Although BMW initially shunned hybrids in favor of clean diesels and other alternative powertrains, the German automaker is joining the electrically assisted fray next year with not one but two gasoline-electric vehicles: the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7—our first drive of which you can read here—and the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6.
While both models share the same ActiveHybrid badging and fall in the contradictory performance-hybrid segment, their similarities end there. The 7 is a mild hybrid that uses an electric motor in its eight-speed automatic gearbox and a compact lithium-ion battery mounted in the trunk to assist acceleration and run the accessories; the X6 is a far more complex full hybrid. The latter’s pair of motors and advanced, electronic continuously variable transmission allow it to waft up to 1.6 miles and at speeds of up to 37 mph on electrical current alone. Forget about Prius-like fuel economy, though, because the ActiveHybrid X6 is the most powerful hybrid yet produced, with the electric bits combining with a 400-hp, twin-turbocharged, 4.4-liter V-8 to produce a total output of 480 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque. (When pressed on why it didn’t choose to pair the hybrid system with the X6 xDrive35i’s twin-turbo six-cylinder, BMW simply says that using the V-8 made for the largest jump in efficiency. Plus, the company added, the resulting vehicle would b
