Bucket Seat: BMW X2 2.0i

We've spoke about how the whole crossover/ SUV trend is picking up in the motoring market with consumers finding a liking to these raised vehicles. We're not quite sure what sparked the trend but can certainly see what people are opting for these sort of vehicles. Being bigger, they're more spacious than sedans, offering the occupants more room and comfort, I also find with the slightly raised ride height, it gives the driver a better perspective when driving. But as the trend goes, and the market becomes appealing to everyone, manufacturers have to adjust to the demand, not everyone can afford the bigger SUV/ SAV derivatives or while they might one one, they want something a bit more sportier, athletic and versatile, hence BMW came up with the SAC, sports activity coupe. They have in their range the X6 and the X4 but recently introduced the first ever X2 which I got drive around for a bit. While it still falls under the crossover segment, it definitely didn't feel like it as I will explain. 

DESIGN

BMW went with a different approach to designing the X2, it's effectively the more sportier model of the X1 so to get it to appeal to a younger market they've made some daring decisions to the design that had a lot of people talking. Firstly, lets talk about that badge on the side. Personally I don't see a problem with it, it looks quite good and it pays homage to the the CS as it also had the badge in a similar sort of position. Out of curiosity I ran a poll on my Instagram and to my surprise the votes were almost split with people who liked it edging out those who didn't. Other than that the car looks quite attractive to many, I love the edginess, the bi-tone outlines and the sleek sweep effect it has. It almost looks like a hot hatch and has a playfulness demeanor about it. The lights are pretty cool, I'm especially fond of the rear lights which are angled ever so slightly and follows the contours of the body.  The X2 I had came with the M Sport X kit which just adds to the aggression factor and had 5 spoke bi-colour rims. The tail of the car is finished off with the same sporty aggression that transcends from the whole car with tail pipes fitted either side. Overall, a very unique but lovely package from the Germans. 

PERFORMANCE

While I had this car on test, BMW lifted the covers of their range topping M35i X2 which features their most powerful 4 cylinder motor. The 2.0i I had wasn't too shabby either, quick off the blocks even for a chunkier car and what impressed me to the most was the fuel consumption. While we know the figures we see in brochures are done in ideal environments, I was getting quite close to the 6L per 100km as quoted by BMW. the engine produces 141kW with 280Nm of torque which is hot hatch territory. The car handles well, it has good road presence and even with the large rims, give a pretty comfy ride whether it be driving around the burbs or open road driving. 

TECH

The X2 has a similar option list to most of the other BMW's but with it being a basic X1 fit on the inside, there is some limitations. While it does feature the new BMW menu tile configuration I don't think you can add gesture control to the car. Regardless the car I had came with some decent features. Reverse camera with rear front and rear PDC's, HiFi loud speaker system, interior mood lighting with a variety of colours, professional navigation and bluetooth connectivity with Apple Car Play. Still annoys me that BMW hasn't launch the Android Auto App for their cars yet and only certain models offer the Android screen mirror option. The X2 I had came with the LED lights but no high beam assist. 

VERDICT

While judgement on the looks of the car may still be split, I quite like it, its bold, in your face, has that rugged adventure style to it which BMW was going for. The car drives well, it's pretty comfortable for the drive and its passengers. Lots of boot space and light on fuel. The price tag may be a stinger but the quality of product you getting is worth every cent of it. I honestly can see myself driving in an X2 as an every day car. While it slots into that SAC/ crossover segment, it can also do some light off roading and by that I mean gravel roads, lets not try and take it up Sani Pass or anything. The tag line for the X2 is "Be the one who dares" and its evident in the styling, the colour range the overall appeal of the car, and from the few I see on the road so far, it seems there are people who are taking the challenge to be daring. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0L TwinPower Turbo 4cy
Gear Box	8 Speed Automatic
Power	141kW
Torque	280Nm
0-100	7.7 seconds
Economy	6.0 L/100km
Price	R 577 903*

*base price

  

Bucket Seat: BMW X4 - First Impressions

There's a comforting feeling when you get invited to a day launch in your home town. I'm not quite sure what it is about local launches that have me so relaxed, it could be that the roads we're about to travel on are familiar to me, that I know where to push the cars limits and where to be-careful, or it could be the fact that I don't have to travel on the dreaded "red eye" flight to the launch destination. Whatever it was, I was at ease last Friday when I was invited, along with a host of other motoring journalists to sample BMW's all new X4.

