The BMW 550e PHEV Develops Nearly 500bhp

The automotive world was shocked when BMW shoehorned a 503bhp V10 into the E60 M5, but now there’s a regular ol’ 5-series making similar power with 60 per cent of the cylinder count. Well, not on its own - the new 550e is a plug-in hybrid. 

A 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six brings the biggest chunk of power to the table, with an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic gearbox providing the rest. All told, the 550e makes 482bhp and 516lb ft of torque, which is sent to all wheels via BMW’s ‘xDrive’ system.

0-62mph arrives in 4.3 seconds, while the top speed is the usual 155mph, electronically limited deal. The 530e PHEV (pictured) that sits underneath in the range is still fairly punchy, with a 2.0-litre inline-four turbo engine and a motor coming together to produce 295bhp and 332lb ft of torque, making for a 6.3-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 143mph. Unlike the 530e, it shoves all that to the rear wheels only. 

We haven’t seen weight figures for the car, but neither will be light, owing to the use of a sizeable 19.4kWh battery pack. This gives an electric-only range of up to 62 miles in each car, and an 87mph top speed that can be accessed while the combustion engine sleeps. 7.4kW charging tech means you can fully juice that battery in three hours and 15 minutes. 

BMW’s clever flexible architecture for the car - which is also used for the fully electric i5 - means you don’t lose a load of boot space because of the battery, as is often the case with PHEVs. At 520 litres, there’s just as much on offer here as in any other 5er. 

The 550e gets the ‘Adaptive Chassis Professional’ as standard, featuring a lower ride height on adaptive dampers, and a rear-wheel steering system. Both cars get BMW IconicSounds - the company’s funky feedback noise created with help from film composes Hans Zimmer when running in electric-only mode. 

There’s no UK pricing just yet, but we do know that in Germany it’s €65,300 (around £56,800) for a 530e and €77,300 (£67,300) for a 550e. Prefer a pure combustion 5-series? You’ll only have the choice of one car in the UK - the 520i - unless you count the incoming M5 and M5 Touring.