2020 BMW 7 Series Plug-In Hybrid Has Pretty Poor Electric Range CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News 2020 BMW 7 Series Plug-In Hybrid Has Pretty Poor Electric Range

2020 BMW 7 Series Plug-In Hybrid Has Pretty Poor Electric Range

May. 03, 2019 3:40 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 3 Comments It's barely better than the outgoing car. When BMW revealed the facelifted 2020 7 Series, the biggest topic of discussion was the large kidney grille up front. But BMW made some interesting changes under the hood, including a new engine for the plug-in hybrid model. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in the outgoing 740e has been replaced by a 3.0-liter inline-six in the new 745e xDrive iPerformance. With the addition of two cylinders, the 7 Series plug-in is now more powerful with 389 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque compared to 332 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque in last year's model. BMW BMW BMW The added power does wonders for performance, with 0-60 mph now taking just 4.9 seconds. BMW customers likely complained that the 7 Series plug-in didn't feel powerful enough, which is why it now has a larger engine. There's just one issue with stepping up to a bigger motor, fuel economy is now worse. The EPA has rated the 2020 745e xDrive iPerformance at just 22 mpg on the combined cycle, which is worse than the 27-mpg rating for the outgoing 740e. Although fuel economy has actually gone down, BMW did include a larger 12.0 kWh battery compared to the 9.2 kWh unit found in the old model. As you'd expect, the larger battery gives the new car a longer all-electric driving range. BMW Well, when we say a longer range, the new car ca travel two miles further than the old car on electric power alone. The 2020 745e xDrive iPerformance will go just 16 miles on electric power before kicking on the gas engine to enable a 290-mile EPA estimated range. Other plug-in hybrid sedans like the Volvo S90 can travel 21 miles on electric power and achieve average fuel economy closer to 30 mpg. With a starting price of $96,445, we are beginning to question why anyone might want the plug-in hybrid 7 Series. At least it's eligible for a $5,836 tax credit. BMW

Join The Discussion

Show Comments (3)

Gallery

7 Photos Tags: #BMW News #Electric Vehicles #Engine #Government

Related Cars

BMW 7 Series Hybrid Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top