[iX52020]

Hi All - Lease is coming up on my ‘21 xDrive40i so trying to decide between the 50e and 40i.

Total bummer that the air suspension option on the 40i is no longer available. It comes standard with the 50e. No option to charge at home but live in DC proper (lots of charging options). Mostly city driving with one or two 2 hour trips a month to DE.

Wondering if the lack of charging at home should be a dealbreaker on the 50e and I should just get the 40i.

Anyone in a similar situation with the no charging at home and have the 50e? Too much of a hassle without charging at home?

Thanks all for the guidance!

[crackerjack15]

Your going to have to find a level 2 charger and it will still take 3 hours from zero to get 38-41 miles. Over 20hrs on level 1 that you find free at shopping malls, etc. And, if you have to pay a lot per kw hour compared to home, it doesn't make sense.

It's about a $5k delta between similarly equipped 50e and 40i. I would do 50e just for the HP and torque. It's quick. And in city driving the electric motor adds a significant amount of smooth torque for shooting between traffic.

[stig142]

Really based on your use case. If you drive a lot of short city miles like I do, 50e makes sense with the electric usage in city and even in my case level 2 is not necessary since my daily mileage is very low so even outlet can satisfy. However do be careful with 50e as there seems to be some issue with the hybrid drivetrain. You might be lucky to not encounter any but there are lot of people having drivetrain/ CEL issues with 50e

[porterM]

If you're not plugging in at home, I don't think the 50e makes sense. If you're having to make extra effort to go out to charge at public stations, doesn't make sense from a cost / time / feasibility perspective. The drive and power in the 50e is great, but you should have the means to use it as an electric / hybrid vehicle rather than just an ICE with occasional electric use given your circumstances

[TurtleBoy]

As others have mentioned, doesn't look like the 50e will be the best for your use case. Get the 40i and enjoy it.

[apw2607]

Agreed. The 50e needs charging everyday for it to be efficient and worth the extra cost. I wouldn’t bother getting it if you can’t charge it easily … e.g at home. Too much hassle otherwise and will drive you crazy.

[bandersen]

Why don’t you buy out the lease?

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

I sell BMW's, get the 40i unless you do a lot of stop 'n go and city driving. I just ordered a 40i for my wife as she works from home and the 40i will also be used for road trips.

[Mattl0806]

So with no ability to charge at home - I would be with the popular opinion here and just get the 40i.

One could argue the 5k premium gets you air suspension and a lot more power so that would at face value look like a pretty good deal - however that comes with a ton more complexity than just a beefier ICE engine and although bmw does it very well there is still a lack of seamlessness in the 50e that you get from a single powertrain automobile.

Taking on this complexity and multi motor system is fruitful if you can charge and run on those pure E miles often..

I think if air suspension is a must the better decision should be btw a 40i or an m60 with air. But now we are talking a bigger delta….

Just get the 40i. The suspension differences will be forgotten about very shortly after. It’s plenty comfortable enough

[FastMarkA]

Another vote here that if I couldn't charge my 50e at home, I'd probably want the 40i.

But since I can charge my 50e at home, I'm so glad I don't have the 40i.

[1230vani]

40i is amazing, plenty of torque and handles well. I purposely would not spec the air suspension, m adaptive pro would be awesome but that is reserved for the M60i (for now at least)….

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

So with no ability to charge at home - I would be with the popular opinion here and just get the 40i.

One could argue the 5k premium gets you air suspension and a lot more power so that would at face value look like a pretty good deal - however that comes with a ton more complexity than just a beefier ICE engine and although bmw does it very well there is still a lack of seamlessness in the 50e that you get from a single powertrain automobile.

There is no beefier ICE. This misinformation was all created and pass along with someone’s imagination. Thr external attachments are different. Obviously, right? Lack belt driven AC compressor and alternator. So weight and damper (also external to the engine, needs to be readjusted.

The rest, I am with the team here. If you cannot have a consistent way to charge 50e, then get 40i. Most if not all the benefits of PHEV are gone if you don’t charge it. Charging outside at the mall or charge point is really won’t work in practice. It get old and tired after a couple of week.

[Mattl0806]

Sorry but you miss understood what I was saying.

I was saying the ~490hp 50e is not as smooth as some imaginary beefier single powertrain ICE option that has the equivalent HP and TQ output.

[dwwStL]

PHEV and EV only makes sense with a level 2 charger at home.

I was in OP's exact situation and decided to give the 50e a go. I live in a condo but we have level 2 charging in the garage. Not having level 2 at home would be a deal breaker for me. You are paying several thousand for the PHEV upgrade and won't be able to enjoy benefits. As others have pointed out, it takes 4 hours for a full charge on level 2 and how often will you be able to leave your car to charge 4 hours aways from home? My advice is to get another 40i and see where you are when that lease is up.

[BlkGS]

Is the beefier ICE not just the M60i?

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

Is the beefier ICE not just the M60i?

Yes It is.

The point I was trying to make. people say the 50e appears at a great value - to get air suspension and that extra power for a relatively small delta to the 40i. In my post I was just trying to clarify that there is more than meets the eye with this “value” and unless you can take advantage of the E miles, you are better off deciding btw the 40i or m60i.

[BourbonJ]

Originally Posted by iX52020

Hi All - Lease is coming up on my ‘21 xDrive40i so trying to decide between the 50e and 40i.

Total bummer that the air suspension option on the 40i is no longer available. It comes standard with the 50e. No option to charge at home but live in DC proper (lots of charging options). Mostly city driving with one or two 2 hour trips a month to DE.

Wondering if the lack of charging at home should be a dealbreaker on the 50e and I should just get the 40i.

Anyone in a similar situation with the no charging at home and have the 50e? Too much of a hassle without charging at home?

Thanks all for the guidance!

Well here's the short version. We bought the 50e in 9/2023 after 3 days it was dead, had it flat towed to dealership where's it's been for repairs for 112 days!

Even with parts ordered from Germany and "multiple sessions" with BMWNA technician they could not repair the 50e. Now if you look at other posts you will be shocked at the hundreds of comments on the problems that the 50e is having.

BMWNA "reluctantly" bought back our 50e and were paid on 1/24, 4 months later, no apology at all. My wife has decided she does not want to worry if the car will leave her stranded again or if this happens after the warranty ends we could incur a very expensive repair cost. So she decided to get the 40i M Sport fully loaded. Happy wife Happy Life!