There seems to be a flurry
of activity in the life of BMW these days. Not that this is new,
but lately it appears only full throttle
is the order of the day. Because there’s so much to talk about, we’ll just try
and highlight on a few items, the
ones we believe are the most relevant and important for the South African
market.
Firstly, a new entry-level 3 Series model has been
announced. At the launch of the new 3 (F30),
we spoke to the MD of BMW South Africa, who hinted at a car sitting lower than
the 320i. Here comes the 316i then. Although it hasn’t been confirmed for
Mzansi, we believe there is a strong case for this car which produces 100kW and 220Nm of torque from its 1.6-litre
turbo. We think if not a 316i, then a 318i (125kW, 250Nm) could be
the right entry point.
Secondly, the 550i Gran Turismo gets a notable power boost
off its 4.4-litre twin turbo V8,
from 300kW to 330kW, while torque
goes from 600Nm to 650Nm. This is
great news for the rest of the range, so we can expect cars like the 550i
sedan, X5 xDrive50i and the 750i to follow suit when their respective updates
come around. Starting with the 750i and X6 xDrive50i facelift later in the year. The 530d Gran Turismo also goes
higher to 190kW and 560Nm, returning a claimed 5.8 litres per 100km.
Lastly, every model in the 5 series range will soon be
specified with the optional 16 speaker Bang
& Olufsen High End Surround-Sound System with a dashboard-mounted central
speaker that automatically rises when power is switched off.
2 comments:
These are good engines. Well done BMW
But what about the ones who bought the current engines? BMW is just bastardising its name by devaluing the current cars.
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