The car surges forward, the traction control quickly adjusting power to keep tire motion useful, making for very little hesitation in the initial push. The ActiveHybrid 7's power is closer to that of the V-12 760i.īMW puts the ActiveHybrid 7's acceleration at 4.7 seconds to 60 mph, and it feels every bit that fast when you put pedal to metal, or pedal to plushly carpeted floor. Compare that with the 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque in a 750i. The combined output from the turbo V-8 and the electric motor is rated at 455 horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque.

Putting a hybrid label on a car may sound green, but the real virtue of this hybrid system is horsepower. The amount of power on tap in the ActiveHybrid 7 also takes some getting used to, as the car lunges forward with just a light tap on the accelerator. The superwide 10.2-inch center LCD can be made to show a real-time animation of the car's hybrid power distribution, but its 3D presentation makes it more difficult to read than the power diagrams found in Toyota and Ford hybrids. As in other new BMWs, the tachometer has a blue region in the fuel economy gauge, indicating when the car is regenerating electricity from its momentum. But the ActiveHybrid 7 feels much smoother.įrom the driver's seat, there is little to indicate the hybrid system. Like Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system, BMW's hybrid system adds boost under acceleration and lets the engine shut down at stop lights. Things such as the 16-speaker audio system upgrade, head-up display, and rearview camera come with the car, helping to justify its premium price tag, high even by BMW standards.Īs the ActiveHybrid 7's hybrid system can't fully drive the car under electric power, it should be considered a mild hybrid system.

In fact, BMW makes many tech features standard on the hybrid that would be options on other 7-series models. Besides the power train, the ActiveHybrid 7 offers all the amenities of a typical 7-series.

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