40e opinions

[sor]

Hi guys. I've found a few threads here regarding the 40e, but they're all rather old, like over a year.

I've been contemplating moving the family on from a minivan to an SUV, mostly because I'm tired of Toyota Sienna and want to keep AWD.

I'm sure my wife would roll her eyes at an X5 as I just got a new X3 M40i, but the 40e has some potential appeal as a plug-in.

Most of her driving is less than 10 miles per day, am I right in thinking she would not need to visit the gas station under these circumstances, or is it impractical to drive fully electric?

Have they been holding up over the last two years?

[wordsworth03]

If she is truly driving less than 10 miles per day total, she may be able to get away driving in full electric mode with a few caveats:

1. If you live in an area that gets close to or below freezing, she may not make it 10 miles because heating the car is extremely inefficient.

2. She would have to remember to place the car in “Max eDrive” mode every single time she got in the car. Otherwise, the slightest hill or any sort of aggressive acceleration will force the engine to kick on.

3. If you live in a very hilly area, the engine will still kick on, even in Max eDrive mode.

I think if she just drove the car regularly without thinking about changing the drive modes, she would still visit the gas station very, very infrequently.

[sor]

Originally Posted by wordsworth03

If she is truly driving less than 10 miles per day total, she may be able to get away driving in full electric mode with a few caveats:

1. If you live in an area that gets close to or below freezing, she may not make it 10 miles because heating the car is extremely inefficient.

2. She would have to remember to place the car in “Max eDrive” mode every single time she got in the car. Otherwise, the slightest hill or any sort of aggressive acceleration will force the engine to kick on.

3. If you live in a very hilly area, the engine will still kick on, even in Max eDrive mode.

I think if she just drove the car regularly without thinking about changing the drive modes, she would still visit the gas station very, very infrequently.

Thanks. We do live in a hilly area. I wonder if there are still benefits to the plug-in if we can't get around on electric and just drive it in mixed mode like a hybrid. I guess there's more energy in the system and will probably go farther. I'm thinking there's a potential it will be similar to something like the Acura MDX hybrid with an added hassle of having to plug in.

It doesn't seem like there's much interest in the 40e on this forum, perhaps I need to find an EV enthusiast site. I'm interested in hearing experiences like how it performs if you regularly forget to plug in (hopefully comparable to standard hybrid), user MPG observed, etc.

[deutsch100]

BMW bought me out of my 2017 40e X5. The all electric range is rarely as high as stated. When the battery is depleted, you are driving around in a small 2.0 4 cylinder engine. Now, being fair....the 4 cylinder engine in the 40e is surprisingly peppy, but it sounds like shit IMO! I think it's crazy to spend over $70k for a 4 cylinder engine in a big, heavy SUV. If the battery was bigger/lasted longer then we would not have to rely on the small, little 4 banger....but TRUST me, even for short distances you will be using the gas engine, more than the battery. Also, 40e resale values are rubbish
Since the 40e is large and heavy, the 4 cyl. engine has to work hard, and I found mpg to be not great at all. BMW got me into a 2017 X5 xDrive 35d and I easily travel 500+ miles per tank, up to 600 miles easily on the highway. You will NEVER get this with the 40e.

[Violator]

I had a 2018 40e as a loaner, no way I’d buy one. Battery lasted a few miles, then the normal operating motor felt very weak and sluggish.

[sor]

It may not be much for what regular BMW owners are used to, but I have to think the i4 motor by itself would be comparable to what my wife has now with her Sienna. The power to weight ratios are similar, and the BMW being turbocharged probably has more usable low end power.

Still, has me looking more at the Volvo XC90 T8, which has more horsepower and torque available when electric is low.

[smyles]

With the expected <10 miles/day, why not a used i3? They can be had dirt cheap nowadays ( yes, I know - ugly, tiny wheels, etc etc) , but unless she needs a large vehicle, why not?

Personally for a short commute I'd get i3 and enjoy 0 maintenance for a long period.

[sor]

She wants to be able to pick up furniture occasionally. We also need at least five seats occasionally, being the family car.

[retx]

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.

[jonboyglx]

I am quickly approaching one year into my 17 40e lease. Here are my thoughts:

I use the car to travel to and from work mainly and each way is 11 miles. I do also live in a hilly area so going to work has a lot of downhills. After 11 miles I usually have around 40-50% battery remaining. I put the car into Max e-Drive every time I get into it. I also coded the car to start in Sport mode so I get the extra brake regen.

Coming home from work has a lot of uphills and during the warm days I can make it home with about 15% battery. Again Max-eDrive is on. On the colder days most days the battery runs out around 1-2 miles from home.

Doing this regularly I am averaging between 65-70 MPG meaning I can go anywhere from 1200-1500 miles per tank. This will also include some trips to see family etc that requires the engine.

Even in Max e-Drive if you go too fast up a hill (I have noticed it around 38 MPH) the engine will come on no matter how light on the gas you are.

The battery is considered discharged when the gauge shows around 6-7% remaining. The transitions are always smooth which is nice.

