Bucket Seat: 2017 BMW 5 Series - First Impressions

Yesterday BMW lifted the covers off it's 7th generation 5 Series, code name the G30, this latest installment of the medium to large size sedan will hit local market by next year February and will be a welcome change to the segment. Apart from the design change to the 5 series, the car now comes with a host of technological advancements, much of which has been passed down from the latest 7 series. 

Some of the technical highlights include:

• Steering and Lane Control Assistant up to 210km/h
• Lane Change Assistant and Lane Keeping Assistant with active side collision protection. 
• Evasion Aid. 
• Crossing traffic warning.
• Crossroads warning.
• Wrong-way warning.
• Active Air Stream Kidney grille, which regulates the flow of air into the engine bay. 
• Adaptive LED Headlights with BMW Selective Beam. 
• Lightweight chassis up to 100 kilograms lighter than predecessor. 
• And a whole new line up of BMW TwinPower Turbo Engines to choose from. 

With the new more powerful engine line up and lighter chassis, performance is sure to be vastly improved, give the driver more agility and power when need be. The car also comes with the optional self park, via the cars LCD key. Something that's nice to show off at parties with or parking in tight spots. 

Moving onto the interior, much of it has been borrowed from it's bigger brother the 7 Series, with minor changes to suit the smaller cabin size of the G30. The new 5 Series sedan features a new configuration of its heads-up display with the ability to increase the size by 70 percent. The car also has intelligent voice assistant with recognition of natural language. Like the 7 Series, the New 5 Series also has Gesture Control and a 10.25" touchscreen, with interactive and personalizable live contents. The iDrive Touch controller has improved for user functionality and Drive Experience Control with Adaptive Mode. The Active Cruise control now comes integrated with Speed Limit Assist, where it slows the car down if the speed limit on the road changes. Comfort seating features a selection of eight massage programs as well as memory seats with up to 5 settings. 

Overall the car does seem like a mini version of the flagship 7 Series model but with obvious changes to suit it's size. For me the 5 Series has always been a favourite, and this one seems to tick all the right boxes. With it coming with all these various technological advancements, it will obviously pick the price up a lot. How much by? We'll have to wait for Feb 2017, but for now it's certainly taken up the challenge put down by it's German competition. 

Bucket Seat: BMW 7 Series - First Impressions

This past Friday I was invited to the dealer launch of the new G11 and G12 models from BMW, also know as the new 7 Series at BMW Supertech. It issues a new line of luxury from the German manufacturer as this is their flagship range, competing with the best on the market. The event which took place at BMW Supertech's showroom in Durban was a glitzy affair, the theme being black tie, and a guest list of their most valuble clients and prostective buyers, everyone was dressed to impress. 

Upon arrival, guests were chauffeur driven from the parking area to the main entrance, where they were greeted by members of the dealership. Coffee and light refreshments were served in the showroom whilst we waited for everyone on to arrive, giving people the chance to see some of the stunning cars on display, most popular being the BMW i8 and the note worthy dedicated M display. Once everyone was present it was time to get formalities under way. 

Speakers for the night included BMW Supertech Brand Ambassodor, Jayaloshni Naidoo, Director Shabir Tayob and Customer relations and marketing manager, Yusuf Mooolla. Supertech has a long illustrious reputation and to date is one of the biggest BMW dealerships in South Africa and the only one that has managed to achieve a 4 star as built Greenstar rating, awarded to it by the GBCSA. It shows that they also very environmentally conscious and aiding a green future. 

Much was said about the new 7 series during the speeches, the thing that gets your attention the most about this car is the technology that BMW have managed to put into the car. The key for example, has an LCD screen which displays vital information about the car, like it's fuel range, tyre pressure, preconditioning controls and can also control the car! Yes, you can start and move the car with the remote, this feature was introduced mostly for tight parking spots, where the driver could get out of the car and still manage to park it just by using the remote. I know, it might be worrying for some as you fear you might hit something but with the cars park distance sensors, it would be able to stop the car if there were any obstacles that you cannot see. 

After enjoying our delicious starters it was finally time to see the new 7 Series in the metal, well carbon fiber. Yes the body of the car is made up of light weight, extra strength special weave of carbon fiber. This aiding the car to be more aerodynamic and fuel efficient. A grand entrance of laser lights and smoke greeted the 7 Series as it made its way to the center of the room for the audience to get a first glimpse at this magnificent vehicle. Having seen it in pictures before, did no justice to the car, it is simply stunning in every angle you look at. Yes, whilst I must admit the design isn't that much different from it's predecessor, it's the subtle changes to the design that make it stand out. 

Moving onto the inside, it's almost like being in a car of the future, with a large touch screen display, digital instrument cluster and handcrafted leather steering wheel, it certainly does give a new meaning to quality and comfort. The new i Drive and Connected drive interface now also makes use of hand gestures so one does not have to manually operate the dial, simple hand movements can change the radio station, increase the fan speed on the airconditioning or answer a telephone call. The 7 Series aircon also includes an air ionizer, which purifies the air eleminates any nasty odour that may enter the cabin. 

Moving to the back, perspective buyers of the car can opt for the limo set up with entertainment package for the back passengers, this includes a removable tablet that controls their climate control aircon as well as two large LCD screens that are mounted onto the front seats. There are options for seat heating and cooling as well as massaging for when you've had a long day. 

