BMW ActiveHybrid 3 Reviews

Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the BMW 3 Series with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australia launch.

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering -- would you buy one?What is it?This is the 3-Series BMW hybrid for want of a better term but forget any hybrid preconceptions you may have. This car is a high performance sedan offering super fuel economy along with  striking welly and dynamics. It's also crammed with luxury kit. Shop it against the 335i  you will be really surprised.How much?Goes for $97,700 but there are plenty of options to hike that as well as four option packs, Sportline, Modern, Luxury and M Sport. All ad up to a few grand to the purchase price.What are competitors?Not many really. Benz has some BlueEfficincy models but none goes as far as the Bimmer ActiveHybrid. Same from Audi though they do have some fuel economy kings in their lineup.What's under the bonnet?There's a 3.0-litre turbo straight six petrol engine mated to a 40kW electric boost engine located between the eight speed auto transmission and the engine proper. It's a neat installation. Drive still goes to the rear wheels. A lithium ion battery absorbs regenerative electric energy harvested when braking or deceleration. The combined output of electric and petrol engines is 250kW/450Nm The ActiveHybrid can run entirely as an EV if required and does so automatically when cruising.How does it go?Like a rocket. Puts away a 0-100kmh sprint in a tidy 5.3 seconds offering strong acceleration at all speeds merely by pushing the accelerator.Handling is sharp to. This is a fast, engaging sports sedan, not a wimpy fuel miser that grudgingly gives up forward motion.Is it economical?Surprisingly so rated at a mere 5.9-litres/100km. It's significantly better than the petrol only 335i Bimmer and we reckon you could do even better than the claimed figure with a little effort and planning.Is it green?Yes, minimises carbon production due to low fuel consumptionIs it safe?Hi fives. But many driver assistance features are optional.Is it comfortable?Yes, leather sports seats, heads up display, drive experience control with Eco-Pro, Comfort and Sport modes, electronic diff lock, electric power steering, rain and dusk sensors, cruise control with braking, premium audio, Bi-xenons, on board computer with internet, 6.5-inch info screen with proferssional satnav, voice control, 18-inch alloysWhat's it like to driveSuper impressive  have your cake and eat it too. Offers performance on par with the 335i with the economy of the 320 four banger.Has excellent dynamics, powerful brakes, great engine sound, sexy stylinIs it value for moneyAt just under 100k, good value against possible competitors. A technology showpiece.Would we buy oneIn a flash.

When we hear the term hybrid, it usually conjures up images of a geekmobile, a car created in the name of fuel economy that no one really wants to drive.The first hybrids might have been like this, but there's another kind of hybrid these days one that draws on the electric motor to boost performance.VALUEThe BMW ActiveHybrid comes in at $97,700, available with an eight speed automatic transmission only.TECHNOLOGYThe ActiveHybrid 3 features BMW's 225kW/400Nm twin turbo 3.0-litre petrol straight six, together with a 40kW/210Nm electric motor, for a combined system output of 250kW and 450Nm - 25kW more power and 50Nm more torque than the 335i on which it's based.Modulating the delivery of power to the rear wheels is an eight-speed automatic transmission that has been integrated with the electric motor into a single housing. The 675Wh lithium-ion battery pack is tucked away under the floor in the boot.ELECTRIC ONLYYou can't plug this car in and charge it. Charging happens as part of normal driving. But it can run on electric power only up to a speed of 75 km/h. With a full charge and keeping to a speed of 35km/h, it has a range of up to 4km - not very far.The battery pack and other hybrid components add 135kg to the weight and boot space is reduced by 90 litres, but the split fold rear seat remains. The car accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds and fuel consumption is 5.9 litres/100km, down from 7.2 litres/100km. To reduce fuel the system shuts down at traffic lights as well as when braking or cruising up to a speed of 160km/h.DRIVINGMake no mistake, this car is first and foremost a 335i, with twin turbos and plenty of mumbo. Punch the accelerator and it takes off. Acceleration is strident, the engine note impressive and it's an exciting car to drive. The Hybrid is all this