BMW 530e Makes The Hybrid Format A Performance Winner

The era of lukewarm interest in electrified vehicles among legendary German luxury performance carmakers is officially over. The new 2018 BMW 530e plug-in hybrid does everything that would be expected of an ultimate driving machine by integrating the electric tech to expand green appeal with without sacrificing performance.

This super stylish low-slung four door sedan is powered by a turbocharged  2.0 liter inline 4 cylinder engine delivering 180 horsepower, supplemented with an electric motor with a 9.2 KWh lithium ion battery pack, bringing the combined rating of BMW 530e to a confident 248 horsepower.

To assure the required gutsy BMW performance response, a ZF 8 speed automatic electronic transmission that eliminates the torque converter with the electric motor, really avoids even a hint of the wimp factor often associated with hybrid electrics.

With a top speed of about 146 mph and  0 – 60 times of under 6 seconds, this 530e certainly satisfies the aggressive driving instincts of BMW aficionados. The sport sedan rear wheel drive format … and the extra surefootedness of the all-wheel drive option … take full advantage of the combined gas and electric drivetrain.

Inside the $54,000 xDrive edition, leather swathed opulence and expansive design features like sweeping wide front dash and high tech instrument layout, eloquently restates the obvious prestige provenance of this BMW.