Fans of the Audi brand who wish to purchase the new S4 could be in for the shock of their lives. Having spoken to a couple of dealers I now have it on good authority that the S4 will cost around R600 000 when it’s launched here in South Africa at the end of June. The S4 is based on the A4 but is more powerful, has a different interior and exterior kit and is the current performance A4 in the range.
Powered by the new 3.0-litre TFSI supercharged petrol engine, the S4 makes 245kW of maximum power and 440Nm of torque. Audi claims a 5.1 second 0 – 100km/h sprint time for the S4 sedan and 5.1 seconds for the Avant (wagon) version. Given our appalling record when it comes to buying wagons, we may or may not see the Avant in South Africa.
In Europe the S4 is priced at about €50 000 which is R575 500 today. Consider that in Germany a baseline BMW M3 sedan costs €55 400 (R638 000) and in South Africa the same car will set you back R662 500 and you might consider it a bargain. Until you realise the S4 does not compete with the M3 but it rivals the BMW 335i. That car is priced at R455 000.
Yes there is a power and torque difference of 20kW and 40Nm respectively between the S4 and the 335i, but is that worth over R145 000 odd? I can’t answer that before I drive the S4 but what I can say is that one, I hope Audi, in its pursuit for more record-breaking profits for 2009, does not end up outpricing itself out of this segment of the premium market. Two, I really hope the S4 does not have a basic price of over R600 000, that this is just bad information from normally-good sources.
After all, a R600 000 S4 means a R750 000 RS 4, which in turn means an R800 000 RS 5 Coupe and a R900 000 RS 5 Cabriolet…
Here’s something I bet you didn’t know. The new BMW Z4 was designed by women. Yes, two ladies named Juliane Blasi (32) and Nadya Arnaout (37). Blasi was chosen to do the exterior while Arnaout took care of the interior. The pair was quite excited when their initial sketches were chosen from dozens of others by BMW designers back in 2005.
The final result is what you see here, the roadster which I got to drive along some sweet Cape roads yesterday. It is long at 4.2 metres and has an interior width of 1.4 metres (seat edge to seat edge). Roadsters are classically very long on the bonnet and short at the rear such that the passengers are almost sitting on the rear axle. The Z4 is such a car and as such always feels like a Formula One car in the way you sit in it.
Honestly I hadn’t realised the car was designed by women until BMW’s PR chief pointed it out. Before then I had remarked to our co-driver during the 300km drive about how the car had lost its edge, how soft it had become. Of course this is not a woman thing but a directional decision taken by the BMW hierarchy on the car. Yet it is true, even the PR chief said so.
Compared to the outgoing Z4 this one is indeed softer when it’s soft. What that means is that while the 2003 Z4 was a sharp driving tool that could be hairy at times, the new car is more subdued, more comfortable, and henceforth more wide-appealing. See BMW is, like anyone else, interested in getting more bums on seats. A car like the Z4 is exclusive to a point, this much is true. But it’s also very appealing and an uncomfortable dealer test drive can certainly lead to a non-sale.
High quality materials are used throughout the interior so that it feels quite plush and yet sporty with those round dials. Some of the cars we drove had soft Alcantara leather on the door sides. The new iDrive system is fitted and it features Bluetooth connectivity for the cell phone and powerful sound for the eardrum. Apparently there is an exclusive model called Design Pure White which is more expensive than the other cars. If features an interior that is, well, pure white.
Bigger and longer than its predecessor the Z4 feels a lot more spacious inside than it actually is. Yes it’s still a two-seater but the seats can now be adjusted even more to suit all shapes and sizes. Since I started harping on about it the main point of departure for the new model has been the use of a hard (if you can call it that) aluminum top replacing the soft canvass of old. Operated by the push of a button the roof opens/ closes in about 20 seconds and folds neatly into the boot. That boot is quite large for a roadster; I was able to fit in two mid-sized overnight bags and a laptop case in it with no problems at all. It is said to be able to fit in two golf bags too! BMW says the car’s overall weight is about 100kg more now but it can hardly be felt in the driving experience.
Engines available at introduction are the 3.0-litre naturally aspirated and the 3.0-litre twin turbo. A 2.5-litre starts the fest at the bottom end. Starting with the 6-cylinder 2.5-litre fitted in the Z4 sDrive23i the power is 150kW at 6400rpm and maximum torque is 250Nm at 2750rpm. It wears 17-inch wheels and is said to run from 0 – 100km/h in 6.6 seconds (7.3 in the auto) and has a top whack of 242km/h.