and more.To make the most of the hybrid system you must first put the car into ECO PRO mode, one of several drive modes available. In this mode the car makes more frequent use of full electric mode for maximum efficiency. The rev counter area includes displays showing the amount of boost being provided by the electric motor, as well as energy flow and energy recaptured during braking.Driving in ECO Pro mode in Germany we felt the engine turn off frequently at traffic lights, as well as when lifting off the accelerator or just driving slowly with a light application of the throttle. The result after about 120km of driving was 8.2 litres/100km, not outstanding but we weren't really trying others got in the low 6s.ECO Pro is designed to work in tandem with the car's satellite navigation system, looking ahead to see where it can deactivate the petrol engine to save fuel.VERDICTCivic duty or devious marketing ploy? It's an intriguing way to entice people to buy and drive more hybrids, in effect giving them a 335i but with a top up in performance.The twin turbo 335i has an enviable reputation as a driver's car it will be interesting to see what the public makes of this one?BMW ActiveHybrid 3Price: from $97,300Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl; petrol 225kW/400Nm; electric 40kW/210Nm; combined 250kW/450NmWarranty: 3 years/unlimted kmCrash rating: n/aTransmission: 8-speed hybrid automatic; RWD

The flagship of BMW's 3 Series range will soon be a hybrid, a petrol-electric car with plenty of performance and fuel economy to match.When we hear the term hybrid, it usually conjurs up images of a geekmobile, a car created in the name of fuel economy that no one really wants to drive.The first hybrids might have been like this, but there's another kind of hybrid these days - one that draws on the electric motor to boost performance (rather than just reduce emissions and fuel consumption). Lexus has been one of the pioneers in this area but now the others are starting to follow suit.UNDER THE BONNETThe ActiveHybrid 3 features BMW's 225kW/400Nm twin turbo 3.0-litre petrol straight six, together with a 40kW/210Nm electric motor, for a combined system output of 250kW and 450Nm - 25KW more power and 50Nm more torque than the 335i on which it is based. Modulating the delivery of power to the rear wheels is an eight-speed hybrid automatic transmission that has been integrated with the electric motor into the one housing.The 675Wh lithium-ion battery pack is tucked away under the boot. In addition to the conventional 14 volt electrical system, there's also a 317 volt system that powers the aircon system providing cooling for both passengers and the battery. It's the same hybrid powertrain as that in the ActiveHybrid 5.ELECTRIC ONLYYou can't plug this car in and charge it. Charging happens as part of normal driving when the engine is not under load. But it can run on electric power only up to a speed of 75 km/h. With a full charge and keeping to a speed of 35km/h, it has a range of up to 4km - not very far but okay for running down to the shops or around the city.THE STATSThe battery pack and other hybrid components add 135kg to the weight of the car and boot space is reduced by 90 litres, but the split fold rear seat remains. The car accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.Fuel consumption is 5.9 litres/100km, down from 7.2 litres/100km and it emits 139g/km of CO2. To reduce fuel the system shuts down the engine at traffic lights as well as when braking or cruising up to a speed of 160km/h.THE COMPETITIONThe Lexus GS450h and soon to be launched Infiniti M35h spring to mind. Neither of them are slouches either, but the Beemer has the edge on both - on paper at least. Both the Lexus and the Infiniti are two tenths slower to 100km/h - at 5.5 seconds. Can't wait until we see them go head to head.THE DRIVEMake no mistake, this car is first and foremost a 335i, with twin turbos and plenty of mumbo. Punch the accelerator and it takes off with a snarl from the twin exhausts. Acceleration is strident, the engine note impressive and it's an exciting car to drive. The Hybrid is all this and more.To quantify this the dash from 0-100km/h in the 335i takes 5.5 seconds while the Hybrid3 takes just 5.3 seconds. But no one drives like this for very long and keeps their licence. Most of the time the vast majority of drivers pedal their car softly and that is where the hybrid system comes into its own. For most of the time it means you can be green.To make the most of the hybrid system you must first put the car into ECO PRO mode, one of several drive modes available. In