ohtourist.com: BMW ActiveHybrid 5: inline-6 turbo with an electric motor

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

BMW ActiveHybrid 5: inline-6 turbo with an electric motor

While journalists around the world are trying out the high performance F10 BMW M5 in Spain, BMW has just premiered the latest addition to the F10 range – the BMW ActiveHybrid 5. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 mates the 535i’s potent 306 horsepower six cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine to a 55 horsepower electric drive system.

Combined power output is 340 horsepower, and average fuel consumption is between 6.4 to 7 liters per 100km, or 44.1mpg. In terms of performance, the ActiveHybrid 5 hits 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. As a comparison, a stock 535i does the same in 6 seconds.

This isn’t exactly a pure fuel economy machine – if you’re looking for that, you might as well go for the 520d EfficientDynamics which can do 62.8mpg average compared to the ActiveHybrid 5′s 44.1mpg. But that efficiency-focused oil burner 5-er only hits 100km/h in 8.2 seconds. This is more of a slightly greener way to enjoy BMW’s 6 cylinder turbo.

This hybrid 5 is able to run on electric power alone at speeds of up to 60km/h, and while coasting at speeds of up to 160km/h in ECO PRO mode, the combustion engine can be shut off and fully decoupled. The ActiveHybrid 5′s battery stores enough juice to give the ActiveHybrid 5 an all-electric driving range of up to 4km at an average speed of 35km/h.

The 96 cell lithium ion battery is stored in the trunk, which reduces the luggage area space by about 145 liters, so you’ve got 375 liters to play with. Other than powering the electric motor, this also powers up an electric air conditioning compressor to ensure the interior is cool even when the combustion engine is shut off. An electric air cond compressor is necessary because usually it is powered by a crank belt, which naturally would not be powered while the crank is not spinning during times the combustion engine is shut off.

Visually, the ActiveHybrid 5 is differentiated by the “ActiveHybrid 5″ lettering on the C pillar, kidney grilles with galvanised slats, matte chrome exhaust tailpipes, and optionally 18 inch Streamline light alloy wheels that are designed for aerodynamic efficiency. It is also the only model that can be ordered in Bluewater metallic.

On the inside, there are door sill strips and an aluminium plate on the cupholder cover with the “ActiveHybrid 5″ lettering, and in the engine bay there’s a bespoke engine cover bearing the inscription “ActiveHybrid 5″, and finally a “ActiveHybrid Power Unit” lettering in the luggage area for the battery casing.