BMW ActiveHybrid 5

DESPITE there being 22 different hybrid cars on the American market, nearly 50 percent ofthe category‘s sales are captured by one car; the Toyota Prius. Why do you think that is? I think it's pretty simple.The Prius' pitch for your monthly payment is as clear as it can be.Want truly fabulous mileage at a moderate price premium? Here I am. On the other hand, cars like the Lexus LS 600h L, the Porsche Panamera 5 Hybrid, and this BMW ActiveHybrid 5 l've just driven in Lisbon, Portugal, are more complicated. Like its premium brethren, the ActiveHybrid 5 is an expensive proposition, At $62,740, it's more than nine grand more than a similarly equipped 535i that uses the same basic, turbocharged, direct-injection, Valvetronic engine.

      However, it also delivers 12-13 percent better mileage and 35 more hp (335 combined), and, being a “full” hybrid, can electrically propel itself for about 25 miles and up to 37 mph, assuming you don't get frisky with the throttle. In this scenario, it’s motivated by a 54-hp electric motor residing in the bell housing that's energized by a 135-kW-hr Iithium—ion battery. The battery, which is cooled by the air conditioner‘s refrigerant, consumes 28 percent of the trunk, and, BMW claims, will last the life of the car. Clomp your foot down. and the 302-hp six will awaken, clutch to the motor, and together they'lI twirl the needle to 60 mph in a claimed 5.9 seconds. A good number, but one that undersells the responsive edge the electric motor imparts.

      A release of the throttle decouples a second clutch between the electric motor and transmission, allowing "sailing" from up to 50 mph (100 mph in the fuel-saving/EV-oriented Eco Pro mode), Its auto starting and stopping is utterly seamless. And that’s what impressed me most: the software that so subtly glues all this Uber-technology together. I can’t remember how many times I muttered, ”I'd never knowthis is a hybrid 'That said, the navigation systems software is more remarkable. 

     Where available, topographical information is analyzed to allow such things as spending the eng ine’s trove of electricity liberally climbing a hill because the car knows it’ll soon be regening downhill. It thinks ahead better than most people. But. ultimately, you either comprehend this BMW's multi-column spreadsheet of advantages and disadvantages, or you j ust click delete. What isn't debatable at all is a driving experience that’s absolutely worthy of the marque's heritage, .Kim Reynolds