[Buster Blue]

Toying with the idea of the above, initially thought of only the 335i but then why not the ActiveHybrid.

Does anyone have any view on these pros or cons your views are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Will

[Chompers]

Originally Posted by Buster Blue

Toying with the idea of the above, initially thought of only the 335i but then why not the ActiveHybrid.

Does anyone have any view on these pros or cons your views are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Will

Do they still build the 3er AH? thought with the introduction of the 330e it wasn't available anymore.

[Buster Blue]

Originally Posted by Chompers

Do they still build the 3er AH? thought with the introduction of the 330e it wasn't available anymore.

Probably not. I was considering a used ex demonstrator as they seem very good value for money.

most people on here go for diesels as they are company funded. I own my cars and want petrol.

Just wanted to understand why I should not purchase one and judging by the lack of response why more of you do not own one as they seem to have a good few benefits.

Thanks

[InquisitiveA]

I don't think there's a lot of love on this forum for hybrids generally which probably explains the lack of response.

More than that though, the AH3 is a 3 series available in automatic only that is supposed to get 45mpg ish and gets to 60 in 5.3 seconds. That's remarkably similar to a 335d, but with the extra cost/weight/issues of battery technology. If you are to own the car yourself, how happy are you going to be owning a BMW that sold in very small numbers and has lots of unique technology once the warranty has expired? Seems quite risky. And even if you don't think so, the next owner might and that will have a big impact on resale values.

If mpg is important then for me a 330d/335d is a better choice. If mpg isn't crucial then buy a 340i - I did! But if you do buy an AH3 then do post pictures and a review, I for one would be curious about what one is like to own and drive on a regular basis.

[Buster Blue]

Originally Posted by InquisitiveA

I don't think there's a lot of love on this forum for hybrids generally which probably explains the lack of response.

More than that though, the AH3 is a 3 series available in automatic only that is supposed to get 45mpg ish and gets to 60 in 5.3 seconds. That's remarkably similar to a 335d, but with the extra cost/weight/issues of battery technology. If you are to own the car yourself, how happy are you going to be owning a BMW that sold in very small numbers and has lots of unique technology once the warranty has expired? Seems quite risky. And even if you don't think so, the next owner might and that will have a big impact on resale values.

If mpg is important then for me a 330d/335d is a better choice. If mpg isn't crucial then buy a 340i - I did! But if you do buy an AH3 then do post pictures and a review, I for one would be curious about what one is like to own and drive on a regular basis.

Thanks for your reply, in honesty its pretty much the response i expected with regards to new technology, desirability and residual value.

Well looks like a 340i then, then we will still be the minority.

Thanks

[the_biggster]

I picked up a 2014 Activehybrid M Sport a couple of weeks ago. I live in SE London and do a mix of town and motorway journeys. I do around 5000 miles per year. I have a problem with the pollution that diesel cars produce so didnt want to get one.

I will start by saying that the F30 is a fantastic car and I love almost everything about it. With regards to the hybrid, I think the main comparison is between the 335i and the AH3 - you get slightly better MPG from the AH3.

So far, I have gotten about 23 MPG in London traffic and about 31 on motorway runs. Not amazing and not as good as I was hoping for, TBH. It is hard to accelerate to 30 MPH using battery only - if yo do, you will be in eco pro mode and will need to accelerate very gently. When you are cruising at 30 or 40, the petrol engine shuts off and you cruise with electric only. The system is very well engineered and works very well. I like creeping about in traffic silently.

For me, I fell in love with the looks and specs of the car, but knowing what I know now, given the expected 10 year life of the battery, I would probably get a 335i for cheaper and put up with the slightly higher MPG. If I was getting >30 MPG in town and 40 on a run then the AH3 would be a no-brainer for me.

[InquisitiveA]

Good write-up, thanks.

