Bucket Seat: BMW 220d M Sport

A couple of weeks ago I found myself in Johannesburg to cover the Ultra Music Festival, while I was there the kind folk at BMW SA allowed me to use one of their cars for the weekend, and boy what a car it was! I did know what model I would be receiving prior to me collecting it but the car as a complete package in terms of spec and trim, coupled with that awesome twin-power turbo diesel power unit completely blew me away. Seeing it lurking in the shadows of the OR Tambo parking lot, with its Adaptive LED hexagonal lights beaming at me as it crouched ever so slowly towards me with that slight up we've come to adore from these cars, I could tell I was going to have a great weekend attacking the streets of the countries most busiest city, with this, my first test car of 2018. 

STYLE

The great thing with BMW, is the number of ways you can customize your car to suit your style and with this current car I had, I'd give it a 10 out of 10. The person who sat down with the spec sheet had the same taste as me, in fact I think he did a bit more than I would have! Basically if I had the money and would be buying a 2 Series, this is how mine would end up looking. Black Sapphire Metalix paint on the exterior, with 18" Jet Black Double Spoke rims, complete with the M Sport kit made this little coupe look menacing, almost had an M2 look to it. On the inside, the seats were covered in Dakota Cognac leather, probably my favourite leather colour option available from BMW.  With regards to the face-lift, again, minor changes, it's all in the details, from the LED lights on both front and rear, the new tile format information display menu, the option to have a digital dash and extra lighting for the interior. 

PERFORMANCE

I've said it before and I have been slated for it but BMW's 2 liter diesel engine, for me, is one of the best in their line up. Why? well, simply because it is the best all rounder engine. It has the torque to give you spontaneous performance off the line, and generates speed quickly,and it has by far the best fuel consumption from all the combustion engines offered in the stable. The motor produces 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque, so it is packing! There really was nothing I could do to fault it, the turbo lag is minimal now thanks to the new cooling system, with the various driving modes in the car, the engine adapts and copes suitably. Whether it was robot to robot driving, stuck in Sandton peak traffic driving or hammering it down the M1, the car performed phenomenally. 

COMFORT

Let me start off by saying it's a coupe, people who have never driven one or been in one might not understand but when you do, trust me you will realise what I mean. With coupe's, they tend to be a bit lower, and getting in and out, if you're slightly larger than the norm might prove to be difficult, also there's the doors issue, the doors are longer which reduces the space on the angle when opening or closing it, so God forbid someone park really close to you in a mall, because you'll be pulling some Katherine Zeta Jones moves from entrapment to get in and out. Apart from the entry and exit problems, sitting in the front is pretty damn comfortable, can't say the same for the back but I did have people sit there while I was driving and they had no complaints. The ride quality even with the stiffer suspension is quite smooth, seating positions can vary but from most it was pretty snug. The luggage capacity was pretty decent too, for a small car you really could get a lot into that trunk. 

VERDICT

Prior to driving this car, I was hell bent on the 320d being the perfect car for me, I was adamant that it had everything I needed and it would serve the purpose. However...this little pocket rocket is twisting my arm, it's telling me I'm still young, I'm still single and there's still time to have fun. Even if I were married, it's the perfect car, it can be a little run around, a cruiser or an everyday car. Pricing on it is a bit steep but for what you're getting, it really is worth it. Especially if you look at the current competitors in the segment. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 liter, 4 Cylinder, TwinPower-Turbo Diesel
Gear Box	8 Speed Sport Automatic Steptronic
Power	140kW
Torque	400Nm
Top Speed	230km/h
Economy	4.1  L/100km
Price	R569,000*

*Price of base model excluding extras

Bucket Seat: BMW 520d

Earlier this year I got to drive the new BMW 530i for a bit around Johannesburg, it was a car that was made for a busy city, offering the driver a sophisticated business car with a sporty alter-ego. Fast forward a few months and I found myself in another 5 Series but this time in Durban, a city that isn't as frantic as the hustle and bustle like Jozi but this surf city offers it's own little obstacles that the Business Athlete could come against. Also this time I'm driving the range entry diesel engine, which does offer some performance perks compared to the petrol derivative, so I was looking forward to the next seven days with the car. 

