All of which gives the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 an exceptional balance of performance and fuel economy for the premium executive car class. The latest generation of BMW ActiveHybrid technology also adds precisely controlled and thus extremely effective intelligent energy management to the mix.

In Sport mode it even gives the same sporty gentle-kick gearshift as you’d find in other 5 Series.Īlthough the BMW hybrids have been available in other markets for a while, it now arrives in South Africa for the first time.

To expand on that – the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the first hybrid car to be based on a petrol turbo-charged engine (BMW TwinPower Turbo) and the first to manage the neat trick of using a proper automatic gearbox, rather than the often annoying rev-hogging CVT transmissions used in abovementioned Japanese hybrids – BMW fortunately sticks to its sportiness by refusing the CVT (which would be just unimaginable in a BMW). How is this hybrid different? The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 brings together a unique combination of the best of high-techs: BMW TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder in-line engine, an electric drive system, and an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Rather than cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight types, Lexus introduced us to the idea of a performance yet efficient hybrid car with its range of “h” cars.īMW then took the development of intelligent hybrid drive systems to the next level, when it introduced the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 – a model in which a combustion engine and electric motor join forces to enhance efficiency… while crucially retaining the brand's hallmark driving pleasure. We have seen the transformation from the green but dreary image of a hybrid car into a green and sporty image.

Activehybrid 5 silent start