[waccamatt]

I thought I was going to get a 440i or maybe a 340i until I sat in a 530 and the seats were much more comfortable. I pick it up on Saturday. I was going to wait before installing a home charger. When the weather is nice I have lunch in the car at work and might just do the same at a nearby charger. As far as home chargers are concerned, is any 240v plug ok or does it have to be the charging station? Thanks.

[sanjuvarma]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

I thought I was going to get a 440i or maybe a 340i until I sat in a 530 and the seats were much more comfortable. I pick it up on Saturday. I was going to wait before installing a home charger. When the weather is nice I have lunch in the car at work and might just do the same at a nearby charger. As far as home chargers are concerned, is any 240v plug ok or does it have to be the charging station? Thanks.

I have a L2 240v Charger from Juicebox, and even the provided 110v charger in any outlet should work. Assuming you're in the U.S.

[Krash7172]

Originally Posted by sanjuvarma

I have a L2 240v Charger from Juicebox, and even the provided 110v charger in any outlet should work. Assuming you're in the U.S.

Yup. 110 is fine for home charging overnight. I wouldn't invest in anything until you drive the car for a bit and decide if you will benefit.

[TopgearLA]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

I thought I was going to get a 440i or maybe a 340i until I sat in a 530 and the seats were much more comfortable. I pick it up on Saturday. I was going to wait before installing a home charger. When the weather is nice I have lunch in the car at work and might just do the same at a nearby charger. As far as home chargers are concerned, is any 240v plug ok or does it have to be the charging station? Thanks.

Did the same my friend congrats. I dont regret it all. I actually came out of a 435i too and almost got a 440i gran coupe and then convinced into a 530e. With the seats, the lighting the tech and even the seating position for starters I love it. its super comfy and i dont really feel a huge trade off in power or agility to warrant any real disappointment. Shockingly faster off the line than expected and you deal with way less jerks trying to compensate with their own cars cuz you're driving a 2 door 4 series vs whatever merc, mustang, or otherwise is next you. In a way its a sleeper even though i've been tacking on some aero pieces onto it.

You will do better than i on both performance and efficiency as I am having to charge it publicly so I got a JB+ to balance it out. Even though some would why get a plug in then, im averaging 30mpg on gas where as in my 435 it was 16. It's cheaper than 530i too and arguably faster and in my stop n go city traffic i think the E fairs better than the 530i would.

For your question and this car, you should be more than fine with the 240v "turbo" charger from BMW or if you buy it elsewhere. It comes standard with a 110 which i have as I dont have access to a 240v plug. Save yourself the money on any home charging station, for this car its not a big deal. On standard 110 it will be fine for the 8-10 hour overnight but with the 240v cable and wall, you can see near 2-3 hour recharge.

[SteveinArizona]

I just plug in at night and the 110 works fine for that.

If I had a charger at my office (which I only go to occasionally now as I am semi-retired) and it was free, I would charge it there. Otherwise it doesn't usually pay unless the charger is free (e.g., the charger at my local Whole Foods).

But I agree with the comments. The current 5 series is well above the current 3 and 4 series. Personally, I prefer a smaller car and would like a 4 series if I could configure it similarly to a G30.

My 530e has been rock solid after 6 months. Not a single CEL nor reason to visit my dealership. The biggest test of the car for me was driving home on a two lane, 65 mph road with several very tall hills (so tall that on the uphill side, there is a passing lane). I could see a car pulling a trailer about a 1/4 mile ahead as an uphill stretch was commencing. I stepped on it and passed him on the hill (I refuse to answer any query re my speed at the time). My point is that even on a high speed road and a sharp uphill, my 530e had plenty of pep for passing.

I predict you will love the car. The two essentials for me are the HUD and ACC. Someday, for kicks, I will try the self parking feature but haven't as yet.

[jwong77]

Just had a 330e as a loaner for a week while my 530e was getting warranty work done. I have the same exact thoughts. The interior is leaps and bounds better than the F30 interior. I guess it has to do with raised expectations, but before I owned a 5 series, I never thought there was anything wrong with the 3 series interior (I had an e92). But having one for a while, it just felt like a big step down. From the lower quality materials, driving position, the analog gauges vs the lcd, the much larger iDrive screen. However, the driving characteristics are much better on the 330e. The car really takes off and it handles really well. I really enjoyed the driving experience. With all that said, given my daily commute means I'm averaging 5-10mph at times, this really doesn't matter much to me. And when I'm not in traffic, I'm transporting a baby around, so no spirited driving time for me. So yeah, the much higher quality interior is way more important.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by jwong77

