Tag Archives: Test Drives

TEST DRIVE: 2021 BMW 128ti – The Boy Racer

It’s not easy being a car maker these days. Sure, from the outside, it may seem like a walk in the park, but along the way, some hard decisions have to be made to keep the business afloat. Just ask Elon how easy it is to turn a profit in the automotive industry. When you’re a new kid on the block, the world seems to be edging you on but when you have certain standards to uphold and a legacy behind you, any move you make will be met with scrutiny. Therefore, customers’ reaction to the new BMW F40 1 Series range was understandable.

It was a predictable move though as the automotive customers have changed a lot in the past 20 years. Look at the range of models from BMW and its main rivals in the 200s, and look at the one available today. It’s certainly high growth because customers want different things today than they did two decades ago. They want a wider variety of body styles and more customization options, along with enhanced practicality and tech. Less and less drivers actually care about the dynamics of a car now, apart from how fast it goes in a straight line, in some cases. That’s why Tesla is so popular, as it delivers exactly what its customers want.

The Controversial Move To Front-Wheel Drive

The German carmaker realized that even though the former F20 is a blast to drive at the limit, few people actually appreciate that about the car. After careful planning and research, BMW realized that moving to a front-wheel drive platform will have way more benefits than downsides.

This is how we ended up with the current model that is, by most metrics, a better car than the old one. It also looks a bit different due to the underpinning platform.

When you have to transversely mount the engine, a couple of things have to happen, if you want certain dynamics and a certain look. First of all, you have to mount it as close to the cabin as possible, for good weight distribution. That brings a steeper incline in the hood profile and a different overall shape that tells you immediately where the power goes most of the time.

A New Hot Hatch

When it comes to the new BMW 128ti though, some tricks are applied to tell the innocent bystander that this is no regular 1 Series. All cars get contrasting elements throughout their bodies and most of the time, they will be red. However, on certain color combinations, these stickers might be a different color.

The M Sport package is standard on the 128ti so you’re getting a familiar shape on the front and rear bumpers. On top of that, on this special version, you get contrasting air intakes up front, and fake vents at the back in the same bright red color. All the chrome bits on the car are also blacked out with one notable exception: the rear badge. That’s the only place where you’ll find chrome. And it’s not by accident.

BMW decided to make this conscious move for two reasons: to make the badge stand out and as a throwback to the original ‘ti’ models. The badge was first used in the 1960s, on the 1800ti and stands for Turismo Internazionale. It was, if you will, BMW’s first attempt at differentiating its sportier models from the more mundane ones. Since this was back when the M division didn’t even exist, the “ti” badging was considered appropriate. All the cars with it on the boot were successful.

In 1964, with Hubert Hahne behind the wheel, the 1800ti managed to win 14 out of 16 races. Furthermore, two years later, the same driver, but this time behind the wheel of the BMW 2000ti, became the first driver to complete a Nurburgring lap in under 10 minutes. It may sound like ages today but it truly was a performance back in those days.

Later on, the “ti” name was forgotten but, in the 1990s, BMW decided to bring it back for the 3 Series Compact models for a few years. Therefore, the 128ti has some pretty big shoes to fill.

The looks definitely make it stand out, especially in the color combination used on our particular tester. Step inside and things look, for the most part, the same as they do in a regular 1 Series. Everything that you can get on a 128ti you can have on any other 1er too, except for the center armrest, where the ‘Ti’ badge is embossed. Even these brilliant orange M Sport seats are not model specific.

But there’s a lot more to the 128ti than just a few design tweaks and badges. This is BMW’s first attempt to enter a new segment, one it never really covered before.

Competing In A Tough Segment

The car was set up by the team led by Jos van As and he is the one who also signed off on the new M3 and M4, so you know what he is capable of. From the get go, the aim was to create a car that’s as light as possible but without any cut backs on refinement while also keeping focus on the driving dynamics above all else.

To this end, the project started with the BMW M135i xDrive as the basis. The all-wheel drive system was the first to go, as it added the most weight. Since the car was now front-wheel drive only, certain adjustments had to be made, especially on the front axle. Therefore, the engineers went to work.

