Quote:
Originally Posted by zon
Regarding fuel economy and the value proposition...
If you lease an AH3, the monthly cost is almost a wash compared to an equivalent 335i. This is because even a 3-4 mpg improvement saves about $30 a month (if you drive about 1K miles/month). Then, there's the $3500 ECO credit which is still available. Before the ECO credit, the AH3 had higher residuals. Without the ECO credit or higher residuals, it's a harder sell.
Considering the monthly cost is about the same for a lease (or only marginally higher), it's a personal choice.
The positives are:
- Eboost: The extra thrust you get from the electric motor. I haven't fully started indulging in this yet, but I can feel it even in part throttle. Would be nice to see an instrumented test from some magazine on this. For now, it's pure seat-of-the-pants.
- The hybrid aspects are very entertaining. The novelty will probably wear off after a while, but rolling just on battery power feels really nice, even if it's just through a drive-thru.
- ASS is seamless because of the hybrid differences.
- The new Nav/Idrive is available now
The negatives are:
- Extra weight. I think you'd have to be driving at 9/10ths to really feel any difference. For me, it's not a factor, but some might be more sensitive to this.
- Engine mods like PPK has an uncertain future. Don't know if it'll be available for the AH3.
I'm focusing on leasing here. Buying the AH3 would require more thought, as I would be more concerned about re-sale, long-term reliability, etc.
This and other aspects have been discussed by SamS, jdong, MotoEV and others in other AH3 threads.
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Nice summary, and I agree with all your points.
Buying was a better option for me. I had a sizable trade-in, so I only needed to finance <half of the selling price. I'm looking to pay it off in 2-3 years (well before the warranty is up) and likely move into something else. Maybe an M3 sedan? Or M4 Gran Coupe? Or maybe BMW will even make a Gran Coupe ActiveHybrid? I just wanted some additional flexibility in the next 2-4 years, so buying was the best option for me.