Bucket Seat: BMW Compact Sedan Concept

Literally a few hours ago BMW has unveiled to the world their new Compact Sedan Concept, which is due to fall under the 1 Series range when launched as a production car. It's an interesting design and one which I quite like, and will be direct competition to the likes of Merc's CLA and Audi's A3 Sedan.

When we first saw pics of it on test, I wondered why the car would be badge as a 1 Series and not the 2 seeing that the coupe but perhaps BMW have a 2 Series Gran Coupe planned? Or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part. 

Being a concept, I'm not sure how much of the actual cars elements will be cut for production. I quite like the interior, lots of feature lighting in the cabin, highlighting the lines and flow of the dash, also it seems like a new configuration to the sunroof cluster above the head. 

Those seats are next level, we've seen it on many of the previous concepts but they never made production. Very futuristic and something I'd like to see in the future. 

Overall, this car has the potential to put a dent in sales to its competitors and I'll be keen to see what the engine line up offering will be on this as well. 

Bucket Seat: BMW M2

With all the hype built around the vehicle with the various spy pictures taken while it was in testing, many couldn't wait to see what the final product looked like and BMW did not disappoint! Many renders did the rounds with copy and pasted bumpers and side skirts from the M4 but the Germans tweaked things a bit with the front air intakes and lower stance, only thing it did borrow from the M4 was the 19" forged aluminium rims. 

It looks menacing and it should be, since it's powered by an all new 3 litre six-cylinder in-line-engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology. That beast of an engine develops 272kW and 370bhp at 6,500rpm with a reported fuel combined fuel consumption of 8.5l/100km thus making it the most powerful car in it's segment. 

Even though BMW calls this an all new model because of the name badge, it's predecessor, the 1M was loads of fun to drive for any motoring enthusiast,  in fact, Jeremy Clarkson said he'd rather buy a 1M than an M3 and that says a lot, so this M2 has got a lot to deliver but I have a feeling that it will be more than capable of doing do. 

It will be launched locally in the second quarter of next year, no indication of pricing yet but it's not going to be cheap, ultimately, you pay for what you get and in this one, you're getting a lot! The interior looks great, following its bigger M brothers with full racing inspired style, carbon fibre and aluminium finishes, racing leather seats and the whole M Sport package. It's a pocket rocket that's sure to send you smiling as you go sideways into a bend, we cannot wait to meet this one.

Bucket Seat: Mini 5 Door - First Impressions

Mini have done it again, just when you think they ran out of ideas of creating variants to their long line up of cars they sprung this one. Earlier this year I tested the new 3 door Cooper Hatch,  essentially a coupe with its long doors and coupe style entry for rear passengers, it proved to be a hit amongst the youngsters or "younger generation" but like I said in my review,  whilst it is a cool car and tons of fun to drive,  it isn't practical.  Seems like Mini have also noticed this and hence created a grown up version of the hatch,  it's longer, has a bigger boot and most importantly has 2 extra doors.

Yesterday I was invited to the official media launch held in Johannesburg,  the perfect environment to test this nifty car. The course included some town driving, freeway driving and a lovely meander through the Magaliesberg mountain pass. Getting into the car, you'd notice not much is different from its 3 door sibling. The car is spacious , whilst still a bit tight at the back it is much more roomy for the passengers, put it this way, normal people can fit in the back and not midgets, albeit a tight squeeze if you have a tall driver. It has some pretty awesome optional extras like Mini Connect which includes a 6.5" screen in the centre, bluetooth telephone connectivity and audio streaming. 

Although longer and heavier, the car still pushes out 100\kw, 220Nm of torque and the top speed is only 3km slower than the 3 door. The car is just as much fun to drive, it's sharp around corners, the gear box is very smooth and the tone of the twin scroll turbo engine just makes you want to go faster.  The car comes in two engines, the Cooper with ta 1.5l twin scroll and the Cooper S with a 2l twin scroll turbo that produces 141Kw and 280Nm of torque.

I honestly couldn't find a difference in driving this over the 3 door, if anything I'd say this car is overall a better buy seeing that 217,460 hatchbacks were purchased in 2013 majority of which being 5 doors, so there is definitely a demand for it. The Mini 5 Door will compete against the likes of the Audi A1 5 door, Golf 7 and perhaps even it's sister company's 1 series. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to have a go in the Cooper S so hoping I get one 5 test for a little longer next year. Overall the 5 Door Mini hatch will bring out the inner child in you with its Go kart like driving experience but at the same time being a bit more practical than its smaller variant. 