I agree the engine is not the best sounding however go drive some cheaper brands and hear how their 4 cylinders sound and I think you can accept the way it sounds.

Even if you are out of battery the car will always keep a minimum charge level so if you need the extra power you will have it. I have never felt that the car is underpowered.

I like that I can drive a pretty big car and get the mileage I am getting. I was considering a Durango before getting the X5 and I just couldn't come to terms with getting 15MPG all the time. I am hoping when my lease i up I can go to a full electric car.

[sor]

Thanks, that sounds about like the experience I would have expected based on the information and materials I've read. Good to hear a first hand long term experience.

[admranger]

I like my X5 40e. I have used it here in the DC area for my commute for over a year. I only have a 4.9 mile commute and in mild/moderate weather I can go fully on battery. So much so that the normal car battery gets low and I have to put it on the battery charger! I can go 1000 miles between fill ups though, so there's some advantage to that. Level II charger is a game changer as you can make multiple short trips during the weekend since you always have a full battery.

I've also driven this from Vegas to DC, loaded to the hilt w/no issues. I always had the power I needed.

[askforcharliek]

I've only had mine since the end of December. The electric range has improved as the weather has warmed. Last tank of gas was 700 miles. My daily commute is 17 miles each way with a good amount of traffic and hilly terrain. Since this is a new technology I leased this one. So far, so good. It is great that you can precondition the car for the cold New England winters and have a warm cabin ready for departure.

[BMWNordics]

I've been pretty happy with mine, when it's -5C to 0C, my commute is showing 1.8L/100km (130,6mpg)...but I'm from Finland and it was -26C two weeks ago. That kills the mileage completely.

However, diesel is dead here - my previous car was MB ML/GLE with the small 250CDI "engine", not only was it the most unreliable thing ever made, it had a yearly owners fee of 700 euros, and it needed AdBlue and the system had to be maintained for a whopping 2000 euros because the AdBlue sensors die out after a couple of years. And once the AdBlue warning comes up, you have 400 miles until the car has to be towed.

40e has a yearly owners fee of 170 euros, can park to e-spots, almost silent, no wonky diesel technology to save the whales or whatever, and pretty much all the extras (here you have to pay taxes on extras so the hybrids are loaded). And I can charge it up at work for free.

[Zagga]

The 40e is no doubt a great car but I do disagree with all this green rubbish people spout when talking about hybrid and all electric cars. The assumption is, as it does 70mpg and doesn't burn fossil fuels its a good thing and owners can pat themselves on the back for not driving a diesel/petrol. This is also reflected by government that support the use of these vehicles and incentivise them via tax breaks.

Last time I looked, many countries still burn fossil fuels to produce electricity that very regularly fuel these cars. The batteries used to store this energy are mainly manufactured from plastics. The battery technology uses inside contain very toxic chemicals and the life cycles of these batteries are much shorter than any petrol or diesel engine meaning problematic future disposal.

I personally feel the real green credentials of these cars is much, much less and governments will be doing u-turns on recommending them as they become increasingly popular, just as they have done with diesel.

Sorry for the rant!

[sor]

Originally Posted by Zagga

The 40e is no doubt a great car but I do disagree with all this green rubbish people spout when talking about hybrid and all electric cars. The assumption is, as it does 70mpg and doesn't burn fossil fuels its a good thing and owners can pat themselves on the back for not driving a diesel/petrol. This is also reflected by government that support the use of these vehicles and incentivise them via tax breaks.

Last time I looked, many countries still burn fossil fuels to produce electricity that very regularly fuel these cars. The batteries used to store this energy are mainly manufactured from plastics. The battery technology uses inside contain very toxic chemicals and the life cycles of these batteries are much shorter than any petrol or diesel engine meaning problematic future disposal.

I personally feel the real green credentials of these cars is much, much less and governments will be doing u-turns on recommending them as they become increasingly popular, just as they have done with diesel.

Sorry for the rant!

Perhaps that's right. I'm not really in a position to debate it as I don't really know the facts. I do know that there's a record amount of electricity coming from renewable sources, at least in the US and Europe, and natural gas plants are very clean compared to burning petrol or diesel. Tesla seems to think they can recycle their batteries, but who knows what that involves.

Environment aside, I do think it's probably a good thing to get away from being totally dependent on oil countries economically, electric cars at least provide some flexibility.

As for me, I simply want to avoid the pump as much as possible. I usually end up pumping gas for both me and the wife. If she can just plug in, and can go get gas once every other month instead of every other week that would be great. Plug in hybrid also seems like a good way to dip your toes into electric without having to deal with charging on long trips.

[P1]

After two 30d and one 40d, my father seems to be pretty happy with his 40e. But he lives in Europe, where there are still some very nice breaks associated with owning and driving a hybrid, especially as a business owner.

