Bucket Seat: Audi Q6 e-tron

In the quest to go green, Audi's commitment to a 2026 deadline of zero internal combustion engines in new models coming of the the production line in their plants has taken a massive step in the right direction this week with the unveiling of the Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron. The model is the first production model on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), this firms Audi's strategy in becoming a provider of premium electric mobility. The model is defined not only by impressive driving and charging performance but also by increased efficiency and long range. The PPE, developed jointly with Porsche and E3 1.2 electronic architecture are important milestones in the expansion of Audi's global range of electrically powered models. The Q6 e-tron features a newly developed lithium-ion battery consisting of twelve modules and 180 prismatic cells with a total gross capacity of 100 kWh that gives the car an approximate range of up to 625km from a single charge. Performance wise, the cars electric motors produce 285kW with the SQ6 etron offering a total power output of up to 380kW when the extra function is engaged. 0-100km/h times clock in at 5.9 seconds for the normal Q6 while the SQ6 e-tron reaches that target in just 4.3 seconds. The vehicles top speeds are regulated to 210 and 230km/h respectively. 

Charging wise, the cars come with 800-volt technology and a maximum charging capacity of 270kW as standard, this translates to shorter charging stops with the car being up to obtain 255km of range fro mjust 10 minutes of charging at an appropriate charging station (HPC). Currently South Africa has no High Power Charging stations but the Direct Current fast chargers are not far from those speeds. Alternatively, one can opt for AC charging up home with up to 11kW from normal home chargers. An important component in increasing the efficiency and therefore the range of the Audi Q6 e-tron is the advanced recuperation system. Around 95 percent of all everyday braking processes can be handled by this system. The Audi Q6 e-tron recuperates at up to 220kW.

The Q6 e-tron position in the market will be in the premium midsize segment as it measures 4.7 meters long and just under 2 meters wide. As with the other e-trons, luxury is not compromised in the Q6 with a full premium cabin adorned in quality materials and textures. A new infotainment system that uses Android Automotive OS as its operating system for the first time. The screen measures 14.5-inch and and is a MMI touch display. Content is always up to date thanks to over-the-air updates. The latest Audi connect services and the enhanced e-tron route planner, included as standard, are therefore always up to date. Apps such as YouTube are available via the store for third-party apps, which is integrated directly into the MMI and does not require a smartphone, Premium sound is a must and that is why the Q6 e-tron comes fitted with the Bang & Olufsen Premium sound system, that consists of 20 loudspeakers with 830 watts of power. Four of these are integrated into the headrests. 

Overall the Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron models mark a significant placemark in Audi's future as this shows the plan in action for their future vision as a company. The stats on paper look truly remarkable and the complete product makes quite a statement in terms of an offering to the segment at a large. Audi South Africa say that the introduction of this model to our market is still under consideration and if they do decide to bring it in, the price tag would be interesting to see, as if priced well could see it give healthy competition to their rivals with ICE models.

Bucket Seat: Audi e-tron 55 Sportback

It seems like a life time ago since I got to experience Audi's range of electric cars at their launch in Cape Town, even though it was March 2022. Just feels like so much has happened since then and truth be told, a lot has happened but rather late than never, Audi sent down a test unit for me to zoot across town with a for a week. It wasn't the Iron Man edition RS e-tron GT but rather the 55 Sportback which, coincidentally I didn't get to drive on that evening, so I wasn't too disappointed to see this quietly roll into my driveway. Audi is one of the only manufacturers who have committed to a date whereby they will be stopping production on all internal combustion engines from their line-up, some might so bold, some might say stupid but given the vast array of models showcased in their e-tron line-up, it might be very bold of them to do so. After experiencing what the RS GT could do, I was blown away, so spending a week with the e-tron 55 Sportback was looking rather exciting to me, especially seeing that this would be my fourth EV on test, and the first from Audi, so I could gauge how different their approach is to the competitions. 