Now for many, the X4 would be an odd car, and I can see where they might be coming from. It's based on the X3 which is a family SUV but made in a sports coupe design, which see's the roof slanted and given a sport back rear end. With the ever growing trend of the market demanding for more crossover options, manufacturers can only head the call of the buyer I suppose and with that you have to salute BMW in it's efforts as global trendsetters, if I may call them that, for developing this once unique but very appealing segment of the "SAC" (Sport Activity Coupe). We've seen many others follow the trend of the BMW X4 since it's introduction to the market in 2014 which sold approximately 200,000 units worldwide, and while BMW may welcome competition, they have to stay ahead of the game and that is exactly what I came to find out during this launch.

The setting for the morning, Durban's iconic Oyster Box, while sipping my cappuccino and enjoying my savoury croissant, watching the waves break on the shoreline, I was wondering if my day would be as predictable as the tide that morning but rest assured it was anything but. See, having the launch in my back yard gave me an advantage over the journo's from outside Durban. While they were thinking about all the sleep they missed out on, to get to the airport on time for their flight, I got in a bit early to get a get a jump on what models were present for the launch. Being a very sporty orientated vehicle, the X4 is being launch in just 3 engine variants for now. A 2 litre petrol, 2 litre diesel and the range topping M40i (3 litre Twin-Power Turbo) engine of which there were two present. Obviously I threw my stuff in the back of one of the M40i's and took the keys before anyone could see, which made me feel a bit smug. Well in my defense, the chances of seeing the M40i in the Durban press fleet next year are slim to none so I had to get a sample of it at the launch.

After a brief presentation on the X4, highlighting the significant changes and differences to the new models, as well as giving us some basic statistics on the market, it was time to hit the road. Don't worry, the presentation wasn't boring but I'll fill you in on the important bits as we go along. Now for those who have never been on a launch, you normally pair up with another journalist and your journey to your lunch time stop is split in half. I opted to drive the latter half seeing that it had a more challenging route on what I thought would be quieter roads to navigate this behemoth. My driving experience started in Eston, where I was greeted with wide open fields making it's way into the hills and forests of the  KZN Midlands. The peace and tranquility which is synonymous with the area was harshly disturbed by the violent gurgling and crackling of the twin exhausts from the mighty X4 M40i. The engine is quite raucous as well, but in a good way, it makes all the right sounds that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand when you put it in Sport mode.

There's no other word to describe the X4 M40i other than a beast, and while I drove the X3 with the very same engine, the X4's lower body, wider rear and longer rear axel give it so much more life. It literally eats up the tar in front of it and with its solid stance, it attacks corners with force and almost feels like it bends the road to suit its path. With BMW's xDrive system, the car picks up which wheels are losing traction when gripping and alternates power to the ones that need it, helping you propel through the twists and bends. That coupled with the reverberating noise from the exhaust just makes you want to keep on going, even if the roars make the wildlife in the area disperse in fear. I was actually quite sad when my route ended up going through the bustling metropolis of Pietermaritzburg which meant I had to tone things done in the M40i but it also gave the car a chance to relax as we navigated the lunch time traffic in EcoPro mode. 

One would say the car has a Jekyll and Hyde complex, but we're in 2018, so let me bring the reference up to speed and say it has a Banner and Hulk complex. In the traffic, while in EcoPro mode, the car was calm and collected but you just know it doesn't take much to let the beast out. The journey to the lunch stop involved some dirt road driving. Now with a car as such, 3 litre, twin power turbo, sitting on 21" rims, not the ideal environment you would think? But that's where you'd be wrong, to quote another Journalist whom attended the launch earlier in the week, "I've never gone this fast on dirt!". Yup, the X4 M40i made minced meat of that gravel track, it unleashed the inner rally driver in me, all those hours spent playing Colin McRae on the PC as a child finally came into fruition as I left a trail of dust behind me while racing to the Karkloof Safari Lodge, to satisfy my appetite that was built up while driving this mighty car.

