DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: New BMW 5 Series plugs in

BMW has released full details of the plug-in hybrid version of its new 5 Series, ahead of its world debut at the Detroit motor show in January and its European release in March.

The new 5 Series will arrive Down Under next February in 520d, 530i, 530d and 540i forms, before the super-thrifty but zippy 530e iPerformance plug-in sedan follows them into local showrooms around mid-year.

With EU test cycle fuel economy claims of only 1.9L/100km and CO2 emissions quoted at just 44g/km, the new large BMW sedan takes hybrid technology a step closer to solving the problem of combining conventional fossil-fuelled engine technology with extended EV capability without inflicting EV range-anxiety and enabling the refuelling/recharging process to be carried out using existing technology.

Employing a 70kW/250Nm electric motor allied with a 135kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine to produce a combined output of 185kW/420Nm, the 530e iPerformance is quoted at a brisk 6.2 seconds for the zero to 100km/h sprint and offers a range of as much as 650km.

The capability of travelling on pure electric power is realistic too, as it will cover as much as 50km without a whiff of CO2 at speeds up to 140km/h.

BMW uses an upstream location of the electric motor that allows it to operate through the eight-speed automatic transmission, thus dispensing with the need for a torque converter and providing some compensation for the 530e’s extra weight.

The 9.2 kW/h battery pack sits underneath the rear seat to allow for a decent 410-litre boot capacity, while BMW says the hybrid 5 Series can be fully charged on a conventional domestic power point in less than five hours – or less than three hours at a 3.7kW BMW I Wallbox.

In addition to the proliferation of smart systems introduced with the just-unveiled new-generation 5 Series, such as close-to-autonomous functions including evasion aid, cross-traffic warning, Lane Change Assistant and active Lane Change Warning – which intervenes in the vehicle’s steering to avert an impending collision – the 530e iPerformance allows the driver to choose between three settings – AUTO eDRIVE, MAX eDRIVE and BATTERY CONTROL – enabling various rates of electric intervention.

In AUTO eDRIVE mode, the car will drive at speeds up to 90km/h on electric power alone, while in MAX eDRIVE mode it operates on full electric power and uses the motor’s full output to reach speeds up to 140km/h. For an extra power boost, the reciprocating engine cuts in on kickdown.

Another thing the driver can do is set the charge level of the battery pack to leave electric power in reserve for use later in the journey, for example in more-urban situations. The system ensures the selected charge level is retained, by using the electric motor as a generator if required.

The BMW 530e iPerformance joins the 225xe iPerformance, 330e iPerformance, X5 40e iPerformance, 740e/740Le iPerformance and the X1 xDrive 25Le iPerformance that is exclusive to the Chinese market.