Bucket Seat: 2023 BMW X1 18d

BMW's entry level SUV the X1 had its 3rd generation introduced to the market at the end of last year, with the launch taking place earlier this year. Having attended the launch and sampling both, the petrol and diesel variants, I was quite impressed what it had to offer. The X1 hasn't been the best selling X model but it has its place in the market and with the previous generation made decent inroads in sales for its segment competition, I foresee a greater interest with this model as for me, the competition have been playing slack when it comes to the entry level models, cutting corners and not even giving the end user a premium product that is associated with the badge. After spending a week with the new X1, it really gave me a great impression of what the brand is doing as a whole with their new focus and trends on upcoming models. 

DESIGN

The new X1 looks stunning, while the previous models always had some err's about their design, I can honestly say this one is a beauty. My favourite angle to view it from is side on, while its not the biggest, the lines and curves give it so much presence that it looks bigger than it actually is. The front gets the new X look with larger twin kidney grille with is finished in brushed aluminium, this is standard across all lines, be it the M Sport, xLine or Signature trims. The one I had was in a metallic Utah Orange paint with 19-inch V-spoke Bicolour Black Grey, gloss lathed rims that really gave the car another dimension with the added detail. The new headlights straight edge angular that follow the lines of the front bumper and hood, with the adaptive LED matrix tech adding more detail with the upside down L shapes that feature the day time running lights on the car. Depending on the trim, the front diffuser changes to suit, with the xLine have a more pronounced curved styling with brushed aluminium accents and details which include a center skid plate in the front and rear of the car. These brush aluminium details also include side plates which give a tri-colour look to the side. I love the little things in the design of the new X1, the revised door handles which are blended in to the body, the new tail lights which have a really cool pattern embedded in them and way the roof line has that gentle gradient  just adds to the character of the X1. 

PERFORMANCE

While the badge read 18d, the X1 diesel is still powered by a 2.0-litre Turbo Charged diesel motor which produces 110kW and 360Nm of torque. For its size and weight, the motor propels the X1 off the line at quite a speed recording a 0-100km/h speed of 8.9 seconds. But performance on this type of vehicle doesn't mean its speed or how fast it can take a corner but rather pulling power with a load, fuel consumption and urban driving comforts which the X1 excels in every aspect. The urban consumption figures on the brochure read 4.5L per 100km but I managed to get around 5.6 which isn't terrible considering I was doing highway driving as well. With the 54-litre fuel tank, I managed to get just over 650km from a single tank of fuel. Even though the X1 in the xLine trim came fitted with 19-inch rims, the ride quality was very comfortable on any surface. The new design BMW steering wheel felt good in hand and general handling of the car was very good no matter the speed or surface you were traveling on. 

COMFORT

While the X1 has grown ever so slightly from its predecessor, it does feel a lot bigger with loads more head room. This coming from a tall person says a lot about the design of the interior from BMW. Speaking of which, it comes with the new styled interior which BMW will be rolling out in all of the X range. The X1 comes with the new curved screen dual display, as mentioned before, a new design steering wheel, a floating center console which doubles as an arm rest with hidden storage under the cushion. The center console also has the new mini gear selector and driving mode selector. Under the floating arm rest is more storage as well as USB ports. The X1 has dual zone climate control for the driver and passengers.  The rear passenger seats receive a new design which make it much more comfortable for 3 people to sit on the semi bench styled seat with a 40:20:40 split for the extension of the luggage hole. The modern design in the cabin extends to even the door panels with edgy designs that is contrasted in various materials from aluminium, plastic, leather and suede. It really adds great dimension to the overall look of the interior. The car comes with wireless connectivity for mobile apps which set up automatically once the bluetooth is activated giving you seamless integration. If you prefer to use the normal BMW OS, you'll be please to know that you will be receiving the latest version of it and with the ease of reach from the drivers seat, the infotainment screen is fully touch screen and there is no iDrive jog shuttle controls for it. The new BMW Maps with Connected navigation has Augmented Reality directions so it displays arrows when you need to take a turn or off ramp. 

VERDICT

The BMW X1 is feature packed in terms of tech and safety, with its modern and stylish looks along with the host of textures, trims and rims to choose from, you can really spec your desired one to be totally different from the next. The overall driving experience is a good one, it feels like a better build that most of the other competitors in the market. I know this car is newly launched but it just feels mile a head of the rest and that should be the case, as its setting the standard for compact SUV's and BMW were the first to introduce this size to the market. While you won't get the same sporty performance type drive of a normal BMW, the X1 does well to fit into its roll as a family orientated recreational vehicle that is also super good to look at. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2-litre, 3-cylinder  Turbo Diesel
Gear Box	Steptronic with double clutch
Torque	360Nm
Power	110W
0-100km/h	8.9 seconds
Price	R805,616.50*

*base price with xLine Trim

 

Bucket Tech: Samsung Galaxy S21 Series - First Impressions

Samsung dropped their latest flagship series smart devices last week when they launched or "unpacked" the new Galaxy S21 Series which consists of the S21 5G, S21+ 5G and the S21 Ultra 5G. All three devices will be available for purchase in SA and have a host of upgrades and features which are whetting the appetites of many. So what do we know about the new trio? Well all come with 5G capabilities so you will have access to the fastest network around, all come in a metallic uni-body with elevated camera on the phones top left corner. The design is simplistic but very chic, also with the array of colours that the devices are available enhances the elegance of the device itself. The displays vary in size with the S21 having a 6.2" infinity-o display with dynamic AMOLED 2x, the S21+ has a 6.7" while the range topping S21 Ultra has a 6.8" display, all have eye comfort shield as well as a super smooth 120hz refresh rate.

