2020 BMW 7 Series Plug-In Hybrid Has Pretty Poor Electric Range

WhenBMW revealed the facelifted 2020 7 Series, the biggest topic of discussion was the large kidney grille up front. But BMW made some interesting changes under the hood, including a new engine for the plug-in hybrid model. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in the outgoing 740e has been replaced by a 3.0-liter inline-six in the new 745e xDrive iPerformance. With the addition of two cylinders, the 7 Series plug-in is now more powerful with 389 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque compared to 332 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque in last year's model.

The added power does wonders for performance, with 0-60 mph now taking just 4.9 seconds. BMW customers likely complained that the 7 Series plug-in didn't feel powerful enough, which is why it now has a larger engine. There's just one issue with stepping up to a bigger motor, fuel economy is now worse.

TheEPA has rated the 2020 745exDrive iPerformance at just 22 mpg on the combined cycle, which is worse than the 27-mpg rating for the outgoing 740e. Although fuel economy has actually gone down, BMW did include a larger 12.0 kWh battery compared to the 9.2 kWh unit found in the old model. As you'd expect, the larger battery gives the new car a longer all-electric driving range.