The Extra Mile

What we like:

BMW build quality

Handling and versatility

Better fuel economy

What we dislike:

Long charging times

Car lacks power without hybrid drive system

Limited public charging points at the moment

Under the hood, the Active Tourer gets a 3-cylinder 1.5 litre turbocharged engine, which drives the front wheels, and a pair of electric motors providing drive to the rear. Both the engine and a 7.6kWh battery collectively produce 221bhp of grunt, and 385Nm of torque, plenty for a car this size, and it does the century sprint in a respectable 6.7 seconds, while due to the available torque from the electric motors, off the line, you would likely find yourself ahead of the pack, before some of the faster cars catch up with you.

Unlike mild hybrids like the Prius, the 1.5 litre in the car does not in any way charge the batteries, instead, it would rely solely on regenerative braking when on the move, and reloading its battery at a charging station. The limited 41km of range of the battery is thus justifiable, While it might not charge as quickly as others in the iPerformance range, it is intended to be charged when you’re back home after a whole day out.

One feature which is missing from the car is the option to disable the automatic start-stop function, and some may find that the 3-cylinder judders a little too much for their liking when it restarts itself.

Ride comfort is pretty good, and even with the added weight of the battery, there is still good turn-in, and feedback at the wheel does not come across as artificial.

Like the rest in the iPerformance range, the Active Tourer does not come cheap. At close to $173k (as at 13 February), there are quite a few options, with the facelifted Golf GTi at the top of my list (with a close 0-100 of 6.4 seconds).

But where it counts, you can be assured that you get better economy, thanks to the hybrid drive. On the flip side, the future comes with a price, and the challenge of ensuring that you get a charging point hooked up at home, since most of us do live in high-rise public housing.

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