BMW F30 - 330d or 335i Hybrid?

[Benji]

So this is purely a hypothetical question I pondered while waiting out traffic at WBC, I decided to kill time by test driving this 335i Active Hybrid:

WeBuyCars | Sell Cars For Cash | Free Online Vehicle Valuations

www.webuycars.co.za

This particular car is in pretty poor condition and feels like it has done double the advertised mileage, but otherwise I was pleasantly surprised by the acceleration on offer and how well it drove. The electric/petrol blending really appeals to my brain - the challenge of maximizing the electrical range seems like a fun way to sit in traffic.

But then for similar money, you could get into a 330d:

https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/D8F204816

The 330d offers identical 0-100 times and slightly better fuel consumption (4.9 l/100 vs 5.9) although this probably depends on how much traffic vs open road driving you do

The obvious choice does seem to be the 330d (especially after a quick DP and tune), but there is just something about hybrid power that appeals to my admittedly weird brain. Would be interesting to compare expected running costs etc

 

[msm]

In all honesty, any potential fuel saving from the hybrid will be wiped out instantly when there is problem that is beyond the basic mechanical components of the car and touches the hybrid system or battery components.

I've no idea of the cost of battery replacements on the BMW hybrid models, but I've heard of one BMW i3 owner with a battery replacement bill of R300k...

 

[FILV]

Yeah i think ones that electric motor or battery bombs our, you then stuck with a 335 that is lugging around extra weight, and a terrible resale value.

 

[Blue Shirt]

Hybrid BMWs are all the rage in Europe nowadays as consumers move away from diesel cars but not yet buying into the fully electric hype.

My ex-boss recently bought a used 225i plug-in hybrid and is very happy.

I think PHEVs are the future. It removes the range anxiety from pure EVs and offers the best of both EV and ICE power plants, instant torque, braking regeneration and economy. The main concern is the battery life but every new day brings improvements in technology.

I also think battery life is not a big issue for PHEVs since you are not having to charge the battery at max current just to get to work on time, so its life is extended over that of a pure EV.

All this is theoretical to me because I have stopped caring about anything new that BMW currently produces. The glass interiors are ergonomically and aesthetically horrid, and the exteriors are just fugly.

 

[Katanator]

From what I have gathered is when something goes wrong with the battery or electric motor on the 335i active hybrid the car is not useable at all. Just double check but that is what made me hesitant as the repair cost from there is unkown, could be worthwile to find out what is worst case repair cost as these 335i hybrids are priced a lot better than the normal 335i

 

[AshG108]

@BeemerFanatic - I think this Mr. had the Hybrid and enjoyed his too. Also got it remapped if I am not mistaken. Any insights here bud?

 

[BeemerFanatic]

Hi all. It’s been a while.

I had my F30 AH for almost 8 years and there were no issues with the hybrid system. The stage2 software with DP brought it alive. Hybrid battery was able to be disconnected if ever needed and then the car would be a normal 335.
There were also no fuel benefits when it was stock so if I had to honestly choose again, I would go 335 / 330d just due to resale. SA was not ready for hybrids.

That being said, it was the best car I have ever had to date, 25-30 cars later.

 

[pieterven]

Hi @BeemerFanatic, I bought the car mentioned above, there were 2 activehybrids at WeBuyCars test drove both and one of them sounded like the battery would be ready to die. The car https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/D8F204816 is so well preserved and did all of its maintenance at BMW and the guy drove the car less than 10k km per year. I did PM you some questions say you also had one and did some modifications on it.

 

[tamgoem]

It is a use case, Hybrids do not like being parked around, they want to drive day in day out. You would also need to adapt your driving style to the hybrid life, ie coast into stops and robots, smooth inputs so that it gets you going on EV mode. I have 2 hybrids currently and when they get sold off i will replace with another hybrid. It just makes sense for weekend shopping trips or the commute to work.