BMW ActiveHybrid 3’s Performance Shines
High gas prices and sustainability sentiments have driven up gas-electric vehicle production. Although BMW has mainly focused its fuel economy solutions on clean diesel technology, The German automaker’s new 3-Series Hybrid is crashing the EV party. The ActiveHybrid 3 combines a familiar internal combustion engine with a compact electric motor to increase fuel efficiency, albeit not by much.
The true lure of this BMW is what it has always been: supreme driving performance. Some clever energy-saving techniques and a laundry list of driver-centric features make the ActiveHybrid 3 one of the best hybrid vehicles on the market.
Choose Your Own Adventure
As a relatively new technology, there still isn’t a consensus on the most productive way to leverage hybrid power in vehicles. BMW included its latest hybrid technology in the new ActiveHybrid 3, but it left it up to the driver to decide how to use it. Drivers can travel up to 2.5 miles emissions-free with the electrically charged motor. The electricity can also reduce the petrol engines workload, increasing engine efficiency or add an additional power boost and increasing performance.
Sport options increase performance further, but no matter what ActiveHybrid 3 you drive you find it has a certain— ahem— “ultimate” quality to it. Generous torque allows the vehicle to whip around corners, but a number of stabilizing features, including Dynamic Suspension Control and an independent front-strut suspension keep drivers in control at all times.
According to Businessweek.com, BMW sales jumped 4.9 percent in September, and the automaker hopes this continued innovation will propel it to further success in the hybrid market.
Improved Gas Mileage Still Average
Consumers expecting Prius-like fuel-economy numbers won’t like what they see. The EPA estimates a combined 28 mpg for the ActiveHybrid 3, just 2 mpg better than BMW’s 335, which features the same standard petrol engine. BMW isn’t sold on the EPA’s estimate.
“We expect real-world efficiency gains to be much higher,” spokesman Dave Buchko said, according to Forbes. “For example, the EPA test cycle does not take into account the fact that on the highway the car can coast, with the internal combustion engine off.”
Additional “real-world” efficiency boosts notwithstanding, the ActiveHybrid 3’s fuel economy won’t come close to hybrid market leaders, which have recently touched 50 combined mpg.
Some question why the German automaker didn’t develop a four-cylinder engine to further increase efficiency, but it appears BMW is content to slowly improve efficiency as long as it maintains performance.
Classic Looks
The ActiveHybrid 3 looks just like the rest of the 3-series, but BMW-owners will tell you that there’s nothing wrong with that. A sporty, composed frame seats five and comes equipped with the gadgets luxury car owners have come to expect. A start/stop engine button, satellite radio and in-house navigation all come standard on the ActiveHybrid 3. Leather covers the five-seat cab and wood accents complete a luxurious ambience.
Starting at $49,000, the ActiveHybrid 3 won’t impress bargain-car buyers or budgeting consumers looking to save significant cash at the pump. No matter how much the electric motor improves efficiency, however, this vehicle can stand toe to toe with any luxury sedan—hybrid or not.
Authored By : Ryan Morales Ryan grew up rolling Matchbox cars across the linoeum of his family’s home. The only thing he loves more than classic and collectible cars is playing his used Fender Stratocaster.