Bucket Seat: BMW M340i xDrive

Last year I had a brief stint with the range topping M340i xDrive from BMW, and while I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked behind the wheel it was enough for me to give you an impression into the car. Well, after 7 months I got another chance to get behind the mighty brute and this time on my own turf, to say that week was exhilarating is putting it mildly, I'd look for any excuse to go and take it for a spin. Being lockdown made it even easier to just stay in the car and enjoy the environment that is the lush interior of the BMW G20 series.

DESIGN

The car, in Metallic Sunset Orange looked stunning and a head turner of note. There's a lot that differentiates the M340i from the normal 3 Series range and with good reason too. Apart from featuring BMW's four wheel drive system, xDrive the M340i has it's own unique active grille design as well as brushed aluminum inserts for air-intakes which assist in brake cooling. The rear difusser is also more robust and sportier than normal, with the tailpipe area more pronounced. The M340i also receives M Sport  19" bi-colour rims which intensifies the cars overall sporty look. In the interior, it's pretty much your same G20 interior with added sporty elements like chrome and aluminum as well as the seats being more sporty bucket type. 

PERFORMANCE 

Powered by a 3-litre in-line 6 cylinder Twin-Power Turbo engine, this car was never going to be a slouch, I mean its 0-100km/h time is just 4.4 seconds! And its not even the proper M3! The motor delivers 285kW and 500Nm, top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h which is easily achievable seeing how quick this bad boy accelerates but please, stick to the speed limit on national roads. The thing about this car though, is that even though the motor packs quite a punch, it can be a tame beast, comfort or eco mode allows you to cruise around and enjoy relatively decent economy and while this car would be labelled as a performance car, I mean it's even written in bold on the engine cover, it is pretty practical and is a proper family sedan. A lot of people ask me if I can really make out the difference X Drive makes to the overall driving aspect to the car, and the short answer is yes. It all comes down driving dynamics, knowing the cars limits and what is assisting you to achieve what you are doing. While all-wheel drive sounds a bit much for a sedan, getting power delivered to each wheel at different levels when needed gives the driver that much more confidence in entering and existing bends as well as doesn't compromise on the brakes as well as down changing or slowing down. 

COMFORT

The front seats are bucket sport seats with full leather trim, seat heating is an option extra as well as electronic memory seats and I'm pretty sure you can add lumbar support and massage to it too. The rear seats are semi bucket type but can seat 3 people comfortably. The front has dual zone climate control air conditioner with a single zone for the rear passengers. The ride quality is just as good as  normal G20 sedan, there's no stiff suspension feel for this car, even with  X Drive, it soft of softens the entire ride. The car came with a panoramic sunroof, ideal for getting some fresh air in the cabin or enjoy the natural light that comes through it. The luggage capacity in the boot remains the same as the standard 3 series with adequate space for a family trip. 

VERDICT

Well we all know what the new M3 is packing now and while that engine pumps out close to a 100 more kW than the M340i, it was expected. In saying that the price difference will also be quite substantial to this model and in my opinion, if you're looking for something with practical but every now and then get the hairs on the back of your neck standing, this is the perfect car for it. You can't go around comparing it to a proper M model but it comes pretty close, with the beautiful notes that spit out the exhaust and the enthralling performance from the engine, I think M3 Lite has a nice ring to it but call it what it is, M340i!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	3.0L, 6 cylinder, M TwinPower Turbo
Gear Box	8 M Sport Automatic
Torque	500Nm
Power	285kW
Consumption	7.5L/100km
Price	R1,079,300*

*price without extras

 Pictures by @DBN_Spotter

Bucket Seat: BMW X5 5.0i

The BMW X5 was the first SUV that went on sale from the German manufacturer, at the time, some might say it was a gamble taken by them since their forte was luxury and sports cars. The model proved to be quite successful and in turn saw a host of engine offered. The latest model was released last year, it's bigger, more powerful and much more clever than it's predecessor. Although it doesn't look bigger thanks to sleek designing from BMW, with a sloped roof line and rounded edges, trust me it is huge! Now lets be honest, the average BMW X5 owner doesn't buy one to go off road with, they're probably a successful individual (as they must be to able to afford one) that uses it more of a family car and to and from work, which is all good and well because if I'd bought one, the last place I'd take it is the bush.

