What's this all about?
Frankfurt, inevitably (Isn't every piece of motoring news right now?). Specifically BMW's exhibition at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. We've known for some time that the BMW building (to call it a 'stand' would be a gross under-sell) would house 12,000 square metres of floor space over two floors, through which a 400m test track will wind. Now we know what cars will occupy the space and though there aren't any surprises, it's still well worth dedicating some of your time to if you're heading over to Germany for the show.
Go on then, what's the star of the stand?
Electrification, in a word. While Frankfurt plays host to the world premieres of an all-new BMW 7 Series and X1, a facelifted 3 Series line-up and the awesome M6 GT3 customer racer, it's the technology behind them all that is the real star. And while there are loads of conventional fuel-saving measures, apps and driver assist systems for BMW to present to the audience from its vast 50m long stage (20 times a day no less) the strong theme for the show will be plug-in hybrid technology, as pioneered by the mighty BMW i8.
So are there new i models to drool over?
Not quite, instead a load of 'e' models using technology borrowed from the i division. So the new 7 Series is offered in 740e guise (which comes with official economy of 134.5mpg and emissions of 49g/km); the facelifted 3 Series range features the 330e (252hp, 148.7mpg and 44g/km); and there's the first sighting of the 225xe.
BMW's naming is making me dizzy; what's that last one?
It's the 225xe Active Tourer, based on BMW's front-drive, five-seat compact MPV. The 'e' in the name signifies plug-in hybrid capability and the 'x' means it has four-wheel drive. But BMW has done something rather clever to pack all that into the neat dimensions of the 2 Series Active Tourer body without any loss of practicality.
I'm listening.
The 225xe adopts the BMW i8's concept of a single power source on each axle, but reverses it. So up front there's a 136hp petrol engine (the three-cylinder turbocharged 1.5-litre) mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, while the rear wheels are driven (with no mechanical linkage to the front) by an electric motor. This produces 88hp when up to speed and 165Nm of torque from rest so it's man enough to propel the 2 Series Active Tourer at speeds of up to 78mph. Though presumably you'll never see the theoretical 25-mile electric only range if you aim for that for too long. The motor draws energy from a 7.7kWh lithium-ion battery, which can be charged on the move or via a socket found behind the left front wheel. Depending on the conditions, speed and driving mode selected the 225xe can be front-, rear- or four-wheel drive.
Sounds clever. What'll she do mister?
In terms of straight line performance, the 225xe is none-too-shabby. It dispatches the 0-62mph sprint in just 6.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 125mph (though the maximum speed at which four-wheel drive is possible is 78mph). Its official efficiency figures are impressive too, at 141.2mpg and 46g/km, though of course the former is only possible over short distances with a fully charged battery. Still, if used properly it should be quite economical.
There's a downside, right?
Not that we know of as yet. It looks almost identical to a regular 2 Series Active Tourer (charging flap and badging aside) and the boot is the same size. The rear seat is raised up 30mm to accommodate the battery, but there was headroom to spare anyway.
So how much will it be?
Not cheap we suspect. No details available at the time of writing.
Shane O' Donoghue - 2 Sep 2015