Bucket Seat: BMW M135i X Drive

After spending some time with the new BMW 118i, I was eager to see what the range topping M135i had to offer. This is the range topping variant currently available on the market for the 1 Series and their hot hatch competitor in a market that is becoming fiercely competitive. From what seems to be the norm on all new M models, the M135i comes with X Drive which is BMW's four-wheel drive system, which balances out the power delivery from the engine to all four wheels in Sport mode. Also it will have the purist happy knowing that it won't just be front-wheel drive like the rest of the 1 Series line up. Having put my demons to bed about the looks when I had the 118i, I was quite looking forward to checking this model out and see what modifications and additions in the design BMW will add to beef the look up of the M135i and I was not disappointing as you will soon find out. 

DESIGN

With the 1 Series design being a bit different from the outgoing model, this new one is pretty refreshing and on closer inspection you will appreciate with the guys in Bavaria have done. This particular car came in Misano Blue and being their performance model, it was evident they had to add some additions to the design to make sure it stands out from the line up. First thing you will notice is the blacked out fused kidney grilles, which feature the trident design instead of the parallel lines on the standard models, the same design which is featured on the M340i. The grille is also active, so opens and closes when airflow is required. The front difusser is changed, with a bigger air-intake in the bottom and more dominant air-scoops leading to the brake duct. 18" M Sport V style bi-colour rims make the car stand out even more, with the clean lines leading to the rear where the rear difussor is more pronounced with high-gloss black bottom and large twin-exhausts that amplify that this is not a car to be messed about with. On the inside, the layout is identical to a normal 1 Series with a lot more brushed aluminium and silver accents, what you will notice immediately is the sport seats which are stunning and mighty comfortable if I have to say so myself. 

PERFORMANCE

Big talking point about this new M135i is the engine, previous model used a 6  cylinder while this new one is a 4/4 layout. While this may be the case power delivery has been increased with the 2-litre TwinPower Turbo motor producing 225kW and a torque figure of 450Nm to propel from standstill, achieving a 0-100km/h time of just 4.8 seconds. It's quite blistering and with the four-wheel drive quite an experience to the driver. With the 4 cylinder motor, there is a considerable drop in the fuel consumption and while BMW brochure quotes the average being 7.5L per 100km, I did two long distance journeys with it and on the first one managed to get 7.7L per 100km but the second I got 7,2L per 100km! So I'm very impressed with how is cruises and sips fuel, not as thirsty as other hot hatches tend to be. Now with a hot hatch you don't want me ranting and raving about how good it is when driving slow, select Sport+ and unleash the demon in this bugger, the tone in the pipes get louder, X Drive is active and this thing plants itself on the tarmac like a clingy ex-girlfriend. The way the car hugs the corners at high speed with power distribution shifting to the wheels that need the most is something to be amazed at. Just when you think you've reached the peak in terms of cornering speeds, the car tells you to give it more because it can handle it. They say this is just something to whet the appetite since there is a M140i rumored to be in the works, but if this thing is anything to go by, that M140i will be mental. 

COMFORT

When it comes to a sporty hot hatch, the last thing you want to hear is how comfortable the car is but even with the sports racing seats the M135i is blody cosy. The car came spec'd with the cloth 'Trigon'/ Alcantara Black blend for the seats and upholstery trimming, so it looked the part with all the detailed stitching. The seats were fully electric with 3 memory settings, with adjustable lumbar support and seat heating. So yes, the full package for the front passenger and driver. The rear passengers also get this fine textures and trims along with their one zone aircon. While it is a sporty vehicle with stiff suspension the general drive is pretty good, not as bumpy as you would expect. The cabin like all BMW's is properly sealed so there is very little road noise. Like the 118i, the ambient lighting is worked into the panels and really look stunning at night. There's nothing I can really pinpoint and have fault with, what I love is that whether you're sitting in a 1 Series or a 5 Series, the quality of materials used inside the cabin are of similar quality, so you're not being shortchanged just because you're driving the "entry level" model. 

VERDICT

Overall, the new BMW M135i really has raised the bar in terms of hot hatches on the market, while the figures might not be blistering as some others, it has a decent offering that should not be easily overlooked. Couple that performance with the knowing that this car can perform equally well when driven properly so it will keep your visits to the fuel station less frequent, then you know you have a winner on your hands. Cabin space is generous for a hatchback as well as luggage capacity. The list of standard equipment is great on this top of the range model so you won't be ticking a lot of boxes on the options list. It's a great little pocket rocket if you want something small and exciting to drive. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2L, 4cyl Twin Power Turbo
Gear Box	Automatic Steptronic
Torque	450Nm
Power	225kW
Consumption	7.5L/100km
Price	R763,300*

*Base Price

 

Bucket Seat: MINI Countryman Cooper S

A few weeks ago I attended the launch of the all new Mini Countryman, while the car did impress me during the launch, the real test is when you're behind the wheel of it for a week and over the past seven I got to do just that with the Cooper S variant. The Mini Countryman goes against the name of the company, while it looks like a Mini, drives like a Mini and is named a Mini, its not really....mini. It's actually quite a big vehicle, in fact it's about the same size and your normal small SUV. While everything about the car still remains niche and quirky to appeal to the Mini driver, this happens to be one of the most practical Mini's yet.