[notused]

Isn't boot space limited on AH cars?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by the_biggster

...I will start by saying that the F30 is a fantastic car and I love almost everything about it. With regards to the hybrid, I think the main comparison is between the 335i and the AH3 - you get slightly better MPG from the AH3.

So far, I have gotten about 23 MPG in London traffic and about 31 on motorway runs. Not amazing and not as good as I was hoping for, TBH. It is hard to accelerate to 30 MPH using battery only - if you do, you will be in eco pro mode and will need to accelerate very gently. When you are cruising at 30 or 40, the petrol engine shuts off and you cruise with electric only. The system is very well engineered and works very well. I like creeping about in traffic silently...

Interesting comments and observations.

Originally Posted by InquisitiveA

.... I for one would be curious about what one is like to own and drive on a regular basis.

Same here, I'm also curious of how the ActiveHybrid works in practice, even in the supposedly more suited urban environment. From reading the technical data and test reports I conclude the car more as a test bed for hybrid technology, leading to the plug-in hybrids, which can make much more sense.

Are you able to harvest much energy from the regeneration braking? I've not had a chance to drive an ActiveHybrid but gather it requires a different way of driving if you want to get the best energy recovery. You need to modulate the brake activity, using the free play "response travel" where maximum regeneration is available. How does that work in London traffic? Can you get enough space in driving, to get the full benefit of the braking response travel, without conventional braking and wasting the potential harvest of the waste energy?

In my experience it is bad enough trying to get the full benefit of 'over-run' battery charging/regeneration with the normal Efficient Dynamics alternator function, let alone drive to reap energy saving benefits from an ActiveHybrid model.

I was very interested in using the 5AH in my environment, but concluded the gains were questionable, (certainly on costs/complexity/driving conditions) compared with a normal 535i.

[davenice]

Originally Posted by the_biggster

... For me, I fell in love with the looks and specs of the car, but knowing what I know now, given the expected 10 year life of the battery, I would probably get a 335i for cheaper and put up with the slightly higher MPG. If I was getting >30 MPG in town and 40 on a run then the AH3 would be a no-brainer for me.

Thanks for the write-up, I was also looking at the ActiveHybrid 3 due to the same reasons. I drive 5,000 miles annually, mostly in SW London traffic. The cars (used) also seem to be selling at a good discount to a regular 335i and mostly well equipped.

However, I have been put off by the potentially complex hybrid tech, and the fact that they only managed to sell ~130 units in 3 years in the UK. How much experience will the average BMW /BMW specialist garage have with fixing these?

I also ask myself who is going to buy a 6-7 year old discontinued BMW hybrid model off me in 5 years time? I read that replacement cost of the battery unit could be £5000.

Does anyone know what the cost of a BMW warranty will be on these? I could not get a sample quote off the BMW insured warranty site.

[notused]

Originally Posted by RWDpetrol

Isn't boot space limited on AH cars?

Yes, it is.

[Tengocity]

If I remember rightly someone on here decided to seel their AH3 at 3 years old because the extended warranty was coming out at over £1000, or almost double that of an equivalent 335i.
So that suggests to me that BMW know there is more likely to be things go wrong with it, and it also therefore that it's probably not a car you'd want to have without a warranty.

Personally, I don't see the point of a hybrid that isn't plug-in.

So I'd suggest sticking with a standard 335i or having a look at the 330e. I'm really enjoying mine and for those in London it would make absolute sense, if you've got the ability to charge it overnight. Congestion charge exempt and up to 20 miles on electric only is much more useful than the AH3.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

If I remember rightly someone on here decided to seel their AH3 at 3 years old because the extended warranty was coming out at over £1000, or almost double that of an equivalent 335i.
So that suggests to me that BMW know there is more likely to be things go wrong with it, and it also therefore that it's probably not a car you'd want to have without a warranty.

Personally, I don't see the point of a hybrid that isn't plug-in.

So I'd suggest sticking with a standard 335i or having a look at the 330e. I'm really enjoying mine and for those in London it would make absolute sense, if you've got the ability to charge it overnight. Congestion charge exempt and up to 20 miles on electric only is much more useful than the AH3.

