Bucket Seat: BMW M340i xDrive

xDrive, it's the term that stringing the cords of many BMW enthusiasts of late, most in a good way but for some in a very bad way. You see BMW prided themselves on being a sporty, rear wheel drive specialist manufacturer but of recent things decided to change. The 2 Series Active tourer saw BMW for the first time make a car with front wheel drive, shock, horror, but truth be told it wasn't all that bad, apart from the looks. Then BMW introduced it's four wheel drive system. dubbed xDrive in its SUV range and later to the flagship 7 Series model. This was in response to Mercedes-Benz 4Matic range as well as the Audi's Quattro system. The tech was later introduced to the new M5, which was where some of the fanboys got a bit uptight preferring the rear wheel, lets go side ways drive trains which in all fairness is fun but BMW needed to close the gap on its rivals hence the M5 comes with rear wheel steering as well, so you can still go sideways with all four wheels driven. Now BMW have introduced its flagship 3 Series model to the market, the M340i and guess what? Yes it has xDrive, I had the opportunity to spend a few days with what currently is the most powerful 3 Series on offer (until the new M3 comes out) and this is what I thought of the car. 

DESIGN

In the F30 range, it was difficult to determine the 335i or later on the 340i from the rest, apart from the dual exhausts at the back, it looked pretty much the same as your 320i, it's a good thing that designers for the G20 didn't take this lackluster approach with the new 340i because my God it looks brilliant. While the additions might be minor they do make a dramatic difference to the overall look of the car. It is a proper M model so it boasts the M Sport kit, with the additions of brushed aluminium accents on the front diffuser as well as the edging around the grille. The grille also sports a new design with almost a trident looking emblem on it. The mirrors also come in the brushed aluminium finish which you can chose various colours of, the car I had almost had a gold finish to it, very attractive with the black. Moving to the back, which not having any of that brushed aluminium, the does boast two monstrous looking exhaust pipes on either side as well as air vents on the on the back bumper. The M340i comes standard with 18" times with the option for 19" which came kitted out on this car, it certainly helped with the looks along with exposing the blue coloured brake calipers. Overall, a big thumbs up on the looks department from me. 

PERFORMANCE

BMW say that the M340i xDrive aspiration is for maximum performance in perfection, that give you breathtaking driving dynamics that release adrenaline at every moment. Slapping the M badge on the name tag means it has to live up to the true meaning of BMW Motorsport and with this new engine, I have to say it does. While many will feel this isn't a true M car, it will have even the skeptics doubting their words once behind the wheel. The refined  3 litre, 6 cylinder M TwinPower Turbo engine produces 285kW with 500Nm of torque, all that power is guided through a perfectly tuned 8-speed M Sport transmission which just delivers thrusts of power, gear change after gear change. It's addictive and the sound just adds to the dramatics, which goes to prove that those large pipes aren't there just for fun. The car setup is near perfection and the xDrive system works like a charm. Testing the car in Johannesburg meant me having to deal with a lot of traffic but what made matters worse was the torrential downpours which lasted my entire stay. At first I was annoyed because it never really gave me the chance to go full tilt with this beast but that xDrive badge just gave me a gentle reminder that I could have fun with it in the wet. The handling of the car with the four-wheel drive is rather special and while BMW might be new to the tech in their sedans, they do seem to know what they're doing which is a good thing. It's an intelligent system as well, it knows how much power to deliver to which wheel and when. 

COMFORT

While the M340i is practically a normal 3 Series with a bit more oomph, that oomph is also translated into the interior with a much more sportier looking accents than the normal. Lots of brushed aluminum, stronger blacks, and shiny metals. The spec which I had just scram flamboyant with the perfect contrast from the dark exterior with a bright red and black interior. Diamond stitched seats added some luxury aspect to it but other than that BMW really did a great job with the trims and materials offered for this model to make it look the part. Most of it is generally the same as your normal 3 but there are things  that remind you that you're in something special, like the M340i sign that displays prominently on the instrument cluster. Tech wise, it has all the same bells and whistles offered in the line up, my personal favourite being the laser lights and now the reverse assist. 

VERDICT

Apart from the xDrive, the next big talking point about the M340i is the price tag, which starts from just a few hundred thousands under a million, when spec'd up it can reach well over a million. Yes, a million rand for a BMW 3 Series which isn't an M3. It's unheard of, people will think you're crazy to even consider this but my thing is, the pricing of the new cars in SA has sky rocketed to this level where you can pay up to 900K for a well spec'd 330i so when you think of it, getting the M340i for a million isn't that big of an adjustment but it's just the mindset that can comprehend that a 3 Series is breaking that million rand barrier. Yes there are other options which are cheaper but I'll be frank with you, and if you're a true BMW enthusiast you will agree, there's something about a performance BMW that tugs chords in you which evoke emotion that no other car can bring to you. While others will offer you more speed, send you sideways around bends, this just does everything right and will have you flicking up and down the gears, giving you every ounce it can when needed. My time was too short with this car and I hope I get to sample it again in the new year, to see what it can do down at the coast. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	3.0L, 6 cylinder, M TwinPower Turbo
Gear Box	8 M Sport Automatic
Torque	500Nm
Power	285kW
Consumption	7.5L/100km
Price	R974,500*

*Base Price

Bucket Seat: BMW i3 & i8

Recently BMW South Africa launched their new i range of vehicles in South Africa, its been a long time coming, lots of hard work behind the scenes and finally after all of this we were ready to receive them, thus opening up a new era in motoring. When BMWi began their mission to build electric powered cars, there were loads of research and development with various prototypes and concepts but with every one the method was the same, to build a new vehicle that is purposely meant to be powered by an electric plant not simply putting an electric motor in a car that exists already, hence the term "Born Electric".