The base model Cooper starts off at R305,000.00 for the manual whilst the base Cooper S starts off at R372,000.00

Bucket Seat: Mini Cooper Hatch

I sit here with mixed emotions trying to put into words what this past week has been like, while there is some drama to this story, this isn't a soppy love story and it is very much a review of a car I've driven, I swear! Then again, when driving a Mini, it is a very emotionally charged experirnce for the driver, being behind the wheel of one excites every aspect of ones sense and it just brings out pure 100% concentrated joy. Yes many might not take the car seriously because of its size and the gimmicks, or as I like to call them, "party tricks" that come along with it but when people talk about an X factor, Mini's definitely come with them.

Impressions

Dubbed "The New Original", I was sent the 2014 Cooper Hatch to drive around with for a week. I was a bit disappointed to see I was not allocated its bigger brother, the Cooper S but with a 1.5l twin turbo enginer under the hood, this wasn't a slouch. From the get go it makes you fully aware of that as the high revving engine maximises the use of its lower gears, with 2nd gear mnaginging up to 120kph just before read lining. try doing that with your hot hatch!  The tiny chasis along with the short wheel makes the entire driving experience almost go kart like, the deep tone in the exhaust has been retained and make for good driving music if you don't fancy having the radio on. 

Interior

The thing I've come to realise with Mini, is that every one of their models is unique, there's always something in there that's different to what one is used to in a car. For example, the Start/ Stop buttong is now a flick switch located in the center consol below the climate control A/C and it glows red when the clutch is pushed in, remnescent of a fighter jet switch to ignite its engine. 

I made mention in my tweets that although the interior is pretty similar to the previous models, the subtle changes they made make a big difference. The speedometer is now located behind the steering wheel and has a neat fuel gauge to the side of it. where one normally found the big round retro style speedometer is now an 8.8" info screen. Wrapped around the info screen is an interactive LED visual aid display where by you can either select your favourite colour or use it interactively with the cars navigation, aircon or even as a rev counter!

Mini Connect comes with an updated version of of the software and they'velistened to me and given it a decent controller! It is very, if not exactly like the one you would find in a BMW which makes things very easy to use! The user interface is fairly the same with some added extras like the "Excitement Analyser" which assists the driver in taking bends at the right speed and efficient gear changing. One thing annoyed me was the center arm rest which you want down while driving but came in the way of the controller. 

Comfort

I had the opportunity to take the car on a long distance trip through the heart of KZN, having quite a stiff suspension very low ground clearnace I was skeptical about the ride quality. Also travelling in the midst of winter to some of the coldest parts of the country without the luxury of heated seats was also a daunting aspect but everything that concerned me was for no reason. The cabin, even with the frameless coupe style doors retain that airlock which keeps it warm even with the temperature reading at 0 degrees on the outside. The ride it self was probably just the same as any other car but probably better because of the amount of fun you have while driving it. Going over speed bumps was tricky but surpsringly on the short stretch of dirty road I had to go through, the car was stable as a 4x4, now I know how they cruised to a Dakar victory earlier this year!

Power

The 1.5l twin turbo engine doesnt spit out astonishing figures, 136bhp and 100kw doesnt flutter ones eyelids but combine that with the overall package with the short wheel base, sharp turning circle and grip for days, it makes the Mini one hell of a beast to drive with on the road. Consumption isn't too bad either, with me managing an average of 7.7ltr per 100km during my time with the car.

Design

If you had to glance at the new Cooper, you probably wouldn't realise its different to its predescessor. Again, subtle but big differences in the design, the car itself is a bit bigger and wider, the tail lights have grown and the front headlight have gone back to a single buld configuration. The bulkiness and chrome detailing make the car stand out for it size and with the dramatic paint work and stripes it ensures that it is a head turner. 

Extras

The car came with the sliding panoramic glass sun roof which in my opinion is a must with the car and I for one am not a fan of it. Besides the extra light coming into the cabin, it makes it seem that the top half the car floats. Other extras include a various set of rims to chose from and the of course the multiple colour combinations for your paint. The car also came with the 6 disc DVD shuttle in the cubby which for me is a waste of time and space since the bluetooth audio streaming is the preffered method for everyone to listen to music in their cars now.