DESIGN

The one question I got when EV's were first introduced into the market was "why must they be so ugly", I get that manufacturers wanted them to stand out, but some designs were a bit out there. I admired the creativity from some brands which incorporated recycled materials and made their EV's in factories which were Green rating but to the normal consumer, these were not characteristics they were interested, they just wanted normal looking cars and to their credit, that is exactly what Audi have done. The e-tron 55 Sportback looks as normal as a car could be, Audi say it combines spaciousness of an SUV with the performance of a four-door coupe. The lines of the car are stunning and with the large 21-inch 5 V spoke diamond turned rims really make the car give off a commanding presence. The headlamps are identical to the Q3, the body is similar shape to the Q5 and the only major difference is the dynamic looking rear of the car with the solid rear light. Both front and back lights are Audi's famed Matrix LED's which provide you with a welcome sequence "dance" as they like to call it, which one never gets tired of. The colour of this particular model was something that got a lot of attention too, the one pager I got with the car said it was Beige but after looking at the Audi website, the closest colour to it from their pallet I could see was "Typhoon Grey Pearl", I'll go with Beige. I know I said the car looked normal but there are distinct design differences which does make the car stand out and be more bold than other SUV's in the Audi stable. While the large Audi grille is there, it's completely blanked off, as there isn't a radiator that needs cool air to come through the car. The SUV coupe body does make it look ever so elegant on the road as well, one of the other big talking points was the lack of side mirrors which were replaced with the optional extra virtual exterior mirrors which I will touch on further on in the blog. The interior design matched the current new design language from Audi, almost a replica of the Q8 SUV Coupe. 

PERFORMANCE

From the previous reviews, we know that EV's are super quick, with no combustion engine and no gears, it just means all the power available at once! But these cars are heavy, thanks to the batteries and other electrical elements to make the car function, also there has to be a way of regulating the power delivery to the wheels otherwise the driver and its occupants would suffer from whiplash on every take off! The 55 Sportback comes power with two synchronous electric motor which derive a combined power output of  300kW and 664Nm of torque at full tilt, this can be adjusted by the various driving modes with Dynamic being the one that unleashes the most amount of power on demand and Eco being the one that limits the most power. The various modes would obviously determine the amount of power is consumed by the batteries, hence the range when fully charged can give you anything from 372km to 453km. An interesting thing happened to me while driving this car, I think given the fact that I have driven quite a few of the newer EV's, I found that my range anxiety was no where existent when driving the 55 Sportback. Not sure if it was due to the realisation that this was one of the bigger batteries being the 95kW giving that longer lasting usage or that I was just becoming accustomed to EV driving. For the 7 days I had it, I probably only needed to charge it once but due to the inner journalist in me, I had to go try out the various new charges that have been installed around town. Fast charging had me go from 10% to 99% in just 28 minutes, you can download the Audi app and keep connected to monitor your cars status while you go about your shopping and know exactly when its time to go. The Quattro four wheel drive gives the car more composure and helps balance out that high torque factor, the large tyres minimize the bumps on the road and gives you a softer ride. The e-tron 55 is the first EV I saw with charging ports on either side of the car and with automatic retractable and closing covers. The right side also had the DC fast charging while the other had the normal AC charging port only. 

COMFORT

Being based of an SUV, even though the coupe spec, the 55 Sportback was extremely spacious. The brown leather seats really complemented the beige exterior and black finishes on the inside. The piano black elements gave the car the premium feeling it deserves. The e-tron like the Q8 comes with a triple screen display, with the virtual cockpit which can be changed per user preference to display anything form your normal speedometer, to a full size navigation map. The main infotainment screen with MMI touch response is easy to use with Audi's new tile interface and has wireless mobile app connectivity which is simple to setup. The bottom screen is mainly used for the climate control settings but also displays the keyboard for navigation and as a sketch surface to write commands into. The gear shift is a rather interesting design, which looks like a plane throttle lever, its wrapped in soft touch leather which makes its nice place to rest your hand while driving, not that I'd encourage it as both hands should be on the steering at all times! The drive quality on the e-tron is smooth as silk, the lack of noise coupled with how easy it is to maneuver this large chassis around really makes it a pleasure. Now many think due to the car being electric, most of the creature comforts of the normal cars are cut out due to their high power consumption, well you'd be wrong because the e-tron 55 Sportback also offers seat heating for the driver and front passenger. The rear occupants also get dual zone climate control, a full panoramic sunroof, mesmerizing ambient lighting fills the cabin at night and remember those virtual exterior mirrors? Well add another two more screens, one on each door panel. It was a bit to get your head around at first but one quickly adjusts to it. Coming in at R24,000, it may seem like a massive waste of money but to me, after using them and seeing how much more attention it gets you, if you spending this much on a car, whats that little bit more to make it stand out? The benefits of it really came through in night driving, where it would cancel out the harsh glares from cars behind and give you a better view of either side when driving. The car also came with Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D sound system which is standard by the way. The slanted boot has an automated tailgate with a large luggage space and a full size spare wheel. The charging cables can be found at the front of the car. The Matrix LED lighting works like a dream, knowing when to switch on the extended lights, beam lights onto road signed and bend around corners, seriously my favourite lighting from all manufacturers at the moment. 