Just had a 330e as a loaner for a week while my 530e was getting warranty work done. I have the same exact thoughts. The interior is leaps and bounds better than the F30 interior. I guess it has to do with raised expectations, but before I owned a 5 series, I never thought there was anything wrong with the 3 series interior (I had an e92). But having one for a while, it just felt like a big step down. From the lower quality materials, driving position, the analog gauges vs the lcd, the much larger iDrive screen. However, the driving characteristics are much better on the 330e. The car really takes off and it handles really well. I really enjoyed the driving experience. With all that said, given my daily commute means I'm averaging 5-10mph at times, this really doesn't matter much to me. And when I'm not in traffic, I'm transporting a baby around, so no spirited driving time for me. So yeah, the much higher quality interior is way more important.

I had a 330e before my 530e. I did not note any better driving with the 330e and I did have the MSport suspension on the 3 series (I have the dynamic dampers on my 5 series). But the 330e does weigh a couple hundred pounds less than the 5 series with, allegedly, the same total HP.

I really disliked the Dakota leather on the 330e; I felt it was harsh and not up to luxury car standards. On my 530e I have the Nappa leather and it is so much nicer.

[jwong77]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

I had a 330e before my 530e. I did not note any better driving with the 330e and I did have the MSport suspension on the 3 series (I have the dynamic dampers on my 5 series). But the 330e does weigh a couple hundred pounds less than the 5 series with, allegedly, the same total HP.

I really disliked the Dakota leather on the 330e; I felt it was harsh and not up to luxury car standards. On my 530e I have the Nappa leather and it is so much nicer.

I'm surprised you didn't notice a difference in performance. It was pretty significant in my opinion, in particular if you give it some gas around a corner, the 330e had considerably less understeer and the car seemed more planted. Throttle response seemed better on the 330e as well

Again with all that said, the interior quality and serenity of the 530e more than makes up for the difference in driving dynamics.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by jwong77

I'm surprised you didn't notice a difference in performance. It was pretty significant in my opinion, in particular if you give it some gas around a corner, the 330e had considerably less understeer and the car seemed more planted. Throttle response seemed better on the 330e as well

Again with all that said, the interior quality and serenity of the 530e more than makes up for the difference in driving dynamics.

Perhaps it was because it was in the shop so much. BMW bought it back. But even if it handled better, the better quality of the interior more than makes up for it.

[sanjuvarma]

Originally Posted by TopgearLA

Did the same my friend congrats. I dont regret it all. I actually came out of a 435i too and almost got a 440i gran coupe and then convinced into a 530e. With the seats, the lighting the tech and even the seating position for starters I love it. its super comfy and i dont really feel a huge trade off in power or agility to warrant any real disappointment. Shockingly faster off the line than expected and you deal with way less jerks trying to compensate with their own cars cuz you're driving a 2 door 4 series vs whatever merc, mustang, or otherwise is next you. In a way its a sleeper even though i've been tacking on some aero pieces onto it.

You will do better than i on both performance and efficiency as I am having to charge it publicly so I got a JB+ to balance it out. Even though some would why get a plug in then, im averaging 30mpg on gas where as in my 435 it was 16. It's cheaper than 530i too and arguably faster and in my stop n go city traffic i think the E fairs better than the 530i would.

For your question and this car, you should be more than fine with the 240v "turbo" charger from BMW or if you buy it elsewhere. It comes standard with a 110 which i have as I dont have access to a 240v plug. Save yourself the money on any home charging station, for this car its not a big deal. On standard 110 it will be fine for the 8-10 hour overnight but with the 240v cable and wall, you can see near 2-3 hour recharge.

TopgearLA - it's amazing how both of our stories match, I was leasing a 435i for 3 years, almost looking at replacing it with a 440i GC, but got on the 2018 530e about 7 months ago, and now 7k miles on it and loving it.

A couple of things:
1. My brake makes noises on slower speeds, is it brake dust? Or just a “squeaky” clean, pun intended. Haven’t got the time to show it to the service center yet.
2. I replaced all my stock speakers with Match BMW in the front, and ETON on the rear parcel shelf, and disconnected the center speakers completely. The stock speakers were horrible!
3. I’m getting the JB+ this week, I bought it on Amazon (link below). I’m a bit nervous about the installation (no guides available), but excited about the performance bumps. I have recorded 240hp/280 torque on the Sport Displays earlier this week, and heard that it will go to 300/320 perhaps. I wonder if the 0-60 time improves, I believe it’s at 6 seconds for now without the JB+.
4. I will miss the 4 series, I recently had a 440 loaner when I turned in the 530e for a charging issue, and it was a BEAST! The handling though, is far superior to the 530e, owing to the smaller chassis and a super low center of gravity of the 4 series. Some day, an M4 might be parked in my garage!!!

