I’LL SAVE YOU THE LAZY “HELLO M8” GAG AND GET STRAIGHT TO FIRST
impressions as that’s all I’ve got given our latest inmate a range topping
k two tonne BMW M Competition only arrived two days ago
To the cynics this M Competition is an M Competition in an Series body To the pragmatists it’s a solid and reliable competitor to an Aston DB To the three separate delivery drivers who catcalled the car on my way home it’s “very very nice” “meaty” and “sick” I tend to agree with them
If you’re a bit confused by the ever growing BMW M range you may be confused by what we have here Well it’s the top of the M tree And not just that but the most powerful production car BMW has ever built
The M Comp’s litre twin turbo V is good for a seriously hefty bhp and lb ft of torque Plus if you tick the box on the options list that says “Driver’s Package” which we have you’ll get the derestricted top speed of mph to match the mph time of seconds which is a fantastic cartridge of pub ammo
This M comes as part of a subtle facelift that gifts new colours wheel and trim options as well as a bigger infotainment screen inside and lightly tweaked front end styling Plus the ability to pay to have the original M Sport roundel badging which featured on the performance brand’s first ever racing car back in instead of your standard BMW badge Ours does And people really notice it contrasted against the Skyscraper Grey metallic paint
Inside we’ve got Silverstone merino leather against black which feels rather luxurious But can it hold a candle to luxury brands like Bentley? We’ll have to find out What I want to know is what the M is On first impressions it doesn’t know if it wants to be a luxury car or a supercar It’s got elements of both but is it any good at either of them? Let’s see
– plenty of time for it to leave us stranded on the hard shoulder to have a major electrical meltdown or for various bits to be pulled off and chewed by two snotty urchins But no its battery hasn’t once run dry all systems have functioned faultlessly and it’s still glued and screwed together For our family’s requirements it’s been ideal multigenerational transport
In many ways the Q etron is a blueprint for how far the modern electric car has come Because it’s based on the VW Group’s dedicated MEB platform and not a repurposed petrol car you get decent range decent practicality decent performance and decent handling Horrible word decent isn’t it? But here it’s applicable because the Audi doesn’t do anything to a brilliant standard but nor does it have any obvious weaknesses
It wears its electricness lightly and is hassle free to drive and run so long as the normal EV barriers don’t apply you regularly pound motorway miles a day and don’t have access to home charging then it’s a safe bet Yes it’s more expensive than an ID or Enyaq made from the same bits but then it looks and feels more expensive too so the choice is yours
Let’s look at it from a different angle if this is the benchmark for an electric family SUV in what are the improvements I’d like to see? First range personally I don’t need more but I’m lazy so charging less often and not having to rely on an unreliable public charging network for roadtrips would be nice Second weight improve battery tech and weight should come down as range goes up a couple of understeer moments on wet roads reminded me the Q could do with being fleeter of foot Finally packaging snouty front end long wheelbase the Q has newwave EVled proportions but without a front trunk and feels too traditional in its interior For now a B highly competent allrounder unfulfilled potential