this mode the car makes more frequent use of full  electric mode for maximum fuel efficiency. The rev counter area includes displays showing the amount of boost being provided by the electric motor during acceleration, as well as energy flow and energy recaptured during braking.Driving in ECO Pro mode this week in Germany we felt the engine turn off frequently at traffic lights, as well as when lifting off the accelerator or just driving slowly with a light application of the throttle. The result after about 120km of driving was 8.2 litres/100km, not outstanding but we weren't really trying - others got in the low 6s. ECO Pro is designed to work in tandem with the car's satellite navigation system, looking ahead to see where it can deactivate the petrol engine to save fuel. As well as ECO Pro mode, other drive modes include comfort, sport and sport plus. However, if you care more about performance, you can option a quick-shifting sports auto, with a customised selector lever, more aggressive change pattern and wheel mounted paddle shifts.VERDICTCivic duty or devious marketing ploy? It's an intriguing way to entice people to buy and drive more hybrids, in effect giving them a 335i but with a top up in performance. The twin turbo 335i has an enviable reputation as a driver's car - it will be interesting to see what the public makes of this one? The ActiveHybrid 3 joins the ActiveHybrid 5 here in October. The price is expected to be less than $100,000.

Less than a handful are in showrooms, and not much more than a handful have been sold, although that's going to change.Eventually it will change fast as governments force the pace of plug-in development in a push for greener motoring, a switch that is already happening in Europe and gathering momentum in the USA.Some forecasters predict electric cars will account for 10 per cent of global sales in 2020 and others are even more aggressive, with Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk predicting a 50 per cent share as he pushes for acceptance of his new Model S luxury electric limousine.But Europe is still the focus of electric car development and no-one is pushing harder than BMW, which is even creating an electric sub-brand - BMW i - to house its plug-in and range-extender electric models in coming years.The first of the sparky newcomers, the i3, is just around the corner and testing is currently focussed on a fleet of 900 very special BMW 1-Series cars that carry the power pack that will be transplanted next year into the back of the i3.I am driving the ActiveE in an Australian exclusive, searching for answers around BMW HQ in Munich but also keen to see if electric cars - following my drive time with the Nissan Leaf and, more recently, the Smart ED - really can be a workable and enjoyable future.VALUEHow do you put a price on the future? You cannot actually buy an ActiveE but, if you could, it would probably have a showroom sticker somewhere around $250,000.Why? Because the basics of the car are a BMW 1 Series coupe and, in Australia, that means at least $47,400. By the time the engineers and assembly line workers have done their regular jobs, and then the boffins have completed the switch to sparks, the price has soared into the labratory-on-wheels range where cost is not a major worry."It would be expensive still, clearly, because it's prototype development," admits Ian Robertson, who heads worldwide sales and marketing for BMW Group. But the ActiveE morphs into the i3 next year and, even though Carsguide would much prefer a pricetag in the affordable $35,000 range, it's likely to be around $60,000.That's still a lot for a car you cannot drive from Sydney to Melbourne, but it shapes up pretty well against the Mitsubishi iMiEV at $48,800, the Nissan Leaf at $51,500 and the upcoming Holden Volt at $59,990 - particularly with the regular strengths that come with a BMW badge.TECHNOLOGYThe ActiveE is developed from BMW Group's original electric testbed, the MiniE - the most impressive electric car I drove until the Leaf - and builds on that package. For a start, there is a back seat . . .The ActiveE is a totally battery-powered electric car that is powered by a permanent-magnet, hybrid synchronous motor rated at 125 kiloWatts and 250 Newton-metres. The battery has a 32 kiloWatt-hour capacity and weighs 450 kilograms, complete with liquid cooling.BMW says the ActiveE will zap to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds with a top speed of 145km/h, performance that's way better than the Smart ED electric runabout I drove in Stuttgart last month and compared to my first