How do you pick a new car? Well, first you discreetly glance at the price tag, trying and failing to conceal the shock. But then you take it for a test-drive. And suddenly the price is not so shocking anymore. At least, that’s what happens when it’s ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’.
Words KSENIIA SPODYNEIKO
Images ALEX SPODYNEIKO
BMW cars had long been known as the best choice for those who enjoy driving, love the high speed and the insane power you’re controlling with only a few light touches. These cars are beasts, filled to the brim with the most innovative technologies that make your time on the road almost as comfortable as a rugby weekend on the couch (sans the beer).
BMW 218i Gran Coupé M Sport – SEDAN WITH A COUPÉ FEEL
We started small. No, that’s not quite right. BMW 218i Gran Coupé M Sport might appear on the smaller side but this one is definitely not intimidated by its compact size. With the famous oversized Kidney Grill and 18-inch alloy wheels, 218i is as far from a ‘cute little car’ as it gets. If anything, it’s fierce, a touch aggressive and endlessly stylish.
It’s a pleasure to drive – while being the least powerful of the three, it’s very responsive and obedient, basically reading your mind before you even realise that’s exactly what you were about to do. Driving Assistant with lane departure, front collision and rear crossing traffic warnings, break intervention and rear collision prevention helps a lot. Just like the cruise control and parking assistant.
218i is the most fuel efficient with only 5.9l/100km combined fuel consumption. Compare it with 6.5l of X1 and 7.2l of X5!
The only downside of this compact sedan is the back doors that are slightly narrower than you would expect. Oh, and the fact that Dee’s head unexpectedly met the roof on a road bump. But it was a gorgeous panorama glass roof, which was a nice consolation.
The panorama glass roof is part of the $8,000 worth of optional equipment our car sports, along with seat heating (triple ‘yes’ in winter), keyless Comfort Access, electric seats with memory and more. The prices for 218i in New Zealand start from $62,900.
BMW X1 sDrive20i M Sport – GOLDEN MIDDLE
Jumping into a shiny new X1 sDrive20i M Sport is like coming home after a long and exhausting day. Everything about this car just feels right: the size, the position of all the displays and buttons inside, the confident crossover elevation above the road. Immediately, you feel more relaxed. Especially when the seats are equipped with an optional lumbar support that is an absolute blessing for anyone spending more than five minutes a day in a car.
This X1 has a wireless charging station which is the next best invention of the century after sliced bread. Throw your phone in a special compartment and watch it charge.
The boot capacity expands from 550l to a massive 1,550l with a push of a button. Of course, you can open the boot with the kick of a foot – Ok, THAT must be the second-best invention after sliced bread! Nothing like a quick kick instead of fumbling with the keys when your hands are full of groceries.
Basically, everything about this car screams ‘spacious’. No head bumps whatsoever, comfy for a party of three at the back and there’s even an option of the sliding back seats that allow extra legroom. Not to mention generous storage space under the armrest at the front and an impressive glovebox.
Unlike 218i and X5, this car doesn’t have gesture control that allows you to turn the volume up or down, accept or decline a phone call, change the rear-view camera angle and perform a couple of other actions using specific hand gestures without touching any buttons or giving out voice commands. This is a very handy feature, causing no distractions from the road and no screaming babies disturbed during their peaceful sleep. And though it’s a fairly new one, not having it already feels like the car is missing something.
BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport – MORE IS MORE
BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport is big, bold and brilliant. It’s also, according to Combes Johnston BMW Tauranga experts, extremely popular among the female population of the Bay. Apparently, small and quirky is not what we’re after in cars any longer.
Instead, we choose solid and safe. With cooling and heating cup holders, of course. This is crucial.
The outstanding safety is something you feel as soon as you start the engine, with the seatbelts tightening around you automatically, as if they’re living, breathing creatures. To be honest, that’s what BMW cars often feel like in general, what with all their voice and gesture controls and Intelligent Personal Assistant, who is now so evolved she doesn’t expect specific orders from you and literally chats like a bestie. Only she would never make fun of you for not knowing where the nearest flower shop is. After all, it’s her job to know it and list the options on a giant 12.3-inch display.
X5 is the smoothest car of all three. It sails rather than drives, lulling and cocooning its passengers. It also takes the least time to accelerate to 100km/h – only 6.5sec. Comes in handy every Monday morning!
But just like with smaller cars, big cars have their own disadvantages. For example, I’m 160cm and had to jump out of the backseat – there’s no way my legs could reach the ground without that wee leap. There goes my plan to gracefully exit the car in front of a fancy restaurant!
Overall, while 218i is a sporty show-off and X1 is perfect for families without being boring, X5 feels more like a confirmation of your own success and social status. You don’t buy this car because of something. You buy it just because. Just because you worked hard and won’t even bat an eye at prices starting from $137,800.
