[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by FastMarkA

I'd figure out a way to not have a 90-mile r/t commute!

If there is a charging facility on both ends, the 50e is an easy choice.

Even still, the 50e is perfectly fine; for those distances I'd assume (I know) you'll be on a freeway and the gas engine will probably kick on for a bit in both directions. Plus, all the added benefits of the PHEV over a regular ICE.

Haha the commute is outta my hands at this point. Location - happy wife - happy life right?

Wife has a JGC hybrid and the thing is honestly such a POS it’s biased my opinion of the 2 motors working together. When the battery is depleted it charges a little bit coming to a stop then uses E only to start off the line and 30 ft later kicks on the gas and it’s so abrasive in kicking it on that it’s probably the worst driving car I’ve ever been in. The only benefit of this thing is not going to the gas station due to her using it only locally.

[cobramite]

Originally Posted by crackerjack15

It's all relative. 135 to me is slow. X7 m60i shuts down the fun at 155. However my twin turbo ~1200hp(1k whp) mustang has no limiter. Top of 5th gear is 185. And it doesn't take long to get there.

My 50e has the 20" wheels which is what I wanted. But it lowers the top speed. Like other bmw's, if you spec the 21" staggered summer tires on the 50e, does is raise top speed to 155?

Wow, 135 MPH is "slow" for you. Hope you do not have a family and god help the one that gets in your way.

[Drbob20]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

What’s the vote for someone who has a 45 mile single way commute. So one way entirely on E , no where to charge - then one way in hyrbid with battery depleted. Would you pick 40i or 50e in this scenario?

40i you’re filling up 1x a week.
50e maybe get 2 weeks out of it, right?

From what I'm understanding, in this scenario if you drove 45 miles each way using the hybrid mode you'd probably not deplete the battery on one way of the commute as the car will do it's thing and switch between battery and ICE, still leaving some juice left for the drive home, bumping up the AVG mph. I'm sure someone with real world experience can chime in and confirm.

[FastMarkA]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

When the battery is depleted it charges a little bit coming to a stop then uses E only to start off the line and 30 ft later kicks on the gas and it’s so abrasive in kicking it on that it’s probably the worst driving car I’ve ever been in. The only benefit of this thing is not going to the gas station due to her using it only locally.

To this I'd say...not all PHEV systems are created equal.

Even with a depleted battery, the 50e (and my previous 45e) were very impressive at managing capacity for those times of need.

You should see if a dealer will let you drive one for an extended period, or more specifically...drive one with a dead HV battery and see how you like it.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by FastMarkA

To this I'd say...not all PHEV systems are created equal.

Even with a depleted battery, the 50e (and my previous 45e) were very impressive at managing capacity for those times of need.

Think is more about the abrasivensss of the ICE engine kicking on that’s so horrible with the jeep. It’s loud clunky and high revving when it does.


It feels much more like there are 2 separate drive trains. The electric is great when it’s all that you need around town. But when it needs to toggle btw both its a horrific driving experience.

[cobramite]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Think is more about the abrasivensss of the ICE engine kicking on that’s so horrible with the jeep. It’s loud clunky and high revving when it does.

The Jeep PHEV system sounds as if it is far less refined than that of the BMW.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by cobramite

The Jeep PHEV system sounds as if it is far less refined than that of the BMW.

Yea I always assumed it was, but having such a horrible driving experience makes it hard to imagine these 2 components can ever fit seamlessly together. Jeep has left me tainted (not surprising, such a crap brand).

[gsquare]

Last month I did a 170 mile round trip starting with a full tank and full battery. I used battery hold to start the return trip with approximately 50% battery capacity remaining. Per the app:
Outbound: 48.2 mph average - 36.9mpg - 2.3gal total -7.7kwh - 1h48min
Return: 57.9 mph average- 35.2mpg - 2.5gal total - 7.3kwh - 1hr32mi

I’m curious as to the accuracy of the kWh figures, as I only had a few miles remaining on the battery when I arrived at home.

