[cblandin]

Slick - that's actually much better than I had hoped for.

[jdong]

BTW just came back from the service campaign. Forget what I said about the feathering of regen braking being stuttery at low speeds. Tried to make it happen at 15 traffic lights and no luck. Whoooo!

[MSPORTWORLD]

Nice review...bit surprised at the poor gas mileage numbers. Suppose if you really wanted to save gas/money you'd just get a F30 328i.

[positiveions]

Thorough and to the point review. Thank you

[Imola.ZHP]

Thanks for sharing, congrats on a sweet ride!

[BM635]

Could any AH3 owner tell me how long they can have the car in full electric mode while stationary (stuck in traffic/ waiting at drive-thru) before the battery is drained empty and need the engine re-started to power the electrical stuff in the car? And how long will the engine run before it is turned off & back in electric mode? Thanks

[chrisv_335EBII]

You guys are only seeing 27mpg? I'm glad I didn't pay to get the AH.

I get 24mph on my 335 manual and I am in Sport Mode 99% of the time. I'm sure if I used Eco-Pro (NEVER!) I would get closer to 27mpg.

[Bmwbreed]

Wow have really enjoyed reading this thread and learning about the AH3. I saw one on a dealer once and when I looked at the window sticker I was like nvmd I don't care about gas mileage that much. But now I'm kinda dissapointed with what I'm seeing in my 135i. Granted its not broken in yet (only 600 miles) but I'm bairly averaging 20 lol and aparently it dosent get much better after break in accordjng to the other 1er guys. Either way I love the car but maybe ill consider a AH next time. Beautiful cars to everyone who posted pics

[MotoEV]

Depends...

The car is designed to run the air-conditioning from the on-board battery. In stop and go, the battery is being topped off from brake regeneration.

With A/C off, I have been in electric mode for 15-20 minutes because the car was is using no energy standing still. You can go approx. 2.5 miles in electric mode when topped off. From 'depletion', the engine ran for 1-3 minutes to add back battery capacity.

When using navigation, the 'hybrid and navigation system' optimizes when to use electric mode.

Originally Posted by BM635

Could any AH3 owner tell me how long they can have the car in full electric mode while stationary (stuck in traffic/ waiting at drive-thru) before the battery is drained empty and need the engine re-started to power the electrical stuff in the car? And how long will the engine run before it is turned off & back in electric mode? Thanks

[MotoEV]

Not sure how you are seeing 27?

The car is essentially a 335i with a hybrid add-in. The car uses a quick replenish battery to recapture regenerated energy and use it for low demand and high demand situations.

For example when driving in the city in traffic with ECO Pro enabled I have averaged 34-37 MPG, lower CO2, none of the start/stop jerkiness,while having full air-conditioning available. On the highway, the AH3 full disconnects the drivetrain and coasts when power demand is low. Driving 70 MPH, I see 34 MPG.

The AH3 is not a BMW Prius and was not meant to be. The car is a lower CO2 alternative for markets where your ECO score and / or tax band is determined by CO2 emissions: Emissions: AH3: 139g/km CO2 335i: 232g/km CO2

I simply love the additional mid-range power reserve you get In Sport + when the engine is supplemented by the hybrid battery

Originally Posted by chrisv_335EBII

You guys are only seeing 27mpg? I'm glad I didn't pay to get the AH.

I get 24mph on my 335 manual and I am in Sport Mode 99% of the time. I'm sure if I used Eco-Pro (NEVER!) I would get closer to 27mpg.

[chrisv_335EBII]

Originally Posted by MotoEV

Not sure how you are seeing 27?

The car is essentially a 335i with a hybrid add-in. The car uses a quick replenish battery to recapture regenerated energy and use it for low demand and high demand situations.

For example when driving in the city in traffic with ECO Pro enabled I have averaged 34-37 MPG, lower CO2, none of the start/stop jerkiness,while having full air-conditioning available. On the highway, the AH3 full disconnects the drivetrain and coasts when power demand is low. Driving 70 MPH, I see 34 MPG.

The AH3 is not a BMW Prius and was not meant to be. The car is a lower CO2 alternative for markets where your ECO score and / or tax band is determined by CO2 emissions: Emissions: AH3: 139g/km CO2 335i: 232g/km CO2

I simply love the additional mid-range power reserve you get In Sport + when the engine is supplemented by the hybrid battery

Someone posted they were seeing 27mpg per tank on the AH3. If you are seeing 34MPH per tank that would be worth it to me. I was just suprised at the 27mpg.

[jhietter]

Nice write-up and beautiful car, thanks! It would be nice if they could include an electric mode only button as on the Porsche Panamera Hybrid.

I love being able to change between modes like comfort and sport as well, it really makes a difference and changes the car's personality, especially with an m-sport package.

[r3dbimmer89]

I agree with the N55 being smoother than the N54. But only slightly smoother. You definitely get slightly better gas mileage too which is a bonus IMO

[jdong]

Originally Posted by chrisv_335EBII

Someone posted they were seeing 27mpg per tank on the AH3. If you are seeing 34MPH per tank that would be worth it to me. I was just suprised at the 27mpg.

