BMW 5 Series

The new i5 got this eighth-gen 5 Series range off to a stuttering start. What's it like when an ICE enters the mix? Given that BMW itself calls the BMW 5 Series the “core and heart” of its brand, the arrival of a new one is going to be a much bigger event than yet another SUV rolling off the line.This all-new G60 version is the eighth generation of a model that has racked up more than 10 million sales in more than 50 years on the market, yet so far we have only known it by a different name: the BMW i5 – a decent but not game-changing electric car offering. But don’t tar the entire 5 Series range with the same brush just yet, because it is as broad as any other out there at the moment. Depending on where you live, you can get a four-cylinder and six-cylinder diesel (remember those?), a four-cylinder petrol and four- and six-cylinder petrol plug-in hybrids. Power outputs range from 205bhp to 593bhp. In the UK, we have the 520i four-cylinder turbo petrol as an entry-level offering that costs almost half the price of the range-topping i5 M60; the 530e four-cylinder PHEV; and the 550e six-cylinder, four-wheel-drive PHEV, which sits roughly level with the i5 eDrive40 at £76,605. No diesels for us. We've tested the entry-level 520i and the more powerful plug-in hybrid, the 550e. There’s a hell of a lot of technology and running gear packed into this car, and if you look at each line of its specification in isolation, each number tells a very different story about what kind of car it could be. One role is to effectively replace the axed entry-level diesel, and another is that of a sports saloon that can crack 0-62mph in just 4.3sec and has combined peak outputs of 482bhp and 516lb ft of torque. The new 5 Series has a role to play as an economy champion, thanks to up to 56 miles of electric-only range from its 19kWh battery on plug-in hybrid models, which is enough to drop it into the UK’s low 8% BIK band (compared with 31% for the 520i).BMW 5 Series range at a glanceThe entire BMW 5 Series range is electrified in some way, with the previous diesel engines removed from sale for this generation.The range opens with the 520i, driven by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 48V mild hybrid technology. Power stands at 201bhp and 243lb ft which will get you from 0-62mph in 7.5sec. Move up to the 530e for a plug-in hybrid power. Here you get 294bhp and 331lb ft, plus a shortened 0-62mph time of 6.3sec. The 530e also offers up to 63 miles of electric-only driving, thanks to a 19.4kWh battery. At the top of the range is the 550e, which adds a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine. It might be a saloon but it packs sports car power, with 483bhp and 690lb ft and a blistering 4.3sec sprint from 0-62mph. VERSIONPOWER520i201bhp530e294bhp550e483bhp