Hybrid technology has been the automotive industry’s initial answer to the environmental crisis and, whether you believe it to be a crisis or not, manufacturers have invested serious amounts of time and money into, not only products, but also their business operations, in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment.

BMW have taken the bull by the horns in this respect and were the first manufacturer to appoint an environmental officer back in 1973. Today, the company’s own Sustainability Board comprises of all members of the Board of Management, who set binding targets for the company’s sustainability throughout the organisation.

Locally, BMW South Africa have taken their own steps to improve efficiency and, as of November 2011, energy usage and emissions at BMW Plant Rosslyn in Pretoria have been reduced by 50 percent since 2006 and saved the company over R50 million in the process. In partnership with the City of Tshwane, a waste-to-energy project has also been established, which sees methane gas being converted from otherwise unusable organic waste at a landfill site in Onderstepoort and piped around 8 km to BMW Plant Rosslyn, where it is used to produce either electricity via gas generators or supplement the usage of natural gas in the production process. Estimates are that this project will supply approximately 40% of Plant Rosslyn’s gas requirements.

Of course, BMW’s cars are the obvious culmination of its environmentally friendly policies, to the benefit of its customers and, if you believe all the ‘green washing’, the world’s pristine fields with their brightly contrasted colours that form the backdrop to almost every hybrid vehicle’s mugshot. Let’s give hybrid vehicles a break for a moment though, because this form of propulsion has been a longtime coming and isn’t meant to be the ‘magic pill’ to the world’s perceived climate change headache, but rather a stepping stone on the way to more efficient transport in future – in BMW’s case, the i3 and i8 electric vehicles expected to arrive in SA between April and July 2014.

BMW’s EfficientDynamics suite of energy-saving technologies begun its formulation as early as 1990, with numerous energy saving measures having been developed over the years. Today, almost every, if not all, BMWs are equipped with EfficientDynamics, which includes: direct-injection engines; engine stop/start; brake energy regeneration; electric power steering; recommended gear shift indicator; and in the case of the company’s AciveHybrid models, low rolling resistance tyres and specific aerodynamic enhancements.

It’s because of the effectiveness of EffecientDynamics that BMW could be judge as having been slow to introduce hybrid vehicles into their model portfolio. As it stands, the EfficientDynamics programme has been responsible for reducing emissions to the point where, overall, BMW’s model range offers an average of 134 kW with 157 g/km of CO2 – a ratio not easily beaten by other manufacturers. The stage seems well and truly set then, for the new ActiveHybrid 5 to be a shining example of feel-good executive motoring.

Contrary to what your initial expectations may be, the ActiveHybrid 5 is fitted with BMW’s acclaimed 3.0-litre, turbocharged, straight-six, petrol engine and not a smaller capacity 2.0-litre or even their 3.0-litre diesel unit. This means that in conjunction with its 40 kW and 210 Nm electric motor, the ActiveHybrid 5 is not only more efficient, but also slightly more powerful than the standard BMW 535i. There’s an important message here, which is that BMW’s goal is to offer performance with efficiency and never sacrifice one for the other. For this reason, the ActiveHybrid 5 is more akin to being the M5 of the hybrid world – forget the Toyota Prius, that’s not dynamic and forget the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, that’s a racing car, but the ActiveHybrid 5 is an acceptable medium between these two extremes.

The ActiveHybrid 5′s drivetrain generates a combined output of 250 kW and 450 Nm (up from 225 kW and 400 Nm of the standard 535i), which is enough to launch the car from 0 – 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. The figure you’re probably most interested in is the average fuel consumption, which BMW claims as 6.4 L/100km on the EU test cycle, however, their fine print states this figure “may vary according to the tyre format specified”, where after they quote the same figure as potentially being 7.0 L/100km. As a comparison, the 535i has an average fuel consumption of 7.9 L/100km. To BMW South Africa’s credit, their marketing materials quote the higher fuel consumption figure, which is not unreasonable as I managed to achieve 7.6 L/100km on the local launch in the Cape Winelands district.

Distinguishing features of the latest 5 Series model are few and far between, but to make sure your carbon credit converts to social merit, BMW have placed “ActiveHybrid 5” lettering on the
C-pillars and boot lid, together with galvanised slats on the kidney grille and matt chrome exhaust tips. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the only model in the 5 Series line-up available in “Bluewater” metallic paint.

Inside, the only visual clues as to the hybrid’s identity are door sill strips bearing “ActiveHybrid 5” lettering, an aluminium plate on the centre console with the same ID, a unique engine cover and the words “ActiveHybrid Power Unit” on the special casing that houses the lithium-ion battery found in the luggage area. Apart from these subtle reminders, there’s not much to indicate that you’re sitting in a hybrid and means that the 5 continues to offer all the performance, luxury and passenger accommodation of the standard model, save for a boot that’s 145-litres smaller (375-litres) due to the battery pack.

From behind the steering wheel, the ActiveHybrid 5 remains as familiar to drive as any other 5 Series in the range, but there are a few notable differences too. First of all, if the battery has enough power, and the engine is already at operating temperature, the car will start, without a sound, in electric mode. A blue graphic below the rev counter informs the driver of the battery charge status at all times and hybrid-specific information can be called up on the iDrive display, which shows energy flow and recuperation, as well as fuel consumption history. In addition, the car’s sat-nav system takes into account the electric drive components and able to plan routes accordingly for better efficiency.

The electric motor is located within the housing of the eight-speed automatic transmission, which sends drive to the rear wheels. The ActiveHybrid 5 can run exclusively on this electric motor and its battery power at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The battery is charged whilst the car is braking, but also while coasting. With the DDC (Dynamic Drive Control) set to ‘Eco-Pro’ mode (other options are Comfort, Sport and Sport+), the ActiveHybrid 5 will switch off and decouple the petrol engine at every available opportunity at speeds of up to 160 km/h. The coasting mode is unobtrusive and recharges the battery from the kinetic energy already built up. In addition, engine stop/start technology is supplemented by the electric motor, which will drive the car as far as available charge allows, or depending on how much acceleration is needed, before restarting the engine. Under heavy acceleration, the electric motor is also used to improve performance, as reflected in the 0 -100 km/h sprint time of 5.9 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than the 535i.

From a safety perspective, the ActiveHybrid 5 remains as safe as any other 5 Series model, with a Euro NCAP safety rating of 5-stars. In a collision, high-strength load-bearing structures and deformation zones help to keep impact forces away from the passenger cell and also from the hybrid drive components. All elements of the high-voltage electrical system are protected by extensive insulation and specially designed connectors that can sever the electrical system completely depending on the severity of an impact. The battery is encased in a special housing and its positioning between the rear-wheel arches also offers improved security in the event of a crash.

It’s clear then that the ActiveHybrid 5 is indeed a shining example of BMW’s EfficientDynamics strategy – which has performance with efficiency as its motto – and by so doing, will reward its owner with a feel-good motoring experience. The only problem with the ActiveHybrid 5 is that the 535i pretty much ticks all these boxes already, and for R78 000 less, so it looks like BMW maybe victims of their own success in this instance. Could a similar scenario play out with the ActiveHybrid 7 and ActiveHybrid 3 due to be launched this year? We’ll have to wait and see.

Prices include a 5-year/100 000 km service plan with 24-hour roadside assistance.