JB+ on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks

[TopgearLA]

Originally Posted by sanjuvarma

TopgearLA - it's amazing how both of our stories match, I was leasing a 435i for 3 years, almost looking at replacing it with a 440i GC, but got on the 2018 530e about 7 months ago, and now 7k miles on it and loving it.

A couple of things:
1. My brake makes noises on slower speeds, is it brake dust? Or just a “squeaky” clean, pun intended. Haven’t got the time to show it to the service center yet.
2. I replaced all my stock speakers with Match BMW in the front, and ETON on the rear parcel shelf, and disconnected the center speakers completely. The stock speakers were horrible!
3. I’m getting the JB+ this week, I bought it on Amazon (link below). I’m a bit nervous about the installation (no guides available), but excited about the performance bumps. I have recorded 240hp/280 torque on the Sport Displays earlier this week, and heard that it will go to 300/320 perhaps. I wonder if the 0-60 time improves, I believe it’s at 6 seconds for now without the JB+.
4. I will miss the 4 series, I recently had a 440 loaner when I turned in the 530e for a charging issue, and it was a BEAST! The handling though, is far superior to the 530e, owing to the smaller chassis and a super low center of gravity of the 4 series. Some day, an M4 might be parked in my garage!!!

JB+ on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks

im driving like the car which almost doesnt make me miss it as ive been tamed by it's civility and its off the line is still so fast. I think comfort is underrated and this 5 series blends that with agility real well.

For the JB+ i havent installed yet since im only at only 200 miles. From the posts its doesnt look too difficult to install but would love if you shared a video or pics like others have. I am wondering the setting thats best for the JB+ though it comes standard set in the middle i believe (you have to unscrew to turn the dial)

I think part of me is also driving tamely due to all the above, the break in and not installing the JB+ yet on top of trying to gas efficient most of the time as I dont have home charging. I tend to shift through the modes a lot, between comfort and sport. Where as i was trying to go more sleeper mode with this car, i think my appearance add ons are hurting that now as i sadly have cars trying to outgun and race and tail me already... so there that theory went.

As much as i love the actual M cars, dont think i'll ever be able to justify that level of car payment even though i considered a used M4 vert during all this.

One take away i will say is that i probably didn't need the dynamic dampers in this car vs the m sportt dampers i had on the 435i where i was coasting at high speeds over wider speed bumps. For one the 530e rocks way more with than a low 435.. and two the first time i attempted a pretty fast drive over a bump the car thought i was going to crash and stalled out and the CEL came on. Pretty embarrassing and stalled traffic.

However i figured out how to reset the CEL myself by just pressing that center car button near the hazards and turning that on off and the car on and off. Blind guess but it was the only thing that worked.

I will miss the 4 as well i think its one of the best looking BMWs ever made, it made me jump ship from other brands. It was always faster than people in their 100k+ V8/v12s thought it would be and would deter others trying to cut you off. But in the end that thing was literally a pain in the butt and cant touch the interior of the g series cars.

I really hope they dont mess up the next 4. I will say the new 3 is shaping up nicely, i dig the shapes and the interior is going to share a lot with the new 8, X5 and updated 7.

Now the one thing that pisses me off in our cars is how my 4 series had better storage space from cupholder size (like wtf), glove compartment, armrest and trunk hooks and latches. Those all seem like huge oversights

[sanjuvarma]

Ok guys - I just installed the JB+ on my 2018 530e this evening. I was a bit nervous but I saw that this will go only in one of the map connectors and was also worried if I fitted it losely but it came out to be a snug fit. Also, I don't think the engine would have fired if I had connected it losely so all is good. I also maxed out the psi level all the way clockwise to the right (5 o-clock).

So then I took her for a spin up and down the hills, about 10-12 Miles round trip, and quite frankly, didn't notice much of a difference. I had gauged with the sport displays before the JB+ and it had tapped out at 240/300 and I had similar results after the JB+, maybe around 250/310. I drive efficiently most of the time so flooring the gas l is not what I do usually but I did most often in my "test drive" post JB+ installation, but it didn't go past 245-250ish.