The BMW 128ti comes without the front chassis bracing from the M135i and some other parts needed for xDrive. Therefore,  BMW shaved off 80 kilos of weight. The geometry of the suspension was also adjusted, not just up front, but also in the back. The springs and dampers were switched out and are now eight percent stiffer than on normal 1 Series models with the M Sport package. The dampers have a higher compression rate while the entire car sits 10 mm lower and the anti-roll bars are stiffer.

Then there’s the electronics and other changes under the sheet metal. The steering, for example, while still electrically assisted, is a bit slower than on the M135i while the differential on the front axle can lock up to 31% under acceleration and 26% under deceleration, which is exactly 5% less than on the M135i because, yes, the 128ti has a limited slip diff up front, a Torsen one (which comes standard, by the way).

The Most Fun 1 Series

How does it all come together? Like a perfectly tuned orchestra. This car might just be the best 1 Series to buy if you’re looking to have fun.

Setting off, you immediately feel the harshness of the new geometry used for the suspension. The ride feels uneasy and stiff, and if you also have the optional M Sport seats, you’ll swear at whoever is in charge of maintaining the road surface in your town. The cars come with huge brakes and so the smallest wheels are 18-inch in size. Luckily, you can have them with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires on for no additional cost which is always welcome.

But get the car up to higher speeds and you soon start feeling its potential. The engine is punchy and feels like a heavily turbocharged mill, which, at the end of the day, it is. It’s a 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol unit derived from the M135i B48 unit, but with 265 HP and 400 Nm (395 lb-ft) of torque instead.

The cog-swapping is down to an 8-speed Aisin-sourced gearbox which works good enough most of the time, especially when pushing the car hard. Around town, sometimes, it does hesitate and it’s not as refined as the 8-speed ZF unit. But, overall, it’s a nice combo that allows the 128ti to reach 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds from standstill. And it’s around those kinds of speeds you can fully take advantage of the car’s bespoke setup.

The best part about it is that you don’t have to be a genius at setting it up to thoroughly enjoy it. Just enter Sport Mode and go. It’s fast in a straight line, with the engine pushing you on to keep your foot pressed to the metal for as long as you can. The engine is quite enticing too, the intake and turbo spool dominating the atmosphere more than what’s coming out of the exhaust.

Push it into a corner and you’ll be surprised at how much grip the front axle has. Getting the 128ti to understeer on entry was hard to do, but it will eventually give out. The only problem is, you’ll have to push really hard to reach its limits. On exit though, things get even more interesting. That limited slip Torsen differential I mentioned earlier really comes into play when accelerating out of a corner.

Normally, on front-wheel drive cars, you’d expect a push to the outside of the corner when accelerating hard on exit. That’s not the case here. The car pulls you into the corner brilliantly, with an ease that feels almost magnetic. It has a confidence and an inspiring feeling overall, and it will put a smile on your face in most driving situations.

The rear-end is also quite responsive and the short wheelbase means you can get it to slide around on occasion. Trail braking is one of the things the 128ti does brilliantly, allowing you to go faster on a proper track. But while tracking the 128ti is definitely quite an experience, curvy back roads are as well. Just take it to a B-road and enjoy it because this car is fun at any speed between 50 and 100 km/h.

Up There With The Best In The Class

The lighter construction and the tuned suspension make the 128ti a blast to drive, but it’s definitely not for everyone and yet it’s incredibly refreshing. The 128ti reminded me of cars like the Honda Civic Type R or the Megane RS, and even the Golf GTi. And that’s something I couldn’t say about any other BMW I’ve ever driven, the M135i included.

Whereas the bigger brother feels heavier and more planted, more serious in all driving situations, the BMW 128ti feels like a young, rebel alternative to its more powerful sibling. It feels raucous, raw and thoroughly enjoyable on a fun stretch of road with its torque steer and whooshing sound protruding into the cabin from under the hood.

