2019 BMW 530i sedan review

For the 530i’s $111,900 (plus on-road costs) price tag, you get plenty of metal for the money and an eye-opening amount of standard equipment, but you’d also have to really dislike the BMW X5, which is just a few thousand dollars extra yet comes equipped with six-cylinder engines, all-wheel drive and a host of newer tech inclusions.

Back to the 530i, though, because let’s face it, you’re looking at a sedan because you want a sedan, and no amount of SUV popularity is likely to change that.

Positioned as the mid-range 5 Series model, the 530i runs a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (despite the 530i badge having been applied to six-cylinder models in the past) and produces 185kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

A less-powerful version of the same engine is also available in the 520i, while elsewhere in the range four-cylinder diesel, four-cylinder plug-in hybrid, six-cylinder petrol and six-cylinder diesel options are also available.

Realistically, the 530i is about as much engine as you could need, though. It’s not underpowered, nor does it struggle with the size and weight of the car it has to haul around, but it won’t set any performance records either. If that’s what you really want, look further upstream.

If you spend most of your days sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, this engine makes perfect sense. Sprint times count for little creeping between sets of traffic lights.