Five-Point Inspection: 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 5

The BMW Active Hybrid 5 mates the German brand’s normally smooth turbocharged inline six-cylinder with a 0.68-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, and the result is some strange brake response. While steering feel and handling are at the typical levels of BMW smoothness, there is an inconsistency in the brake pedal which is unnerving.

Without changing right foot pressure, the car can occasionally change the amount of power being translated through to brakes, providing a disconnected feeling between brake pedal and brake calipers, or for that matter, between the driver and the road.

While numerous vehicles are fitted with different driving modes these days, many are undetectable. Not in the Active Hybrid 5. Turn the dial to Sport +, and you suddenly feel the lightning fast shifts of the eight-speed auto and the tightness suddenly present in the steering wheel, while the torquey electric motor jams you back in the seat for a quick hop to highway speeds. Similarly, turn the dial to Eco Pro, and it quickly feels as though the car suddenly packed on the pounds, dragging its heels in an effort to save fuel.

Found in the middle between extremes is Comfort and Sport, both of which are just right for everyday highway cruising, and city living, depending on your preference.

While iDrive did prove frustrating in previous iterations of BMW, an added button pad in front of the control knob has gone a long way to making the telematics systems controls easier to navigate. While not intuitive at first, once the initial learning period is over, the system does prove useful. Using a series of clearly marked windows, it is easy to sort through all of the different screens, and know what is where. Never was there a hint of lag experienced, running with typical streamlined German efficiency.

The icing on the cake? The full owners manual is accessible through iDrive, making it easy to learn more about the functions of Active Hybrid 5. There is even instructional videos complete with voice over for those who don’t feel like straining their eyes.

Bumping up to the Active Hybrid 5 Series over the other RWD 335i (which is equipped with the same engine) will cost around $8,500 and only returns an added 2 mpg combined. Around town, the Active Hybrid 5 will give you a 3 mpg gain over the 335i, rated at 23 mpg, while on the highway the Hybrid sits at the same 30 mpg as the gas only car. In our week with the car, admittedly with it stuck in Sport and Sport + mode most of the time, we managed 22 mpg.

Driving about 12,500 miles a year, and paying $4.00 for a gallon of premium fuel, you will only be saving about $160 a year, which means that you will need to own the car for at least 53 months to pay off the investment made on the hybrid system. The upgrade to the Active Hybrid 5 over the 535i does include some standard goodies like chrome accents and a 9.5-inch display screen, but still, the smart choice seems to be: stick with the conventional gas-powered 535i.

Of course, keeping the car in Eco Pro mode and paying attention to driving fuel efficiently could help these numbers quite a bit. But then why buy a BMW?

Are you looking to buy a new BMW? Check out our new cars buying section, and the BMW page.

If you’re only interested in the 5 Series ActiveHybrid, click here to price your own.