Is it for everyone though? Definitely not. As a matter fact, apart from the 2 Series Active Tourer, the 128ti feels the least as a BMW than anything else in the range. That is both good and bad. It won’t have a lot of appeal for the 30+ crowd which will still prefer a RWD 2 Series, but it will bring a lot of new customers to the brand, mostly under 30, looking to simply have some fun and maybe start a project.

For that crowd, it seems like it was tailor made.

Exterior Appeal – 7

Interior Quality – 7

Steering Feedback – 7

Performance – 7

Handling – 8

BMWness/Ultimate Driving Machine – 6

Price Point – 7

7

The lighter construction and the tuned suspension make the 128ti a blast to drive, but it’s definitely not for everyone and yet it’s incredibly refreshing. The 128ti reminded me of cars like the Honda Civic Type R or the Megane RS, and even the Golf GTi. And that’s something I couldn’t say about any other BMW I’ve ever driven, the M135i included.

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TEST DRIVE: 2021 BMW M440i Convertible – More than just a weekend cruiser

When you think about convertibles, you often imagine sunny days, beautiful roads and breathtaking scenery. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But can a convertible be more practical than it looks on paper? To find the answer to this question, we set out to test drive the new 2021 BMW M440i Convertible during a road trip from Chicago to Cleveland, Ohio. The idea was similar to the previous road trip we completed aboard the BMW X7: How much can we pack in a convertible and how practical is it?

And while the X7 was born to be the ideal family hauler, the convertible was conceived as a car for two and without much luggage to haul around. So this is certainly not your conventional test drive, yet it’s a part of quirky series of articles that we plan to deliver in the future.

Before I dive into the planning behind this fairly long road trip, let’s look at the specs of the new BMW 4 Series Convertible. For this second-generation of drop-top 4 Series, the roof has been converted from the previous-generation’s folding metal hard-top, to a fabric soft-top. That might not sound like a big change but it actually is quite a big deal and makes a world of a difference. The decision to make the switch wasn’t met with universal praise from the BMW fanbase. Many customers preferred the old metal roof to fabric tops for various reason.

The removal of a fixed roof requires extra structural bracing to regain some of the stiffness lost by literally cutting a structural panel out of the car. That additional bracing adds quite a bit of weight. With a folding metal roof, that additional weight goes up dramatically. The previous roof setup was 40 percent heavier.

Also, you’re going to get better cargo space with a soft-top, therefore the new 4 Series Convertible has 1.2 cubic feet of additional cargo space, versus its metal-topped predecessor, bumping it to a total of 9.0 cubic feet.

Additional front bracing connects the front shock towers to the bulkhead as well as the front end and more bracing was added to the rear axle as well. New side skirts with additional rigidity have been added, as well as a sheer panel to the front end, a new rear floor plate and a reinforced transmission tunnel. All of which are designed to make the Convertible as close to the Coupe, in terms of rigidity, as possible.

Can You Fit A Car Seat In A Convertible?

And that’s all great if you plan to attack some windy roads with the 4 Series Convertible, but the Chicago to Ohio drive is flatter than a pancake so there is very little to test in terms of driving dynamics. Instead, I wanted to focus on the practicality angle: two adults and a toddler, with some luggage, surviving a 12-hour round-trip.

The biggest challenge came from the necessary addition of a car seat. Considering how very little room there is behind the front seats, one has to carefully take into account the specs of a car seat. The Clek Foonf is a convertible car seat which can be used in a rear or front-facing setup. At a first glance, the car seat looks extremely bulky. But in reality, it is fairly slim and its dimensions inside the car vary depending on the forward vs. rear facing, and height of your child. The compact dimensions measure in at 17.5 L x 17 W x 28-32.5 H.

Children between 14 and 50 pounds, with a height range of 25 to 43 inches are suitable for the Clek Foonf in the rear-facing mode. In our case, the toddler was within those ranges and younger than 2 years old. I also had to consider the height requirement, especially since the 4 Series Convertible has a coupeish roofline. The Foonf’s specs call for a minimum of one inch under the top of the headrest for safety. Space wise, things get easier with a front-facing setup. You can fit children between 20 and 65 pounds, with a height range of 30 to 49 inches.

