BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid gets 4WD and 221bhp

The BMW 225xe is BMW’s plug-in hybrid version of the new 2-Series, with an electric motor at the back and a 1.5 litre ICE engine at the front. Debuts at Frankfurt 2015.

BMW’s drive to introduce plug-in hybrids to cut their average emissions and deliver cars the tax man struggles to penalise continues with this, the BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid.

Joining the new 330e plug-in hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 225xe makes use of a take on the power plant set-up of the BMW i8, utilising a 1.5 litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 134bhp under the bonnet to drive the front wheels, and an electric motor driving the back wheels and delivering an additional 87bhp.

The setup means the 225xe can effectively be front-wheel-drive (when using just the petrol engine), rear-wheel-drive (when running in electric mode) and four-wheel-drive (when you’re using everything the 225xe has, or when conditions are slippery).

Electric power comes from a 7.7kW/h lithium ion batter pack sitting under the back seats which provide enough energy when fully charged (which takes a bit over three hours from a domestic socket) for up to 25 miles of EV running at speeds up to 78mph.

There’s a penalty in weight – the 225xe weighs a substantial 150kg more than the 225i xDrive – but the up-side is that it officially does 140mpg with emissions of 49g/km, despite which the 225xe can get to 62mph in a decent 6.7 seconds.

It also means that as a family run-around you may be able to get away with running it as an EV most of the time, and if you’re a company car driver you’ll get a very low BIK rate.

The BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid is expected to arrive in the UK in early 2016 after its Frankfurt debut.