FWIW I used Hybrid, not Hybrid Eco Pro

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Wife has a JGC hybrid and the thing is honestly such a POS it’s biased my opinion of the 2 motors working together. When the battery is depleted it charges a little bit coming to a stop then uses E only to start off the line and 30 ft later kicks on the gas and it’s so abrasive in kicking it on that it’s probably the worst driving car I’ve ever been in. The only benefit of this thing is not going to the gas station due to her using it only locally.

Yeah, the Jeep and Ford/Lincoln PHEV SUVs are notoriously ‘clunky’ when switching between EV and ICE.

BMW has really nailed the smoothness in the 45/50e models. I don’t know of any other hybrids that work as well.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by Drbob20

Hello all,

New to the forum and will be new to BMW ownership.

I will definitely be getting a 2024 X5, the question is 40i vs. 50e.

I'm undecided. This will be a 2nd car, which will probably be driven 6000-8000 miles/year on average. 90% will be around town with 4 or 5 500-700 mile roads trips typically per year. I'd be lookin to get as close to identical build either way, M Package, Drivers assist, etc.

Is the price difference of approx. 5-6k worth getting the 50e? Money aside any advantages/disadvantages over one vs. the other performance wise, reliability, maintenance, etc.?

Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you

i would still go with the 50e. If most of your trips are relatively local and you don't do a lot of miles each year, and you can charge each day ... its a no brainer.

However, if i was you. I might consider fully electric like the iX.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

What’s the vote for someone who has a 45 mile single way commute. So one way entirely on E , no where to charge - then one way in hyrbid with battery depleted. Would you pick 40i or 50e in this scenario?

40i you’re filling up 1x a week.
50e maybe get 2 weeks out of it, right?

I think your usage is perfect for 50e before consideration of cost/mile. . First you can charge consistently everyday, the most important part of phev ownership. Then your ice/edrive usage is 50/50.

My person take is, of you do 90% edrive and 10% ice, then EV is the right car. Range anxiety is just anxiety. 10% annually usage can easily be handled by EV charging infrastructure. On the other hand, if you use ice 90% and edrive 10%, then ice is the right car. As you approach to the middle, phev makes most sense.

How is your local electricity cost?

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by apw2607

i would still go with the 50e. If most of your trips are relatively local and you don't do a lot of miles each year, and you can charge each day ... its a no brainer.

However, if i was you. I might consider fully electric like the iX.

Total agree. 400-700 mile road trip, it is like 1-2 charging session per trip, charging infrastructure definitely can handle this without too much pain. The return is daily usage, you are have longer range, more efficient EV, not lugging the 600lb ice and gas. Ev has a lot of deals and relatively easy to get today too.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by gsquare

Last month I did a 170 mile round trip starting with a full tank and full battery. I used battery hold to start the return trip with approximately 50% battery capacity remaining. Per the app:
Outbound: 48.2 mph average - 36.9mpg - 2.3gal total -7.7kwh - 1h48min
Return: 57.9 mph average- 35.2mpg - 2.5gal total - 7.3kwh - 1hr32mi

I’m curious as to the accuracy of the kWh figures, as I only had a few miles remaining on the battery when I arrived at home.

FWIW I used Hybrid, not Hybrid Eco Pro

45e or 50e? You use 7.7 kWh and 7.3kwh, total is 15. If 45e, it only has 17.1 kWh usable, so 2.1kWh or a few mile left make sense.

Any info in this trip about how many miles were driven by Edrive?

[jad03060]

I believe the reason why BMWs PHEV engine start is so smooth most of the time is that once rolling, if it needs the ICE to operate, it uses clutches in the transmission to 'tow-start' the ICE. In most cases, this is very smooth. Only from stop in some circumstances does it actually use the separate starter motor.

