BMW 550e xDrive M Sport Pro - long-term review

The family saloon is an endangered species. The big three-box was, until recently, a British staple, driven not just by motorway-schlepping sales reps but regular folk too. 

Just 20 years ago, over 1.5 million Mondeos and Vectras roamed UK roads. Today, neither Ford nor Vauxhall offer a saloon in Britain. Nor Toyota, nor VW, nor Mazda. Yes, the German big three remain in the saloon game, but it’s increasingly a niche concern: in 2024, BMW UK sold almost three times as many X5s as 5 Serieseses. Where Brits once bought saloons, now they stockpile SUVs.

So, if you’re not a motorway-schlepping sales rep – and I am none of those things – does the big family saloon still have a place in modern Britain? With the help of my big(ish), modern(ish) family, I’m here to investigate.

If any saloon can save the saloon, it could be this one. On paper, the 500e looks to have all the bases covered. The plug-in hybrid powertrain mates BMW’s lovely 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six to a chunky e-motor and chunky battery, and offers faintly preposterous numbers.

This 2.3-tonne 4WD saloon makes almost 500 horsepower, will crack the 0-60mph sprint in just over four seconds, run at 155mph on the autobahn all day long… and officially return over 300mpg. Oh, and do over 50 miles on electric alone, too.

Such versatility doesn’t come cheap. The 5 Series starts at around 50 grand, but this 550e tips the scales, options-in, over 90. That’s a lot for a family load-lugger… but potentially not bad for something with supercar-badgering performance and seating for five. Because here’s another question we’re keen to explore: in a world where the 550e exists, do you really need that full-fat M5?