While sitting at lunch, contemplating whether I should skip dessert and rush out on the first shuttle to secure the M40i on the route back, I figured, if it brought me so much joy, imagine what it would do for the next person. So I guess you could say dessert won that one, but it gave me the opportunity to try out another engine variant and one I believe will be quite important to the X4 line up, the 20d. There's no secret that this engine is one of my favourites from the BMW Group, it offers the best of both worlds while making your trips the filling station less frequent. The drive back was quite the opposite with the diesel, not that it wasn't as fun, for obvious reasons it was much more tame but at the same time still quite enjoyable. It gave me time to appreciate what the car offered on the whole. BMW are becoming more of the giving type now, by throwing in a few more freebies in the X4. Like Business SatNav, BMW Connected drive which can be controlled by an app via your mobile device. This allows you to check on critical information on the car, like fuel levels, tyre pressure levels, oil levels, etc and also help you book your car in should there be a problem or a service is required. There's also a few cool things you can do with the app, like pre-set your air-conditioning, so the car is nice and cool when you jump in. 

Coming from a person who was not the biggest fan of the original X4, I got to say that there isn't much not to like in the new one. While it may be based on the new X3, there is some major variances in the mechanics of the two, so in essence, the X4 isn't just an X3 with a sexier bum. Yes, BMW have done a stunning job on that rear end, it flows so well and with that rear wing that sits above the windshield, just adds that much character to the overall package. A good thing to note is that this new design of the rear is something we will become used to with the upcoming Z4 sporting a similar design and from the spy shots of the new 3 Series which is due to show its face soon, it too will have its rear lights in a similar style to that of the X4. It this is an indication of what we can expect from the next line of BMW X models, the future for this line is very bright and very eXciting. 

X4 xDrive 20i	X4 xDrive 20d	X4 M40i
135kW	140kW	265kW
290Nm	400Nm	500Nm
R843 000*	R843 000*	R1 132 800*

 *Base model prices. 

BMW will have the M40d available to purchase from the first quarter of 2019.

Bucket Seat: 2018 BMW X4 - First Impressions

BMW dropped details and official pictures on its upcoming X4 SAC (Sports Activity Coupe) today and informed us that it will be heading to our shores later this year. While the first generation X4 wasn't the greatest looking vehicle from the BMW stable, it certainly didn't too badly in sales with approximately 200,000 units sold world wide since its launch in 2014. It seems that people were tempted by this mid ranged sport style SUV, I suppose the appeal came from it's coupe like form and didn't make it look too much like a soccer moms car like the X3. Mind you, the new X3 has improved on the looks department tenfold and I'm glad that the new X4 takes many design cues from it but someone in the design department at BMW HQ threw the design guide out the window when it came to the rear design because it looks like nothing we've ever seen from the Germans and it looks fantastic!

After reading the short version of the media release, which really isn't short, BMW are quite enthusiastic about the efficiency figures from the new X4. it ranges from 9.0-5.4L/100km across the range. Quite impressive for a big car like this, BMW says the car delivers individuality, dynamism and innovation in greater doses than before and is here to write the next chapter in the success story of the first ever Sports Activity Coupe. The cars design is more pronounced and muscular, it also has increased in size by 81mm in length, 54mm added to the wheelbase and extra 37mm of width. Design wise, the front is very high and commanding while the car slopes into a sleeker look and ending off with that sexy rear end. The front end is taken straight from the X3 with the kidney grille now three-dimensional in look at quite bigger than normal, while the front does look nice, I just feel BMW could have done some tweaking to make it look a bit different. 

Anyway, there are going to be a few variants of engines to choose from, and from the sounds of it, SA will be getting most of them this time around, including the big boy 4.0L in both petrol and diesel. the M40i will be the range topping model, as with the X3 and its maximum output will be 265kW producing 360bhp with a claimed 9.2L/100km. The range topping diesel engine is the M40d making 240kW and 326bhp but the torque output on this one is a factor to keep an eye on. Interior on this car is ace, again, carbon copy of the X3 which means it has all the nice gadgets and features. I can state all of them but it will be practically what I said about the X3 but trust me, its all good, obviously most of the cool stuff is on the dreaded optional extras list, which comes at a price, but like I always said, if I had the money, I would get them all.