The sDrive30i makes 190kW at 6600 and 310Nm at 2600rpm. Start up the engine on this one and it sings for the ears. The 0 – 100km/h sprint is claimed at 5.8 seconds (6.1 auto) and it has a top speed of 250km/h.
At the top (at least for now…) is the Z4 sDrive35i with the same multi-award-winning 3.0-litre twin turbo engine found in the 335i and 135i ranges. Maximum thrust is 225kW at 5800rpm and 400Nm between 1300rpm and 5000rpm. In 5.2 seconds the sDrive35i will achieve its 0 – 100km/h. You can tell the cars apart by a few things, most notably the twin exhaust tailpipes which are clustered on the same side for the sDrive30i and are on either side with the sDrive35i.
Three gearboxes are available; a 6-speed manual in standard cars, a 6-speed Steptronic automatic and the new 7-speed Double Clutch Transmission. This is the same gearbox found in the M3 but without the expensive option of the DriveLogic which allows for several settings. Smooth and nimble the DCT is a gem, certainly one of the fastest double-clutch gearboxes I’ve ever driven. Unfortunately it’s only available in the sDrive35i.
But the real story of the Z4 is in its pricing. You’ll pay just over R500 000 for the baby sDrive23i, which seems like quite a lot. The nice thing is that many of the things you’d expect to tick on the options list are standard with the cars. These include the extended lights package, electrically-adjustable and heated seats, a multi-function steering wheel, shifting paddles behind the steering wheel (free option), cruise control, an electronic diff lock, Bluetooth and a USB port for parking your music into.
When the Z4 came out I remarked that it had moved on from the brilliant Z3. As a package the new bulkier Z4 has now set the bar even higher on its predecessor.
Official info on the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo (GT) has finally made its way into to the media world. The car has been spoken about by BMW head honchos ever since about four years ago. Then two years ago Chairman Dr Norbert Reithofer said the company was embarking on an interesting path towards a car that would redefine how luxury, space and performance were blended into a killer combination.
I am the first to admit I was one of those who thought BMW was going into the family MPV scene where it would compete with cars like the Renault Grand Scenic or even the Chrysler Grand Voyager. Instead we heard of something called the Progressive Activity Sedan or PAS. Then in February 2009 the 5 Series GT Concept broke cover to show what was going on, more or less. Now the car has been officially revealed.
The 5-metre long 5 Series GT is a four-seater. As you can see from the pictures there really isn’t space for all your cousins from the Easter Cape or your boys for that rugby day out. It only sits four, maximum. Thus the GT part. But it’s more than that. The rear seats actually stretch about 10cm to give the back a similar amount of legroom as the 7 Series. Suspension is higher than a normal 5ver but lower than the X5.
Luggage access is another unique selling point for the 5 GT. The rear compartment can either be opened like a hatchback or like a sedan where there’s a boot that doesn’t encroach on the interior.
Three of BMW’s finest engines will be supplied at launch. BMW has a knack for introducing new cars with either brand new engines or upgraded ones. This is the case with the 5 Series GT.
Bottom of the range is a new 3.0-litre SINGLE turbo petrol that makes 225kW and 400Nm which comes in at a lower 1200rpm and not 1300rpm like the twin turbo. This engine is 4kg lighter than its twin turbo sibling which is already in the market. BMW says it takes off from 0 – 100km/h in 6.3 seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h. the average fuel consumption figure is 8.9 litres/100km and the C02 emissions add up to 209 g/km.
The top-of-the-range petrol is the 550i GT with its 4.4-litre twin turbo V8. It produces 300kW of power and 600Nm of torque between 1750rpm and 4500rpm. Take-off is said to be 5.5 seconds from 0 – 100km/h and it also is limited to 250km/h. C02 emissions are 263 g/km.
Of course there is a diesel on the side in the form of the 530D GT. It has the 3.0-litre turbo diesel that makes 180kW as well as 540Nm of torque from 1750 rpm. Its average fuel usage is measured at 6.5 litres per 100km and the C02 rating is 173 g/km. All three models come standard with BMW’s new 8-speed automatic gearbox which was introduced with the 760i.
Exterior features include LED lights at the front and rear, Adaptive Headlights that swivel, cameras and sensors for the Park Distance Control, frameless windows for all the doors and the optional panoramic glass roof.
Inside nice things include a USB port, iDrive with Bluetooth interface, and options like a 6 DVD changer.
I was asked if I thought the GT would sell in South Africa. Yes I do. This country doesn’t care much for wagons but a car like the GT I reckon would probably make up about 15 to 20 percent of all 5 Series sales (around 23 units per month), depending on how it’s priced.