Image

So essentially it is a family SUV, well sort of, you see the model I got to test was the 5.0i xDrive which came with the M Sport kit, the colour was a dark navy blue and it came kitted with 20" rims. Take one look at it and the first thing that comes to mind is "Gangsta", once in the car you feel the need to recline the seat, wear your pants lower, rock a basket ball jacket and baseball cap while blasting hardcore gangster rap from the 16 speaker, 1200W, R38 900 Bang & Olufsen system, but more about that later.

Power

Although it says 5.0i on the side, technically it is a 4.4 litre, 8 cylinder, twin turbo engine that is the heart of the beast. The power is apparent as soon as you start it, the tone of the exhaust is reminiscent to many other V8's and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand. With 650Nm of torque and 330Kw, it makes light work with hauling the almost 3 ton body around. In fact the acceleration of the X5 comes close to defying physics with a 0-100Km taking just 5.0 seconds! Reaching high speeds is effortless with this car, one can easily push the boundaries on highway driving without feeling nervous of losing control or the bulkiness of it all. The power steering is light and can be controlled with one hand but it's advisable to keep both hands on it at all times.

Consumption

While enjoying the power is one thing, one cannot turn a blind eye to the consumption, having a claimed average of 10.4l/100km is not bad for car this size, try maintaining that as the most I could manage was 17.3l/100km. The beast is a thirsty bugger and it consumes the 85 litre tank in no time if you're enjoying the thrill of all 8 cylinders being pushed to the max.

xDrive

The car comes with BMW's famous xDrive system which essentially is a fancy name for their 4 wheel drive system. It's pretty impressive too, like I was telling you early about having confidence at high speeds, the xDrive system has a lot to do with that. Working in conjunction with VSC, it varies the power transferred from the front and rear axle. Normally the split is 60:40 but with this, the car is able to transfer power to the wheels needing it the most. It is able to detect the road surfaces you're travelling and recognise which wheels are losing traction, therefore send more power to the ones that have a better grip and thus limiting the chances of a skid or getting stuck. The VSC also prevents wheel spins and the car from drifting, by applying brakes to the tyres that need them and controlling speeds of the rest, the vehicle will correct itself in a slide. Pretty darn clever if you ask me.

Safety

Safety is paramount with with all cars coming off the assembly line with each one having to undergo stringent testing to make sure the end user is buying a car that is safe and meets all the requirements by the safety governing body. They BMW X5 is loaded with key safety features as standard and some as extras. One of them being "Dynamic Light Spot". I was honestly blown away by this extra feature, the car comes fitted with a camera in front which is not part of the parking assist but to identify objects/ people/ animals on the road. When detected, a light that is in the headlight shines directly onto the foreign object. With the large amount of pedestrians that walk on SA's roads, especially at night, this feature helps a lot in bringing to the drivers attention of what lies ahead on the roads. 

Extras

Like all press cars this one came loaded with extras, the dynamic light spot as discussed previously being one of them and earlier I made mention to the B&O speaker system. Now R38 900 may sound exsessive for sound but not if you're indian, it doesn't come with big sub woofers that takes up boot space but rather a 16 speaker, professionally tuned system to give the driver and it's occupants unparralled clarity and definition in the music they're listening to. The center speaker in the front is quite awesome to watch as it rises from the dash board, almost space ship like. The interior also has mood lighting, where you can change the colour of the lights in the cabin with various options located in the menu of the on board computer.

Offroad

Like I said in the beginning, the average buyer of this car wouldn't dare take it off the smooth tar surfaces but this was a test unit and I had to see how it handled it self in the bush. Much to my surprise the huge 20" rims handled the 20 kilometer dirt road with ease. Athough the M Sport comes with a stiff sportier suspension, the ride was reminisent to one floating on a cloud. Apart for the slight bumps here and there due to potholes on the track, the journey was smooth and quite delightful. The X5 made mince meat of any challenge the dirt road offered it and it was quite enjoyable for me the driver.

Verdict

They say dynamite comes in small packages, well this isn't a small package and it is probably way more explosive than dynamite, so it's more like a weapon of mass destruction. It's size, it's presence, it's power are all indictive of what the car is and meant to be. Its luxurious, ruggered, sporty and yet includes everything that makes a BMW what it is. It takes some getting used to driving and parking in tight spaces but you will enjoy every minute of driving this vehicle. 

Specifications

• 4.4 litre, 8 cylinder twinscroll turbo charged engine
• 8 speed automatic, step-tronic gear box
• 330kW
• 450bhp 
• 650Nm torque
• Consumption: 10.4ltr/ 100km
• Top Speed: 250kph (limited)
• 0-100kph: 5.0 seconds 
• Price: R1 056 900 (excluding extras)

Special thanks to YuviK Photography