The fruits of their labour saw the i3 and i8 come into form and were displayed 3 years ago to the world as concepts. Futuristic and bold designs, made the cars look like they were 20 years ahead of time but little did we know that BMW were very close to production with them. When news broke of production ready cars, we waited to see how much of the outrageousness was discarded seeing that concepts always go heavily under the knife to cut costs for the models that make to the showroom but to everyones surprise, with these two much remained the same. 

This weekend I was invited by BMW to partake in the regional launch of the iSeries vehicles at their pop up store in Gateway. We were given a brief insight by BMWi Manager Deena Ralph Govender, into the reasoning for BMW to introduce electric cars and the complexities that they went into to ensuring that the cars were geared to be environmentally friendly in every aspect. From the carbon fibre plastic shell being 100% recyclable to using eco friendly materials to decorate the cabins of the cars. It was then time to get behind the wheel of the i3, a short route to KZN's only "i ready" dealership, BMW Supertech was planned. The route offered a bit of urban driving, city driving as well as freeway driving so we could put the i3 through its paces. 

The first thing that you realise when you're next to one, besides the futuristic design, is its size. While pictures do make the car look rather small, in actual fact it is quite a respectable size and when you get inside you recognise how spacious and comfortable it is with it being able to accommodate 4 adults with ease and comfort, with the car also having suicide style doors, not having a B pillar makes entering an exiting the car that much easier. The dash follows the BMW philosophy of clean cut and simple design with a modern touch, the conventional speedometer is replaced with a LCD screen and a secondary screen in the centre of the console to display entertainment and navigation along with BMW's Connected Drive. If you haven't heard of Connected Drive, it is basically your very own concierge service at the touch of a button. Its a 24 hour service for your every need, need directions? No need to punch it in manually into the GPS, simply tell the operator the place you need to go to, and in a matter of seconds your GPS will have the route for you to follow. 

Starting the car is an experience on its own, because the electric motor is so silent you don't know if the car is on or not! The car comes with an automatic gear box with the selector finding a new space up next to the steering column, now it's just a single gear system to regulate the speed so it's a smooth ride from the go. Acceleration is instant as you tap the pedal, the propulsion of the car is intense with the torques kicking in at drastic speeds, 0-60kph in 4 seconds, that's faster than some sports cars! and as a top speed of a 150kph. When you release your foot from the accelerator, the car begins to brake on its own to regenerate power to the batteries, this in effect recharges your car as you drive. The i3 comes in two versions, the BEV and the REx, the BEV being full electric which offers the driver a range of 160km from a full charge with the REx having a range extending petrol engine not to power the car but to generate power to the batteries allowing the cars range to be just over 300km on a full charge. 

With SA not being fully equiped for electric cars just as yet, BMW are offering owners of the i3 an option to exchange their car for a combustion variant should they require to go on a long distance trip. This is all factored into the price of the car. The BEV comes in at approximately R525,000 and the REx at R585,000 at base prices. Yes it does seem a bit steep for a city car but if you do the math, you will be saving tons of money in the long run. To fully charge your car using a normal wall socket takes 6 to 7 hours and costs a mere R21, if you get the BMW iWallbox installed at home charging time is reduced to just 2 hours. There is another quicker option but will only be available at BMWi dealerships where a DC charger is on hand to do the job in just 20 minutes. Getting back to the savings, with your average 1.6 hatch, many average 400km on a 45 litre tank which costs you close to R500 now, you can do 400km in the i3 BEV for just R63, that's a good R400+ saving for you. 

Now I've already touched on how futuristic the car looks and the amazing performance and economy but there's still more cool things to the car. BMW have an app available on both Android and iOS platforms for owners to download and use, this makes use of Connected Drive and gives you live data of your car, so for example the amount of charge left in the battery, where you car is parked within a 1,5km radius (for when you can't remember where you parked in the mall?!) and the best feature for me, is pre-conditioning your car from your phone. With our blistering summer temperatures, we often park our cars out in the sun and when we get back in, it feels like we stepped into the sauna, with this app you can tell the car to run the aircon at a specific temp before you get to your car, so by then the car is at the perfect temperature for you to be in, how cool? The app can also lock and unlock your car so if you leave your keys inside by mistake, there's no need to call a locksmith and you can also use the hooter, may sound like a weird feature but when you have a car like the i3 or i8 you will be attracting attention from others so you may want to clear the crowd as you get to your car. 

Later that evening I got the chance to drive the i8, its been little under 24 hours since I've driven the car and I still have this smile on my face. I expected it to be a lot like the i3 but it was nothing like it at all. Being a hybrid, the car makes use of a 1.5 ltr, 3 cylinder petrol engine but unlike most hybrids on the market, the emphasis is on the electric motor with the petrol engine just their to assist. The low stance and tub cabin makes it feel like the ultimate sports car with the dash reminiscent to that of a space ship which is quite fitting as when you flick the car into sports mode, the dash colours change from blue into red and when the pedal is floored it feels like you've hit hyperspeed and about to jump into a new vortex. I still can't put into words what feelings that go through you when driving that car, it really is a piece of art, in fact both cars are in the own right and are real game changers. It will be interesting to see what other manufacturers will do now since they have to play catch up. 

For more info on the i3, you can visit their campaign site at: http://goo.gl/CwkthW

Or if you want to book a test drive, simply fill your details at: http://goo.gl/KqKsRD