I recall the same high warranty costs being mentioned.

Agree the plug-in makes more sense, particularly to company car users.

Pleased you are enjoying the 330e, (read your other post on driving experience and mpg). BTW, did that include charging overnight?

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I recall the same high warranty costs being mentioned.

Agree the plug-in makes more sense, particularly to company car users.

Pleased you are enjoying the 330e, (read your other post on driving experience and mpg). BTW, did that include charging overnight?

Yes, I charge it every night, but not anywhere during the day. Hopefully they will install some in our office though and that would help.

I'm heading up to Perth this coming weekend and may take it to see how it copes with a 450 mile journey. I'm pretty sure the 335d will be more efficient over that distance, and at a quicker pace, but interested to know, and it's 900 less miles on our own car of course.

[simon the pieman]

Will, I hope your not gonna become a 320i hater when you move on to a 340i.
Remember where you came from.

I'd have one though if I could afford it.

[the_biggster]

Originally Posted by RWDpetrol

Isn't boot space limited on AH cars?

Only by a tiny amount; the boot floor is slightly higher than standard.

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Same here, I'm also curious of how the ActiveHybrid works in practice, even in the supposedly more suited urban environment. From reading the technical data and test reports I conclude the car more as a test bed for hybrid technology, leading to the plug-in hybrids, which can make much more sense.

Are you able to harvest much energy from the regeneration braking? I've not had a chance to drive an ActiveHybrid but gather it requires a different way of driving if you want to get the best energy recovery. You need to modulate the brake activity, using the free play "response travel" where maximum regeneration is available. How does that work in London traffic? Can you get enough space in driving, to get the full benefit of the braking response travel, without conventional braking and wasting the potential harvest of the waste energy?

In practice, the hybrid system works very seamlessly. In comfort mode, it will always shut off the engine when you stop. When you restart, it will move off (on small/partial throttle) with the electric motor, then the petrol engine kicks in.

In EcoPro, the throttle response is dulled as we all know, but that means it is easier to get up to 20-30 MOH on electric power alone. Also, if you are on the motorway in EcoPro, if you lift off and are going slightly downhill it will shut off the engine and coast at up to around 70 MPH.

In sport mode, the petrol engine is on all the time!

No matter the mode, on a motorway run, the battery will be at about 90 percent charge by the time you turn off at a junction.

The regenerative braking has a display on the dash and you can see the amount you regenerate. I do try to get maximum regenerative braking before using the conventional anchors, butI'm not sure it makes much difference.

As I said, I have tried EcoPro in traffic and still can't get above 22 MPG or so around SE London traffic.

Originally Posted by davenice

Thanks for the write-up, I was also looking at the ActiveHybrid 3 due to the same reasons. I drive 5,000 miles annually, mostly in SW London traffic. The cars (used) also seem to be selling at a good discount to a regular 335i and mostly well equipped.

However, I have been put off by the potentially complex hybrid tech, and the fact that they only managed to sell ~130 units in 3 years in the UK. How much experience will the average BMW /BMW specialist garage have with fixing these?

I also ask myself who is going to buy a 6-7 year old discontinued BMW hybrid model off me in 5 years time? I read that replacement cost of the battery unit could be £5000.

Does anyone know what the cost of a BMW warranty will be on these? I could not get a sample quote off the BMW insured warranty site.

My thinking is that in 5 years' time, batteries could well be much cheaper. The hybrid drivetrain is warranted to 5 years/60,000 miles according to The Sunday Times

My warranty is about to expire, so I will let you know the renewal cost once BMW write to me!

PS - for reference, I have previously owned a second-gen Toyota Prius (which got 50 MPG in town and on the motorway) and a Lexus GS 450h, which got about the same as this AH 3.

Hope this helps!

