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