2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 / 7-series Hybrid

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What makes the ActiveHybrid 7 strange is BMW’s boast that it is the quickest hybrid sedan on the market. If speed is the objective, we’re not sure why a hybrid is the answer. Likewise, if fuel economy is the end goal, tuning the twin-turbo V-8 gas engine for an additional 40 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque seems silly. However, if a 7-series customer believes he needs a car more powerful than the 750i but doesn’t want to step up to the 12-cylinder 760Li—which we think he should—and also wants 15 percent or so better fuel economy, BMW has just the model.

BMW’s engineers claim they set out to increase fuel economy, and the performance gains are a secondary benefit they hadn’t intended, but that sounds like PR script to us. No dim bulbs, they probably had a hunch that adding a bunch of extra power and torque would make the car quicker. The official claim is a half-second quicker to 60 mph over the nonhybrid 750i, or 4.7 seconds—which would beat our tested time for the LS600hL by 0.7 second. A brief blast up the autobahn during our test drive confirms that the hybrid 7 rockets to its 150-mph governor without any of the lethargy commonly associated with hybrids. Later on, driving more like downtrodden suburban Americans, we saw an indicated 20 mpg.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $100,000–$110,000

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, 440 hp, 480 lb-ft; AC synchronous electric motor assist, 20 hp, 155 lb-ft; combined power rating, 455 hp, 515 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 120.9–126.4 in
Length: 199.8–205.3 in
Width: 74.9 in Height: 58.4–58.5 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 4900–5000 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7–4.8 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 150 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 16–17/24–25 mpg

Source

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So It’s Fast. How Hybrid-y is it?

Okay, so you really care about the hybrid bits? It’s a mild hybrid, meaning no gliding about on electric power and smugness alone. You want motion, you’re going to have to choke the planet with the internal-combustion engine. There’s an electric motor sandwiched between the gas engine and the torque converter in the eight-speed automatic transmission. It contributes an additional 20 hp and 155 lb-ft—for a combined output of 455 hp and 515 lb-ft—and allows the engine to sit quiet at stops, as it powers the accessories. Although it isn’t a completely seamless stop and start, the transition doesn’t call attention to itself.

Our larger complaint is that, although the engine fires up as soon as you lift your foot from the brake, if you snooze at a light or are inching through a left-turn lane waiting for a break in traffic, a quick leap from brake to gas beats the re-ignition process and results in a herky jerk forward. However, if you plan on a quick dive for the gas, you can disable the stop/start feature by putting the shifter into Sport mode.

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Braking With Convention

This 7’s hybridity is also inconspicuous under braking. Although the mere mention of regenerative braking usually erodes the feel of the stop pedal in question, the ActiveHybrid 7’s brakes remain firm and linear. We noticed slight lurches under deceleration, but they seem to be the fault of the transmission downshifting, and not attributable to the brakes. Of course, the fact that the transmission is causing the disruptions doesn’t lessen their obnoxiousness or somehow make them more welcome in an otherwise serene car.

A mild-hybrid setup requires a smaller battery than more-advanced systems, and the 7 hides its lithium-ion pack under the trunk floor. It deals a meager one-cubic-foot blow to trunk volume—dropping it from 14 to 13—leaving BMW with a one-cube advantage over the LS600hL. BMW engineers tell us trunk space is the reason the hybrid 7-series and ActiveHybrid X6—which is launching simultaneously—use different systems. Although the X6’s full-hybrid setup allows for greater gains in fuel economy, its larger battery would have consumed more of the already-tight trunk space. Also, BMW is quick to point out that the battery in the trunk helps preserve the 7’s weight distribution, which is the same 51.5/48.5 percent front/rear for the long-wheelbase car as it is for the nonhybrid version, while the stubbier model pushes a bit more forward for 51.3/48.7. Weight increases by about 250 pounds from the hybrid componentry and the beefier rear axle borrowed from the V-12 7-series, necessitated by the increased torque load.

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Look Ma, Fewer Emissions!

Like other hybrids based on plain, old polluters, the hybrid 7-series relies on badging to convey its uniqueness, although it’s not so subtle compared to other 7s. “ActiveHybrid 7” badges adorn the trunklid and C-pillars, and there’s also a unique 19-inch wheel design and a bespoke “Bluewater Metallic” color. (We’d have gone with a nice peaceful gray and called it “Blackwater Metallic".)

Interior cues are limited to some tweaks to the instrumentation—an instant fuel-economy meter and the battery-charging monitor live in the lower part of the tach—and additional displays in the vehicle information screen. One, a bar graph, shows how active the hybrid system has been for the last 15 minutes, while the other shows the usual hybrid energy flow in beautiful high-definition. Otherwise, it’s the same old 7-series, which is to say it is attractive, spacious, and comfortable (especially in long-wheelbase form).

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How Much Did Captain Planet’s Costume Cost?

It is not, however, the same old pricing. Like the ActiveHybrid’s acceleration, the sticker price will get a little electronic boost when the hybrid 7 goes on sale here in the spring of 2010. Figure on $100–$110k in the U.S., depending on how BMW decides to equip it. Considering the 750i’s base price of just over $80,000—and the more-palatable $7500 premium for the hybrid in Europe—that’s quite a leap, but if BMW rolls one or two of the big-money options packages in, that could start to look a little more acceptable.

So now there are two ways to spend $100,000 on a hybrid full-size luxury sedan. We’d buy this one. (As long as 2000 U.S. customers agree with us, BMW will be happy.) Then again, if both BMW and Lexus were buying retired tugboats, lining them in leather, and putting wheels on them for street use, we’d have an opinion on which of those to buy, too. But that wouldn’t make it any less of a goofy purchase.

[internal_auditor]

So it will compete against Lexus LS 600h L

[wik_a]

This is what it is supposed to do.

[internal_auditor]

How does your video add to the thread?

Control your fanboy-ism and refrain from posting off-topic replies in PRO forums.

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Final Warning!

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[MOD]

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[toofast]

I was expecting better fuel economy :s

[z06]

BMW 3 series are also coming in Hybrid?

[wik_a]

^ not yet, I believe.

[BMW7Series]

nice.. so BMW wants to keep up with Lexus LS.. good to hear

[NaXuN]

nice to see hybrid BMW (Y)
would surely rock if they bring hybrid techonology in 3 series (Y)

[HumanGenius]

Incredible (Y)
But the introduction of "x-Drive" 7 series F01/2 is just amazing (Y)(Y)

Also, the early century 7 series Hydrogen was outstanding, the "BMW Hydrogen 7"...(Y)

[SLR]

Nice, still prefer the Lexus LS460HL though

[riz_]

People who buy vehicles in this price range are quite immune to the price of fuel at the pump. They buy these vehicle to be politically correct and portray a greener image to whoever cares.

How many time have I seen a CEO drive up to his private jet in a Toyota Prius, just because there was media present.

[riz_]

Nice car, by the way. They will sell a few units but will prominently display it in show rooms especially in California and New England.