Is there a break in and learning period for the JB+? Am I going to feel the difference on the freeway when I pass other cars? Tell me more ...

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

Perhaps it was because it was in the shop so much. BMW bought it back. But even if it handled better, the better quality of the interior more than makes up for it.

Also surprised here.

I had a 330i as a loaner and I have a 530i and the 330i was way more fun to drive than the 530i. The 330i was a base model and my 530i is M-Sport with 704 but the 330i was way more tossable and I think it had slightly more communicative steering.

Interior on the F30 is absolute crap though and I don't think I could live with that even though it likes how it drives. I had an E90 before my G30 and could easily go back to driving that from the G30, but the F30 has such a garbage interior, just couldn't do it.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by ssquared

Also surprised here.

I had a 330i as a loaner and I have a 530i and the 330i was way more fun to drive than the 530i. The 330i was a base model and my 530i is M-Sport with 704 but the 330i was way more tossable and I think it had slightly more communicative steering.

Interior on the F30 is absolute crap though and I don't think I could live with that even though it likes how it drives. I had an E90 before my G30 and could easily go back to driving that from the G30, but the F30 has such a garbage interior, just couldn't do it.

I agree with you. I love a smaller car but couldn't get the features I want (including a nice interior) of the F30. They didn't even offer an option for nappa or merino.

[530iDriver]

I like the 530e on paper but there is a 520 pound penalty over the gasoline 530i (Which will impact handling) and then there is also the loss of 4 cubic feet in the trunk (14 vs 18 cubic feet) due to the batteries.

For my personal daily driving needs, I am not sure if the added weight and complexity of the hybrid drivetrain would yield significant savings at the pump over the long haul. I feel that the fuel economy of my 530i is already excellent since I fill up the car every 3 weeks. Then again I am coming from an E90 328i with the N/A 6-cyl N52 that typically returned between 14-16 MPG in the city following the same driving routing I am doing today and required a weekly visit to the pump.

I tend to keep my cars for a very long time and the complicated hybrid drivetrain plus the battery does worry me. I believe my next vehicle will be fully electric and I rather wait for what BMW will have coming down the proverbial pipe at the dawn of the next decade.

I have driven the 530e and it feels slightly quicker than its gasoline brother but the added weight can be felt in the handling. There is no free lunch. You give up some agility and trunk space in exchange for a few more miles per gallon.

I love how these cars encourage a relaxed driving attitude and fewer jerks feel the need to "prove" to you that their rust buckets are faster than yours.

The G30 is a grown up and mature car and I am loving it.

The F30 3-Series stinks. I would any E90 over any F30 any day of the week and 3 times on sundays.

[TopgearLA]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

I like the 530e on paper but there is a 520 pound penalty over the gasoline 530i (Which will impact handling) and then there is also the loss of 4 cubic feet in the trunk (14 vs 18 cubic feet) due to the batteries.

For my personal daily driving needs, I am not sure if the added weight and complexity of the hybrid drivetrain would yield significant savings at the pump over the long haul. I feel that the fuel economy of my 530i is already excellent since I fill up the car every 3 weeks. Then again I am coming from an E90 328i with the N/A 6-cyl N52 that typically returned between 14-16 MPG in the city following the same driving routing I am doing today and required a weekly visit to the pump.

I tend to keep my cars for a very long time and the complicated hybrid drivetrain plus the battery does worry me. I believe my next vehicle will be fully electric and I rather wait for what BMW will have coming down the proverbial pipe at the dawn of the next decade.

I have driven the 530e and it feels slightly quicker than its gasoline brother but the added weight can be felt in the handling. There is no free lunch. You give up some agility and trunk space in exchange for a few more miles per gallon.

I love how these cars encourage a relaxed driving attitude and fewer jerks feel the need to "prove" to you that their rust buckets are faster than yours.

The G30 is a grown up and mature car and I am loving it.

The F30 3-Series stinks. I would any E90 over any F30 any day of the week and 3 times on sundays.

