BMW should not forget about the classic layout. This is your main family trait.

I owned 3 ev’s because i was never saisfied something was missing all the time. It was having a real engine with gears to rev. Even with a 4cyl its alot more fun than any ev. Ev’s are fun the first month with torque but after that its just boring. Rven with a 4cyl you can tune it to 50% more power if you really want to and you get the sound and vibration and smell! For hardcore motor and car people ev’s just will never satisfy our needs.

Great comparison. I sat in the newer BMW like the 5 series and I have noticed the use of leather has been reduced, like in the centre of the steering wheel. Also reduction of ambient light in the rear passenger door and lack of bottle holder cover in the new 5 series is disappointing.

The new 5 series is when you ask a 4 year old draw you a picture of a car and they don't have the ability to draw straight lines so it looks all scribbled...

What's the color/color code of the blue i5 40. I'm just about to buy the 550e x-drive hybrid; the only thing still pending is the color. So far, I'm thinking of Oxide Grey Metallic, but this blue looks fantastic. I appreciate your comments on this. Thank you in advance.

Please tell me guys when will the Highway Assistant be available on BMW 7 series in Germany? Could you find out please? Thanks a lot.

530E ? My be a better comparison with 5i

I have had an i5 40 for about a month now. I was concerned about not getting the M60 because the 40 is so much slower but the 40 has plenty of pick up and go. The new design is fantastic and the size increase brings the 2024 5 close to the size of my first 7 series many years ago. The i5 drives both comfortably but when you put it is sport drive and hit the accelerator, it is really fun to drive. I am concerned that the charging speed and the range has not been as expected. Overall, this is the best BMW I have ever had and I have owned or leased over 20 of them.

There's some super cool thing out there. It's called the metric system. You should try it, it's great! 🤓

Thanks for a good comparison video. I can agree that the i5 may be more fun to drive and that the 530i is slightly underpowered for some tasks in a car of 5 series size. However, you guys take the cars for a spirited drive and than complain that you have to rev the engine in order to have some push. Isn't engine revving what the spirited drive is all about? Many times one can have much more fun in a less powered (and slower) car, that needs to be driven at (or near) its limits. Recently I watched a video of some guy taking G30 BMW 550i to a "spirited" drive on a twisty road. It's an awesome car and the road was nice but he was barely pressing the accelerator. The car was just too powerful for such road. I think the 540i is a sweet spot of the range and the B48 engine is better suited for the 3 series. I still don't find electric models practical enough.

Good

Why not compare 540i instead. 530i is for people who just drive back and forth to work and no need to have the instant torque. Also you never manually down shifted or kept the low gear. How about then if you hold the gear, it will easily pull out of those corners especially with xdrive.

Guess what - nobody would buy i5 if 540i was available worldwide.

I recently saw a road test of the Euro 520i which has MHD and seemed quicker and quieter than the 530i. The MHD has the ability to fill in the gaps for the turbo and low torque situations. My big issue with the i5 other than the price which is very high in UK its £52,000 for the 520i MSport and £74,100 for the i5 Msport, is the huge weight difference at 454 Kg which is obscene. Electricity prices in the UK at present are at at 69 pence subscriber or 83 pence PAYG per KWH which for 3.8 miles (WLTP) = 18.18 and 21.8 respectively against the 520i with fuel at 146 pence per litre which is 657 pence per galllon. The 520i is rated at 45.6 mpg WLTP so cost per mile is 14.4 pence per mile. This makes no sense at all the car costs £22,100 more and costs more to run. The way the i5 was being driven I doubt if the miles per KWH was more than two. It's the law of physics more energy is needed to move more weight. That and the fact if it gets cold you lose upto 40% range. In Carolina it does get cold I lived there, very lovely area but in the Winter is really cold. That's not the way you would drive either car on the normal road as an owner. If I drive fast (which do quite often) I take advantage of the chassis and the way it eats the bends with poise and balance. Only use sport infrequently to get past other vehicles quickly. It is important not to attract attention of the traffic police or frighten other users who can't cop with sudden faster vehicles. That why poise, balance in both braking and acceleration are key to any BMW. I would take the petrol version any day. EV's are not ready yet, perhaps with the dual chemistry battery BMW has tested in the iX will change my view but thats at least two years from production.

I bought the X50e...Has both and engine and battery lol

Out of these two options i5 is probably the logical choice but only if you do short journeys and can charge at home. Personally I’d wait for the 540i.

Sport SEATS suck. There is no more width adjustment, so lateral support is bad.( Of course better than iX.) I did order i5 M60, had it now 6 weeks. Ok, the seats are otherwise good, but definetly NOT sporty. I had a brief drive with comfort seats, they had adjustable side aircushions (on/off).

I agree, I would have gone with the 540i X-Drive. I am still not sold on the i5 40 or M60. The range is awful and in cold weather, you will lose about 20% of your charge. In California, there are always power outages or planned power shutdowns, making it very hard to keep the car charged all the time. In your reviews, you mentioned Active Steering and 4-wheel Steering... Unfortunately, in the United States, we do not get Active Steering, 4-wheel Steering, Active Roll Stabilizer, 4-zone digital real climate control, M-style seat belts, luxury seats, which make the leg extender and headrest power instead of manuel, and no seat massage.

Nice review! But which one should you buy? Driving on idyllic country roads is fun, but maybe a few days of daily driving-to work, to the grocery store-would help with the choice. (EVs excel at both, of course, especially with one-pedal driving.) Also, purchase price is only one part of the cost equation, as fueling and maintenance costs are significantly less with EVs.

530d!

Love the whole 5 series design. But.. No comfort seats anymore; no soft close doors option; B&W is the same power as last generations Harman Kardon; Lot's of cheap plastics; no leather covered panels option; lot's of cheap glossy and finger print magnet materials in interior. Looks as a downgrade in some areas maybe due to "ecology" or just cost savings? Wonder if in M5 they offer more options. Now it lacks that premium feel, no mater what the design is.

This 5 series is not going to sale. I don't know what the designers are doing 😢

When is the 540i hitting US dealers?

5K Lbs is a lot for a 5'er,...and the weight of the 530 is a lot to ask of a 4-cylinder ICE! Yeah,...wait for the 540,...or the 540 PHEV!

I must say,...all of these reviewers always harping about the steering of these late model (contemporary) BMWs! Guys,...c'mon, BMW is NEVER ----> GOING BACK TO THE OLD RECIRCULATING BALL STEERING SETUP! Get the Freak-Over It! Fact is,...you turn the steering wheel and the vehicle reacts Instantly! If you wanna feel the road,....pull over and grab a handful of asphalt! Just review the freak's car and save us the 20-30 second about the 'steering'! There...

what about the 530e hybrid. Is it the best of both worlds or the jack of all trades, master of none?

None! GIVE US PROPER V8! GIVE US A CAR, NOT A TOY!

We bought an 530i, because that is what we can afford.

Talking about in weight..... Wait for the next M cars....... 😤

There's no should about it. If you're able to charge at home and like EVs, then the i5 is the way to go. If not, then get the ice. Done.

Wrong comparison!

All kind of problems w/BMW e cars. Plus, they are not selling.

Why are they so fixated by performance on these cars? These are mainly comfort driving cars. Want power? Go and get an m5

Never electric cars. At least not these days. Maybe after 20 years. Electric cars are still far behind where they should be. I see only drawbacks compared to cars with combustion engine (very expensive, low range, charging time, charger infrastructure, they are more heavier). Electric cars today cannot compete with combustion engine cars. Sorry, that's the truth.

540d

530d, nothing else.