RE: 2021 BMW 545e | PH Review

[Caddyshack]

I had an E55 AMG and when it got really hot the engine would reduce performance to allow the intake temps to come back down - this was the supercharged one...It was quite disconcerting to suddenly lose over 100 / 150 hp - it was a marked performance drop

I wonder if these PHev's feel the same - you can make an overtake with 400hp...go for the next and only have 286hp...?

[Callum43]

annodomini2 said:

Yes because you are going to drive 4-5hrs non stop.

What most people coming from ICE to EV fail to understand is that with an EV you graze rather than fill up.

Also you plug in and walk away, do something else while it's charging. You don't have to stand next to the car while fuelling as you do with a conventional ICE vehicle. You get the choice to do something else with the 5-10mins you would spend filling up.

So you stop for toilet or food break, plug in, go do your thing and when you're finished come back and unless you specifically need to fill right up, charge a bit and drive on to your next stop and charge a bit more.

The 72k for this thing would get you into a base Porsche Taycan or a top spec Tesla model 3 with £12k change.

So really then an EV is the vehicle of choice for the incontinent snack eating driver . A road trip in one sounds just the job . Why the doubts that say 250 miles non stop is unusual when you have a comfy seat , climate control , and can relax at the wheel . I still think a 5 series in most guises is the best of BMW.

[Itsallicanafford]

RicksAlfas said:

Itsallicanafford said:

then the Tesla supercharger network is their friend...

We live near Halifax and had a week on the east coast near Robin Hood's Bay. Not an unusual activity over the last couple of years! Round figures 100 miles there, 100 miles back, 100 miles pootling about whilst we were there. Filled up with petrol before I went and didn't give it a second thought. If we'd been in a Tesla we would have had to make a (considerable) special trip to find a charger, or fanny about with an extension lead through the cottage window and out on to the pavement to top it up.

This from the Tesla site:



Red blobs are Superchargers, black blobs are chargers for customers at hotels/restaurants etc.

Model 3 long range has a real world range of 220 - 250 miles ish - maybe a little more depending on time of year - only a small top up required to compete your full trip if you left with a full battery.

We did a trip of a smaller scale recently in an i3 - with a 42kw battery - 80 miles there, 40 miles use around town around and then 80 miles back - it just need a few hours on a charger one day. it really was no drama.

[jerrytlr]

One thing people seem to forget is that the PHEV includes the benefits of a non-plug-in hybrid - namely, energy recovery under deceleration and braking. So even if the energy added to the battery via the plug has been used up (e.g. on a long journey), it will be more efficient than a pure ICE car.

Remember also that the extra weight - from an efficiency perspective - is much less of an issue with a hybrid, as the extra energy used to accelerate the vehicle or drag it up a hill, is recovered when you decelerate or go back down the hill.....

I am about to order a PHEV. I think it will suit our usage pattern perfectly, battery only for all our around town trips, and also the start and end of longer journeys, fast hybrid ICE car for our longer trips. We have chosen the F-Pace, one benefit of which is that unlike many PHEVs, it will fast charge, so battery can be topped up usefully at toilet/coffee stops - but we will decide when those occur, not the car 🙂

[RicksAlfas]

Itsallicanafford said:

...it just need a few hours on a charger one day. it really was no drama.

But according to the Tesla map, where would I plug it in?

We had a week of cycling and walking in the countryside. In an EV we would have lost a day as we would have had to go off and find a charger and plug in for a few hours.

[cerb4.5lee]

Gad-Westy said:

Inverness said:

This is probably the worst BMW ever.....

The 114d wants to have a word with you!

That honour goes to the i3 for me!

[Itsallicanafford]

RicksAlfas said:

Itsallicanafford said:

...it just need a few hours on a charger one day. it really was no drama.

But according to the Tesla map, where would I plug it in?

We had a week of cycling and walking in the countryside. In an EV we would have lost a day as we would have had to go off and find a charger and plug in for a few hours.

Chap, with respect, you are overthinking this, it doesn't need to be a Tesla charger, there are loads of options on your route for a top up,

[Itsallicanafford]

cerb4.5lee said:

Gad-Westy said:

Inverness said:

This is probably the worst BMW ever.....

The 114d wants to have a word with you!

That honour goes to the i3 for me!

Chap, can i ask, have you driven an i3?

[TypeRTim]

cerb4.5lee said:

Gad-Westy said:

Inverness said:

This is probably the worst BMW ever.....

The 114d wants to have a word with you!

That honour goes to the i3 for me!

X7 says "Hold my beer"

[RicksAlfas]

Itsallicanafford said:

Chap, with respect, you are overthinking this, it doesn't need to be a Tesla charger, there are loads of options on your route for a top up,

I'm sure you're right, although the North Yorks moors and coast is not the busiest of spots!

I only referenced the Tesla map as you said the Supercharger network was the answer and I'm sure if you only plough up and down the motorways it is excellent. Away from them, perhaps less so.