VERDICT

I say this with a big chest, as this is the first EV I've driven and felt it just as or even better than a normal car. The confidence you get from driving the e-tron really gives you faith in Audi's goal of cutting out the ICE engines from their line up by 2026. If the technology they've managed to create now can deliver so much in their products, I can't wait to see what the next range of e-trons have to offer. While I was snobbish at the launch, only opting to drive the GT's because I wanted to unleash my inner Tony Stark, these are the really money makers for the brand and where you see the true benefit of their EV journey. It's for everyday people, doing everyday things but without the hassle of needing to fill fuel. I think if driven properly and not like a maniac like me, one only has to charge these cars maybe once every 10 days if its basic running around town you're doing. The regenerating power from the average driving around is pretty good too, so you learn to adapt to get the maximum benefits from it. The price is a bit much and a big pill to swallow but its the price to pay to change the future which is inevitable. There is a massive drive to get more charging facilities in the country and Audi have partnered with Rubicon to install more chargers at their dealerships and malls around the country. This is another massive positive step to making South Africa more EV friendly. Notice I didn't bring up load shedding once in this article but I have to unfortunately, lucky for us, its the one thing that we get right all the time, they keep to the time tables so you should plan in advance if your car requires charging, don't get caught out then put the blame on Eskom if you aren't quick to act. Also not sure if I mentioned in any of my other posts on EV's, most public places have dedicated EV parking bays, like major shopping malls and the airport, which are usually right by the entrance and wheel-clamp zones for none EV's, so you score on that front by getting premium parking!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	Two Synchronous Electric
Gear Box	Single Gear
Torque	664Nm
Power	300kW
0-100km	5.7 seconds
Price	R2,115,000

 

Bucket Seat: BMW iX3

My first introduction to the media world of motoring was at an event held by BMW on electric mobility. They were launching their range or hybrid vehicles into the country but also showcasing two, pure electric cars as well. I got to drive the pre-production versions of the Mini E and the 1 Series Electric which both were still in R&D format with the company doing tests on the cars to see if they would be viable. Not long after that, BMW launched their ‘I’ division, which would be for their own electric range of cars. The i3 and i8 both took the motoring industry by surprise with both production cars being very similar to the concepts that were showcased at the Motor shows. Both models did reasonably well, given that they were something that people were not used to. This was the change needed to test the waters in the market and to acclimatize the consumer on what was yet to come. You see, as years go by, and new legislations are signed in, more and more manufacturers are committing to a future without the internal combustion engine. So while other technologies are still being investigated, the electric revolution has begun. With manufacturers like Tesla taking the US market by storm, many other manufacturers have followed suit, hoping to be not left behind but while there was a vast difference in driving those pre-production cars during that launch, I was intrigued to see how much has changed since, so towards the end of last year I was given the opportunity to spend a week with the BMW iX3, a full EV model of the much loved mid sized SUV, here I my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

With BMW, their ‘I’ cars were always different, more futuristic in design, greener materials used to make the car and even the factories that were producing them were green rated. Most people did find the look a bit odd and said they would consider an electric car if it looked “normal”, so that’s what they did. They took a normal iX3 chassis and put an electric motor in it. There are some notable design differences between the iX3 and the normal X3, not having a radiator there isn't a need for a grille but BMW have still incorporated the famous kidney grille in its design but have it blanked off by a plastic cover with a neat design pattern on it. Another key design element is no exhaust tail pipes at the back, the diffuser, while having the detail for the pipes, is blanked off. BMW also have a set of unique rims for the electric cars, which are lighter in weight to aid drawing less power from the battery. There are also some nice blue accents around the car that you can spot on closer inspection to make it known this car is an EV. Moving on the inside, everything looks exactly the same as a normal X3, the only difference is the additional info on the infotainment screen to show you the EV performance of the car. Other than that, you won't know you're sitting in an electric car as everything is exactly the same. 

PERFORMANCE

How does one measure performance on an EV? There is no cylinders, no gearbox, let a lone turbo's, giving stats on the kW ratings and torque ratings are helpful but to me, some of these figures had to be restrained to make the car drivable. The iX3 delivers 210kW and 400Nm of torque on paper but if you are a first time EV driver, you will feel a noticeable difference but not as much as when I first drove the pre-production cars. They've managed to reduce the feel tremendously to make the EV more "normal", there isn't a harsh acceleration with the torque controlled and because there is no gearbox, the speed built up is also managed dependent on what driver mode you have it on. Even the regeneration isn't as harsh as the previous models, where by the car does slow down once you leave the accelerator but not in a manner in which the occupants physically feel the inertia of the car slowing for regeneration. The thing that will feel the most weird to most, is the silence of the car, even while having your music playing, there is that eerie silence that will make you wonder if the car is even switched on or not.  BMW have a claimed range of 460km on a full charge, I managed to get about 440km before having to top up, my driving was mixed but I did do a lot of freeway driving, which as you know isn't the best for EV's as the stop/ start of urban cruising is more effective to prolonging its range. What I must add that the battery tech has been improved a lot since I drove the i3, with zero range anxiety experienced during my time with the iX3.  Handling is sublime with the car, even with the heavy battery bar sitting on the floor of the car, it still maintains great stability and has good weight distribution on corners. 

