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| My loaner: A 2011 Convertible 135i. If this doesn't get me back into gas, nothing will. |
Just like the MINI-E program, the participants have to bring the cars in every 5,000 miles or every three months whichever comes first. Since I drive a lot, I'm taking the car in every seven or eight weeks.
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| The guilty gear. Luckily mine was fine. |
The service usually takes one full day, but this time BMW wanted to thoroughly check the main drive gear because there are some ActiveEs that are suffering a failure of this gear. It appears a few cars had the gear splines strip from a lack of lubrication. I'm not sure if the cause was a failure to properly lubricate the gear during manufacturing, or if there is a problem that allows moisture to infiltrate the gear and wash away the lubrication, but a couple of cars have had total gear failure so now all of the cars are having their motors dropped and the gear inspected.
Mine was fine and I had the car back in three days. However this post isn't about my car and the service visit, it's about what I was given to drive as a loaner while JMK BMW was servicing my car.
When I dropped off the car, I was handed the keys to a bright red 135i convertible. It packed a 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-6 engine with 300 hp and 300 lb-ft torque. By comparison my ActiveE has 170 hp, 184 lb-ft torque and weighs 400 lbs more. We don't have to line up both cars to prove which one is faster because there really isn't anything to debate. The 135i is a rocket and I have to admit I had some fun with it when I was driving back from the dealer.
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| I tried to plug in - didn't work |
However it didn't take long for the fun to wear off a bit and leave me wanting for my ActiveE. After driving electric for over three years now, I guess I'm just ruined for life. If this red-hot convertible with 300 hp, paddle shifters and the "M" interior package didn't make me want to go back to an ICE, then I guess I'm just a lost cause, hopefully hooked on electric drive for good. While it was definitely a fun car to tool around in, it definitely lacked the sophistication of the smooth, effortless torque of the ActiveE. The 135i would scream at it's red-line and vibrations are felt right up through the steering wheel. There's none of that driving an EV; you get all of the power the car has without any lag or needing to get the RPMs up; it's there instantly when you need it regardless of your speed.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in driving the 135i was the lack of regenerative braking that I've grown so accustomed to. I actually had to use the pedal on the left...a LOT! The strong regenerative braking on the ActiveE (and the MINI-E before) improves the driving experience immensely. Everyone I know who has an EV with it complains when they drive a gas car without regenerative braking. They are like, "I can't believe I used to drive gas cars and actually like it!" And I feel the same. While being brutally fast it also felt primitive. It jerked and lunged back & forth, had a noticeable lag between the time I pressed the gas pedal and the time the car took off and the roar of the engine, something I used to love, was just an annoyance now. I love the peaceful quietness of the ActiveE's cabin, it definitely enhances the driving experience in my opinion. OK, I guess I'm officially an EV snob, looking down my nose at gas cars forever!
When I parked at the dealer to return the car, I reached down and swiped my finger across the exhaust tip to get a nice supply of pollution sludge that builds up inside the exhaust. Nice! I can just imagine how much your lungs must love filtering out this crap when you breathe it in. No thanks, I think I'll pass from now on. Give me a solar powered electric car and I'm good to go.
So if you see me out driving on the roads somewhere and for some reason I don't wave and say hello, don't take it personally. It's not about you, it's your car I'm no longer talking to ;)