Would agree that the 530e is faster n you do get some agility trade off. Unfortunately don’t agree with the jerks still trying at you cuz the car still resembles the rest of the lineup, plus I have m performance parts on it so it looks even more aggressive- I still face d bags in all forms from other luxury car drivers to what have you trying to cut me off. Funny enough the majority still can’t which shows that the driver matters just as much and the 530es initial launch in sport is actually pretty impressive. I’ve outgunned every car I’ve had to overtake trying to cut me off. On a highway some can go faster at first but really can’t or won’t hang at higher speeds, most likely due to how confident the g30s ride. The other day I was at 105 n didn’t even realize due to its smoothness, so that can be a bit tricky. Where as some folks need that noise to feel fast the 530e feels like it’s actually gliding sometimes through traffic at high speeds. I find it feels super quick vs a 530i after a few weeks of ownership and I’ve yet to install a jb+

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by TopgearLA

Would agree that the 530e is faster n you do get some agility trade off. Unfortunately don’t agree with the jerks still trying at you cuz the car still resembles the rest of the lineup, plus I have m performance parts on it so it looks even more aggressive- I still face d bags in all forms from other luxury car drivers to what have you trying to cut me off. Funny enough the majority still can’t which shows that the driver matters just as much and the 530es initial launch in sport is actually pretty impressive. I’ve outgunned every car I’ve had to overtake trying to cut me off. On a highway some can go faster at first but really can’t or won’t hang at higher speeds, most likely due to how confident the g30s ride. The other day I was at 105 n didn’t even realize due to its smoothness, so that can be a bit tricky. Where as some folks need that noise to feel fast the 530e feels like it’s actually gliding sometimes through traffic at high speeds. I find it feels super quick vs a 530i after a few weeks of ownership and I’ve yet to install a jb+

I have had similar experiences. Only left behind after a red light change if I want to be and plenty of passing oomph.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats

[waccamatt]

^Thank you

I love the car, but I haven't really had an opportunity to charge it. I don't have a 240 outlet near my driveway (no garage) and I would have to string an extension cord to get to my outside 110. I'm seriously considering the installation of a charging station or at least a 240 outlet to use with the slower 240 charger that came with the car.

For those that have had theirs a while, I got better highway mileage (33 mpg) for my drive home from picking it up (about 350 miles), but my in-town mileage is way below the EPA estimate (about 20 mpg). I've only had it for 5 days, but I've been driving it in ecopro around town and not extremely aggressively. Any ideas why the mileage in hybrid only mode has been so poor?

[TopgearLA]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

^Thank you

I love the car, but I haven't really had an opportunity to charge it. I don't have a 240 outlet near my driveway (no garage) and I would have to string an extension cord to get to my outside 110. I'm seriously considering the installation of a charging station or at least a 240 outlet to use with the slower 240 charger that came with the car.

For those that have had theirs a while, I got better highway mileage (33 mpg) for my drive home from picking it up (about 350 miles), but my in-town mileage is way below the EPA estimate (about 20 mpg). I've only had it for 5 days, but I've been driving it in ecopro around town and not extremely aggressively. Any ideas why the mileage in hybrid only mode has been so poor?

Ive found similar n I can’t charge often. I think city driving just sucks in general. I’m trying to figure out what mode yields the best mpg for us who don’t charge often. I’m often just in comfort or sport but have no clue. Lol there are way too many modes... like do I use adaptive? Sport? Comfort ? Eco? I have no option to charge besides public charging. I’m averaging 26 mpg after 500 miles on gas but I was doing 16mp on my 435 so it’s still vastly better. I just need to prioritize charging I guess but it’s tough when you can’t at home. Can get it installed at apartment but would cost me thousands n that is not cost beneficial.

[Krash7172]

The 530e needs to be charged to get real gains in mpg. Even an overnight charge on 110 will make a huge difference. It's a big luxury car. It won't see mileage like a prius without charging.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by TopgearLA

Ive found similar n I can’t charge often. I think city driving just sucks in general. I’m trying to figure out what mode yields the best mpg for us who don’t charge often. I’m often just in comfort or sport but have no clue. Lol there are way too many modes... like do I use adaptive? Sport? Comfort ? Eco? I have no option to charge besides public charging. I’m averaging 26 mpg after 500 miles on gas but I was doing 16mp on my 435 so it’s still vastly better. I just need to prioritize charging I guess but it’s tough when you can’t at home. Can get it installed at apartment but would cost me thousands n that is not cost beneficial.

I'm a pretty tech-y sort of guy, but it does have a lot of options. I only have a 7 minute commute to work and then a couple of other short drives on a daily basis, so I haven't had a lot of time to sort out all of the options. I tried charging it at Whole Foods the other day, but a single guy, who lives alone, can only figure out how to kill about a half hour wandering around a grocery store, lol. Since I have to get an outside outlet installed, anyway, I'm going to go ahead and install a charging station and see what that does. It will mean I'll probably stick with plug-in hybrids from here on out.