Bucket Seat: The New BMW M5 - First Impressions

When BMW released it's brand new 5 Series this year, many didn't anticipate just how much of a difference it would be to it's predecessor. Before, it was just a larger extension of the 3 Series family, with a few more luxury extras, however with this new model, it's essentially a slightly smaller version of the 7 Series. In fact, with the technological enhancements that have taken place in Munich research and development sector from the time the new 7 was released to when the 5 was released, it has worked out that the 5 Series offers a bit more than the 7 in terms of cool gadgets, of course the 7 Series will automatically inherit all of these but it's nice to know that they were in the 5 first. 

Now while the 5 Series hit the ground running since it's launch and cemented its name as the ultimate business athlete with a good combination of luxury and sportiness, many waited to see what the German manufacturer had up it's sleeve for the range topping M model, the M5. There were hints and teases given out before the official unveiling, we learnt that the car would have BMW's 4 wheel drive system, dubbed X Drive as a standard and also that the car would have rear wheel steering, helping it take corners with more precision and stability. Later we discovered that the car would be powered by a monster 4.4L V8, while many still dream of the M5 once again having the V10 engine, BMW has ensured that this is its most powerful V8 yet. 

When the covers were officially lifted on the new M5, albeit after another leak, fans were not disappointed! With it's lowered stance, blacked out front kidney grille, large diffuser air-intakes it certainly looked menacing just by standing still. The new M5 comes standard with 19" , 7 spoke dual light alloy rims. It's a fresh new design in rims from BMW and certainly adds to the masculinity to the car. Getting to the business end of the new M5, the 4.4litre V8 bi-turbo engine has M TwinPower Turbo technology which we've been used to in all their engine variants, so what makes this one better? Engineers have carried out significant revisions to the outgoing models power unit, so taking what they've done there to an already great motor and making it better. The engine develops 441kW, yes you read that right, 441kW with 600BHP and has a monumental torque figure of 750Nm, literally pulling the earth as it accelerates with a 0-100km/h time of just 3.4 seconds and a 0-200km/h time of 11.1 seconds.

We spoke about the M5 coming with BMW's M xDrive, but what exactly is it and what does it mean? Well to put it simply, its their version of 4WD, The settings can be changed and adjusted by the driver when and when they want to. It has various configurations to choose from, these are based on combinations of the DSC modes (DSC on, MDM DSC off) and M XDrive modes (4WD, Sport, 2WD). With the suspension designed to deliver maximum traction for everyday use and supreme dynamic performance on track, this along with he M xDrive can make for an ultimate drivers experience. While being more powerful, the new M5 is also more efficient than ever before, with a claimed fuel consumption combined at 10.5L/100km, with C02 emissions combined at 251 g/km. Moving on the inside, while it is very sporty, its still pretty luxurious too, coming with the same gadgets offered in the normal 5 Series variants and that new gear selector is a thing of beauty. 

Overall, the new BMW M5 looks the business, while we in South Africa will only see the car on our streets in the early part of 2018, BMW will have one to show at the BMW M Festival taking place at Kyalami in October. But if you really can't wait to drive one, you can get yourself a copy of the new Need For Speed Payback video game, in which it features. 

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*