Published:
7 June 2024In theory, a 2.0-litre diesel with only mild-hybrid assistance sounds like an outdated powertrain for a large executive saloon. BMW UK must think so: the 520d and 530d are no longer sold here.
However, it doesn’t take many miles in the E220d to be reminded that, away from the tax benefits of EVs and PHEVs, diesel really suits a car like this.
You can just about hear that this is a diesel engine, but at no point is it unrefined or raucous. Whether on a cold start, while pootling through town or being run to the limiter during performance testing, this ‘OM654M’ unit quietly does its work, seemingly far away in the engine bay. Unlike some mild hybrids, you can easily disable the start-stop system, but we rarely felt the need, so quick and smooth is it to shut down and start back up.
Despite registering a planetary 1917kg on the weighbridge, and the test track being both damp and very cold, the E220d powered to 60mph in 7.2sec, which is 0.2sec quicker than the outgoing 520d. Next to many EV or hybrid options it’s nothing special (the Audi A6 50 TFSIe did it in 5.7sec), but the effortlessness impresses – and is what really counts.
First of all, it always delivers the same performance and doesn’t depend on having enough charge in the battery, like a PHEV. The engine also works well with the nine-speed automatic transmission – most of the time. The gearbox doesn’t annoy by lugging the engine like so many others, and it is quick to shift down a gear or two to make the most of the engine’s rich torque but without sending it to the redline.
