2021 BMW 5-Series Hybrid Sedan

2021 BMW 5-Series Hybrid Touring

The latest 2021 BMW 5 Series Hybrid is a nice luxury alternative that works hard to keep your running costs down and your driving experience special.  Hybrid cars have been a real global success, and their growing popularity shows that their low running costs get the tick of approval.  2021 sees nice new design features for the BMW 5 Series Hybrid cars, and some new technology for this brilliant mid-to-large size, luxury hybrid BMW.

The hybrid connection point on the front fender and the lettering on the boot lid are the main giveaways that this 5-Series is a hybrid.  Everything else on the outside of the 530e or 545e looks the same as on the equivalent combustion-engine models.  The BMW 5-Series hybrid cars use a high voltage battery pack with 11.2 kW/h net delivery, which is right up there at the top end of hybrid-car technology, and you’ll find the battery pack carefully located underneath the rear seat.  Boot space for the sedan is still a decent 510 litres, showing that BMW has cleverly positioned the battery to get maximum cargo space as well as rear seat space.  Back seat passengers enjoy good leg and head room.

Interior

Inside any new 5-Series Hybrid you’ll find the same gorgeous interiors as you would in the combustion-powered equivalents.  This is a good thing and an important detail I find agreeable too; sometimes you’ll find that the hybrid versions in other marques tend to be extremely different from the other variants in their line-ups, to the point of being a bit over techie, garish and overly futuristic.  Not-so with BMW’s mainstream models; the lovely leather interiors are sweetly styled in any of the new 5-Series cars, and the hybrid dash has the same classic elegance as the other 5-series models – with a few hybrid tell-tale signs – like the larger flat HD touchscreen.  There are also some new electric/hybrid switches that you’ll find down by the gear lever.  All in all, this is the way I prefer to get myself into hybrid ownership: subtly, in the way BMW creates their hybrid cars.  They are beautifully made, as comfortable and elegant as the other models, driving superbly like a 5-Series Beemer should, but with the delight of their incredible fuel economy.

Using the electric/hybrid switches, you can easily select between pure electric mode and hybrid mode.  Here you can also activate the smart battery control features in the hybrid system.  Depending on the hybrid/electric mode selection, the digital driver’s display also changes its appearance – a nice touch.

Out on the road, the 2021 BMW 530e rides quietly and confidently with impeccable road manners.  The 530e and 530e xDrive Touring models are powered by the 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine with twin-turbo technology.  The high-tech e-drive electric motor is positioned in linkage with the sweet-shifting 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.  Torque from this set-up flows smoothly, with as much as 420 Nm of torque available on-demand.  A maximum power output of 215 kW impresses with its superb feeling of response, with an extra over-boost feature adding another few kilowatts while this feature kicks in.  By pushing the sport mode button twice, over-boost is activated and available for ten seconds; this sounds rather like the turbo-boost that Kit featured in the original Knight Rider TV series.  You can also source the over-boost power during a kick-down manoeuvre on the accelerator.  Both the sedan and wagon 530e hybrid models are capable of running onto a limited top speed of 250 km/h, and they can accomplish the 0-100 km/h dash in around six seconds.  The BMW 530e can travel about 20 miles (32 km) on electric power alone.

There is another BMW 5-Series Hybrid model, which is known as the BMW 545e xDrive.  The 545e power plant boasts a colossal 600 Nm of torque and 290 kW.   The smooth, powerful acceleration is all put through the rear-biased 60:40 AWD drive-line.  This is the quicker of the two 5-Series hybrid engines, and it will deliver the goods if you’re after a particularly hot drive.  All of the 2021 BMW 5 Series cars handle very well, but with the more powerful motors and xDrive present, these cars turn into truly entertaining sports-luxury sedans and wagons.

A 2021 BMW 5-Series car is a safe car with high-end technology.  With an optional Lighting Package installed, including adaptive LED headlights, the new BMW 5-Series earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS.  Frontal crash prevention was deemed “Superior.”  Every new 5-Series gets active-safety features that include automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warnings, lane-departure warnings, and blind-spot monitors.

As with all BMW 5-Series models, the 530e and 545e are very well-equipped.  You’ll find a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that can be controlled via the iDrive click-wheel or directly with the touchscreen.  There is screen-based instrumentation as standard, with displays that are customized to the hybrid variants.  In addition to the standard Comfort, Sport, and Eco drive modes, the 530e and 545e have three additional modes that can be selected via the eDrive button: Auto eDrive, Max eDrive, and Battery Control.  Auto is the default, while Max uses battery power alone unless the driver triggers the gasoline engine by flooring the accelerator pedal.  Battery Control allows the driver to set a state of desired battery charge, and then the car will work to achieve and maintain it.  It does this by using the electric motor as a generator if/when necessary.

So, expect plenty of nice items in the hybrid variants.  Things like an open/close sliding and tilting glass sunroof, 18 or 19-inch silver aluminium alloys, dual zone automatic climate control air-conditioning, SiriusXM with AM/FM/HD/Satellite, seek-scan Radio, an LCD monitor, a key-fob with remote keyless entry, heated mirrors, rain sensing wipers, SensaTec leatherette seat trim, driver and passenger lumbar support, a satellite navigation system, Park Distance Control and Parking assist are all features you’re going to like.  There are plenty of other cool features on the new 5-Series cars as well.

Recharging takes around 7 hours using a standard household power outlet.  A BMW charging station using a 240V source reduces that time to less than 3 hours, and the car can also use some of the public charging stations across Australia.  Fuel economy ratings are not yet available for the 2021 hybrid variants, however with a fully-charged battery, the 2021 BMW 530e can travel 32 km on battery power alone.

These are truly desirable hybrid cars, and the 2021 BMW 530e and 545e are some of the best hybrid cars that blend practicality, comfort, efficiency and sporty driving dynamics into one fabulous machine.  These are wonderful mid-size luxury cars in sedan and wagon form which will deliver impressive economy.

2021 BMW 5-Series Hybrid Sedan

The 2021 BMW 5-Series Hybrid models include the:

• 530e
• 545e x-Drive

For any more information on the new BMW 530e and 545e, for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of BMW dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!