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BMW Innovations And 2016 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer eDrive - Henny's First Drive +VIDEO


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2016 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer eDrive

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel


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MIRAMAS, France - July 1, 2015: At the BMW test facility located in Miramas in southern France, BMW presented some of its latest innovation, two of which are ready for production. The first the plug-in hybrid system for the 2 Series Active Tourer, the second water injection for their turbo engines, more on this in another report. Furthermore, the Germans also showed us a research prototype acquainted with the current state of affairs with respect to fuel cell technology

Today, I will tell more about the upcoming 2 Series Active Tourer eDrive. The crossover based on the platform of the 2 Series has become very popular in Europe and especially in my country The Netherlands. Obviously BMW has hit the right chord by bring out this model. There has been some negative comment about the Bavarian car manufacturer starting to offer models in different niche segments. But their marketing gurus certainly know their business.


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BMW 2 Series Active Tourer eDrive PHEV/span>
Since the introduction in October 2014, in the Low Lands, around 2,200 units have been sold. That may not seem much, but here, the model is now BMW’s second best selling model, with the 3 Series at place one.

I reported earlier that there were quite some BMW-fans who hated to see a model of their beloved brand with front-wheel drive. But the development engineers have done s good job and the Active Tourer indeed offers a sporty ride. Some 65 per cent of the buyers are new to the BMW brand and that is quite an achievement. They must have had no prejudices about front-wheel drive and must have chosen the new BMW because of its looks and premium fit and finish.

That a PHEV was in the pipeline, was a given fact when BMW announced that this year is the year of the plug-in hybrid models. We have already driven the X5 xDrive 40e and this week, I went to BMW’s Miramas test facility in the Provence in southern France.


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The engineers presented the technology that is hidden under the skin of the 2 AT. It is based on the concept of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. “But, it is the next step,” said Uwe Seitz, project leader for the PEHEV-model. The packaging had to be adapted to the of the 2 Series and to the front wheel drive architecture.


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In this case BMW placed the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine in the front together with a 6-speed gearbox. The electromotor has an integrated 2-speed box and sits in the rear. Compared to a 225i xDrive model, this adds some 150 kg or 330 pounds.


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The gasoline engine produces 100 kW/136 hp and 220 Nm/162 pound-feet of torque/electric motor has 65 kW/88 hp and 136 Nm/100 lb-ft of torque. With combined power of 220 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque, the new model can accelerate in some 6.5 seconds from 0-62 mph and reach a top speed of 205 km/h/ 127 mph. Its 7.7 kWh (net 85 kWh) battery delivers energy for up to 24 miles electric drive and for a maximum speed of 80 mph.

You will understand that when you drive that fast, the energy will be used after a very short distance. Important for the CO2 emission is the fuel consumption that is only 2.0 liter per 100 km, or, converted 137 mpg. The range of the 2 AT eDrive is 342 miles. The battery can be charged via a wall box in 2.15 hours and via socket in 3.15 hours.


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The technology allows the xDrive system to automatically figure out if all-wheel drive is needed. It will depend of several factors, such as the weight of the car – think of the number of passengers and their luggage, of the road conditions and the angle of the road ahead. We climbed a pretty steep ‘hill’ on the test track without any problem. But also without any notice of the technology doing its ‘secret’ mathematics for the optimal distribution of torque to the wheels.


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You will have noticed that the drive line offers a good amount of torque, which we used at the test track with a lot of pleasure. The car feels dynamic and fast and is pretty stable during cornering, thanks to its (low) extra weight.

Very convenient is the possibility to pre-cool or pre-heat the car before you want to drive away. As we noticed at Miramas, where the temperatures reached the 90 degree bracket already early in the morning.

BMW has announced this year to be their year of the PHEV. We know already that the X5 xDrive 40e will be on some world wide markets in the fall. The 2 Series Active Tourer eDrive will arrive in Europe in 2016, followed by the PHEV-model of the 3 Series and the 7 Series. I think we will soon see more Bavarian PHEV models pretty soon.




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