COMFORT

What's to say? It's a BMW and they are well known for having great spec'd interiors with luxurious seats and all the bells and whistles to keep all occupants happy. The car is well equipped even at base specifications with three zone climate control for driver, front passenger and rear occupants, leather seating's, BMWs Connected Drive, a great sound system and host of safety features. Being a test model, this one came packed with most of the optional extras that you'd find in a normal X3, such as panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, electric adjustable seats with memory, seat heating, expanded screen display, wireless mobile app connectivity, wireless charging tray, surround view camera, PDC's, lane keep assist, collision assist, adaptive cruise control and high beam adaptive LED lights. Other nice features specifically for the iX3 included the addition of the mobile app which can load a digital key to your phone, that means you wont need a physical key to unlock and start you car, you can just use your smart phone. Connected Charging on digital services, the car will give you an indication if it has enough range for your journey and notify you of charging stations en-route. 

CHARGING

The big question when it comes to EV's, how much will charging cost me? Well, a study done in 2012 said that at the time it would cost you around R60 to fully charge an i3, but with the bigger battery size of the iX3 and increase in electricity price, I'd say that figure is probably doubled now, so effectively costing you R120 to fully charge this car at your house using a conventional 3-Pin socket outlet, bear un mind this would take close to 9 hours to fully charge the car. It would be advisable to install a wall box charger at your home to regulate the power flow as with our energy crisis the country is experiencing, they can be disruptions to your charge which will result in issues when charging straight from the socket outlet. I must admit, charging the car did prove to be frustrating at time, with most BMW dealerships only have AC chargers which cut the charging time down to almost half but still is a long time, the DC chargers which take about 20 minutes to fully charge the car are few and far to find with me only having found one at Gateway Shopping Mall, that too, there is two bays for EV cars, but only one DC charger with the other being AC. So if someone has already beaten you to it, you better hope they not spending the entire day at the mall. These charging stations are operating via a billing system that is linked to a card you will receive with the car. The DC charging will cost you in the region of between R350 to R400, which for 460km of range is a steal when compared to the price of fuel these days. 

VERDICT

While the technology is ever improving, one feels there is still a lot of work to be done in getting EV's right but what BMW have done in the iX3 is showing the potential that EV's can have in our market. The car itself performs beautifully on the roads and other than the charging infrastructure locally there is nothing I can fault about the car itself. As mentioned at the start of the article, manufactures are pushing to go completely emission free so EV's are here to stay, so things like the charging infrastructure will improve over time and hopefully that means a lot more places for one to charge their electric cars. We already seeing massive development in the European and American markets with Asia not that far behind so its only time that Africa starts playing catch up. Also with the market being more and more open to EV's, there will be more of a drive to get the infrastructure in place. To prove my point, BMW released details on its best selling M car for 2022, and to everyone's surprise, it was in face their i4 M50! So it just goes to show that the future is very much electric!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	Single electric motor
Gear Box	Single speed automatic
Torque	400Nm
Power	210kW
0-100km/h	6.8 seconds
Price	R1,306,400*

*base price

 

Bucket Seat: Audi E-tron is here!

Last night saw Audi South Africa launch it's electric arsenal to the country, in what is the biggest model launch of fully electric cars by any manufacturer in the world. The German giant launched 6 new cars at the glitzy event that took place at Cape Town's iconic Zeitz Mocaa Art Gallery in the Silo District, the event was attended by media, celebrities and VIP guests who not only got to witness these great machines entry but also get behind the wheel, getting to experience the future of motoring first hand. Audi's e-tron model line-up consists of the e-tron 55, all the way up to the range topping performance RS e-tron GT model. 