STYLE

While this is an all new model from the previous one, the exterior styling hasn't changed that much. It looks very similar to the old one but with a few tweaks to help you differentiate from the two. The front headlights on the new Countryman are more bolder and squared off and the rear lights have been slightly enlarged, similar to that of the Mini Hatch. There are bolder accents all around with the car being more buff than previously and the car being overall bigger, both in length and width, not to mention the ride height being increased ever so slightly. Like all Mini's, the car does look fantastic and does generate a lot of attention no matter how you spec it. There seems to be this unwritten love affair with pedestrian's and Mini's where I often find many just glaring at the car as I drive past. The interior of the car also hasn't changed that much but is notably more stylish with better quality materials and finishes, not to mention the new Mini Connect and iDrive system with touch sensitive jog shuttle controller, which is basically from BMW but more about that later.

The car exudes style and like every Mini out there, it can be created to suit any individual. There's tons of options, colour tones, decals, rims, stitching and other extras to make your Mini unique to you. The one I had, while looking pretty straight forward was spec'd pretty well if you ask me. Being the sporty derivative from the two engine options offered, it was kitted out in all black, with a dark grey rim but the interior was this lush white/ creme which I just loved but was scared shitless that I might stain with something or the other, fortunately I didn't. 

COMFORT

Seeing that the Countryman is quite large, comfort wasn't an issue at all with it, whether you're behind the wheel or a passenger, either in the front or back. There was ample room for four adults. The seats are great with the front passengers being offered the optional extra seating heating for those cold winter months. Ride quality is perfect, as per normal they've taken a leaf out of BMW's booklet with the perfect weight distribution, which helps the cars ride quality remain the same on almost any surface. Being an SUV the car did also offer plenty of storage room and came with the storage pack from Mini which gives you extra space below the boot floor as well as a mat to avoid scraping the bump when loading luggage or you could use it to sit on.  The new Countryman also offers roof racks now as well. 

PERFORMANCE

With MINI opting for TwinPower Turbo engines across it's line, the Cooper S has the more powerful 2 liter, 4 cylinder option which is my favorite engine from the two for obvious reasons. Even though it's basically the same engine from the BMW 320i, it is tweaked for the Mini to provide optimal performance. The engine pushes out 141kW with a max torque of 280Nm and for city driving thats more than adequate. I just love the way they tune the exhaust on these Mini's though. It lets out that deep hum which just gets you excited every time you turn it on. It' makes you feel like a race driver. Speak of which, the Countryman does have a sport mode which essentially turns the car into a Go-Kart, a much bigger one but it's such a thrill to experience. It's hard for me to explain to people why I like driving Mini's, I always tell them there's only so much I can tell you in words before you experience it for yourself. 

TECH

While BMW did always share technology with Mini, the Countryman probably borrows a lot more now than usual. The car in terms of tech packs has almost everything the BMW offers in their cars which is great. The Mini iDrive interface is much more user friendly than before and offers a great deal of detail information with regards to the vehicle status. The Bluetooth Audio streaming is easy to connect and can be done now while the car is moving. Mini office allows you to view and read emails or messages that come through to your phone and can be accessed via the touch screen infotainment display. Like other Mini's the car did come with a heads-up display which rises from the dashboard, I always felt this was extremely cool but what I noticed in previous models with it, you had to look at it from a certain angle to view the info, now you can adjust the projection to your preference which is awesome!

VERDICT

A major put off from the Mini is always the price tag, people always seemed to be turned away when the price is mentioned but what they don't realise is while it is a Mini, one can't really compare it to other cars in the market purely because what it has to offer. There is no other car that would give you the same driver experience, nor the quality finishes that that this car has to offer, not to mention the extras. Show me a car in this segment that has a Harman Kardon sound system as an extra? While the car is quirky and fun, it also has a niche to it that people only realised once seated in it. The various options and specs you can change and style your Mini is endless and it's that uniqueness to create a car that is to your perfection is one of the key selling elements to the car. While this may sound unnecessary, people fail to realise that you sometimes you spend majority of your day in your car so why not get something you'll enjoy being in?

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 litre, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	141kW
Torque	280Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	9.6  seconds
Price	R 490,000*