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BMW New Zealand’s prestigious i3 and i8 vehicles will be joined by three plug-in hybrids as the company introduces the i performance line up.
BMW will add the X5 large SUV, 2 Series Active Tourer and 3 Series sedan plug-in hybrids to its line-up under the new i performance banner.
All three vehicles will go on sale in the middle of this year with prices to be announced closer to launch date but, according to a BMW NZ spokesman, the X5 plug-in will be near in price to the X5 40 diesel, which is $147,300.
Revealed in Canberra to the Australasian media, the X5 xDrive 40e has fuel efficiency figures of 3.3-litres/100km with an EV-only ratio of 31km.
The X5 xDrive 40e is powered by two engines: a 2-litre, four cylinder 180kW/350Nm petrol engine, and a 83kW/250Nm electric module, together the two engines will produce 230kW/450Nm.
The X5 plug-in has three electric or hybrid drive modes — the default auto eDrive used for city driving, the Max eDrive which is all-electric for up to 120km/h and the save battery function that provides boost from the electric engine.
The X5 40e also has four drivetrain settings: eco pro, comfort, sport and sport plus.
With a 85-litre petrol engine, that has a 1000km range, the visual difference compared with a diesel or petrol X5 is also a charging point over the left front wheel, while the rear floor is 40mm higher as the battery is stored in the boot space where the spare tyre would be, with the EV instead sitting on 20in run flat tyres.
Driven was the only New Zealand media to drive the X5 plug-in at the launch, which included a fuel economy run and a highway cycle in sports mode.
The fuel economy run was to demonstrate the average commute of the Australian driver, — 31.2km per round trip a day.
The expected fuel economy was between 3-4l/100km while one Australian motoring writer managed 2.7l/100km.
For the fuel economy cycle, the X5 was driven in auto eDrive paired with eco pro to get maximum efficiency.
Though my co-drive managed 5.3 litres, potential buyers are customers wanting a low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicle that would be suitable for week-day commutes while capable for weekends away and family holidays — all with a premium badge.
The 330e sedan has a pure electric range of up to 40km — with zero local emissions and zero fuel consumption — and is powered by a turbo 4-cylinder petrol engine and a high-efficiency eDrive electric motor.
The Active Tourer 225xe’s three-cylinder petrol engine is under the bonnet, and an electric motor and lithium-ion battery is packaged at the rear, but you only lose 50 litres of storage space beneath the boot floor.
In EV-only mode the 225x3 can travel up to 40km.
