BMW 745e Gets 500 HP with simple ECU Tune from BR-Performance

The new plug-in hybrid choice from BMW in the 7 Series range, the BMW 745e, is quite a different animal compared to the old model. We saw that during our test drive and it wasn’t all just about the added power, the character of the car simply felt different on a number of levels. The extra two cylinders under the hood make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. However, some have wondered why BMW decided to offer the B58 engine and yet cut its power short.

As we all know, the least powerful iteration of the B58 engine today can be found in the Z4 M40i and is rated at 340 PS. Even so, the unit used on the BMW 745e is claimed to be making only 286 PS which left some wanting for more. Well, the solution to that icky issue comes from the guys over at BR-Performance in Belgium. They have just announced a piggyback tune that can take the power output of your car to 500 HP.

That’s a hefty 100+ HP on top of what the car is capable as standard but completely doable if you look at the upgrades available on the market for the B58 engine. Basically any tuner out there is capable of taking the 3-liter straight six mill from 340 HP to 400, which is what I’m guessing the upgraded version from BR-Performance is capable of. Since we’re talking about the 745e and the electric motor can’t really be forced to make more power, all of the extra ponies must be coming from the internal combustion unit.

That’s not all though. The torque figure also goes up to 800 Nm, an additional 200 Nm from the stock figures. Those are incredible figures but it will be interesting to see how the car deals with the new specs. Tuning hybrid cars isn’t exactly a tried and tested recipe so some surprises might arise on the long run. The BR-Performance people have some experience in the field, being among the few offering an upgrade for the i8, for example. The price for this Stage 1 upgrade for the 745e is €1,390.

The article BMW 745e Gets 500 HP with simple ECU Tune from BR-Performance appeared first on BMW BLOG