BUT.. Tesla or not, in an ICE or PHEV there was no need for a stop/top up anywhere. In an EV we would have to have made special arrangements for it - either dedicating a trip out or cables across a pavement.

[Motormatt]

Itsallicanafford said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Gad-Westy said:

Inverness said:

This is probably the worst BMW ever.....

The 114d wants to have a word with you!

That honour goes to the i3 for me!

Chap, can i ask, have you driven an i3?

I'm not sure exactly how we're measuring 'worst' here, but I'm struggling to think of any metric apart from price where a 545e would score lower than my nomination, the 214d Active Tourer!

i3 is a great car, way ahead of its time.

Edited by Motormatt on Thursday 25th November 12:22

[Jag_NE]

It’s absolutely true that one size doesn’t fit at all but I think you would need to be in a minority of people doing pretty regular 250+ mile hikes for one of these to make sense. As the electric power is inefficient on these I’d save myself 10k and get a 530d if I really wanted a 5er.

[TypeRTim]

Motormatt said:

Itsallicanafford said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Gad-Westy said:

Inverness said:

This is probably the worst BMW ever.....

The 114d wants to have a word with you!

That honour goes to the i3 for me!

Chap, can i ask, have you driven an i3?

I'm not sure exactly how we're measuring 'worst' here, but I'm struggling to think of any metric apart from price where a 545e where would score lower than my nomination, the 214d Active Tourer!

i3 is a great car, way ahead of its time.

Completely forgot about the 2 series 'Active Tourer'

christ that was an abomination.

[Si 330]

I have a 530e, I'm very happy with it, 545e will be considered at change time if it has a bit nicer noise from the 6.
Once a week I will do a 400 to 500 mile journey to do in a day, a bit away from from full EV for me as I don't want to be sat around waiting for a partial charge.

I would much rather drive a 540i but its a no brainer tax wise, having the PHEV.

[42 Carat Plonker]

I can see the appeal, in that it's possibly the only 6 cylinder engined new car you can buy today that comes in under 50gCO2. For that reason it makes a lot of sense as a company car.

[cerb4.5lee]

Itsallicanafford said:

Chap, can i ask, have you driven an i3?

I haven't to be fair, but I don't want to either. Looking around one in my local BMW dealer when it first came out was enough for me.

Plenty of people do love them, but it just isn't for me though.

[TypeRTim]

Jag_NE said:

It’s absolutely true that one size doesn’t fit at all but I think you would need to be in a minority of people doing pretty regular 250+ mile hikes for one of these to make sense. As the electric power is inefficient on these I’d save myself 10k and get a 530d if I really wanted a 5er.

For my/my family's use case a PHEV would suit us perfectly.

Regular/daily driving is only really to drop the little one off at nursery. So would spend most of the time (circa 90%) running on the battery. But we also travel regularly (most weekends) either to visit my family or friends (100+ motorway miles each way) where there is nowhere to charge at the end destination (for various reasons).

For me, it's the cost of buying new that puts me off and the uncertainty regarding reliability/complexity second hand.

[Maxus]

I borrowed a 530e as I was considering one. PHEV makes sense if you are a company car driver but do decent miles or lots of shorter trips and can charge at home. I quite enjoyed how it worked and the transition between modes was impressive. Got around 40mpg overall driving sensibly and charging. Mate with a 330e who doesn't always charge regularly see's about 30mpg. Not great.
I was going to compare the 545e to a 540i but it looks like that is now dropped from the range.

[James-R10]

Itsallicanafford said:

RicksAlfas said:

Itsallicanafford said:

then the Tesla supercharger network is their friend...

We live near Halifax and had a week on the east coast near Robin Hood's Bay. Not an unusual activity over the last couple of years! Round figures 100 miles there, 100 miles back, 100 miles pootling about whilst we were there. Filled up with petrol before I went and didn't give it a second thought. If we'd been in a Tesla we would have had to make a (considerable) special trip to find a charger, or fanny about with an extension lead through the cottage window and out on to the pavement to top it up.

This from the Tesla site:



Red blobs are Superchargers, black blobs are chargers for customers at hotels/restaurants etc.

Model 3 long range has a real world range of 220 - 250 miles ish - maybe a little more depending on time of year - only a small top up required to compete your full trip if you left with a full battery.

We did a trip of a smaller scale recently in an i3 - with a 42kw battery - 80 miles there, 40 miles use around town around and then 80 miles back - it just need a few hours on a charger one day. it really was no drama.

Wrong on the range for the model 3. I can get over 300 real world with our model 3 performance with a fairly heavy foot. The long range is more efficient.. I also have climate on a lot.. I’d struggle to get less then 250 with foot to the floor at every lights..

[Itsallicanafford]

cerb4.5lee said:

Itsallicanafford said:

Chap, can i ask, have you driven an i3?

I haven't to be fair, but I don't want to either. Looking around one in my local BMW dealer when it first came out was enough for me.

Plenty of people do love them, but it just isn't for me though.

Fair enough but if you ever get a chance to have a go, just mash the quiet pedal from a standstill, the speed at which they take off is hilarious!