A new 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is actually a hybrid automobile that bears little resemblance to a Toyota Prius or other similar hybrids. Gasoline efficiency is exactly what you think of when you think hybrid however the BMW hybrid is not that fuel efficient. Although the 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 is going to save on fuel compared to its other 7-series siblings, its ride in stop and go traffic is iffy and the power steering gets turned off in idle stop. It's really a great innovation in motor vehicle technology but its quirkiness when driving can get annoying.

The application of an electric motor in a hybrid shows that the gas-powered motor is smaller but in the case of the BMW, it is not. Most hybrids reduce gasoline costs even while maintaining power, but BMW saw the extra power, and decided to make their cars go faster. Typically the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 has got the same engine, a twin turbo direct-injection 4.4-liter V-8, as the regular BMW 750i. The only real variation is the introduction of an electric motor than gets its power from a 120-volt lithium ion battery pack. The hybrid provides you with better fuel useage than the regular 750i but provide even more horsepower.

Many hybrids are able to switch to all-electric mode but the ActiveHybrid 7 does not do that. It is much like the Integrated Motor Assist System of the Honda where the engine is going to shut down at stops and will add boost during acceleration. When you happen to be in the driver's seat, you will not even know that you are in a hybrid, but it has a blue area in the fuel gauge, which shows when the car is having electricity regenerated by its momentum. If the car stops at a traffic light, you'll know that it is a hybrid, by the engine going soundless and the tach needle drops to zero. Whenever you take the foot off of the brake, the engine comes back on smoothly which is impressive considering the size of the engine.

While you are parked at a traffic light that is really prolonged, that is when the idle stop system works well, but not quite as well in stop-and-go traffic. For reasons yet unknown, the vehicle will power down for 5 seconds at a time even in stop-and-go traffic. Additionally, it takes getting used to the degree of power, because the vehicle lunges forward with the slightest touch of the accelerator. Just how the car was created, it is not a green car but rather a car that uses the hybrid system to add more power while improving fuel efficiency somewhat.

As soon as you imagine a hybrid, you think of fuel efficiency, and while the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is more efficient that the standard BMW 7-series, it only gets around 20 miles per gallon. Although that is great for a luxury sport vehicle that isn't all that much for a hybrid.