It’s definitely a solid car seat with advanced safety features, like Cleck’s patented REACT energy management system, a steel anti-rebound bar, rigid-LATCH  and advanced side-impact protection. But back to the initial issue: Can it fit inside the tight space of a convertible?

Luckily, the passenger was on the smaller side at 5″7 so very small adjustments had to be made. The front seat was placed in a more upright position than you’d normal ride in, yet with a decent legroom even for a fairly long road trip. Luckily, my co-driver was adventurous enough to be my guinea pig in this experiment.

Enough Cargo Space For A Weekend Trip

Next thing on my list: cargo space for our bags. You don’t need a lot of luggage for a weekend trip, but the toddler’s needs require a bit more bags than usual. Therefore, some concessions had to be made: no more than two pairs of sneakers (that really hurt my feelings) and a more compact stroller (that really hurt the toddler’s feelings). Hey, we all have to make sacrifices….

The stroller easily fit inside the trunk, along with a travel-size carry-on and a couple of small duffle bags. The rear bench was able to further accommodate a large backpack filled with equipment (work never stops) and plenty of toys, snacks and drinks for the road.

And while I thought that my packing skills were top notch, the looks on my neighbor’s face painted a different story. But that would have not deterred me from completing this experiment. Especially since the toddler’s smile indicated a high level of comfort in this spacious Clek Foonf car seat.

The Driving Experience

There was one adjustment that I had to make though: riding mostly in ADAPTIVE mode versus the usual SPORT PLUS. Firstly because the adaptive suspension plays well on the uneven roads surrounding city of Chicago and secondly, there was far less interior engine noise. And on a six-hour long road trip, all you can hope for is for the children to get a long nap.

But nonetheless, some fun was still in the books and when it comes to that, the 3.0 liter six-cylinder powerplant never disappoints. The B58 engine delivers 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque and for the first time it also gets a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup.

All new 2021 BMW 4 Series Convertible variants are offered with an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. Even though this is a purely logical decision, considering that the previous generation had a 30% market share in the U.S., it is still a shame that the manual transmission has disappeared for another model range. But in all fairness, on flat and boring highways, the eight-speed automatic is what you’d want anyway.

Once you got behind the wheel, you will appreciate the benefits of the automatic transmission. Not only the refined transmission is able to keep the car at any moment in the most efficient and yet sportiest gear, it now also offers a so called Sprint function. The new feature is activated by using the left shift paddle for at least a second while running in Sport Mode. Next, the transmission switches straight into the lowest possible gear for maximum power. Pretty cool for overtaking!

The top M440i xDrive models come standard with a range of M Performance specific options, such as the M sport suspension. It also includes even stiffer settings for the lift-related damping and springs. If you think the poor road conditions in your area are contributing already enough to a stiffer ride quality, you can order the Adaptive M suspension as an option. The electronically controlled dampers offer the widest possible range, from a soft ride quality in COMFORT to a seriously sporty setting in SPORT.

And those are exactly some of the things that I love in the new 4 Series Convertible. There is a wider range of comfort between the driving modes, therefore, customers don’t have make any compromises. You can ride in your new convertible in full comfort, or you can switch to SPORT mode for a more dynamic and aggressive ride.

For a convertible with a soft top, the new BMW 4 Series Cabrio is also extremely quiet with the roof closed. At no point during this long trip I craved for a quieter cabin, a testament to the great engineering behind these latest convertibles. The top can be electrically opened or closed within 18 seconds and up to a speed of 31 mph, so that’s pretty quick in case of unexpected showers.

Inside, the 2021 BMW M440i Convertible makes use of the familiar interior design of the 3 Series. Only a few additional buttons, such as the switch for the retractable roof or for the neck heating control are hinting at an open-top. In the end, this is what BMW does best inside: a combination of premium materials with sporty accents, and the typical driver-oriented layout.

The Grille Is Large, But The Drive Is Fun

There was one thing clear at the end of the 800 miles trip: The 4 Series Convertible wasn’t built as a family hauler, there are plenty of other BMW models that can serve that purpose. But, at the same time, it offers enough versatility and space that can be used once in a while as your family weekend car, especially if you have older kids who might not require a car seat.

