2024 BMW 5 Series: Which Model to Buy?

BMW has made some big changes to the 5 Series formula with the introduction of the G60. It’s the biggest 5 Series ever—it almost matches the size of the F01 7 Series and surpasses it in terms of height and track width—and new fully electric variants broaden its spectrum of potential buyers. So it’s natural that buying a 5 Series may be a more confusing experience than before since you now have to choose whether you want the vehicle lightly electrified (mild hybrid tech is available on many combustion versions), heavily electrified (plug-in hybrid versions), or the i5 EV.

Because the G60 is so big, if you’re an older 7 Series owner looking to switch to a newer BMW, you may find the 5 Series big and luxurious enough so that you won’t have to get a new 7. If you’re convinced that the G60 is the BMW sedan for you, but you still aren’t sure which one to pick, keep reading, and we’ll try to make that decision easier.

Models Available in the US

2024 BMW 530i

In America, the base model is the 530i, which gets a revised version of the B48 four-cylinder turbo engine that now makes 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, thanks in part to the addition of a 48-volt mild hybrid system. You can add xDrive all-wheel drive, which brings the base price up from $57,900 to $60,200, but it makes the vehicle slightly quicker to sprint to 60 mph, dropping the time from 5.9 to 5.8 seconds.

2024 BMW 540i

Next is the 540i, which is only available with xDrive, and it starts at $64,900 and is a whole lot quicker than the four-cylinder. Its B58 six-cylinder engine is not only smoother and more pleasing to the ear than the B48, but it’s also much more muscular, with 375 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, which briefly goes up to 389 pound-feet with overboost. The time needed for the sprint to 60 mph drops to 4.4 seconds.

530i or 540i?

If efficiency is your top priority and you want a combustion version of the G60, choose the rear-wheel drive 530i, which has a city fuel consumption rating of 27 mpg and a highway rating of 35 mpg for a combined 30 mpg. BMW doesn’t list any different consumption numbers for the 530i xDrive, but the lighter rear-wheel drive car with lower drivetrain losses will surely be marginally more frugal in real-world conditions.

Opting for the 540i xDrive doesn’t incur a massive drop in efficiency as it is rated at 26 mpg city and 33 mpg highway with a combined rating of 28 mpg, so if you want to burn gasoline in a new 5 Series, it’s probably the version to choose.

2024 BMW 550e Arriving in Spring

BMW confirmed the 550e xDrive plug-in hybrid version of the G60 will go on sale in the US this spring, starting at $74,995. It combines the power of the B58 six-cylinder with an electric motor for a total of 489 horsepower, and its 19.2 kWh battery pack should be able to deliver an electric range of around 40 miles. No V8-powered 550i is planned for the G60 except for the M5, which will borrow the plug-in hybrid gubbins from XM. The 550e xDrive isn’t one of those plug-in hybrids that also offer fast charging, and it can only take up to 7.4 kW, which means it takes over 3 hours to bring the battery from flat to full.

BMW i5 eDrive40

If all-electric power is more your game, the G60 EV range kicks off with the $66,800 single-motor rear-wheel drive i5 eDrive40. Its 335 horsepower propels it from naught to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and on to a rather low top speed of 118.1 mph.

BMW i5 M60

The top current EV variant is the dual-motor all-wheel drive i5 M60, whose 593 horsepower pushes this nearly 5,300-pound electric sedan to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The top speed isn’t significantly higher for this more powerful version, which tops out at 130 mph. Both models have the same 81.2 kWh (usable capacity) battery pack, and their EPA range is between 275 and 290 miles and 240 and 256 miles, respectively.

Both can charge at up to 205 kW, enough to go from 10 to 80 percent charge in 30 minutes. In our testing, we found the i5 was able to replenish 29.54 kWh in just 10 minutes, which is almost as good as some 800-volt EVs.

Models Not Available in the US

2024 BMW 520d

BMW has always offered lower-powered versions and diesels in Europe, and it’s still at it with the G60. Kicking off the Euro range is the 181-horsepower 520i, which needs just under 8 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill, but it will keep accelerating to a very impressive 146 mph, making it faster than any of the EVs.

There is still a 520d four-cylinder oil burner on offer, which we drove and found reasonably punchy thanks to the addition of a 48-volt system, but a bit lacking in outright oomph, especially picking up from higher speeds. However, the 520d is not the diesel G60 to go for because BMW will launch a 286-horsepower six-cylinder 540d, which will also produce 479 pound-feet of torque (if its still unconfirmed output is the same as that of the G70 740d), and it should be able to complete the dash to 60 mph in under 5.5 seconds.

BMW is also rumored to be working on a more powerful and sportier version of the 550e xDrive, the M560e xDrive, which will be the second most powerful version after the M5, with an output of over 550 horsepower. This variant will probably only be available in Europe.