BMW ActiveHybrid 7

Another hybrid by BMW after the X6 I recently shot. Main difference is that this one can’t drive without the internal combustion engine running, and that you can watch TV in the back of this one…


Interestingly, although the two BMW ActiveHybrid vehicles would seem to be simply the same hybrid driveline fitted into two different body styles, this is not the case. The X6 ActiveHybrid is a “full” hybrid that can be driven on electric power alone, while the ActiveHybrid 7 is a “mild” hybrid which can’t.

Actually, the only real commonality in their hybrid powertrains is the “N63” 4.4-litre, direct-injected and twin-turbocharged gasoline V8, a motor also found in several non-hybrid BMW models. This engine is unusual in that the exhaust and twin turbochargers are mounted in the valley of the “V”, the opposite of most conventional V-engines.

In the ActiveHybrid 7, this V8 is tuned to produce 40 more horses than the normal 750i/Li’s 400 hp. The slight delay in turbo-boost production that might result from the higher state of tune is offset by the assistance of the hybrid system’s electric motor.

The cabin and its fittings are just as those in the new-this-year, non-hybrid 7, including an improved version of iDrive (much better, still not perfect), vastly simplified control stalks, and an audio system with a volume knob and honest-to-God preset buttons.

Other than xDrive, virtually any other 7 Series option is available, from Night Vision with pedestrian detection to a rear seat infotainment system with individual seat-back mounted LCD screens and its own iDrive controllers.

You can read the full review in Dutch on Rijtesten.nl…