The convertible also proves that minimalism can solve a lot of problems. You don’t have to overpack, nor you need extra things to have fun in a road trip. All you need to bring is a little bit of Bavaria with you, some smiles and good music.

Exterior Appeal – 7.5

Interior Quality – 8

Steering Feedback – 8.5

Performance – 8.5

Handling – 8.5

BMWness/Ultimate Driving Machine – 8

Price Point – 7.5

8.1

The BMW M440i Convertible offers enough versatility and space that can be used once in a while as your family weekend car, especially if you have older kids who might not require a car seat. 

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TEST DRIVE: 2021 BMW 840i Gran Coupe – Luxury lifestyle

The interior follows the same rulebook and it actually makes sense. Why change something if it works? And I know some people might be tempted to say the cabin of the 8 Series as a whole model range isn’t special enough but I disagree. There might be some design cues borrowed from the rest of the models in the BMW range today, sure, but it’s the details that make the difference in every premium car.

The inside of the 8 Series Gran Coupe looks absolutely beautiful and I love the way the screen is integrated into the top of the dashboard, that being the best attribute of the car. That’s because unlike in a lot of new models today, the screen’s size is decent and not over the top. And even with this modest size, it provides all the functionality you could need. You can easily see everything you could want on it, from navigation directions, to the media player and everything in between.

Furthermore, you get all of the info in the instrument cluster and/or head-up display too if you want it, so you’ll never miss anything important. The newest versions of the iDrive system also come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay wirelessly, free of charge and integrated well into the car’s systems. So if you’re using Waze or Gmaps to get around, the driving instructions will pop up in the head up display too, making the infotainment screen redundant.

From then downwards you get a different design compared to any other BMW in the range today. The HVAC controls look similar, but the entire center console is connected to the dash via two side scuffs which, in this case, were highlighted by contrasting stitching. That stitching cut into the Merino leather this car had as an optional feature, fitted all over the impeccable fit and finish inside the cabin, from the dashboard, to the seats.

The roof lining was done in Alcantara and felt absolutely fantastic to the touch. The door panels also have a different design compared to any other BMW in the range today, and our tester also came with the brilliant, optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system that’s worth every penny. It may seem expensive at first but not only does it come with a near-perfect sound but it also brings a set of very beautiful aluminum set of speaker covers featuring a beautiful set of ambient lights beneath and a perfectly cut Fibonacci spiral motif on top.

Marvelous!

To top everything off, the seats are also 8 Series-specific, with a special design and feel to them. They are comfortable and yet supportive, in a rather specific way, something that immediately says: you’re seating in an 8er. They look brilliant too, with the headrest integrated in the seat and you can’t really ask for more. Get the Crafted Clarity optional package too and you’ll notice that the gearshift lever turns into a crystal as do some other bits around it. This way, whatever you touch feels as premium as it gets.

There are some shortcomings too though, as you would imagine in a low-slung, four-door coupe model. Storage spaces are rather limited inside, especially if we’re talking about the doors. You can’t really fit anything in the door pockets, apart maybe from your phone, wallet or a banana. The center armrest is also short of space, but at least there are two full-sized cup holders available in the console.

The back seats might look cool too, replicating the ones up front, but the sloping roofline does cut into the headroom available for the rear passengers. And you might be tempted to squeeze three people back there but I wouldn’t recommend it, as you get a massive center console in the back as well.

I was surprised to see that I could fit in the back though, with the seat in front of me adjusted to my preferred driving position. I’m 6-ft tall and yet could travel in the back, with a slight issue in terms of headroom. Other than that, my knees didn’t touch the back of the front seat.

The Driving Experience

Getting behind the wheel of the 8 Series Gran Coupe might seem like a nerve-wrecking exercise at first then, considering the impressive size of the car in every aspect but it’s really not, even though I was driving inside a very old European city. There are plenty of aids on board to help you out, as even BMW knows the visibility from behind the wheel isn’t great.

