[KaeTu]

My report im doing for uni requires 'primary data' so my question to you guys is

would you purchase an active hybrid series 3 or 5? and why/why not

thanks in advance

your responses may be used as data for my report

[Merlin93]

Originally Posted by KaeTu

My report im doing for uni requires 'primary data' so my question to you guys is

would you purchase an active hybrid series 3 or 5? and why/why not

thanks in advance

your responses may be used as data for my report

I'm seriously considering the MY13 ActiveHybrid 3. Primarily because it provides the performance of the 335i with better fuel economy than the 328i. The higher sticker price, lack of the sports suspension, and the extra weight is a bit of a downer, but I'm hoping it might still be a fun ride, so I'm at least reserving judgement until I can test drive one. Failing that I'll probably end up with a 328i for the better fuel economy.

[nyc4runnin]

Originally Posted by Merlin93

I'm seriously considering the MY13 ActiveHybrid 3. Primarily because it provides the performance of the 335i with better fuel economy than the 328i. The higher sticker price, lack of the sports suspension, and the extra weight is a bit of a downer, but I'm hoping it might still be a fun ride, so I'm at least reserving judgement until I can test drive one. Failing that I'll probably end up with a 328i for the better fuel economy.

MPG for the 328i and 335i were revised to be the same lol ...

[SomeRandomer123]

Originally Posted by KaeTu

My report im doing for uni requires 'primary data' so my question to you guys is

would you purchase an active hybrid series 3 or 5? and why/why not

thanks in advance

your responses may be used as data for my report

Yes! I I would! The primary reason is because of the huge reduction in BIK over the 335i, 328i, 335d (and possibly 330d), as I lease my cars, so this affects the cost and personal cost.
I also like power. And lots of it. The ActiveHybrid 3 offers this as it has the magnificent 306ps N55 up front, and 40kw electric motors in the back. If it was on the market in time, I could've been driving that in a few weeks instead of a 328i!
It also returns impressive MPG (somewhere around the 48mpg mark for the UK ActiveHybrid 3 I believe) and this is also important to me, especially as I am high mileage. I have my 328i down for 27,000 miles per year.

What may put others off is the reliability of having two driving mediums and so many electronics that could go wrong! Just look at KERS in Formula 1 for instance. It was the 60kw battery that sparked the Williams F1 fuel fire in their garage at the Barcelona Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago.
This is unlikely to happen in our BMW's as it isn't packaged as tightly as the F1 cars so I mean other reliability issues such as the electric motor failing or the battery going a bit dodgy.
For me, this isn't really too much of a concern as I put my vehicles on a full maintenance contract with BMW so I'll just leave it with them and have a loaner off them if something goes wrong. That's happened a few times to my 330d, and that only uses internal combustion to turn the wheels!
So for people buying outright or not on a full maintenance contract, this could be an issue and a good case for just buying a 335i.

The downside is the cost of the car as batteries and shizz are expensive. The ActiveHybrid 3 starts around £41k and my loaded up 328i Luxury is that. So a car that costs that without the optional extras... hmm. You'll soon be seeing close to £50k so the benefit of the BIK reduction goes out the window.

Figuring this, I'd rather go with something like a Fisker Atlantic which is purely electric driven, but uses an internal combustion engine (the N20 28i funnily enough) as an electricity generator. This will also be about £40k when it comes to the UK, but the BIK is next to nothing so . This could be a serious contender for the next car in three years time.

So as you can see, I like a good mix of power and economy, so my demands are quite high, and the ActiveHybrid 3 could fulfill that if it didn't cost so much.

What I don't understand is why don't they mate it to a 320d or 335d so you get super efficiency and performance or super efficiency and super performance, respectively. This is why I don't understand the Prius. That, and it's a piece of shit like all Hybrids have been up till now. Why must they look different? The Prius looks like an autistic elephant for goodness sake and the awful trend has been to continue this look with EV vehicles. The Renault Fluence is a better looking motor but still a bit weird. And that's purely electric, so it's crap.

I don't believe battery powered electric cars that need charging will ever work. I mean, where does the power come from? A power station. And what do they burn to make the juicy power? Exactly - my case rests. Hydrogen I believe is the way forward but since it doesn't appear to be ready yet, Fisker and BMW's ActiveHybrid idea is the best on the market, as is the Vauxhall Ampera, which I must say is a fine looking thing.

What I like about Fisker and BMW is that they are showing Hybrid in a cool, fun, practical way. And they actually work and work well!

All of the above goes for the ActiveHybrid 5 too - that's just in a larger package.

Hope this helps

Which University and course is it out of interest?

EDIT: I should add that people who would take their cars to the track and are mad about performance (you may find them here being an enthusiast forum) would probably not buy the ActiveHybrid 3 as the batteries and motors and stuff add a hell of a lot of extra weight, which as we know affects going, stopping and cornering, so a 335i would be a wiser choice.

Also, the batteries take up extra space in the boot I believe and eliminate the Split Folding Rear Seats so practicality is compromised. This may not be the case for the ActiveHybrid 5 though - I can't remember - its batteries may be under the boot floor.

[CoolDude196]

I would be interested in a hybrid 3 or 5, not only because of the enhanced fuel economy and horsepower, but also because I like technology, and enjoy knowing I have the latest BMW has to offer. The extra weight and less boot space may well put me off though. I wouldn't worry about safety, only the maintenance of such complex machinery.