[S6F]

a performance point of view? I test drive two new 540s and was just not thrilled with the “excitement” compared to my own 540 with a mild tune. Wouldn’t the 550e be a step up in that regard?

[Theophilus]

I personally don’t think it would be worth it. You’ll get a faster straight line, but you’ll also get a significantly heavier car carrying two different powertrains.

[PsychDoc]

And the complexity portends massive and frequent reliability problems. For a lease this probably wouldn't be a big deal, but for me, as a buyer who owns cars for six to seven years, that's a major concern.

[richpat69]

I believe hybrids require more frequent repairs compared to either an ICE vehicle or a battery only EV but hybrids have been around for quite some time (Toyota). Battery powered drivetrain motors are very reliable.

Personally, my 2024 540 is a nice car which is not sloucy in terms of acceleration but compared to my 2020 M550 it is slow, not terribly nimble and not close to as much fun to drive. That BMW largely abandoned V-8's, IMO, was a major miscalculation and a mistake. They basically said goodbye to the idea of a sports sedan and pushed it into the luxury sedan category. The hybrid they are replacing it with has less power and more weight which has to make the car less sporty and not as much fun to drive.

[Ossian]

I had the G30 530e and we currently have the X5 50e which has what seems like the same powertrain as the 550e. The electric motors absolutely make a difference in terms of instantly available power off the line, but you do pay a price in terms of added weight. The 530e was a different car when the battery ran out (which was often, since the first version of that car had a tiny battery) -- the turbo lag was absolutely brutal. The powetrain in our X5 is just brilliant, which is why I was planning on getting the 550e myself, until I decided on the I5 M60.

I've posted about it previously - both of our BMW PHEV's spent over a month in the shop during the first year of ownership due to hybrid drive system failures - the complexity is a problem with PHEV's, and the risks of needing repairs are higher.

That said, I owned my 530e for over 6 years, and never had another problem after that first failure -- but the first failure was a dozzy, and would have been a catastrophe out of warranty.

As Psych Doc said, no problem with a lease, but I will certainly never buy another PHEV.

[robfen]

Is the 90km of ev mode any use to you?
My 550e is in an ev most of the time and when you want fun it's a rocket with the engine in sport plus.
If you don't need any ev range get the 540i.

[COBodom]

Performance point of view? Negligible gain.

On European sites hybrid is listed at 4.3 sec 0 to 100km/h. 540 is 4.4sec 0 to 60mph on US site. So with all the conversions from 100km to 60mph or 62mph where does that hybrid performance land? 0.2 second quicker than 540? How's 60 to 90? Splitting hair math.

Moral of the story...performance wise hybrid offers nothing.

Want real performance difference? Get EV.

[robfen]

550e 0-62 4.3s 700nm torque
540i 0-62 4.7s 540nm torque

[COBodom]

Where did you get that 4.7 to 62 from ? Send a link.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by COBodom

Where did you get that 4.7 to 62 from ? Send a link.

Yes, the 540xi does 0-60 in 4.4".

[RichardInCA]

Seems to me that you’ve either got to go i5 M60 or M5 for a meaningful performance increase over the 540, which is no slouch.

[robfen]

Originally Posted by COBodom

Where did you get that 4.7 to 62 from ? Send a link.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...16261EN/587400

BMW
Media
Information
05/2023
page 5

BMW 540i xDrive (from spring 2024, not available in Europe):
In-line six-cylinder petrol engine, 48-volt mild hybrid technology,
8-speed Steptronic transmission, BMW xDrive
total vehicle drive:
Power output: 280 kW/381 hp, torque: 540 Nm (243 lb-ft)*,
BMW TwinPower Turbo engine:
Displacement: 2,998 cc,
nominal power output: 280 kW/381 hp at 5,200 – 6,250 rpm,
nominal torque: 520 Nm (384 lb-ft) at 1,850 – 5,000 rpm,
electric motor: (48 volt crankshaft generator):
Nominal power output: 13 kW/18 hp,
nominal torque: 200 Nm (148 lb-ft),
Performance / consumption / emissions:
Acceleration [0-100 km/h (62 mph)]: 4.7 seconds,
top speed: 250 km/h (143 mph),
combined consumption according to WLTP: 7.7 – 6.8 l/100 km
(62 miles),
CO2 emissions combined according to WLTP: 176 – 156 g/km.

[robfen]

I moved from a 2021 m340i to a 550e

No question the 550e is faster to 100mph and much the same to 60mph.

there is a noticeable boost from the electric motor in the mid range
the torque is really impressive

a 540i wouldn't match it to 100mph if that matters to anyone

but only the OP know if these differences are enough give the nature of the car (not a sports saloon) and also the need to plug it in.
the 550e also weighs more and that is felt when cornering

The 550e 90km ev range is the real difference here over the 540i not so much the performance.

The m560e would have been a much clearer choice and I would have loved one.

The 550e with M performance parts is as close as you can get right now.