Sitting behind the wheel you notice just how small the windows are (that great looking exterior does come at a price) and that rear visibility is terribly affected too. The car has a long hood and that might make you nervous, as you’ll be struggling at first to get accustomed to the extremities of the whole thing.

Luckily, the tech available on board helps out. You get parking sensors in every direction and a 360-degree surround view camera system that has great resolution and work brilliantly at night as well. On top of that, you can also get integral steering if you want and that is a live saver in Europe’s narrow parking lots.

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TEST DRIVE: 2020 Audi A3 35 TDI Sportback

Launched initially in the late 1990s, the Audi A3 was, from the get go, a popular offering from the German car maker. The biggest selling point was, without a doubt, the low-price tag but even so, the A3 meant you could buy a premium car from a reputable German company without too having to pay a premium price.

This year, the fourth generation of the A3 was launched and you’d be forgiven for missing it, considering it took place in Spring, when the Coronavirus pandemic was taking over headlines throughout the world. We didn’t forget about it though and decided to take it for a spin, to see what it’s capable of.

2020 Audi A3 35 TDI Sportback 94 830x5532020 Audi A3 35 TDI Sportback 94 830x553

The Exterior Design

The latest generation Audi A3 Sportback comes with a lot of changes compared to its predecessor, some more … definitive than others. I’m referring to the fact that you can no longer buy a three-door version. Sales of the less practical, better looking model weren’t doing too well and, since Audi — like every other car maker — needs to be careful with how it’s investing its money. Because of that, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer decided to drop the relatively unpopular three-door altogether.

What we’re left with is a stylish, practical and good-looking five-door version that might just be the best choice in the premium hatchback segment these days.

From the get go, the designers claimed that the overall shape of the new A3 was inspired by various elements from other cars in the VW Group’s history. According to Audi, inspiration came from cars like the original Audi Quattro, the RS2 Avant and even the current-day Lamborghini Urus. Therefore, I was intrigued to see how all these elements mix into one unitary design.

2020 Audi A3 35 TDI Sportback 97 830x5392020 Audi A3 35 TDI Sportback 97 830x539

There are a few exterior design versions you can get for the A3, depending on the market you’re in. Our tester was wearing the costly S-Line exterior package and it was a stunner in the Turbo Blue paint. The front end differs slightly compared to its predecessor, with a wider and lower Singelframe grille dominating the front fascia, flanked by rather sizable blanked-out grilles. I know, I know, “fake grilles” but the truth of the matter is, they are necessary, as Audi points out, to keep the drag coefficient down and improve the efficiency of the car. To be more precise, the new A3 Sportback claims a Cd of 0.28, the best in class.

The S-Line package also comes with a special design for the headlights and the top side of the front bumper. The headlights now all come with DRL at the top but there’s also an LED cluster at the bottom that will have a different shape, depending on the package you go for. If you pay close attention, you’ll also notice a fake air intake vents under the hood line, harking back to the original Quattro model.

Around the back you’ll also notice the considerably longer spoiler at the top of the tailgate, twice as big as on the outgoing model, meant to improve downforce at higher speeds. The S-Line models also come with a diffuser with a honeycomb pattern on the rear bumper and some fake exhaust pipes.

The Interior Design

Once you open the doors, you’ll notice the S-Line treadplates that light up at night along with the exquisite S-Line seats that can be configured in a variety of combinations. Our tester had leather on the sides and a textile material down the middle, a good combination if you don’t want to spend too much. I’ve seen other models with quilted Alcantara in the middle, though, and they are simply spectacular. Those are basically the only differences brought on by ticking the S-Line package from the options list.

The interior design is classy and simple, with a driver-oriented layout that makes you feel right in the center of attention. The instrument cluster is digital, as it has been for all Audis for quite some time. The new A3 also gets the larger 12.3-inch cockpit that looks crisp, has a high resolution and smooth animations along with all the information you could need. It’s customizable and you can pick between three different designs for the speedometer and tachometer: Classic, Sport and Dynamic.