Personally, once the technology matures and you'll be able to get even 50 or so miles on a full charge, it'll make the concept a lot more appealing.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by Zagga

The 40e is no doubt a great car but I do disagree with all this green rubbish people spout when talking about hybrid and all electric cars. The assumption is, as it does 70mpg and doesn't burn fossil fuels its a good thing and owners can pat themselves on the back for not driving a diesel/petrol. This is also reflected by government that support the use of these vehicles and incentivise them via tax breaks.

Last time I looked, many countries still burn fossil fuels to produce electricity that very regularly fuel these cars. The batteries used to store this energy are mainly manufactured from plastics. The battery technology uses inside contain very toxic chemicals and the life cycles of these batteries are much shorter than any petrol or diesel engine meaning problematic future disposal.

I personally feel the real green credentials of these cars is much, much less and governments will be doing u-turns on recommending them as they become increasingly popular, just as they have done with diesel.

Sorry for the rant!

I bought mine when I lived in Vegas and had solar. It was essentially free for me to charge the car up. My annual (ANNUAL) electric bill was $300. It used to be over that PER MONTH from May - Oct before I put the solar panels on. So for me it made economic sense to get the hybrid when i got a new X5.

[limtep]

Coming from Malaysia, we don't have problems with cold weathers but just my 6 mths experience with my 40e :

Likes -

(i) travel daily to work, bumper to bumper 90% of the time in the morning and 30% in the evening, i managed 12 miles on e-mode (i only charge once a day at home)
(ii) 6 months average consumption 5.5l/100km...i guess roughly 43mpg..that is almost half of what i get from my previous 3.0l turbocharged diesel Land Cruiser Prado (weighing almost the same) - full tank lasts 1.5 mths on avg b4 i had to hit the pumps
(iii) loving the electric acceleration, even in Comfort mode.
(iv) noise insulation is generally quite good notwithstanding u can still hear the grunt of the petrol if you go above 3k rpm on quick acceleration
(v) the auto-Hold function is godsend in bumper-bumper traffic

Dislikes -

(i) Only 5 seater compared to XC90 n my old LC (do use the max 7 seats for short drives when family is in town visiting)
(ii) Can only drive mine as if she's a princess, lower ground clearance means big no-no to any form of offroads (even the slightest ankle deep water wading or curb riding would be avoided) - i used to drive my old LC thru flood waters (it doesn't snow here but it pours...think tropical thunder storms), park on curbs, ramp up hills etc...
(iii) lost some traffic visibility due to lower ride compared to say XC90 n my LC

[Pkitch]

When I test drove it I didn't expect to pull the trigger on it...

I have had mostly 'fast' beamers historically, but the reality the ability to use even a percentile of performance the majority of the time diminishes each year as traffic (and policing of it) increases, though of course sometimes I do miss the screaming S65!

Had my X5 e40 for 10 months now and really enjoy it. I vastly underestimated how much I disliked visiting the gas/petrol station every couple of days (hello 4.4 V8 twin turbo). I now hate doing so, and so avoiding is one of the elements I enjoy the most - averaging 700-800 miles typically between filling up.

Another element I love is being able to precondition the cabin via the App, this is a godsend in the summer and a luxury in the winter.

For the naysayers in performance, drive it in Sport mode - engine stays on during all load and see if you still feel it is underpowered, though this is a little against the 'green' argument, but its nice to have options.

For the ability to do 90% of my personal normal driving <10miles is amazing. Yes in electric mode you are underpowered, but the power is sufficient for 97% of the time during commute or running errands. When its not the engine kicks in instantly and all is well.

I think at price point economy in terms of $ saving is kind of a moot point, but again for me, dropping the gas station visits is fantastic.

As far as the 'green' argument and especially relevant for the Euro drivers - diesel has been recently shown to be largely a scam in terms of 'acceptable' emissions, Legislature is quickly writing this option out of the equation. I would agree on the concept of fossil fuels being used extensively to generate electricity, but this is due to public resistance and/or lobby groups (in the US for sure) blocking other solutions.

Bottom line, if you're shopping this model, I would definitely test out the 40e as long as it has a full charge, you might be surprised.

[jhallonline]

How are you liking the e40 so far?

[Mdlooker]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

BMW bought me out of my 2017 40e X5. The all electric range is rarely as high as stated. When the battery is depleted, you are driving around in a small 2.0 4 cylinder engine. Now, being fair....the 4 cylinder engine in the 40e is surprisingly peppy, but it sounds like shit IMO! I think it's crazy to spend over $70k for a 4 cylinder engine in a big, heavy SUV. If the battery was bigger/lasted longer then we would not have to rely on the small, little 4 banger....but TRUST me, even for short distances you will be using the gas engine, more than the battery. Also, 40e resale values are rubbish
Since the 40e is large and heavy, the 4 cyl. engine has to work hard, and I found mpg to be not great at all. BMW got me into a 2017 X5 xDrive 35d and I easily travel 500+ miles per tank, up to 600 miles easily on the highway. You will NEVER get this with the 40e.

I had the 535d and that thing was absolutely phenomenal on gas. I got over 700mi on long trips! I miss diesel gas mileage.