[the_biggster]

Not sure if anyone is reading this thread, but I just had a quote for the warranty renewal for one year. Zero excess was around £950, 150 excess was about £750 and £250 excess was about £550.

The hybrid drivetrain is warranted for at least another 2 years (must look it up in the documentation) so I thought that cost was excessive. I would have bought for around £350 or so.

The chap I spoke to said that the cost is high due to it being a hybrid. He said a 320d would be much cheaper.

I'll have a look at other warranty providers and see what sort of quote I get from them...

[the_biggster]

Major service time! the AH3 has slightly different servicing requirements than other F3x's, so it needs:

* Engine oil and filter, Micro filter, Air filter, spark plugs and Vehicle check service (£551.94 Inc VAT)
* Transmission oil change (Hybrids only) (£477.04 Inc VAT)

Also got them to perform software updates to any and all components on the car that require them (£128 inc VAT).

Finally, they noted that the inside of my front brake discs (M Sport brakes with 4 pot Brembo calipers in blue) are corroded. I think this could be a stuck piston(s) in the caliper, but they say it's normal because "The inside does not stay as clean and dry as the outside because it is not exposed to regular cleaning (pressure washing etc) and the back plate could trap moisture on the inside surface meaning it would rust quicker."

Sounds like BS to me, but they did offer to replace front discs and pads for £349 Inc VAT, which, given they are M sport parts, didn't seem that bad to me.

They have had the car for 3 days now, looking forward to getting it back this evening but not the expected bill at £1156.98!

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by the_biggster

Major service time! the AH3 has slightly different servicing requirements than other F3x's, so it needs:

* Engine oil and filter, Micro filter, Air filter, spark plugs and Vehicle check service (£551.94 Inc VAT)
* Transmission oil change (Hybrids only) (£477.04 Inc VAT)

Also got them to perform software updates to any and all components on the car that require them (£128 inc VAT).

Finally, they noted that the inside of my front brake discs (M Sport brakes with 4 pot Brembo calipers in blue) are corroded. I think this could be a stuck piston(s) in the caliper, but they say it's normal because "The inside does not stay as clean and dry as the outside because it is not exposed to regular cleaning (pressure washing etc) and the back plate could trap moisture on the inside surface meaning it would rust quicker."

Sounds like BS to me, but they did offer to replace front discs and pads for £349 Inc VAT, which, given they are M sport parts, didn't seem that bad to me.

They have had the car for 3 days now, looking forward to getting it back this evening but not the expected bill at £1156.98!

That bill sounds horrendous to me! Not sure exactly how old your car is or how many miles it's done but my 335d is just over 3 years old, has done 47k miles and in terms of maintenance has cost me the service pack I bought when it was new (from memory around £500) and nothing else.

A bill approaching £1,200 for a 3-year old BMW is more M-car territory IMO. In fact, despite all the servicing being done by BMW I never had a bill for as much as that on my old E46 M3 CS (and that was over 6 years old with 70k miles on the clock when I sold it!).

[Daftasabrush]

The transmission oil change price is pretty fair and normal 8AT cars should have this done at the same interval as the hybrids but for some reason BMW don't state this. ZF do though.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by Daftasabrush

The transmission oil change price is pretty fair and normal 8AT cars should have this done at the same interval as the hybrids but for some reason BMW don't state this. ZF do though.

What exactly does this involve because at first glance it sounds ridiculous to me! Perhaps I'm over simplifying but isn't it just draining the old fluid out and replacing it with new? That being the case I'm struggling to see how that's a £500 job if I'm honest....

[Daftasabrush]

Originally Posted by JNW1

What exactly does this involve because at first glance it sounds ridiculous to me! Perhaps I'm over simplifying but isn't it just draining the old fluid out and replacing it with new? That being the case I'm struggling to see how that's a £500 job if I'm honest....

It is just draining the fluid, but you have to replace the sump with the built in filter, you also have to ensure the transmission oil is at a specific temperature and the oil itself is hideously expensive.