Camera wise, Samsung have a refreshed layout for the camera, both the S21 and S21+ come with a 10MP front facing camera while they have a triple lens system rear camera which consists of a 12MP wide-angle, a 12MP ultra-wide angle and a 64MP telephoto lens which has 30x Space Zoom, letting you zoom right into pictures.  All this adds up to a great photographic experience capturing even more detail and clarity that makes photos look like a work of art. Samsung say that their Portrait mode features settings that enable you to be "Instagram Ready" which means not much editing or filters required to post your picture as it has built-in options to choose from. Low light photos are now even easier to take with the S21 & S21+ it being able to capture stunning pics with minimal lighting. The big flex has to be the video recording capabilities, as all devices record in 8K at 24fps, with you able to extract 33MP quality images from the recordings. The camera also comes with Super Steady setting which records at 60fps to ensure a smooth recording all the time. With multiple recordings the AI system on the device can take all your content and make a personal video for you via the editor. The S21 Ultra camera system is a Quad format which has a 108MP wide lens, 10MP periscope telephoto lens, 10MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultra wide lens with the front facing "selfie camera" having a 40MP lens. 

All devices have Super Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare enabling you to charge other devices with your phone. The intelligent battery on the S21 range is a 48000mAh battery and features new power-efficient display and processor which can push the life to well beyond the 24-hour mark, even when using full 5G. The devices come fitted with the worlds fastest processing chip, the 5nm process is fast enough to keep up with the action, so you can do more even faster. It features 8GB of RAM and has a built-in memory of up to 256GB. All devices are IP68 rates so they're dust, water and shock proof. A big talking point from the Apple iPhone 12 launch was merely ignored for this one, the Galaxy S21 series also do no come with a charge or headphones, merely just a USB cable, seems to be the trend now it seems. Samsung also released their new Buds Pro on the night, another great quality wireless headphones from the brand. 

Pricing for the devices are as follows:

• Galaxy S21 5G - R17,999
• Galaxy S21+ 5G - R21,499
• Galaxy S21 Ultra - R27,999

Bucket Tech: Klipsch T5 || True Wireless 2 Mclaren Sport Edition

Last week many on my Twitter or Instagram saw me in a Zoom meeting with the Lando Norris of McLaren F1 Racing team but no one knew why, today I can reveal to you it was because of the launch of Klipsch all-new racing inspired wireless headphones, the T5 Gen2. It was my first Zoom online launch and quite honestly I was just keen to see what Klipsch were offering, so the whole thing with Lando joining us was a complete surprise to us all! It was pretty cool though as he talked about his first podium finish in Formula One and took us for a virtual walk around the garage at Spielberg race track but obviously the main thing was the product which was being launched, the T5 Gen 2. Having owned a pair of wired Klipsch headphones before and just recently purchased the T5 wireless headphones, I can confirm by myself that these products bring to you unrivaled sound quality, comfort and brilliant battery life so with the new Gen 2 True Wireless earphones it could only get better. 

The purpose of the launch was also to announce Klipsch official partnership with the McLaren F1 team as their official headphone and portable audio partner. The two companies have collaborated to combine McLaren's unparalleled ethos and technical innovation with Klipsch's legendary high-fidelity audio and unparalleled comfort. The result is the Klipsch T5 ll True Wireless Sport McLaren edition earphones, engineered for extreme performance and designed to sty dry and in place through anything life throws at them. 

Compared to the first gen T5 True Wireless, the Gen 2 is smaller, sleeker and has a wider range or comfort bud sizes to fit your ears with half sizes now coming along with it. So no longer just small, medium and large to fit into your ear canal, thus giving you a snug fit and ensuring that you will not have an issue of one falling out while you're doing your workout. The earphones feature a new signal boost antenna which delivers a high-quality seamless Bluetooth wireless connection. The T5 Gen2 are IP67 rated which make them dust and waterproof and they come in an attractive brushed metal case that holds up to a combined 32 hours of battery life with the earphones have an 8 hour battery life. The McLaren Sport edition comes in a case that is finished in carbon fiber. Both cases have a wireless charging base. 

You will be able to control just every aspect of the T5 ll True Wireless earphones from the Klipsch Connect App which is available for both Android and Apple devices, so you can calibrate and equalize to the perfect sound for your enjoyment. The app also gives you access to a quick start guide and troubleshoot as well as battery status of the earphones. Overall the T5 ll True Wireless headphones look like a winner if you're looking for a good set of wireless earphones, the McLaren Sport Edition are a must if you're using them for training and with the added customized look to them it makes them an even more attractive purchase. Also the McLaren Edition comes with a free wireless charging pad. 

Key features of the Klipsch T5 ll McLaren Sport Edition True Wireless Earphones

• Dust and water-tight earphones and case (rated IP67) with moisture removal system ensure earphones remain dry.
• Six pairs of patented Klipsch ear tips, one pair of comply memory foam ear tips, and three sizes of no-budge ear wings ensure a customized, comfortable and secure fit. 
• The case charges via USB-C or wirelessly with the included on-position wireless charging pad. 
• Up to 32 hours of battery (8 hours in the earphones)
• Best-in-class acoustic performance and four beam forming microphones with clear voice chat.
• A seamlessly designed anodized metal signal-boost exterior antenna. 
• McLaren's hallmark Papaya Orange and carbon fiber accents, special edition brand book and serialized metal card of authenticity. 

Recommended Retail Price for the Klipsch T5 ll True Wireless earphones are 199€ thile the McLaren Sport Edition the Klipsch T5 ll True Wireless are 229€.