STYLE

I don't think I can add anything more than what I've already said in the previous post about this car. It's design is dynamic and progressive, keeping in line with the new design philosophy coming from BMW and something that we will see passed down onto the other models in the years to come. However what I can comment on is that this particular model was pretty basic in terms of what it had on as extras compared to the 530i I had. At the time of the launch, BMW offered customers a few freebies when purchasing the new 5 Series and basically this car had everything that they offered and while when I first jumped into it, it did seem a bit plain, I did come to realise that what it offered was enough. While I'm more of a fan of the Luxury Line, the car came with the M Sport package, taking the aggressive look up a notch with low stance, M kit, large 19" multi-spoke rims and the M badge prominently placed around the car. In white, it really is a looker provided you keep it clean. 

PERFORMANCE

With the BMW 2,0 diesel engine powering this behemoth, I wasn't going to expect mind blowing performance from it but it did surprise me. Given the size and weight of the 5 Series, the TwinPower Turbo engine still manages to produce 140kW and 400Nm of torque, so off the line she is no slouch. Add to that the exceptional economy which BMW claimed and average of 4.7L/100km, I got it close to that but doubt it will be hard to accomplish as this thing sips on the fuel. As per the norm with BMW, there are three driving styles, Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport, usually comfort and sport are the way to go but I found myself driving quite a bit on Eco Pro mode, for one, the digital instrument panel turns to this awesome blue and also most of my time driving was around urban areas and high traffic freeway driving this also saved me a good few litres on fuel. In sports mode on the open road, this thing is a menace. I love having the the sports display on the large 7" display screen on to see how much of the engine I'm using. Also in Sports mode the instrument panel turns red with large numbers displaying your speed. Really awesome feature in this new 5. 

TECHNOLOGY

This car, while not having a lot still was packed with tech. I can go on about the real time traffic on the GPS, the climate control with 3 zones, the M Sport 8 speed auto gear box with paddle shift which is just sublime but I will preach this every single time I get a car with this option, the adaptive LED headlights. Seriously guys, I've driven a few premium luxury cars and BMW's adaptive LED technology still leaves me in awe. Besides bending lights, the ability to sense on coming cars to dim one light and shine the brights on to verge to make sure nothing untowards is there. It's really something you have to experience for yourself and trust me, it will leave you mind blown as well. Sadly what was lacking in this car and while the PDC's are pretty accurate, if you getting a 5 Series, you going to need the reverse camera, the fancy 3 camera system would be better but just the reverse camera is a must as parking this thing isn't the easiest. But if you got a lot of cash you can just opt for the remote park option where the car parks itself. Less headache for you!

VERDICT

I like big cars and I can't deny...okay that sounded better in my head, but I learn't how to drive on a big family sedan so driving big cars like the 5 Series seems natural to me. Hence hatches will never appeal to me at all. Hence this 5 Series, even at first I wasn't too keen seeing how low spec'd it was didn't really appeal to me, I slowly began to love it, love it so much that when it came to returning the car, it hurt a bit. If you looking at buying a 5 Series, personally, this is the best engine variant for it. Given I'm driving it at the cost so performance is a bit better than up country but when it comes to diesel torque it won't differ that much in altitude. This car is everything it says it is, a bit pricey but worth every cent. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 litre Diesel, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	140kW
Torque	400Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	6.2  seconds
Price	R782,100*

*Priced without extras and April 1st increase not taken into account.

Bucket Seat: 2017 BMW X3 - First Impressions

The past two days I found myself in the Western Cape, sampling one of BMW's updated offering in their X Line, the all new X3. You couldn't have set the scene any better, blue skies, greenery and mountains around us, all that was left to do was for us to go out and ruin this tranquility with the noise of a burbling 3 liter, straight 6 roaring it's way through the countryside. But before I get to that, lets dabble in a bit of history about the BMW X3, seeing that this is the 3rd generation of this mid-range "SAV" (Suburban Activity Vehicle), seeing how the previous two generations fared in the segment is always handy. Since launching their first X model, the BMW X5 in 1999, the company has so over 5.4 million units world wide, in fact BMW have said that every 1 in 3 model sold globally is an X model. The first BMW X3 rolled off the line in 2003 and to be honest, it wasn't very pretty. The size was perfect for small families who wanted something with a bit more space, the raised ride height had it's advantages but other than that, it wasn't for everyone. The second generation was better to look at, offered a whole lot more and became quite a popular option in the segment, this helped push sales to 1.5 million units sold in the world for the first and second generation models, so from 5 X models on the market, the X3 contributed to 28% of sales, not bad.

