BMW 530e Touring

Essentials

BMW 530e xDrive Touring M Sport

Price: £59,325

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol + e-motor Power/torque: 288bhp/420Nm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive 0-62/max: 6.1 seconds/140mph Economy/CO2: 156.9mpg/42g/km Electric range: 32 miles

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EQUIPMENT It doesn’t feature BMW’s latest operating system, but the 530e’s infotainment is great; simple and intuitive, and packed full of features, it’s a masterclass in usability GEARBOX Eight-speed automatic is supersmooth and sends power to all four wheels here; xDrive system delivers strong traction and will help in wintry conditions

NEED TO KNOW

A full home charge takes just over three and a half hours, which will take you up to 32 miles on electric power, BMW claims

SeanCarson

sean _ carson@autovia.co.uk

BMW’s 5 Series is a perennial high achiever. Only last week (Issue 1,737) it scooped a class win and a commendation at the annual Auto Express New Car Awards – and the updated 530e Touring is one of the most appealing models in the line-up.

It mixes practicality and huge efficiency potential, not to mention great driving dynamics combined with comfort and refinement. Plus there’s the impressive infotainment and tech that have come to characterise the Bavarian firm’s best models.

We’ll start with the bodystyle, the point that defines the Touring. In estate form, the 5 Series plug-in hybrid offers 430 litres of space; it’s some way down on the regular 530 Touring’s 560 litres, but then, packaging a 12kWh battery for a claimed all-electric range of up to 32 miles (in xDrive spec) in a car that’s already been optimised when it comes to use of space isn’t easy. Compromise is a reality with a PHEV, and with this BMW, boot capacity is one that you’ll have to make to some degree.

We say that because 430 litres is actually still fair. This rises to 1,560 litres when you fold the rear seats down – a feat that takes little effort – while the large hatch (poweroperated as standard across the range) and wide opening that it reveals do at least mean loading items is easy. However, the system only gets a little clunky when it’s running low on battery power.

Despite carrying an extra 170kg of mass compared with a pure-petrol 530i Touring, this plug-in version still handles the way you’d expect a BMW to. The steering is a great weight and matches the chassis’s front-end response perfectly.

As you can see from the picture above, there is some roll, but the chassis controls this well on the whole. Besides, the initial compliance in the suspension gives the 5 Series a sweet ability to absorb bumps, so it’s a comfortable cruiser that offers a well judged balance between ride and handling.

The cabin can still cut it in 2022 as well, despite elements of the design stretching back to 2016. The benefits of

charging cables live in a bag that sits in the boot; some underfloor storage for this would be preferable.

We have very few complaints about the way the 530e Touring drives, however. The battery feeds an electric motor that, combined with a 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder petrol engine, delivers a total output of 288bhp and 420Nm of torque.

There’s a function called XtraBoost, which delivers a 39bhp hit for 10 seconds, so the 0-62mph dash takes 6.1 seconds. But it’s the refinement the electrified powertrain brings, thanks to the e-motor’s impressive standalone torque output of 265Nm, that makes the 530e so relaxing to drive.

Even on a rainy, cooler day, our test car easily topped 30 miles on electric power alone, with the added (but relatively mild) regenerative braking meaning that with a bit of anticipation, on a quiet country road you don’t have to touch the brakes, just easing off the throttle for corners with the motor working in reverse to slow the car.

Even when the petrol engine is working in conjunction with that electric motor, it’s relatively refined. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is good, and the

BMW 5

FIRSTDRIVE Revised pl

“Despite its extra weight, the plug-in 530e still handles the way you’d expect a BMW to”

INTERIOR

Cabin quality is great, and facelifted 5 Series’ larger infotainment screen is so simple to use