Apart from all the info about the car and multimedia you get displayed in the center of this digital instrument cluster, you can also have the map shown in various different sizes, which is a nice touch too. On the sides of this cockpit you’ll find two air vents and if their shape seems remotely familiar, it’s because they have been ‘inspired’ by the Lamborghini Urus.

The infotainment screen is also crisp and has nice graphics, although it’s a bit smaller at 10.1 inches. Nevertheless, it’s easy to use, intuitive and well-integrated into the overall design of the dashboard. You get the feeling it wasn’t put there as an afterthought as it is the case in many other cars.

Furthermore, there are physical buttons you can use to adjust the air conditioning and other climate functions beneath the infotainment screen. That’s a different approach compared to bigger Audis in the range, which have a climate control screen instead, and I have to say I like it. Personally, I’m not a big fan of using touch-sensitive screens. This approach, however, makes more sense and is easier to use without taking your eyes off the road.

There’s enough room up front even for larger adults such as myself and the seats are comfy, offering great side support for spirited driving sessions. On top of that, Audi says it’s using recycled plastic to make their inlays. According to the German company, each A3 uses 45 discarded 1.5-liter plastic bottles in every set of seats with the new material.

The one thing I can complain about though is the plastic used in certain parts of the car, mainly on the doors. The door panels are split in three sections with different textures. The middle part is made of a soft material that feels nice to the touch, similar to the soft plastic used on the top of the dash. Then there’s the top part, that’s made of a somewhat hard plastic, with a difficult to describe texture. It’s not as hard as the one used for the door pockets but definitely harsher to the touch than the middle section. It definitely doesn’t feel premium, as it should on an Audi. That’s basically the only fault I found inside the cabin of the new A3 and that says a lot.

What impressed me the most though is the room you get in the back. I could actually fit back there, behind the driver’s seat which had been adjusted to my comfortable driving position. For reference, I’m 6-ft tall, therefore this was truly impressive for such a small hatchback. I had room for my legs and, most impressive, my head. Something I couldn’t say about the BMW 1 Series or the A-Class. Color me impressed.

The new A3 rides on the same improved MQB platform as the Golf 8 or the Seat Leon and the Skoda Octavia among other cars so you’re bound to find some similarities between them. From the technology offered, to the comfortable ride or the engine/gearbox combinations and even design. Automatics get an electronic gear selector that looks basically the same on all cars and even on the new Porsche 911, just to understand how far things have gone with parts sharing.

The Driving Experience

And the A3 does handle well, there’s no doubt about that. Our tester was fitted with the 2.0 liter TDI diesel engine, which means it had 150 horsepower and 360 Nm (265 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal. The powerplant was hooked up to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox that sent power to the front wheels alone as Quattro all-wheel drive is not available on certain models, thought it is coming. The engine range will vary depending on the market and goes from 1-liter 3-cylinder petrol engines with just over 100 HP to hybrid models with over 200 HP using a 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor.

Therefore, with our 2.0 liter, 150 horsepower engine, we were right in the middle of the range and I have to say, you don’t really need more power. I was pleasantly surprised by how agile and quick this car felt, despite what may seem like a rather limited power supply. The gearbox was also one of the highlights, keeping up with all my inputs on the fly. A stab the throttle, even ever so slightly, and it would downshift to keep up with my intentions almost immediately, even in Comfort mode. It would also keep up under hard acceleration and I was often surprised to see speeds over 100 km/h without even noticing, a true testament to the refined ride the car had and the resources at its disposal.

The 2.0 liter mill was rather well isolated from the cabin, well balanced and muffled out. Admittedly, our tester also came with double-glazed windows up front to make the atmosphere more serene inside. All those features, combined with the smooth gear shifts from the DSG gearbox and the torque available from down low make for a pretty interesting sensation down the road.

There is a noticeable difference when switching between the different driving modes. Dynamic mode will make the throttle sharper and the suspension stiffer, to keep things in check better. Since I mentioned the suspension, you should also know that there are two different setups available. For cars with under 150 HP, the rear axle has a torsion-beam setup which reduces both comfort and fun. All those above that figure get independent suspension at the back, just like our tester did. And I have to say I was surprised by how well it hugged the road. The car felt composed all the time and well grounded, at least at legal speeds. And that’s all you need, to be honest.