[AiredaleDad]

Originally Posted by robfen

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...16261EN/587400

BMW
Media
Information
05/2023
page 5

BMW 540i xDrive (from spring 2024, not available in Europe):
In-line six-cylinder petrol engine, 48-volt mild hybrid technology,
8-speed Steptronic transmission, BMW xDrive
total vehicle drive:
Power output: 280 kW/381 hp, torque: 540 Nm (243 lb-ft)*,
BMW TwinPower Turbo engine:
Displacement: 2,998 cc,
nominal power output: 280 kW/381 hp at 5,200 – 6,250 rpm,
nominal torque: 520 Nm (384 lb-ft) at 1,850 – 5,000 rpm,
electric motor: (48 volt crankshaft generator):
Nominal power output: 13 kW/18 hp,
nominal torque: 200 Nm (148 lb-ft),
Performance / consumption / emissions:
Acceleration [0-100 km/h (62 mph)]: 4.7 seconds,
top speed: 250 km/h (143 mph),
combined consumption according to WLTP: 7.7 – 6.8 l/100 km
(62 miles),
CO2 emissions combined according to WLTP: 176 – 156 g/km.

That's right to most of the world it's figured in 0-100Km/h not 0-60 Mph. I am not sure how many countries other than the US is speed measured in Mph.

[greatness10]

Originally Posted by robfen

I moved from a 2021 m340i to a 550e

No question the 550e is faster to 100mph and much the same to 60mph.

there is a noticeable boost from the electric motor in the mid range
the torque is really impressive

a 540i wouldn't match it to 100mph if that matters to anyone

but only the OP know if these differences are enough give the nature of the car (not a sports saloon) and also the need to plug it in.
the 550e also weighs more and that is felt when cornering

The 550e 90km ev range is the real difference here over the 540i not so much the performance.

The m560e would have been a much clearer choice and I would have loved one.

The 550e with M performance parts is as close as you can get right now.

I just got out of a 2020 m340i and into a 550e. I absolutely HATE this car. The charging is a total pain in the ass. On a full charge, i'm only getting 45kms. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by greatness10

I just got out of a 2020 m340i and into a 550e. I absolutely HATE this car. The charging is a total pain in the ass. On a full charge, i'm only getting 45kms. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

Maybe not - the range decreases during very cold weather. Try driving gently to see what the max range is you can get, but your real test will be when the weather warms up.

[PeterC4]

Originally Posted by AiredaleDad

That's right to most of the world it's figured in 0-100Km/h not 0-60 Mph. I am not sure how many countries other than the US is speed measured in Mph.

Seems European specs for the 550e are materially better for all-electric range. Canada has recently published all-electric range at 55KM or 34 miles. About the same published range as the US cars. Anyone know why?

Are European owners getting close to 90KM in all-electric range?

[ToddRGuy]

In the U.S. I'm not sure it would make sense strictly from a performance standpoint. Just had this discussion with my CA, and he also commented on the weight of the 550e. The 540 is more of the sweet spot.

If I lived in Europe, I might consider the 550e though, as the smack down from the B58 is going to be noticeable over the B48 or other diesel variants.

BMW always understates their performance stats, it seems, so I wasn't surprised by the figures Car & Driver got on the G60 540 below in the most recent review.

[BMW5151]

Originally Posted by PeterC4

Seems European specs for the 550e are materially better for all-electric range. Canada has recently published all-electric range at 55KM or 34 miles. About the same published range as the US cars. Anyone know why?

Are European owners getting close to 90KM in all-electric range?

If I remember correctly, the US requires a longer warranty on the battery than provided in the EU. Thus they probably restrict the capacity of the batteries here to provide for a longer life. We might get 80% of the capacity of the EU versions. And Canada suffers by association to the US - basically one type of battery and control for all North America.

[Blue Sky]

This is probably just the difference between the EPA and WLTP test cycles which is a frequent conversation topic whenever EV range is quoted. The European test always seems to indicate higher range than the US test.

[PeterC4]

Originally Posted by Blue Sky

This is probably just the difference between the EPA and WLTP test cycles which is a frequent conversation topic whenever EV range is quoted. The European test always seems to indicate higher range than the US test.

Looks like you're right on.

"WLTP for PHEVs

When it comes to the electric driving capabilities of PHEVs, the WLTP is rather lenient, as the range specification is calculated just in the City cycle (at Low and Medium speed sub-cycles). This results in rather optimistic driving range numbers, as the vehicle is not subjected to high speeds in all-electric mode, as is the case with the EPA testing procedure."

[vadnart1]

Originally Posted by greatness10

I just got out of a 2020 m340i and into a 550e. I absolutely HATE this car. The charging is a total pain in the ass. On a full charge, i'm only getting 45kms. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

i'm weighing the 540xi vs 550e, besides the charging are there other reason(s) you don't like the 550e? I would love to know your experience when only in ICE mode when battery runs out, is performance and mpg appreciably worst due to the added weight? any other issues?

just as a side note, here in the US the 550e can be configured with dynamic handling package which adds the adaptive suspension and rear wheel steering which is one of the main reasons why i'm considering the 550e over the 540xi. Too bad its not available yet on the 540 like with the Mercedes E450, seems like odd decision by BMW.