BMW 5 Series Sedan Hybrid

Everybody calls itself a 'Performance hybrid' these days. But this is not always true and when you floor it, their powertrains re-arrange themselves from economy mode to power mode.

This BMW 5-Series is different. If you want performance, you have to apply in advance by rocking a switch, but then you get a good time all the time until you switch back. So when there's some good road ahead, get into Sport mode, and the economising goes out the window. The engine-stop never happens. The eight-speed autobox favours high revs (or you can paddle it, and it answers instantly). You are in a proper BMW!

I am informed that the hybrid is actually marginally quicker than a vanilla 535i, even though they share exactly the same 306bhp turbo straight-six. The extra pick-up comes because the hybrid e-motor is, in Sport, locked to the engine, acting as a booster when you boot the throttle and grubbing back charge only when you lift. But in this way, you're saving a lot of gas.

And then we switch to Eco mode. Throttle response softens right off, and, wherever there's a chance, the engine de-clutches and shuts down, the car relying on forward momentum (decelerating or going downhill) or e-power (wafting at town speed). That process is smooth enough that you soon stop noticing, but treading only gingerly on the throttle can net you a very good mileage, even as you keep up with most other traffic.