Overall, I think this is a great alternative to the end-of-life Australian Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. The civilian 530d has a stated fuel economy of 4.7L/100km and acceleration of 5.7 seconds from 0-100 km/h, which is equivalent to the average performance car today, and should be adequate for high-speed police chases. Whilst the fuel economy figure clearly won't be matched by 530d's undertaking highway patrol duties, it will nevertheless be substantially better than its Ford and Holden predecessors.

I wonder, however, what the maintenance and parts replacement costs for these vehicles will be. I wouldn't be surprised if Victoria Police has reached a special agreement for a discount given how expensive these costs normally are, compared to the Commodore and Falcon.

I would also suspect that the new Kia Stinger will give the 5-Series strong competition for use as a police vehicle given its lower cost, similar size and performance, and Kia's eagerness for the Stinger to be used as a police vehicle.