Being green no longer means being green, but it still stands for being green. Let me try that again. You buy a hybrid and are or not green but not necessarily green. I think that one’s worse than the first. Last try. You can purchase a hybrid version of an existing model to be green but because it has more power, it’s not automatically green, but you can promenade as being green because the car’s a hybrid. I think that’s the one.
Case in point: the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7. The BMW 7-Series is a very highly recognized and sought-after premium flagship luxury car. It’s big, expensive, powerful, comfortable and not really green to the average onlooker, though they’re probably green with envy at the sight of the car. No, the V8- or V12-powered saloon is far from giving off an impression of environmental responsibility and conscience. Enter the ActiveHybrid 7.
Hybrid power
Instead of being the sensible choice, the BMW ActiveHybrid is quite nearly the performance variant of the 7-Series, with a twist. Its twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 and advanced lithium-ion hybrid system put out a combined 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. These numbers are respectively 55 and 66 more than from the conventional 750i’s turbocharged V8. Twist number two is that CO2 emissions are down to 220 g/km vs. the non-hybrid’s 260 g/km. Also, fuel consumption has dropped by roughly 20% according to BMW, however my test returned an average of 13.5L per 100 km, more or less 750i numbers.
Hybrid or not, here’s an analogy to understand the power that this car has: Imagine if you could stop the rushing Niagara Falls momentarily and then, let them rush back down the side of the cliff but in slow motion... No? I think I’ve been working too hard today. As the turbos spool up, monstrous swells of boost flow through the intake manifold creating gobs of power which is channelled through the 8-speed autobox, then sent to the rear wheels, thrusting the car to 100 km/h in 5 seconds. Whew!
 |
| The BMW ActiveHybrid is quite nearly the performance variant of the 7-Series, with a twist. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Case in point: the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7. The BMW 7-Series is a very highly recognized and sought-after premium flagship luxury car. It’s big, expensive, powerful, comfortable and not really green to the average onlooker, though they’re probably green with envy at the sight of the car. No, the V8- or V12-powered saloon is far from giving off an impression of environmental responsibility and conscience. Enter the ActiveHybrid 7.
Hybrid power
Instead of being the sensible choice, the BMW ActiveHybrid is quite nearly the performance variant of the 7-Series, with a twist. Its twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 and advanced lithium-ion hybrid system put out a combined 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. These numbers are respectively 55 and 66 more than from the conventional 750i’s turbocharged V8. Twist number two is that CO2 emissions are down to 220 g/km vs. the non-hybrid’s 260 g/km. Also, fuel consumption has dropped by roughly 20% according to BMW, however my test returned an average of 13.5L per 100 km, more or less 750i numbers.
Hybrid or not, here’s an analogy to understand the power that this car has: Imagine if you could stop the rushing Niagara Falls momentarily and then, let them rush back down the side of the cliff but in slow motion... No? I think I’ve been working too hard today. As the turbos spool up, monstrous swells of boost flow through the intake manifold creating gobs of power which is channelled through the 8-speed autobox, then sent to the rear wheels, thrusting the car to 100 km/h in 5 seconds. Whew!
 |
| It has a twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 and advanced lithium-ion hybrid system that puts out a combined 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |