforms the 530e’s 248 horsepower. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the 330e accelerates from 30-70 mph in half a second shorter, which is a useful advantage if you find yourself on a short motorway slip road. However, neither vehicle will make you feel underwhelmed by the available acceleration. We also can’t complain about how responsive their eight-speed automatic transmissions are.
Under the boot floor of each vehicle is a 12kWh battery. During our tests, the 330e managed a respectable 26.5 miles on electric power before the gasoline engine engaged. Although we haven’t performed the same test on the most recent 530e (the battery has just been improved, offering an official electric-only range of 33 miles), 23 miles in practical use should be feasible. This discrepancy shouldn’t come as a surprise since the larger, heavier 530e needs more power to move.
When you reach a section of winding road, both the 330e and 530e impress thanks to their precision steering, which organically adds weight as you begin to turn the wheel and increases your trust in their capabilities. Both have excellent cornering traction and are evaluated in conventional rear-wheel-drive configuration. Both vehicles have four-wheel drive as an option, but if you choose it, the range and CO2 emissions suffer.
The 530e certainly feels rather agile for a vehicle of its size, but the 330e is more eager to dart into corners and will ultimately make you smile more. Yes, the lighter gasoline and diesel versions of both vehicles are considerably more enjoyable to drive, but the variations are tolerably small.
The ‘e’ versions of the 3 and 5 Series don’t have the firmer suspension that non-hybrid M Sport models have, despite the fact that these vehicles were tested in M Sport trim. Even yet, it is clear that these are sporty saloons because bumps are acceptable rather than magnificently muffled. However, the 530e is more comfortable, and it becomes even better with the addition of Variable Damper Control adaptive suspension (PS985), which enables you to stiffen it up for your preferred section of winding road or soften it for a cushier ride. Similar technology is available in the 330e, but only as part of the PS2200 M Sport Plus Package, and the ride quality is still inferior to that of a comparable 530e.
The 530e excels in refinement as well, as it is quieter when traveling along the freeway. Although there isn’t much wind noise in the 330e, there is a lot more tire roar, especially if you choose the optional 19-inch wheels. Both have equally quiet gasoline and electric motors that transfer power between each other nearly silently.
What is the actual BMW 530e mpg?
The BMW 530e M Sport iPerformance Saloon’s combined official NEDC fuel efficiency rating ranges from 141.2 to 148.7 mpg, or 44.0 to 46.0 g/km CO2. The official combined NEDC fuel economy is worthless, as regular readers of Green Car Guide’s plug-in hybrid evaluations are aware, because in practice it entirely depends on how much driving you perform on electric power. The ideal situation would be to only operate your vehicle on electric power, which would require no fuel. The worst-case scenario, or when the 1800kg car is solely using its 2-liter petrol engine, is 30mpg at highway speeds with the battery charge set to stay at 100%. There will actually be a sliding scale between these two extremes as long as you begin your trips with the car fully charged. We averaged 50 mpg on 40–50-mile motorway trips when driving in hybrid mode, which enables the car’s gasoline engine and electric motor to cooperate as efficiently as possible, and when using Eco Pro mode with its coasting function. The 530e is unquestionably more aerodynamic than the majority of plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market, making it more effective for highway driving with a cd of 0.26. Overall, the BMW 530e averaged 47.1 mpg after a week of mixed driving (albeit with more local, electric driving than our regular week).
Officially, the BMW 530e has a 31-mile electric driving range. The best we could get out of the 530e during our test drive in the winter was a “displayed” electric range projection of 19 miles, but as we were driving, this swiftly dropped to approximately 17 miles.
Just a quick note on the wide range of fuel consumption numbers BMW provides for the 530e: 141.2 mpg/46 g/km CO2 and a 30 mile electric range are based on the largest wheel and tyre size available, while 148.7 mpg/44 g/km CO2 and a 31 mile electric range are based on the smallest wheel and tyre size available (18-inch wheels with 245/45 tyres all around) (19 and 20-inch wheels, or 18-inch wheels with wider tyres). When winter tires are installed, the electric range is slightly reduced once more.
Of course, you need to charge the 530e in order to enjoy from its reduced emissions and improved fuel efficiency. At 3.7 kW, it takes slightly under three hours to charge completely. It can be difficult to plug the cable into the charging socket in the dark because there is a light next to it but it doesn’t illuminate the socket itself.