BMW 530e 2017 Review

If you’re in the market for a large luxury sedan that can be recharged via a power outlet but won’t leave you stranded when its battery goes flat there are only two choices for Australians right now.

The first is the Mercedes-Benz E 350e and the second is BMW’s new 530e, which also runs a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol/electric powertrain and this week joins the 330e, 740e, X5 40e, i3 EV, i3 PHEV and i8 as BMW Australia’s seventh electrified model.

Yes, Lexus Australia offers the GS 450h hybrid for around the same price ($108,080), while the Infiniti Q70 hybrid also offers six-cylinder power and is much cheaper at $82,900, but neither of these models have plug-in capability.

Audi Australia has only one electrified model – the small A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid – while Tesla’s pure-electric Model S, priced from $114,385 drive-away, is in the same ballpark and the only other large plug-in sedan available Down Under.

But it’s the 530e’s price and equipment parity with the 530i that makes it relatively cheap and, for now, unique in the Australian market.

Witness the non-plug-in ActiveHybrid 5 six-cylinder it replaces, which was $3860 more expensive than the old 535i at $120,400, while the Mercedes-Benz E 350e costs $23,700 more than the also-2.0-litre E 300 at $131,600.

What’s more, based on official claimed figures, the BMW is slightly more economical than the Benz, at a staggeringly low 2.3L/100km, which is far less than the pure-petrol 530i at 6.2L/100km.

Naturally, therefore, its CO2 emissions are also much lower than the 530i at just 53g/km. BMW also claims the 530e’s ‘global warming potential’ is 15 per cent less and, if recharged only by ‘green’ energy, its environmental impact is up to 47 per cent lower.

That’s because it employs an electric motor to assist its petrol engine, which also allows the 530e to run in electric-only mode at speeds up to 140km/h for a maximum of 43km NEDC.

BMW is only claiming about 32km in Australia, where it says the average daily commute is about the same distance.

We never achieved anything like that on the cross-town Sydney launch drive this week, when normal driving in stop-start traffic cut the car’s claimed EV range in half and doubled its official average fuel consumption.

But the regenerative braking system does provide a usefully strong ‘engine braking’ effect, during which time the battery is replenished reasonably quickly, and the ‘MAX eDrive’ mode is handy for discreet early-morning getaways.

The powertrain defaults AUTO eDrive mode, in which the engine and motor work together for best effect, but there’s also clever Battery Control mode in which a battery target level of between 30 and 100 per cent can be reserved for later EV-only use.

Driven sedately, we’ve no doubt the 530e would come close to its official range and consumption claims.

So if it’s not purchase price, what’s the cost of this technology, which has the potential to significantly reduce your emissions, your fuel bill and the amount of times you visit the bowser?

Not much, apart from the minor inconvenience of having to plug in your car every night as well as your phone – or not, since the 530e will happy run primarily on petrol power if you never recharge it, and BMW Australia will introduce wireless inductive charging next year.

It’s just as quick as the 530i because its extra torque effectively cancels out the PHEV system’s significant extra weight, with the 530e hitting 100km/h in the same 6.2 seconds (claimed).

Both cars employ a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and eight-speed automatic transmission to drive their rear wheels and both deliver total power outputs of 185kW.

But instead of producing 350Nm of torque exclusively from its petrol engine like the 530i, the 530e runs a lower-output 135kW/290Nm version and adds an 83kW/250Nm electric motor in front of the automatic transmission, resulting in 70Nm more peak torque at 420Nm, lower in the rev range.

This is offset by the weight of the high-voltage 9.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack positioned above the rear axle, which at a substantial 230kg increases kerb weight to 1770kg and changes the front/rear weight distribution from 51/49 to 48/52 per cent.

Nobody will notice this from behind the wheel; in fact the lighter new 5 Series makes the PHEV not much heavier than the model it replaces or its most direct rival, and the electric motor boost right from idle sometimes makes it feel quicker than the 530i.

Indeed, it’s the seamless integration of the electric motor operation that’s a highlight here, with the latest G30’s whisper-quiet cabin and muted engine start-up making the 530e as refined as any other 5 Series.

Nor is the 530e much different to look at than any other 5 Series, which is a good thing if you like the classic, uncluttered design of BMW’s fifth-generation executive sedan, or a bad thing if like ‘being seen to be green’.

The only non-mechanical difference between 530e and 530i is a charging flap in the front-left quarter panel, blue-tinged kidney grille bars and wheel hub covers, ‘eDrive’ badging on the C-pillars and (illuminated) door sills, 530e bootlid badge, an eDrive button on the console and specific instrument gauges including a battery meter.

Like other BMW iPerformance models, the 530e comes with a stationary cooling system, Acoustic Pedestrian Protection, Extended ConnectedDrive Services featuring eDrive Services, a charging cable and six-year/100,000km battery certificate.

As with its other PHEVs, BMW says its battery can be charged to 80 per cent in less than four hours via a standard domestic power outlet socket, or in less than two hours via the optional BMW i Wallbox or a public charging station.

Standard equipment is generous as per the 530i, including the M Sport Package with 19-inch allow wheels or the no-cost Luxury Line option, plus seven airbags, adaptive LED headlights, BMW Selective Beam and High Beam Assist, Dynamic Damper Control, wireless smartphone charging, head-up display, automatic tailgate, heated sports front seats and 16-speaker harman/kardon surround sound.

Like all new 5 Series models, the 530e also comes with latest-generation iDrive, voice and touch (via a 10.2-inch colour touch-screen) control of navigation, phone, entertainment and vehicle functions. Gesture control is optional.

All new Fives also come with six cameras, five radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors supporting Level 2 autonomous vehicle functionality dubbed Driving Assistant Plus.

This includes Steering and Lane Control Assistant, which was introduced in the latest 7 Series and allows hands-free driving for between 10 and 40 seconds on well marked highways.

At least that’s what BMW claims, but the system never quite seems to work as it should when you expect it to, and is usually too intrusive to leave engaged on extended multi-lane journeys.

Also standard is Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Front Cross Traffic Warning, Crossroads Warning, Parking Assistant Plus, rear Active Park Distance Control, Speed Limit Info with Speed limit Assist, Surround View, Panorama View and 3D View.

So it seems the only real drawback with the 530e is its 80mm higher boot floor to accommodate its Li-Ion battery, which reduces cargo capacity by 120 litres to 410 litres.

That might not please chauffer companies, but if that’s the price to pay for technology that cuts fuel consumption and emissions by more than half, it beats us why more buyers are still expected to opt for the 530i.

2017 BMW 530e pricing and specifications:
Price: $108,900 plus ORCs
Engine: 135kW/290Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Motor: 83kW/250Nm
Total output: 180kW/420Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 2.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 53g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)