[Unicorn22]

Hi guys
I hv recently purchased bmw 330e its second hand . Have few confusions , if any of u can help , i will be very grateful. I am still confused which mode ismost economical and on which to drive? Is is eco mode only use petrol? Ppl says petrol engine kicks in at 60mph but mine kicks in even at 32mph? Is there any setting to put the car on to use only electric upto 60mph then petrol engin kicks in? How does it work ? What mode ismost economical to save petrol? Thnks

 

[sammyzak]

Sounds like the battery isn’t fully charged or is under some load this it’s relying on the petrol engine for support. Also from what you say the car isn’t in some sort of sport mode?

These PHEVs kinda rely on you plugging in daily to get the best economy at the end of the day.

 

[Unicorn22]

Thanks sammy but it works good when fully charge max drive but just confuse to which mode is most econominal and on what to drivd ? Eco or comfort . Whats ur openion? Sm1 said that eco only drive on petrol. Is it correct ?

 

[dk6780]

Have you watched this?

The most economical is to use all of your electric up and not reserve some unless you need to do so for ULEZ type reasons. What setting does your car default to on electric?

 

[sammyzak]

It is confusing yes, you have two sets of options. I’m making some guesses as I don’t know the cars year but you have the eDrive options which you can take max use of the battery, run in auto so the car figures out what’s best for the driving your doing OR you can save the battery (this might be where you have heard about the engine running all the time).

You then (like in all BMWs) have the driving profiles which affect the accelerator and steering. ECO will dull the throttle response and keep things like climate control usage at a level that doesn’t tax the battery/engine too much. Comfort will act normally and Sport will adjust everything for a more sporty ride.

So if you’re looking for the least use of petrol I’d guess Max eDrive and Eco together would be best. If you’re commute is longer than the range of the battery you might want to balance things out.

 

[sammyzak]

The video Dks posted might not be exactly like the model/year you have but the basics should be the same. Depends on what kind of driving you typically do.

 

[Unicorn22]

Thanks Sammy , my car is 2016 model . The batteries only drive 15 miles fully charged so main job is normal e drive , sm1 just confused me saying that eco mode only use petrol and no electric thats why i was skeptical that eco cantbe more economical but its true that comfort is very smooth . I wish battrries are little more efficient

 

[sammyzak]

Sadly with a smaller battery of which a portion is actually useable there will be limits. Regardless of driving modes set one has to watch the right foot, in past petrol cars I usually avoided Eco mode just because I found the duller response didn't always give the best results. Overall you might have to have a play to find what works for you.

I’ve seen on a couple of forums that it might be possible to get the software upgraded which improves the range a little. Might be something to ask BMW the next time it goes in a for a service.