Do you remember the BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show? Don’t sweat it, i didn’t either. Now, 7 Years later, BMW is releasing their first production 5 series Plug In Hybrid, & they are calling it the 530e iPerformance. For those of you on the edge of your seats seething with excitement for a hybrid 5 series, buckle up, we’re going for a ride.
It sure looks like a BMW 5 Series, but wait a second. What are those blue lines on the grille? Is that a gas cap on the front quarter panel? And what’s that logo behind the side rear window? I’ts not a gas cap at all, that’s where you plug in your new 530e iPerformance. And the logo says eDrive. So what can this bad boy really do? The twin turbo 4 cylinder combined with the electric motor give the car a total of 252 HP and 310 ft-lbs of torque. [Edit: 04/26/17. 11:45pm EST: The forced induction is actually referred to as “TwinPower” with no definitive indication of 2 turbocharges. This wording likely means 1 turbo.] It can go 0-62 in about 6.2 seconds and top out at 146 mph. But you don’t care about all of that go fast stuff, you want to know how economical it is don’t you?
BMW claims the 530e iPerformance has a range of 404 miles “in real-world driving” and can go about 31 miles on electric alone. They also claim about 124 mpg fuel economy. Yes, plug in hybrid means you need to… you guessed it… plug it in, but there will be a wireless charging option in 2018. The car will have 3 different “Driver Experience” modes as well as 3 different Driving (eDrive) modes. Yes, these are two separate things. Fun Fact, this is the sixth model to bear the iPerformance tag. We don’t know if this will be available in the USA or when. There are more pictures below, plus a cheesy movie.
The Feel Of Fast 