New 5er PHEVs forthcoming for ‘Fawkes Night

As expected, two plug-in hybrid versions of the new BMW 5 Series are to follow the all-electric i5 and the barely-electric mild hybrid iterations of saloon, with production set to begin in November.

The details are thus: the first is the 2.0-litre 4cyl 530e with 295bhp and 332lb ft to its name, while the second is the 3.0-litre in-line 6cyl 550e capable of 483bhp and 516lb ft. Now we’re talking.

The latter will knock out 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds, says BMW, on its way to a limited top speed of 155mph, while the former still manages a brisk 6.5s en route to 143mph. In either car, you’ll top out at 87mph in electric-only mode. The eight-speed auto is ubiquitous.

Both are equipped with a 19.4kWh lithium-ion battery for up to 56 miles of range in the 550e and 62 miles in the 530e. Squirrelling the cells away in the underbody means boot space - 520 litres, since you ask - is identical to what you get in the combustion-only cars.

Meanwhile the maximum charging rate has been capped at 7.4kW, so you can count on a full wallbox charge in just over three hours; use a three-pin plug and it’s an overnight job.

Care about fuel economy? Of course you do, it’s chuffing expensive. Annoyingly all we get for now are the meaningless test figures that put the 5 Series PHEVs’ mpg figures in the hundreds, so keep an eye on TopGear.com for test impressions further down the line.

And for prices, for that matter: the 530e and 550e will cost €65,300 and €77,300 apiece in Germany (about £56,500 and £67k, though VAT is higher here), so we await UK prices with interest.

19-inch wheels and artificial acoustic feedback (co-developed by Hans Zimmer, no less) for EV-only travel are standard, although the 550e is set apart by BMW’s AWD xDrive set-up, electrically controlled shocks, a lowered suspension and integral active steering.

No word yet on whether either will drift like their i5 sibling, however...