Coming back to the new X3, first things first, whats different? Well the short answer would be "everything", no seriously this is entirely a new vehicle. The design language borrows a lot from the current gen 7 and 5 series, from the outside to the inside. The X3 will be offered in 3 packages, xLine, Luxury Line and M Sport, all of which add their own distinct differences to the car but all look great. At launch the X3 is available in 4 engine variants, 2 petrol and 2 diesel. Exterior highlights include the xenon lights being ditched and LED's added as standard with the option of having adaptive LED's for a little bit more, the rear also gets LED lights with a 3D effect. The kidney grille is more larger and prominent, as seen in the new X7 concept, looks like a trend in the X models to come. The X3 also has grown, it is bigger than the previous, not by much but millimeters here and there also the X3 now has bigger wheels ranging from 18" to 21" which BMW say are capable of light off-roading which we put to the test on the launch. Moving inside, BMW have really outdone themselves with this interior. Luxury and premium feel from floor to ceiling, A 10.2 inch screen along with a screen instrument cluster, active lane assist which steers you back into the lane should you veer off. 3 zone climate control, with the front two have their own temperature settings and the rear having their own. There's a lot of other cool things on the inside, like the revised full colour heads up display, the professional SatNav being as accurate to the last meter and the colours and trims available for the X3 will have you astounded. 

On the launch, BMW had 3 variants for us to drive, starting off with the 2.0d Diesel and 3.0 Diesel xDrive and the range topping M40i. Interesting to note that all X3's will come with xDrive with the option of sDrive later next year. Day 1 saw us take a long route through the Western Cape with a mixture of tar and gravel roads, lots of climbing up mountains and for this I opted for the M40i. Plenty of power, lots of grunt and BMW have added a noisy exhaust and boy does it sound good! The power is derived from the M Performance TwinPower turbo technology which has a Twinscroll turbo charger which produces a whopping 265kW and a Max torque of 500Nm. This proved to be awesome while climbing many of the mountain passes. On the gravel the car seemed to be surprisingly at home, in comfort mode the ride was smooth and quiet given the the type of terrain we were on. The xDrive system really works well as I felt it kick in on the loose sections, correcting the car before something bad could happen. It made me look like a rally driving pro. I also got the chance to sample the base level 2.0d, again handled just as well on both road and off road, but with that added beautiful fuel economy. 

The new X3 is a special car for us in South Africa, as from April 2018, plant Rosslyn will start manufacturing the model for local sales as well as exporting majority for Europe. This is a massive feather in the cap for the local industry as it has saw the German manufacturer invest quite a hefty some in upgrades to the plant to transition the assembly of the 3 Series to the X3 and now a further R160 million to increase production capacity by 10%. Rosslyn will be one of three other plants in the world making the X3, with the others being Spartenburg in Germany and Shenyang in China. Selected staff at the Rosslyn plant were sent for training for the new model and a new training center will be opening in Feb of next year for the rest of the plant personnel. Overall the new X3 really seems like the complete package for a mid-sized SUV, it really has moved up a notch in the premium category and offers so much more than the outgoing model and which justifies the price tag. With the base level xD20d starting off at R684,200 and the top of the range M40i coming in at R991,100.

Bucket Seat: BMW 530i

After the launch of the Mercedes Benz E-Class last year, it brought about a change to the currently E Segment in the car market. They set a new standard in what is to be expected from cars in the mid sized luxury area and with that triggered other manufacturers to follow suit. BMW since then launched it's new 5 Series, dubbed the Business Athlete, the car showcasing some of the latest technology that BMW has to offer, some of which even it's bigger brother the 7 Series doesn't have yet. This was a direct message to its German counterparts to say that they mean business in this business aimed segment. 

What many don't realise that this is the most hotly contested segment in the motoring world, with every one in five BMW's sold worldwide is a 5 Series! Pretty impressive stats but it makes sense, it is the most versatile sedan in it's stable. A car with a business feel but has a sporty alter ego and with it being a substantial size, big enough for any family. Last weekend I found myself behind the wheel of the new BMW 5 Series, a 530i to be exact, wandering through the streets of Johannesburg. An area that is primed for this car and boy did it show off in it's element.  

STYLE

When ever it came to the 5 Series, BMW tried to be a bit different, the car had to represent a certain type of individual, and appeal to a market that is very business oriented but yet had the looks to maintain that aggressive sporty nature that we're so used to from the German manufacturer. With the G30, they've nailed it one 100%. While there are similarities in design between it and the 7 Series, on closer inspection, you will find that it's not that similar after all. The G30 is the first BMW to have the iconic kidney grille extended and widen to meet the front headlamps. The car is longer than its predecessor but with a low stance, gives it that limo like feel. The small air outlet behind the front wheel tyre add's dimension and functionality to the car while straight lines cut across along to the back where the car is tidied up quite nicely with twin exhausts and large rear lights. The car does look quite menacing with the M Sport kit, the large 19" rims give the car presence. Moving inside, the car is stunning with high quality finishes and trimmings, from aluminium, leather and high gloss plastic making the car look both attractive on the outside and the inside.

