By Otsile Kadiege

BMW’s eighth generation 5 Series was initially launched with a variety of electrified combustion powertrains and an all-electric version called the i5. The German automaker has now added two new plug-in hybrid models to the range, namely the 530e with a four-cylinder petrol engine and in the 550e xDrive Sedan with an in-line six-cylinder petrol engine.

550e xDrive performance

In combination with the latest generation of BMW eDrive technology for plug-in hybrid models, the 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol engine in the new BMW 550e xDrive Sedan generates a system output of up to 360 kW and a maximum system torque of 700 Nm. The plug-in hybrid system puts its power to the road by means of BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive. It sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. The maximum speed of the BMW 550e xDrive Sedan is electronically cut off at 250 km/h. A maximum speed of 140 km/h is possible in purely electric operating mode.

530e performance

The new BMW 530e Sedan has a 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and, together with the highly integrated e-drive unit, generates a maximum system output of 220 kW and a maximum system torque of 450 Nm. BMW claims the 530e Sedan accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds. The top speed is 230 km/h, and up to 140 km/h in fully electric mode.

The electric motor, specially developed for the hybrid drive, is integrated into the 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission together with its power electronics. The highly integrated drive unit contributes up to 145 kW (BMW 550e Sedan) or 135 kW (BMW 530e Sedan) to the maximum system output of the two plug-in hybrid sedans.

The high-voltage battery provides an increased usable energy content of up to 19.4 kWh. The maximum charging power has been doubled compared to the previous models and is now 7.4 kW, so that the high-voltage battery can be charged from zero to 100 percent of its capacity within 3 hours and 15 minutes. At a conventional household socket, the charging process is completed within 11 hour and 45 minutes.

According to WLTP, the electric range is now 83 to 90 kilometres for the new BMW 550e xDrive Sedan and 93 to 103 kilometres for the new BMW 530e Sedan.