BMW Active Hybrid 3

[ATM]

Holywow said:

ATM said:

I've not driven a vanilla 335i. If the deal is appealing with the Hybrid then get it bought. I agree it seems cheap. Especially over a new one.

What else can I tell you?

It the transition from electric to engine in anyway irritating?
Seemed fine on the test drive but living with something every day?

It is unnoticeable. When I demo this to friends I have to tell them to look at the rev counter otherwise it is un-perceptible. If anything the engine persisting to stay on when the engine is cold is more irritating. When navigating driveway etc at low speeds you have to give the brake pedal a very firm press when the engine is running on choke to slow the car.

[ATM]

Holywow did you read this above -

ATM said:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/bmw-3-series-hy...

Think x35i with F1 style KERS

[ATM]

ATM said:

I've ordered some OZ Allegerita wheels in 17 inch diameter. 8 inch wide for front and back. Hopefully they'll be arriving next week. I believe these are only 7kg per wheel. That's a massive reduction from the 19 inch wheels I have right now which are 13kg per wheel. I'll get the bathroom scales out once I've got some tyres organised. I might just use the 225 50 17 Nankang Winters I have from last year.

http://www.ozracing.co.uk/car_wheels_var/OZ%20Raci...

Had a call from the supplier. It seems the OZ factory want to know what size my engine is. Not exactly inspiring me with confidence. So even though the wheel is listed on their website as fitting my car they want to ask me what engine it has.

[ATM]

Max M4X WW said:

Strange, what difference would it make?!

I would guess a smaller engine means smaller brakes and a bigger engine means bigger brakes. What other reason could there be for them to ask. My car is only available with one engine and that is the case worldwide. The only conclusion for me is that the OZ factory have never supplied a wheel for my car and they're guessing at something.

[ATM]

KevSeymour said:

Interesting car OP, didn't know they existed til now. Looking at the first picture you posted it doesn't look like you've got much spare room between the rim and brake caliper? You may only be able to go down to an 18?

BMW sell a couple of 17 inch winter wheel and tyre packages for my car. They want 1700 quid though and I'm no fan of run flat tyres. I got a list from the delears of which will fit and which wont so it must be tight. If there were some wheels on ebay for reasonable money I'd go that route happily. I might stick to 17 inch after winter too.

[ATM]

OZ now say these will not fit. So I get a refund and No wheels.

[ATM]

I've now ordered a set of these.

[ATM]

bmthnick1981 said:

Interesting thread, didn't know these existed. The BBS wheels should look good.

I'm hoping to raise awareness to prevent anyone else buying one accidentally like me.

In summary its very economical in start stop traffic. Probably unbeatable when crawling at 5 to 10mph. Otherwise a diesel is more economical obviously. I am not aware of any other BMW's with combustion engines which switch off completely when going down hill or decelerating. Mine does. It can also drive with battery power for a couple of miles.

I have never been in any other Hybrid car so cant really compare.

[ATM]

I took this the other day:

Cold start
One journey
Driving Miss Daisy

[ATM]

Some good info here form a US test drive in Germany.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-bmw-activ...

[ATM]

In a city crawl scenario I would guess you'd do very well economy wise. On a 210 mile motorway run I got 48mpg last week. That's the journey average which included some slower speed stuff and pit stops. Once you get over 60mph the hybrid stuff is just extra weight but at a constant speed does the extra weight make much of a difference. Reading that article intimates that the gearing is different so it may be better than a standard 335i at cruising speeds. I do know that petrol is cheaper than diesel and I only pay 18% BIK tax. Plus when I find some empty roads I have 300 - 350 bhp to play with. I didn't sit down and crunch all the info before buying. I just went in the showroom with my heart set on the 135i and my head saying get the 125d. I came out owning this.

[ATM]

ATM said:

Some good info here form a US test drive in Germany.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-bmw-activ...

Reading this article again I didn't catch this first time or even know my car could do this. I'll try engaging the sat nav and see if it works.

American waffle from the above said:

Navigation is optional on the 3-series hybrid; if you’ve ponied up, once you program a destination into the system, it will monitor the topography on your route and save electrical assistance for the uphill sections.

[ATM]

Well for me it had to make sense as a company car purchase. So even though it's my company I wanted to minimise my tax liability. Luckily I didn't go too crazy when dealer fever set in. I still regret not going for the 1 when I think about trying to fit a washing machine in the boot though. Anyway I'd love another 911 but now I have a baby and I drive about 700 mile per week for work so these are my priorities. I've driven this for 4 hours without stopping and it's been perfectly comfy. It sounds pretty good when you floor it and it goes well enough too. I get to talk to anyone and everyone about the Hybrid thing and I've not spoken to anyone yet who knew BMW even made a Hybrid.

[ATM]

[ATM]

peteA said:

48mpg - you must have had the wind behind you! Just driven mine from Newcastle to Leeds and got 44mpg on a gentle cruise...but sank to below 40 when I tanked it home up the A1.

They can shift a bit eh !

I've never really hammered mine on the motorway. Nothing over 110. But it sure picks up quick. I definitely enjoy the mid range and on country roads between 50 - 90 its pretty damn quick.

I was cruising at like 55 - 60 for the most part but before that I was stuck at like 35 - 45 for about an hour. I've just found out about the hybrid thing helping on hills and I'm keen to try it.

[ATM]

ATM said:

peteA said:

48mpg - you must have had the wind behind you! Just driven mine from Newcastle to Leeds and got 44mpg on a gentle cruise...but sank to below 40 when I tanked it home up the A1.

They can shift a bit eh !

I've never really hammered mine on the motorway. Nothing over 110. But it sure picks up quick. I definitely enjoy the mid range and on country roads between 50 - 90 its pretty damn quick.

I was cruising at like 55 - 60 for the most part but before that I was stuck at like 35 - 45 for about an hour. I've just found out about the hybrid thing helping on hills and I'm keen to try it.

Took it up a notch last night. Had the car in sport mode and the gears too. A totally different car. Only a tiny bit firmer ride but throttle response is addictive. I'm struggling to perceive any turbo lag. Probably because of the hybrid assist. I still dont like the run flats skipping on road surface undulations but the combination of the throttle response and the slightly stiffer ride in sport is a definite improvement and makes the car feel quite exciting.

[ATM]

ATM said:

I've now ordered a set of these.

Some big boxes arrived today. I've not seen them yet as I'm at work. I've ordered some Michelin Alpin A4 tyres.

[ATM]

ATM said:

I've ordered some Michelin Alpin A4 tyres.

These are now on route to me via DPD.

[ATM]

[ATM]

Digitalize said:

17s look far too small to me, I'd have just gone for 18s without RFT's.

Interesting the results, performance seems good as it can just be a 330i I assume? But with the ability to get 40mpg+,

Wonder why they don't do it with a diesel?

They are smaller looking but the overall circumference is correct. BMW do supply this size wheel and tyre with some of these cars from the factory.

Its not a 330i its a 335i. It is slightly more expensive than a 335i. The more I drive it the more I like it. The power delivery is super smooth. The hybrid gubbins drives as well as the engine when you're pressing on. This and the x35i engine being very impressive makes for a package.

The ride before on the run flats wasn't anywhere near as bad as my e90. My dad has one now and it still surprises me how hard it is when we go in it. Now that I've tried the 17 inch go flats on mine I'm leaning more towards keeping the 19 inch but just switching to go flats.