Space

Whilst the car is small and the rear passenger seats has barely enough space for midgets, the boot, well you can't really comment on the space because it would take up too much room. No really, it's blody tiny, your gym bag and laptop case will fill it! The extra storage compartment below is nice for storing things that you don't want flying about like the first aid and tyre repair kit that come with the vehicle. 

Verdict

At the end of the day, you going to have to ask yourself the question before you decide on purchasing a mini, "are you a Mini driver?". Take away the egotistical, questioning ones self about their manhood and really think if this car is what you need. Its pricey but for me, a single guy that travels quite a bit alone whether it be long distances or a short trip to work, it really is an ideal car. It has everything you need in it and it has that solid build quality that many in its size do note have. After doing 960km in it, I grew quite attached to the car and as I said at the beginning, it became quite emotional, mainly because on the last day of having it, the car was a victim of crime with the passenger side window being smashed luckily nothing was taken but it ruined the image of this car that you can just sit and stare at.

Specifications

• 1.5 litre, 3 cylinder twin turbo charged engine
• 6 speed manual gear box
• 100kW
• 136bhp 
• 220Nm torque
• Consumption: 4.6ltr/ 100km (claimed)
• Top Speed: 210kph
• 0-100kph: 7.9 seconds 
• Price: R296 000 (excluding extras)

Bucket Seat: 2 Series Active Tourer

When one thinks of BMW as a brand, it's always performance cars that come to mind first, hence when this particular model was launched, many were surprised that the German manufacturer has decided to dabble into this sector of the auto-mobile range. MPV or multi-purpose vehicles have become more and more popular over the years, whether its a couple starting a family that need that extra space or small business owners that require a small run around but need versatility in terms of loading space. Whatever the case maybe, there is a space in the market for such a car and it would be stupid for any manufacturer not to take advantage of this. 

Variety

In the past year, we witnessed BMW flood the market with various models, the range has expanded tremendously giving the prospective buyer so many options to choose from. With the launch of the 2 series Active Tourer, it plugs in the void that was missing for BMW in that particular segment, so right now there can't be a person who says they cannot find a particular model that suits their needs. Why though? There are others to serve that purpose, well with Mercedes Benz, they released their B-Class back in 2005 as a "compact luxury car" in other words, a luxury MPV. Sales of the vehicle speaks for itself and with their new model that hit the road in the past year, you're seeing a lot more of them on the road so it only made sense that BMW took advantage of this and gave their clients an option to get something similar if needed. 

Engine

The car is the first from their stable to have front wheel drive, but as BMW say it is a "sophisticated front wheel drive system which delivers the degree of driver engagement expected of the brands models", in other words, it maybe a front wheel drive car but it still feels the same as driving any other car from their line up. The model will be made available in 3 and 4 cylinder engine options, with a claimed combined fuel consumption of between 6-4.1 litres to a 100km. Which is pretty good but buyers of this car would be using it as a run around car so that means lots of short trips, it will be interesting to see how the car copes on that end, but we'll just have to wait till we get one to test ourselves.

Design

They have done a good job with the design, when making compact cars such as these, it is very hard to make them good looking but BMW got it right with this one. Giving it that sporty look but still being practical at the same time and for the guys, there will be a M Sport kit available for this car just in case you want it to look more menacing on the road.

Versatility 

The interior is nothing less than what you expect, baring the same characteristics from its brother the 2 series coupe, the cockpit seems fully equipped with everything you need and I'm sure if it isn't, it will be on the optional extra list. The car seems pretty spacious but with the extra height you'd expect that to be a given but where the magic happens is at the back. The 3 individual seats are all able to fold down completely to extend the boot capacity from 468 to 1,510 liters! That is huge! Woman will already love this car for all the shopping bags they can get in it. 

The car will be available in South Africa from October 2014, at present the price isn't known but it shouldn't be too much more than the 2 Series coupe. It's good to see BMW attacking all sectors of the market in terms of its model range because you would get those die hard fans of the brand that needed something like this but in the past never had the option so had to settle for other manufactures. This could be the birth of the coolest soccer mom car around.