Motors.co.uk - BMW 530e Review

Search for a used BMW 5 Series on Motors.co.uk -www.motors.co.uk/used-cars/bmw...

[@elthamlad468]

I wanted to revisit this video and post some comments, good and bad, now that I have owned my 2017 530e M Sport for 4 months and have driven over 2000 miles in it. Hopefully, this will help anyone like me searching for real-world information on the car before buying used. THE GOOD 1. Comfort is on another level. I was really worried about buying my 530e M Sport with the 20" wheels as I'd heard the M Sport can be a harsh ride (have never owned a BMW before). Nonsense. My 530e has the nicest, most comfortable ride outside of my old boss's Rolls Royce Ghost. I mean it, my BMW glides. Bumps and potholes are remarkably smooth and even on the ultra-low profile run-flat tyres, it's so damn comfortable. The seats, whilst not as comfortable as my old Volvo V60, still offer a decent amount of support and comfort and I do not get back ache in the BMW, like I do in some cars. I have the option of Adaptive Suspension in mine, so I am not sure if this has anything to do with the beautiful ride but I would suggest if getting one of these to try and seek out a model that does have the Adaptive Suspension. For comparison, this weekend I drove my friends 2017 Audi A4 Avant 2.0d and I was so glad when I got back into my BMW. The Audi ride was bumpy, on his 19" wheels you could feel every undulation and bump in the road. When I drove the same road in my my car it really was night and day difference. My partner even commented on how nice it was to be back in the BMW with the lovely ride. If you want to go a bit sportier activate sport mode, stiffen up the suspension and get a little better throttle response or leave it in comfort and just drive in supreme comfort. 2. Interior quality on the 5 series is next level. Again, i'm comparing this to my old Volvo and the Audi A4 Avant I just drove. The Audi interior is nice, its well put together and tactile. But compared to the BMW 5 Series you can tell its one or two levels down from the 5 series. The Audi has more plastics, cheaper quality surfaces and although still nice, does not exude that 'Luxury' feel. The BMW does. I mentioned my old boss's Rolls Royce Ghost earlier, back in 2012 I drove my boss's car a lot. No word of a lie, the interior of my 2017 BMW 5 Series feels almost as luxurious as the Rolls. Getting in and out of the 5 Series feels 'special' whereas other cars dont. 3. Looks. There is absolutely no denying the BMW 5 Series is a stunning loooking car, especially M Sport with the 20" wheels and low profile tyres. As I said, go for a model with Adaptive Suspension and it rides beautifully. 4. EV MODE - I'm going to break this down. If you have a home charger and make short journeys or commutes then this car can save you a lot of money, but you do have to factor in the cost of getting a home charger fitted, which is approx £1000. If you do have a home charger then many energy companies have EV tarrifs with very cheap electricity overnight so providing you charge overnight the cost of doing so is minimal. As the video mentions range is dependent on many factors but with the early model like mine do not expect to get more than 20 miles on a full charge. Great for short journeys but not much else. The great thing about the BMW is you can choose which mode to drive in, so if I am making a motorway journey I can choose to charge the battery when driving so it builds up. Or you can leave it in dual mode and it automatically switches between the two for the most efficient driving. Its far more complicated but I wont go into all that here, theres too much to it. THE BAD 1. Charging is a PITA having to faff around with cables and there are times I just wish I had a diesel. 2. Fuel economy. The people at BMW were smoking crack when they came up with the official fuel economy figures for this car. Maybe they were in Unicorn Land running the car on Magic Juice with a magical sprinkling of Fairy dust for good measure. Lets be real, forgetting EV mode, in standard running switching between petrol and EV self charging it averages between 25-30mpg, maybe more on a longer run. If you want ultimate fuel economy go for the diesel. If you want to drive a scarily near-silent vehicle where it's almost impossible to know when the engine cuts in and out, that glides effortlessly and is stupid quick when it wants to be, buy the 530e. 3. Boot size is reduced due to the batteries, if you want loading space you'll need to go for the newer 530e Touring model, but that came out in 2019 I think? 4. Fuel tank is 40% smaller than the standard petrol/diesel cars so you'll be filling up more. It has the effect that you think your car is super thirsty for fuel, but you have to remember the tank is smaller than the standard car so it will need filling more often. The UGLY 1. Battery life is one of the reasons I was hesitant to buy this car and I made several enquiries with BMW garages and technicians prior to buying my car. The batteries are only guaranteed by BMW for six years, but the BMW techs I spoke to from various garages all stated that they were not aware of any 530e's that had come back with any battery faults or to have replacement batteries fitted. Long term this is still an unknown but for now everything is good. 2. Desirability long term is an unknown but these are still selling for good money at dealers so they must be fairly desirable. Try owning a Range Rover right now..... SUMMARY The 530e is a niche vehicle. It won't appeal to everyone, be suitable for everyone or work for everyone. I would encourage anyone looking to buy one to really do your research first to ensure it is the right car for you, and I hope this long a*** post might help with some questions you might have. For me, it is a beautiful car and yes it costs a little bit more to run than the diesel but it is also almost silent and driving it is like, as Stephen Fry once said in an advert for beer 'smoother than a cashmere codpiece'.

[@elthamlad468]

Just a little update, fuel economy on dual driving mode, is approx 39mpg on the motorway at a steady speed. Providing you don't drive the car like Lewis Hamilton.

