[VIDEO] BMW 545e with 520 HP Proves Hybrid Cars are Cool

Who says they can’t be hip, hybrids? Hybrids can give many customers the best of both worlds by combining internal combustion with modern technology. The BMW 545e’s exceptional B58 engine pairs seamlessly with its electric motors, resulting in an impressive performance. Discover firsthand the 520 horsepower capabilities of a tuned BMW 545e in this AutoTopNL video.

The BMW 545e plug-in hybrid produces 394 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque out of the gate. This is thanks to a 3.0-litre turbocharged ‘B58’ inline-six and an electric motor. These are already very formidable numbers. It allows the hybrid 5er to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 4.6 seconds. The B58 engine is very adjustable, though, making it simple to extract even more power from it. Also, it will always seem linear and smooth. It’s because the electric motor helps to torque fill any gaps in the turbocharger’s boost range.

This specific BMW 545e has received a Stage 1 tune and a decat downpipe. It increases power to 520 horsepower while also improving the engine’s already excellent sound. Due to OPF emissions filters and the lack of the BMW 545e in North America, the B58 has significant sound limitations on the European market. The additional snarl is therefore a very welcome bonus.

The fact that this build was completed on an intelligent, effective hybrid is what makes it so fantastic. So, its owner genuinely has their cake and eats it too. They can have an enormously powerful luxury automobile that can also consume fuel like a hybrid. It can also travel short distances entirely on electricity. Imagine watching a silent 545e pull up to you at a set of lights, thinking it’s just a pathetic hybrid BMW sedan, only for its downpipe B58 to bark to life and rocket the huge 5er ahead of you with ease.

This customized 545e is capable of doing just that, with a GPS-recorded 3.8 seconds from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). That is roughly as quick as a stock BMW M3, but it is a big, opulent, and effective 5 Series hybrid.

Having a 5 Series hybrid that can do practical city driving while using very little gasoline while also being able to eat real sports cars for lunch has a certain allure. This automobile would make the ideal daily driver if it were a wagon. Now, why isn’t BMW able to sell it here?