I chose '18 40e after my previous '15 35i lease expired. I was hoping BMW X5 Hybrid can bring the extra kick during the acceleration, the better mileage in long distance, and the quiet and efficient low-emission ride in the local.
I didn't get the pure EV, and hope this Hybrid can save me the time not to wait for the single battery charge (1+hr) in the middle of the trips, and prevent the hassles to get EV charged in the hotels or garages over nights.
To me, this 2.0 liter engine is sufficient most of time, but I hate its loud noise. With the battery power, the 40e moves well and accelerates smoothly, better than my 35i. As deutsch100 mentioned above, your experience is totally changed (or may be ruined) when the battery is depleted. This heavy X5 makes the engine work harder and louder (but the car can still be easily moving around). The MPG is worse than my '15 X5 35i when only using this 2.0 liter engine.
So I'm still trying to figure out what's the efficient way to ride this 40e, in the local, in the congestion stop & go traffic in Manhattan, and in the highway.
My daily drive is currently mixed with the short highway (10-20 miles), and spending most of time in local and traffic. I drive fully electric locally as long as I can charge at home, in the apartment garage, in the office parking lot, etc. I don't have to visit the gas station until 700-1K miles.
My '15 X5 35i used to have 400-500 miles per tank in the highway, and this 40e is around 300-400 miles or less.
To reduce the frustration level of being the owner of 40e, I'd suggest that you need to have EVSE Level 2 charger installed in your garage, or you should have the easy access to Level 2 in your parking location. IMHO, Level 1 or Level 2 will make your life totally different.
I hope BMW can give this Hybrid the 35i engine or something much better. And BMW must increase the battery size. 9kWh is not very useful. This hybrid doesn't have to carry 20 gallons tank at all. BMW should expand the size of battery and may consider moving them to the bottom of the vehicle if they can.
Note: I start to miss the 15-seconds sound when the cold engine starts in my '15 X5 35i.
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