2017 BMW 740e
The 740e's most direct plug-in hybrid rivals in the eco-luxury stratosphere will be Porsche's Panamera S E-Hybrid ($94,250 to start) and the Mercedes-Benz S550e ($96,575), but it will be the one bringing all-wheel drive to the party.
It also will have the smallest gasoline engine in its gas-electric powertrain. In contrast to its rivals' 3.0-liter V-6 engines, the 740e uses a twin-turbo 2.0-liter four cylinder producing 255 horsepower. Combined with the electric motor, the hybrid system's total output is 322 hp and 369 pounds-feet of torque. BMW says the system can move the big sedan from zero to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, less than a second slower than the V-8-powered 750i.
The transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic (with paddle shifters) and the permanent all-wheel-drive system has an electronic multi-plate clutch that can fully shift torque among the wheels.
The 740e features driver-selectable system configurations: Auto eDrive is the default at start-up and lets the computer decide the most efficient combination of gas and electric power; Max eDrive prioritizes running on electricity, which the car can do up to 75 mph, according to BMW. BMW also says the 740e xDrive iPerformance will be EPA-rated for 14 miles of all-electric range and overall gas-electric fuel economy of 64 mpg-equivalent in combined city/highway driving. The automaker did not give an estimate for gasoline-only fuel economy.
The 2016 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid is EPA-rated 51 mpg-e combined city/highway, 25 mpg combined on gasoline only. The 2016 Mercedes-Benz S550e is rated 58 mpg-e and 26 mpg. And the hybrid's 2016 sibling gasoline-only 740i is EPA-rated 21/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined.
The 740e has selectable drive modes - which alter accelerator, steering, transmission and standard adaptive suspension settings - that include Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Adaptive. The latter senses your actions on the controls and combines that with navigation data to try to know what you want before you do, adapting the settings to your driving style and the route characteristics. The instrument and central displays include graphics specific to the hybrid systems operation.
Charging the 9.2 kilowatt-hour battery via a 120-volt household plug will take less than seven hours or less than three with a 240-volt BMW Charging Station. The car also comes with an access card for BMW-partner public charging stations. The car be set to heat or cool ahead of time while charging or parked, including via a phone app.
The 740e varies little in appearance from the regular model but does include eDrive badges on the rear pillars and doors, the logo from BMW's "i" electric car line on the front fenders and the division's signature blue color trim for the grille bars and wheels hubs.
As with the other 7 Series models, the new plug-in hybrid version benefits from extensive weight reduction with the redesign that includes extensive use of carbon fiber. And it comes with a similarly long list of standard and optional luxuries, electronic driver and safety aids, and media technology, including the novel gesture control for the multimedia system.
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