car, a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle.The range is 145 kilometres, something I don't get to seriously test but which seems realistic. BMW says the car's new power pack weighs less than 100 kilos, which is good news for the i3. The ActiveE has a total weight of 1800kg but BMW is aiming for about 1200 for the showroom i3, which will retain the company's traditional rear-wheel drive.The ActiveE package includes a bunch of other tricky stuff, from a 'coast' mode that allows you to save energy when you lift off the accelerator at highway speeds, very impressive regenerative braking - it's so powerful that it trips the brake lights because of the deceleration at city speeds - and even stability and traction control adapted for the electric world.DESIGNThe ActiveE almost look like every other 1 Series coupe. The big giveaway is not the special graphics package on the sides but the 'power' bulge in the bonnet. Traditionally, this sort of thing is used to help ram air into a combustion engine, or clear space for giant fuel injection inlets, but in the ActiveE the bigger bonnet - like the one on BMW's X6 hybrid - is to clear the complex engine control system where the engine once lived.Inside, it's all 1-Series. The only visible change is a dashboard readout of battery life and instant energy use - and regenerative recovery. "The ActiveE has proven that you don't have to have the compromises that most of the vehicles have out there at the moment. It has a proper back seat and a boot," says Robertson.SAFETYIt's impossible to rate the safety of the ActiveE, because none has been publicly crash tested. But it has the airbags, stability controls and ABS brakes of the regular 1 Series coupe, although stability is not as good with 1800kg to stop and heft around obstacles.The real safety test will come with the arrival of the i3 next year, and BMW is - not surprisingly - promising a five-star NCAP result.DRIVINGI could easily live with a BMW ActiveE. It's not as rorty or responsive as an M3, or as luxurious as a 7 Series, but it really gets the job done and is a genuine BMW with an electric twist. As I hit the stop-start commuter snarl on the road into Munich I'm surprised at how well the ActiveE copes. Actually, it's easier to handle than an internal combustion car, as there is no clutch to worry about, no driveline shunt or grumble, and a relaxing absence of noise.The ActiveE easily keeps pace with stop-start city traffic, jumps to 80km/h, and easily holds a 140km/h cruise on a section of unrestricted autobahn. No-one picks it as an electric car and I have to keep reminding myself that I'm driving on battery power alone.There are some giveaways, such as the incredibly low noise levels. There is a buzzing whir from the driveline - it must be like tinnitus - but mostly there is the sound of near-silence until the wind noise builds up around 100km/h. There is also the regenerative braking. Basically, unless you're at highway speeds - when the car goes into the impressive, energy saving 'coast' mode - the ActiveE harvests energy from braking to recharge the battery.Except you don't actually have to apply the brakes. It's all done with electronics and, after about an hour of driving, I find I can roll easily to a predictable traffic-light stop without braking at all.I drive more than 140 kilometres over a day-and-a-half in all sorts of conditions and I find I really, really like the ActiveE. Alright, the 1800kg works heavily against it in corners - where it misses the usual BMW fun factor - but otherwise it's great to drive and a wonderful pointer to the i3.But. There are two big buts. The first is the inevitable 'range anxiety', as I'm never really sure how far I can run without access to a battery top-up. BMW plans to answer this one with a Volt-style range-extender combustion engine to top-up the battery, although it's not clear yet if this will be in the i3 or only the larger and sportier i8 that follows.The other is the source of the power. Munich is relatively green, with lots of wind generators about, but in Australia there is no such thing as 'zero emission' cars if they're plugging into a coal-fired grid. So there are still questions and doubts, but the ActiveE is a ripper car and has me really excited to jump into the production i3 in 2013.VERDICT AL Gore and his friends got it wrong. The electric car is not dead and, in fact, it's accelerating rapidly towards a driveway near you.BMW ActiveEScore: 8/10Price: Not for saleBody: BMW 1 Series coupeEngine: hybrid synchronous motor, 125kW/250NmBattery: 32kWhRange: 160kmPerformance: 0-100km/h, 9.0s; top speed 145km/hConsumption: 0.12kWh/km