[@shahoo7116]

Wow Thank you for your post it has help me a lot. I’m thinking to buy one but don’t know if I should go for the diesel or e one and we don’t have a charging station at home either so that’s why I think diesel is the best option for me.

[@mrw2941]

“202 mpg which is quite impressive” , knocking out of the park with such amazing insight

[@manoz6194]

I rented one for a week and did 1150 miles with it. My average mpg was 47.1. I never plugged it in but I am still impressed, the regen on these cars is very good.

[@elthamlad468]

That figure is total Jack-a-nory to be fair. Best I've had is around 42mpg in Auto mode

[@jaffaorange3809]

Why do so many people consider “piano black” gloss surfaces high-end? I think it looks cheap and tacky. Think of all the scratches and fingerprint marks.

[@elthamlad468]

Each to his own, but the piano black in my car with the cream leather looks stunning.

[@mrw2941]

“Well it looks like a 5 series” great insight

[@richb326]

Check that stat of 48g of co2, according to BMW website it’s under 40 (spec dependent). May be it’s the 545e that’s 48g??

[@ukcarver]

As I’m looking for a car with lots of refinement and good suspension, would this car fit the bill. Does it have heated seats.

[@MrAshtonunderlyne1]

I don’t know why reviewers not discuss motorway combined actual milage, one has to make long journeys too..

[@kilcool01]

Good review

[@88detox]

Shots of exhaust sound would’ve been nice 👍

[@hfugmann]

The 530e is awesome

[@colinc.8742]

Finest car I have ever driven in 58 years since passing test. In fairness I think the Bentley probable just beat it, but it was almost 3 times the price!

[@rayyoung9934]

no surprise at all

[@xsitegaming1]

sorry but electric range nowhere near 37 miles!!! lucky to get 20...The car is ideal for that school run&nip to tescos lifestyle as long as all that is under 20/25m then u basically have free fuel, do your run monday top up monday night at home and your ready to go for tuesday..etc..etc

[@elthamlad468]

Spot on. My battery states 19 miles wheh fully charged (it is a 2017 car).

[@nintendope8837]

Pogchamp

[@georgealex19]

Great review! Guys, don’t use the Battery Control. In theory it’s good and useful, but in reality it totally kills mpg as it always tends to recharge the battery. You’re much better off letting it on the auto setting

[@manoz6194]

Battery Control is best to be used when going downhill

[@v.k.7463]

I switch to Battery Control if I meet these 3 criteria: 1.) I'm driving away from home. 2.) I'm on a freeway/highway. 3.) The distance to my destination is greater than the battery's range.

[@elthamlad468]

I'm sure some American reviewer did a test and found the most fuel efficient setting is the Auto mode. I only use battery control on the motorway when I'm cruising at 60mph to charge the battery, all other times im in Auto mode

[@newbeginnings8566]

Lovely car and decent compromise of electric to petrol practicality - but: It is way too overpriced. Standard specification is meagre: active cruise control is an option! This is now standard on some small cars costing a 1/3 of this price. BMW options are stupidly expensive and they are milking their customers who are frustrated at the specification and what should be standard.... 420L luggage is way too small for a vehicle of this class..

[@mrpullafastone]

Agreed! All German car options lists are extortionate!

[@elthamlad468]

Or simply buy a used model and save a fortune

[@scoobydee3954]

Its not cream its ivory white

[@Ronaldo882.]

Is this car congestion charge free ? Thanks

[@tonnyochieng118]

It is free for now but free congestion charge for all hybrids ends in October 2021. All fully electrics will also start paying congestion charge from 2026. That's if Tfl does not bring the dates forward as they always do

[@changhwankim7079]

Has the battery recall problem been resolved in UK?

[@richb326]

Yes it has I believe

[@chrischan3448]

If you get cream interior you are either 60+ or odd

[@aibel99]

This or 535d?f10?

[@dilerrevend3659]

This if you have the option to charge the car at home

[@bencarpanini9905]

This, all day long. Gorgeous car. I have one 😁

[@aibel99]

@@bencarpanini9905 but is it more economical on fuel than a 535d? And I think a 535d remapped would whoop the 530e in a race and have the ability to maintain higher mpg during the race lol

[@bencarpanini9905]

Who the hell buys a luxury saloon car for racing? I live in a city and use the car mostly on electric. On a long journey I get about 45 to 50 mpg using both electric and petrol power. If you've got no charge, that would go down to about 40mpg. Since lockdown last year I have driven about 2,500 miles and averaged 75mpg.

[@aibel99]

@@bencarpanini9905 good stats, thanks for sharing. That actually puts it higher than the 535d in terms of economy. When I say racing, I mean taking it to a track or having the power on the roads to really floor it. The m5 is a luxury saloon, people don't buy it becuase it's slow. The m5 probably has more features than the 530e. The question you asked is strange becuase if we go with your logic, who would consider a 535d? Or a 530d or 525d when the 520d is most economical of them all and has the exact same body. Yet, we see that all cars are sold What I want is a comfortable long distance family car that can also give me the feel of my current car which is a remapped 335i. I'm quite sure a remapped 535 would be able to do that and the 530e wouldn't be tooooo far off

[@misterC4P]

well it looks like a 5 series? DUH! it is a 5 series!

[@bimlico]

Have you never heard of Android Auto? It's like you're being paid by Apple. Don't mention Android Auto whatever you do.

[@KINGKING10109]

Who owns an Android…