Power Trip

BMW’s mid-sized business sedan is now available as a plug-in hybrid. Alethia Tiang is convinced it is the way to go just about anywhere

 

WHEN THE BMW 5 was launched a year ago, we took it out for a spin and became impressed by this smooth, powerful everyday drive. The petrol-run 530i kept both driver and passenger in consideration with its design and technology.

So when its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sibling, 530e iPerformance, arrived, we expected similar — if not better — results. After all, BMW was also behind the award-winning i3 and i8 models.

It’s also about time to give greener vehicles a go, as the Geneva International Motor Show’s display of plug-in and electric cars the likes of Jaguar I-Pace, Audi e-tron, Polestar 1 and Porsche Mission E (now Taycan) Cross Turismo, showed. And with more public charging points available these days, owning an electric car has become more convenient.

As expected of hybrids, 530e is quiet. Hit the ignition button and the car only does so much as light up without the engine start-up noise. Get behind the wheel, put the car into Drive mode and everything feels, well, normal. It doesn’t feel any less robust than the petrol variant.