COMFORT

As mentioned earlier, the G30 is bigger than the F10, both in length and width, offering more space to it's occupants. The interior borrows a lot from the 7 Series in terms of style and layout but has been adjusted to suit car and it's purposes. The seats are  ergonomically designed to give the driver and passengers the most comfortable ride in the car with options to add on massaging capabilities as well as optional extra seat heating and cooling functions. The car did come with electrical adjustable three memory setting seats. The dual air conditioning can be extended to the back as well as has an ionic feature with a fragrant dispenser should any unwanted smells make their way into the car. Even with the 19" rims, the ride quality is un-compromised on the bumpy roads of Johannesburg. Seeing that I spent most of my time sitting in traffic, it gave me time to appreciate the interior trimmings and finishes. With the M Sport pack, it came, according to the brochure, an "aluminium rhombicle with highlight trim finish in chrome pearl", whatever they call it, it looked damn good and very classy. Ambient lighting is throughout the car, giving the cabin and internal halo of such in a colour of their choice. 

PERFORMANCE

While the 530i does slot bang in the middle of the petrol derivatives, I still think it's a pretty impressive engine as it offers the driver a bit of both from the other two on offer. The 3 litre 6 cylinder motor doesn't have the easiest job with the car being bigger car and more heavier, coming in at 2.2 tonnes, it's quite a weight to lug around but with the TwinTurbo power plant, it still manages to deliver an impressive 185kW and 350Nm of torque. With the dual clutch 8 speed M sport automatic gearbox, the cars responsive gear changes are so efficient, there isn't really a need to use the paddle shift. The adaptive driving modes have been updated, with the standard Eco, Comfort and Sport being tweaked to give the driver a better experience, in Eco and Comfort, there is a noticeable lag on take off, which soon disappears when put into Sport mode but the fuel economy does get affected by this switch. 

TECH

The car is loaded with some mind blowing technology and as mentioned previously, it has more tech than the 7 Series. From the digital instrument display that changes colour and form in the various driving modes, to the bigger infotainment display which is now dual touch screen and has a new menu layout that is much easier to navigate. Voice controls make it easy for you to get what you want and it is more responsive so you can talk to it normally and not slowly like you had to before, you can control just about anything with the voice control function and I loved using it as it made everything effortless, from making calls to changing the radio station. There is an option for you to have hand gesture control for various functions in the car, which this car didn't come with, which is a pity as I really wanted to try it out. The car had the BMW Connected drive which offers you a world of service from BMW at the touch of a button. The main party trick had to be the display key that came with the car, apart from being able to check vitals of the car as well as fuel range, it had the precondition setting which you could activate before getting into your car, which proved to be extremely handy in the scorching temperatures of the North West. There is another option to the key where you can park the car with the remote while standing outside! The car also is the first BMW to come with an active grille, the grille opens and closes while the car is running and off, ensuring nothing enters the engine bay while the car is parked, apart from being very clever, it's also very cool to see!

STORAGE

The boot on the BMW 5 Series is massive, while the rear wheels do compromise it a bit on space on the sides, it's deep enough to get 3 golf bags in as well as have some space for other stuff as well. Inside the car, there is loads of compartments for storage with the middle unit having a split hatch for easier access. The standard storage for the front passenger also houses the fragrant bottles for the ionic dispenser in the aircon.

VERDICT

Overall I think the nick name given to the G30 suits it to perfection, the car is the ultimate Business Athlete and testing it in one of Africa's busiest cities just proved to me even more why the called it that. It's a perfect balance for the working professional, offering them a great mid sized luxury sedan, packed with technology which they will use on day to day commutes, yet does not compromise on performance or luxury. While the price may be a bit daunting to many, one has to look at what the car offers compared to the others on the market and you'll find that there isn't really much competition, in fact, with the new 5 Series, one can say it's only competition is it's bigger brother the 7 series. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	3.0 litre, Twin Turbo 6 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	185kW
Torque	350Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	6.2  seconds
Price	R 850,000*

*Priced without extras and April 1st increase not taken into account.