Overall first impressions of this car is nothing short of amazing, I'm blown away by the technology that BMW have included in this car and the things that come standard in most models is such a bonus. I've yet to drive it but from what I've seen so far I am seriously impressed, it's certainly a car that exudes class, sophistication and luxury into one. Certainly one to make their competitors ponder on.

For more informtation on BMW Supertech, visit their website or social media streams:

Website: www.bmw-supertech.co.za

Twitter: @SupertechDurban

Facebook: SupertechDurban

Or visit them at 8 Cliff Cresent (Off Edwinswales), Rossburgh.

Bucket Seat: Ford Everest - First Impressions

A cold and wet rainy morning greeting us as we touched down at Cape Town international airport for the all new Ford Everest national launch, some said it was weather fitted for a vehicle of such nature. The previous generation Everest wasn't the best looking SUV on the market and is probably why it never dented the sales of its rivals, however Ford went back to the drawing board, took public feed back and their own research and development into producing this new one and boy does it look good!

Speaking to the head of marketing at breakfast, I said to him that the styling says it means business and for many that is a big plus, brings back the memory of the old Ford slogan "Built, Ford, Tough". Although it looked all fine and dandy on the outside, the interior had to compliment it as well, Ian Foston, the Global Chief Program Engineer echoed this sentiment at the media briefing held at the stunning Cavalli Stud & Wine Estate. A lot went into the Everest program, one that he is very proud of and the results have shown that they have a real competitor to the market. 

Two versions of the vehilce will be on sale in SA, the XLT and the LTD, both of which are powered by Ford's new 3.2 V6 turbo diesel engines, pushing out 147kW and 470Nm of torque. Quite an impressive power house, then again it has to carry around a big body. The LTD is the higher spec'd of the two that comes with 20" rims, well kitted interior with chrome finishing and power folding seats. The cabin is spacious and luxurious, almost as good as the Fusion and even better with the twin moonroof offered as an optional extra. 

The cars intrumental panel features two LCD screens which gives the driver various info from consumption rates, to what mode he's driving in. There is a large 8" in dash touch screen display as well with a reserve camera as standard. The LTD also comes with a self park system which could prove handy in tight parking spots as the Everest is a rather large vehicle. Another handy item would be the 230V charging point available in the rear passenger seats which can charge anything from a portable fridge to your laptop. Just don't try to plug your stove into it. 

Both models are 4x4 capable, with Ford's new easy select off road system that makes 4x4 simple and easy, even for the novice. That's their ultimate aim, wanting an everyday person to be able to make a selection on the type of terrain and carry on with their journey. unfortunately we didn't get to test the system out during the launch due to a torrential downpour that forced the closure of the 4x4 off road course. When we get it on test, we will be taking it to one of the local trails to see how it copes.

Overall, it is a solid product by Ford South Africa, they say it's aimed at buyers who want an off road capable vehicle but also performs well with economical driving around the city. According to them, it has no direct competitive rival as its seen to fill the gap between the Toyota Fortuner and Prado. Bold statement by Ford SA, whether the public see it that way as well will be yet to be seen. Pricing starts off at R595 900 for the XLT and R646 900 for the LTD. That's a heafty price but with the new Fortuner coming in next year and the ever roller coaster of the exchange rate, we might see prices for that sky rocket as well. 

Bucket Seat: The new BMW 7 Series

Couple weeks back BMW lifted the covers on the much anticipated new 7 series, being the flagship model from the German manufacturer, a lot of what the car has to offer now will be filtered into future models. The car has changed a lot from concept stages which is sad as I quite liked the look of the Vision, it was bold and different where as the new 7 doesn't look that much different from its predecessor, okay it is slightly bigger and bolder but not striking like the concept. Guess I'm just upset about that part. 

But its good to see BMW didn't drop most of the gadgets and cool stuff, hand gestures are a real thing, touch control aircon, laser lights, remote control park which is damn cool! The body structure is made from a new carbon fibre re-inforced plastic compound that has reduced weight of the car significantly, almost by 130kgs! An all new engine line up which includes a 740e plug in hybrid.

Being bigger, the cars comforts levels have been improved with increased space for passengers. Staying on the inside, as always there will be a host of interior trims, colours and textures to chose from. There is an executive lounge option for the car that comes with automatic 4 zone air conditioning, electrically adjustable seats with massage functionality with a foot rest. Other features include a fold out table, extra cup holders and a removable 7" tablet that fits onto the center console and controls all the functions stated.

Anyway as cool as the back may sound, its up front is where the action is. Gesture control as mentioned before is a big one, for now it's limited to things such as audio control and phone calls. The infotainment screen is now touch sensitive so you can control it like an iPad. Standard iDrive toggles will still be available if you chose to still do things the old school way.

There's still loads to this car that I haven't even begun to talk about and I'm sure there's more we will learn about it as we wait for local launch which could be early next year. As much as I am disappointed with the cars exterior design, there's no denying that they have made up for it in abundance every where else. Like I said, most of what we seeing here will be phased into the BMW's of the future as BMW Group's Senior Vice President, Adiran van Hooydonk said "At BMW we believe the future can be predicted most effectively if we're helping to shape it. The primary objective in the development of the new car was to create a vision of modern luxury and to exceed our customers expectations."