The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Plugged in
2018 BMW looks to a future of electrified and electrifying products
THERMAL SPRINGS, CALIF. » At BMW’s Performance center here near Palm Springs, BMW lined up their automotive offering.
This started with the all-electric i3S to drive in a for-time autocross or a BMW 740e to comfortably explore the nearby roads.
If that didn’t fit your fancy, you could hop in a sixth-generation M5 and try to keep champion BMW sports car driver Bill Auberlen from disappearing in the distance as we drove five laps at a time in a lead-follow formation.
Since we were there to test the cars we obviously didn’t have any fun doing this, just work, work, work. What most of us learned is that in spite of how good we were behind the wheel – and some of us are pretty fast – the M5 was simply faster than we could go.
Much of this was thanks to the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine which develops 600 hp. and 553 lb.-ft. of peak torque. This goes through an eight-speed shiftable automatic transmission. BMW says this will get it to 60 mph in 3.2-sec and tops out at 189 mph.
The M5 comes with all-wheel drive, which some aficionados felt was inappropriate for a track-capable BMW. Sorry boys, those days are over. With the electronic enhancements which performance cars now have it would be silly to limit power to the back of the car. While most buyers and drivers of this are mostly concerned with having fun, the BMW engineers must work to make the car go very fast and do so safely.
For that reason, the car comes with suspension capabilities which will mostly go to waste while street driving. This includes massively capable brakes which with frequent 98 percent braking on the circuit didn’t fade, or even start audibly complaining. They simply pulled the car from speed with almost frightening capability. The suspension is tweaked to keep the car flat, and where weight could be reduced it was. This fun doesn’t – and shouldn’t – come cheap. Starting price is $102,600 plus.
Another car we drove on the track was the new, small crossover, the X2. This wasn’t to demonstrate how quick it was, because it isn’t. It was a chance to test its handling and responsiveness. I have to say getting into it after 20 or so laps in the M5, I was fairly certain I could have jogged around the track more quickly. That feeling made it important to concentrate on what the car was doing rather than what I was feeling. The X2 is a nice size and looks, both inside and out, like a BMW should.
The four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo delivers 228 hp. and 258 lb.-ft. of peak torque and pulls the car along nicely. Those who are attracted to this crossover will feel it has a comfortable level of power. The power goes to your choice of the rear, or all four wheels.
The brakes, as is much the standard for this company, do as good a job of stopping the car as the powertrain does in making it go. With a starting price of $38,400, this crossover should attract new buyers, and BMW hopes a lot of them are Millennials.
I also took a cruise in a 530e. While most of the roads in that part of Southern California are straight and cross others at 90 degrees they aren’t necessarily smooth. So, I was able to test the comfort level, as well as the hybrid powerplant.
The setup is an eDrive: electric motor with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Together they produce 248 hp. and 310 lb.ft. of peak torque. This is more power than most buyers will feel the need to use, but for those onramp drag races, this hybrid will be a bit of a surprise. The 2018 iPerformance Sedan starts at $51,400 and the all-wheel drive version at $53,700. BMW 530e
But the biggest surprise for anyone first driving them, when it comes to power is the sportoriented BMW i3s. the pure-electric powertrain grants maximum torque from the first wheel turn. Its output is 184 hp. and 199 lb.-ft. of peak torque. That means it really gets up and goes from a standing start.
The BMW i3 has been the topselling premium electric car in its class worldwide since 2014. Its MSRP starting price is $47,650. For this you get the new model which has a sportier chassis, wider track and better performance. With high-energy regenerative brakes, when you lift off the accelerator, the car slows as if you were already pushing on the brake pedal. It took some getting used to but is actually quite a bit more efficient.
I drove this out from the Indian Wells hotel we stayed at to the track, about 30 minutes, and it claimed to have nearly 100 miles of range at the end of the drive. Granted it was cool out in the early morning, so no need for air conditioning which in this desert country would probably cost a fair bit of range in the summer. Although the car is small, my colleague and I had plenty of room, there was room in the rear seat, but we probably wouldn’t be carrying four of us and much luggage.
On the way back to the hotel I was at the other end of that scale, driving a 740e. This flagship sedan of BMW’s electrified offerings combines a 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine and electric motor to generate 322 hp. As expected it was sumptuous dead quiet and the electronics paid at least as much attention to what was happening around the car as I did.
There are no missing capabilities in this car. Its level of luxury would be difficult to surpass. Naturally you pay for this, as the car has a starting price of $90,095, although most will go out the door at more than $100K, but at least you know there is little you could find on another vehicle that’s not included here.
The true point of this day was to demonstrate the diversity of the BMW range. The hot orders were thrilled with the M5, the luxury lovers had the Seven- and Five- Series to relish, and the techies got to drive the technology and hear about BMWs plans to electrify every vehicle in their fleet. From my perspective it was a delightful demonstration of why BMW models appeal to so many drivers. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please send them to comment@ AutoWritersInk.com.