If on your daily commute, you used the built-in NAV, with work as a waypoint, the computer would try to maintain battery capacity for the lower-speed sections and stop and go where the EV assist is more efficient. Otherwise, it doesn't know where you're going, and uses a different algorithm to decide when to engage the ICE.

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by jad03060

I believe the reason why BMWs PHEV engine start is so smooth most of the time is that once rolling, if it needs the ICE to operate, it uses clutches in the transmission to 'tow-start' the ICE. In most cases, this is very smooth. Only from stop in some circumstances does it actually use the separate starter motor.

Agreed, it doesn't seem to need much speed to tow start the ICE. If my battery shows "---" it's still usually running off the battery at stop lights but in just a few feet you can barely feel the ICE engaging.

[davchr]

The outside diameter of both tires is exactly the same - 29.7". I don't think you are going any faster just because you have a bigger wheel.

[Drbob20]

Thank you everyone for your feedback, greatly appreciated. The order for the 50e has been placed.....
Dravit Grey
M Sport
The other M packages and a few other options.
Coming from 11yrs of Range Rover ownership I'm looking forward to a change.

[BMWrangler]

Originally Posted by Drbob20

Thank you everyone for your feedback, greatly appreciated. The order for the 50e has been placed.....
Dravit Grey
M Sport
The other M packages and a few other options.
Coming from 11yrs of Range Rover ownership I'm looking forward to a change.

Sounds exactly like my build. We've had it 10 days now and are loving it. Congrats.

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by crackerjack15

I love the 50e. It's so smooth. It eliminates my issues with start/stop, since it can pull out on electric and then seamlessly blend in the inline 6cyl. Also, while its stopped the electric powers the hvac system and it doesnt have to restart the engine for the a/c
. Its fast too! The electric motor adds a lot of torque. On the freeway at speed it oozes through traffic. Lots of torque. I had it to 135mph today. So smooth. I love the all electric around town and when cruising through shopping areas etc. I have 2600 miles on it so far in 3 weeks. No issues. When the battery is depleted it's getting 28.5 mpg.

135mph? Please check the speed rating on your tires and make sure you inflate properly when travelling over 100mph. Check your manual for proper PSI over 100mph. BTW I have done 110 in my 40i, solid as a rock!

[Phasers]

Originally Posted by eelnoraa

I think your usage is perfect for 50e before consideration of cost/mile. . First you can charge consistently everyday, the most important part of phev ownership. Then your ice/edrive usage is 50/50.

My person take is, of you do 90% edrive and 10% ice, then EV is the right car. Range anxiety is just anxiety. 10% annually usage can easily be handled by EV charging infrastructure. On the other hand, if you use ice 90% and edrive 10%, then ice is the right car. As you approach to the middle, phev makes most sense.

How is your local electricity cost?

I traded in my 45e with 10k miles. 72.5% were Electric.

I do not think I can go pure EV.

[bimmerwhale]

I will always get a gas car over e-cars as long as the law allows.
The infrastructure is just not there for charging and I have seen those long waiting lines at the charging stations.
When you buy expensive cars, you likely wouldn't care about the gas money you saved or overpaid.
Lastly, I am uncertain about newer e-cars' long term maintenance and battery life. Gas cars are in their peak form and technology. E-cars are still relatively infant and associated risks are not fully revealed or understood.

[Drbob20]

Originally Posted by bimmerwhale

I will always get a gas car over e-cars as long as the law allows.
The infrastructure is just not there for charging and I have seen those long waiting lines at the charging stations.
When you buy expensive cars, you likely wouldn't care about the gas money you saved or overpaid.
Lastly, I am uncertain about newer e-cars' long term maintenance and battery life. Gas cars are in their peak form and technology. E-cars are still relatively infant and associated risks are not fully revealed or understood.

Valid points, I took all those into consideration. Luckily I'll be able to charge at my house, which will be most of the time so I took that part out of the equation. The maintenance, who knows at this point? Time will tell......