I'm seeing 27mpg AT THE PUMP on my 15 mile commute in traffic where a 2.0T A4 only gets 22 or so mpg. I can see 34-36 on the highway as well but that's not what I usually drive. This is in Comfort as well. In Eco Pro I see a bit over 30 on the same route.

These numbers also include the time spent idling the car waiting to pick up people for my carpool, 3 block drives with 4 people in the car during lunch, etc. There is no way I'd get 27mpg in a 328i. In fact I had one as a loaner and I got 20mpg before I returned it.

Note the guy above who says that he's getting around 20mpg on his 135i -- that's the kind of situation I'm in with my commute. I mean I'd love to artificially drive another route just to inflate my mpg number for you guys, but that's not what I use my car for. I'm not sure what kind of car is going to get 34mpg on this kind of route.

[MotoEV]

Well said...

Plus you have passengers with your daily commute. That MPG # looks good for the type of driving.

When you have a chance, can you provide more information on your wheels and tires that came with your particular car. Needing to purchase a second set and am interested in your experience thus far.

Originally Posted by jdong

I mean I'd love to artificially drive another route just to inflate my mpg number for you guys, but that's not what I use my car for. I'm not sure what kind of car is going to get 34mpg on this kind of route.

[jdong]

Originally Posted by MotoEV

When you have a chance, can you provide more information on your wheels and tires that came with your particular car. Needing to purchase a second set and am interested in your experience thus far.

Sure. I have the luxury line, and the 18" multi-spoke wheels that come with that. The tires I got were the Cinturato P7 all-seasons. I'm in NorCal, so once in a while I drive into inclement climate where summer tires are like ice skates, but I don't do it often enough to justify buying a set of winters.


I expected them to totally suck given that they're RFTs and all-seasons, but so far it's not been bad at all. They squeal a bit when taking turns fast compared to the ContiExtremeContact DWSes I had on my Audi, but that car also had 19" tires.

The ride quality though is simply excellent -- very little road noise, and bumps are well absorbed.

[MotoEV]

I have the same luxury line and tires. I drove them in snow and they worked quite well. Have you posted pictures
of your car?

Originally Posted by jdong

Sure. I have the luxury line, and the 18" multi-spoke wheels that come with that. The tires I got were the Cinturato P7 all-seasons. I'm in NorCal, so once in a while I drive into inclement climate where summer tires are like ice skates, but I don't do it often enough to justify buying a set of winters.

[jdong]

Originally Posted by MotoEV

I have the same luxury line and tires. I drove them in snow and they worked quite well. Have you posted pictures
of your car?

Glad to hear they work in the snow too. RFT's sure have come a long way.

Here's some pics I took when I just got the car:
https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A4532ODWJErixu

[kgroschi]

Originally Posted by Boosted John

very nice review, i just crested the 700 mile mark on mine today. I've had it almost two weeks now and I absolutely love it. I had a modded e90 before this that had close to 400hp and would haul-ass all over the place. I now drive 95% in eco pro and I am up to 27 mpg combined and it seems to keep climbing as i drive. I also Have a Msport with DHP. Its nice to see another hybrid with the Msport. I have sport, perm, hk, dip, sport auto and heated seats.

This thing looks perfect!

[Boosted John]

thank you... hopefully this saturday the H&R springs will be installed and the BBS CH-R's by the end of the month.

[Ali@BMWMt.laurel]

Great review! I love mine and I actually regret not getting the M-Sport version :/ I can't put the front splitters on, however I am contemplating the rear back gloss spoiler.

[zon]

Regarding fuel economy and the value proposition...

If you lease an AH3, the monthly cost is almost a wash compared to an equivalent 335i. This is because even a 3-4 mpg improvement saves about $30 a month (if you drive about 1K miles/month). Then, there's the $3500 ECO credit which is still available. Before the ECO credit, the AH3 had higher residuals. Without the ECO credit or higher residuals, it's a harder sell.

Considering the monthly cost is about the same for a lease (or only marginally higher), it's a personal choice.

The positives are:
- Eboost: The extra thrust you get from the electric motor. I haven't fully started indulging in this yet, but I can feel it even in part throttle. Would be nice to see an instrumented test from some magazine on this. For now, it's pure seat-of-the-pants.
- The hybrid aspects are very entertaining. The novelty will probably wear off after a while, but rolling just on battery power feels really nice, even if it's just through a drive-thru.
- ASS is seamless because of the hybrid differences.
- The new Nav/Idrive is available now

The negatives are:
- Extra weight. I think you'd have to be driving at 9/10ths to really feel any difference. For me, it's not a factor, but some might be more sensitive to this.
- Engine mods like PPK have an uncertain future. Don't know if it'll be available for the AH3.

I'm focusing on leasing here. Buying the AH3 would require more thought, as I would be more concerned about re-sale, long-term reliability, etc.

This and other aspects have been discussed by SamS, jdong, MotoEV and others in other AH3 threads.