With this impressive variety that gives the consumer a choice of different types of vehicles with pricing starting form R1,745,000. With Audi's commitments towards e-mobility, they've already become the market leader in producing luxury electric cars by offering the largest number of models to its consumers around the globe. This has already yielded positive results for the e-tron model range and the brand hopes the same will be for South Africa. In June last year, Audi  announced that it would stop developing petrol and diesel combustion engines by the year 2026, with that bold statement, this is the first major step to achieving the goal. But a good point to note that while the e-tron range is carbon neutral, the facilities they're assembled is also environmentally friendly and carbon neutral too. With electricity being harvested by the sun, rain water used to service the plant, this is all part of Audi's global mission in transforming towards being sustainable mobility manufacturer, which only strengthens their commitments towards the Paris Climate Agreement. 

Audi's e-tron range will be available locally from the second quarter of the year starting with the 55 First edition, which will be in limited numbers for a limited time, from dealers across the country. As with all Audi e-tron models, they are supported by a five year/ 100,000km Audi Feeway Maintenance Plan and an 8 year/160,000km battery warranty. Pricing of the vehicles are as follows:

• e-tron 55 First Edition - R1,745,000
• e-tron 55 advanced - R1,990,000
• e-tron 55 S Line - R2,045,000
• e-tron 55 S Line Sportback - R2,115,000
• e-tron S Sportback - R2,425,000
• e-tron GT - R2,715,000
• RS e-tron GT - R3,300,000

Bucket Seat: BMW Concept iX3

This past week saw BMW showcase the next step in their electric future, with the BMW iX3 featuring at Auto China 2018 in Beijing. The iX3 is an important model for the company where it see's BMW implement it's emission free technology into it's core line up as supposed to unique models that we saw in the like of the i3 and i8. The model is based a lot on the X3 with majority of the shape being the same and just minor design changes and accents, making it differ to the combustion models. The expansion of the company's range of vehicles offering locally emission-free mobility is one of the central spheres of activity defined by the Automated, Connected, Electrified and Services (ACES) technological fields, on which the company is driving forward the transformation of the mobility sector as part of its Number One > Next strategy. 

The Concept iX3 showcases the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology. The main benefit of this electric drive technology of the is the grouping together of the electric motor, transmission and power electronics within a new, separate electric drive component. While it may be a concept, this is a giant leap for the company when it goes into production, with their carbon core design, making their standard cars more light weight, not much would have to be done to the fully electric line up lose weight to enable better range and power output. Still no word on possible battery power, range and so on but one would expect it to be much greater than the i3 which is the only sole fully electric powered vehicle from the company. BMW will also see this technology being used into other developing electric models like the MINI S E Countryman ALL4 which like the Concept iX3 is also a fully electric SAV. 

Bucket Seat: BMW i Vision Dynamics

The Frankfurt Motorshow is always a buzz, with most of the German manufacturers using this platform to stage their greatest models and concepts, while there was smorgasbord of great cars to chose from at IAA 2017, my pick from the bunch was about the future of motoring. Yes while most manufacturers showed of their great tech in cars for present and future, with the world of motoring's immediate future looking to electricity for power, BMW lifted the covers on it's BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept. A year on from displaying their NEXT 100 vision at last years show, the i Vision gives the consumer a more realistic vision of what they can expect from the company in the coming years. 

The car is Future Mobility in a nutshell, it's an all electric, four-door Gran Coupe with a range of 600km, a top speed of over 200km/h and an acceleration of 0-100km in just four seconds. With BMW already one of the leaders in e-mobility with two models on sale worldwide in the i3 and i8 Hybrid, not forgetting the various plug hybrids offered across their range, the technology they have works and perfecting this technology and only do more good, not only for their cars but the future of motoring. Harald Kruger, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW AG says that by 2015, BMW will be offering 25 models with an electrified drive system, of which 12 will be pure-electric. "With BMW i Vision Dynamics we are showcasing how we envisage future electric mobility between the i3 and i8: a dynamic and progressive, four-door Gran Coupe. We are therefore electrifying the heart of the BMW brand and, at the same time, elevating BMW i into a totally new dimension" - says Kruger. 

The design of the i Vision Dynamics borrows a lot from the Next 100 Vision, with tweaks to make the car more the standard of car that we have today. It's massive fused twin kidney grille design is a prominent feature of the car with even part of the bonnet lid molded to it's shape. The adaptive LED lighting is minimalistic but still offers that great character that is known to BMW design. The side profile of the car is extremely sleek, with it looking very similar to early concepts of the BMW i8. The frame-less windows also take the shape of the kidney grille. The roof of the car is an all glass panoramic roof which ties into the rear window, falling into the back with it's straight line boot lid and angled tail lights. The tiny lights and details in the design add to the progressive and elegance of the car. This car is basically what we can expect from the upcoming BMW i5, a first family sedan coming from the BMWi brand and one that would be welcomed into the market.