BMW provides high-performance, safe, advanced, and quality luxury cars. The BMW 530 is not an exception. But is the BMW 530e a good car?
The BMW 530e can be both a good and bad car, depending on what you’re looking for. If you want a high-performance, luxurious, comfortable, safe, and fuel-efficient sedan, this is a good car for you. But if you’re looking for a reliable and low-maintenance luxury car with a big trunk, this is a bad car for you.
History of the BMW 530e
The BMW 530e is part of the seventh-generation BMW 5-series. This model has been in production from 2017 to date. It is offered in the sedan (G30) and wagon (G31) body styles. The BMW 530e is available in two variants, featuring the 530e iPerformance and 530e LCI iPerformance models. Both are fitted with a 2.0-liter B48 I4 turbo engine with an electric motor.
Additionally, the BMW 530 iPerformance model is also provided in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive (xDrive) variants. During its launch, the BMW 530e had a maximum range of 16 miles on all-electric, but this was increased to 21 miles in 2020 when BMW increased the lithium-ion capacity by around 20%.
Features of the BMW 530e
Appearance
In terms of looks, the BMW 530e is one of the best-looking sedans in its class. It is beautifully designed with a large ad outstanding kidney grille. It also comes with 19-inch x 8-inch V-Spoke burnished orbit grey wheels that give it a sporty look. The interior also looks elegant and modern with lots of advanced features.
The 2022 BMW 530e has a wheelbase of 117.1-inches, a length of 195.8-inches, a width of 73.5-inches, and a height of 58.4-inches.
Performance
The BMW 530e plug-in hybrid sedan performs well compared to most of its competitors. It is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo inline-4 hybrid engine that produces a 135 kW engine and works together with the 85 kW electric motor to deliver a maximum of 248 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque for the iPerformance model and 292 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque for the LCI iPerormance model.
Comfort and cargo space
The BMW 530e is a sedan with 5 seats. It is quite spacious and offers top-end comfort both in the front and rear seats. It has a total passenger volume of 98.8 cubic feet, which will excellently fit a family of five.
Notable interior features are a 4-way power driver seat, 4-way power passenger seat, power rear windows, sport leather steering wheel, leatherette door trim insert, lumbar support, and remote keyless entry.
While the interior of the 530e sedan is spacious, advanced, and comfortable, the trunk space is reasonably lacking. The car has a total trunk space of 10 cubic feet, which is quite small. This means a family can only carry a few bags or goods in the trunk.
Safety
BMW always makes some of the most durable and safest cars on the market. The BMW 530e is no exception as it is fitted with lots of safety features. Some of them include electronic stability control, active blind spot detection blind spot, lane departure warning frontal collision warning, and tire-specific low tire pressure warning.
Fuel efficiency
Finding a BMW with good fuel efficiency is quite challenging as most of them are guzzlers. But if you want to save some expenditure on fuel, the BMW 530e is one of the best luxury sedans to acquire. This car has a combined EPA rating of 25 mpg and 62 mpge, which is for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Range
The latest electric vehicles have an excellent range, but BMW is still lacking in this area. This is because the BMW 530e has a range of 21 miles for the 530e and 18 miles for the 530e xDrive variants. This is pretty short as most luxury plug-in hybrid vehicles have a range that exceeds 25 miles.
Price
The BMW 530e is not your average sedan. It is quite expensive with a starting price of around $56,000 for the BMW 530e rear-wheel drive variant and around $58,000 for the all-wheel drive variant. However, their used cars are slightly cheaper but still costlier than the average sedan.
FAQ
Is it worth buying the BMW 530e?
It depends on what you’re looking for. If you desire a luxurious and high-performance luxury sedan with low fuel efficiency, the BMW 530e is worth investing in. But if you want a reliable and low-maintenance car with a large trunk space, this is not the car for you.
After how many miles does the BMW 530e start having problems?
The BMW 530e is one of the most reliable BMW 5-Series models. However, there are some parts like the spark plugs and ignition coils that will have to be changed after 30,000 miles. Most serious problems are usually experienced after the car hits over 150,000 miles. Hence, if you’re looking for a quality used car, stay away from a 530e with over 150k miles.
What are the common problems with the BMW 530e?
The BMW 530e is one of the most reliable BMW 5-Series models on the market. Nonetheless, it has several issues that interested buyers should know about. Some of the common problems with BMW 530e are engine malfunction, electrical problems, oil leaks, EGR problems, hybrid problems, and LED Daytime running lights yellowish discoloration.
What are the most expensive parts to maintain on the BMW 530e?
Since the BMW 530e is fitted with the BMW B48 engine, it is slightly more expensive to maintain than an average car. Some of the most expensive parts to maintain are the walnut blasting which requires replacement every 100,000 miles and costs around $500 and ignition coils that have to be replaced every 40,000 to 90,000 miles and cost around $$170.
What’s the main difference between the BMW 530e sedan and the 530e xDrive?
The BMW 530e and 530e xDrive share a lot of features. However, the main difference is that the BMW 530e has a longer EPA-rated range on all-electric than the BMW 530e xDrive. The former can cover up to 21 miles on all-electric, while the latter can only cover up to 18 miles.
Summary
All in all, the BMW 530e is a beautiful, sleek, modern, luxurious, and high-efficiency car. It is also safe to drive and makes a great family car. On the contrary, it is quite expensive, less reliable, and has small trunk space. Overall, it is a nice car with a high maintenance cost.