What impressed me even more though is how efficient this car was. I simply couldn’t believe the kind of numbers I got driving it. The worst figures were recorded around town, naturally, but they weren’t bad at all. I saw an average of around 7 l/100 km covered (33.6 MPG US, 40.3 MPG UK), a good start, I thought to myself. Then I left the city and noticed that the average fuel consumption dropped to 3.6 l/100 km covered (78.4 MPG UK, 65.3 MPG US) at an average speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).

Then I hopped on the highway to see how it does there and observed a fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km (48 MPG US, 57.6 MPG UK) at an average speed of 130 km/h (80 mph). Those are amazing figures, to be honest and, combined with the refined ride, smooth gearshifts and quiet cabin make the Audi A3 35 TDI a proper threat for all other cars in the segment.

Conclusion

And that’s how we arrive at the conclusion of this review: where does the new A3 fit in the premium hatchback segment? Well, it’s the best offering in my book, by a noticeable amount. It looks better than both its rivals (even though looks might be subjective), has a nicer design inside (even with that cheap plastic on the doors), and offers more room inside. And while I did expect it to be the least fun to drive car compared to the 1 Series and A-Class, I found it to be class leading in that department too, at least compared to similar configurations from its German rivals.

Therefore, the 2020 Audi A3 offers great performance, a good driving experience and is also quite practical, especially compared to its counterparts. Is it a perfect car? No, as well know there is no such thing, but it is the best choice in the segment right now.

Exterior Appeal – 9

Interior Quality – 8

Steering Feedback – 8

Performance – 8

Handling – 8

Price Point – 9

8.3

The 2020 Audi A3 offers great performance, a good driving experience and is also quite practical, especially compared to its counterparts. Is it a perfect car? No, as well know there is no such thing, but it is the best choice in the segment right now.

TEST DRIVE: BMW M440i xDrive– A Smaller Grand Tourer

I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from the new BMW M440i as I slid behind the wheel. After the initial launch of the new 4 Series, there were several claims from journalists and enthusiasts about its more GT-like nature. They said it was a baby-8 Series, not a sportier 3 Series. But then more reviews came out, claiming the exact opposite. So I was intrigued and interested in what I would find when finally putting the new BMW M440i xDrive to the test.

During the same Test Fest event that allowed me to flog several other BMWs, including the M2 CS, I had the chance t test the M440i on the road. There’s a chance that the M440i was at a natural disadvantage during my test, as I’d just driven the aforementioned M2 CS on the very same roads, only minutes before taking the 4er out.

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After driving the M440i, it was clear to me that it’s certainly more of a grand touring car than a proper sports car. The baby-8 Series comparison is accurate. Having said that, the BMW M440i impressed in many ways, proving to be its own car in BMW’s lineup and not just a two-door 3 Series.

Smooth Criminal

One of the first things you notice when driving the BMW M440i is just how smooth it is at everything. All of its inputs are delivered with the slickness of a well-oiled machine. Everything from its steering, to its throttle response, to its gear changes are done with a silky smoothness that would make most of its competitors seem crude.

Being that smooth and refined does come at a price, though. There’s little to no feel or feedback through the controls at all, so there’s never a sense of what the car is doing underneath you. One of my biggest annoyances with modern BMWs is also on display in the M440i and it’s that the steering weight doesn’t seem to change significantly as the steering angle increases. Because of that, you can’t properly judge what the front end is doing.

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However, the benefit — and yes, there is a benefit — to all of that isolation and refinement is that the BMW M440i is incredibly relaxing to drive. It’s comfortable and quiet, in a way that would make you think you were sat in a six-figure GT car. Seriously, close your eyes in the passenger seat of a 4 Series and you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and an 8 Series. The ride in the M440i is just as good as it is in the M850i and its cabin is just as quiet. It’s a lovely place to spend some time.

It also nails so many of the finer points of a GT car. The seats are superb, the driving position is excellent and all of the materials you can see — and even the ones you can’t — are lovely. It’s an outstanding car to spend hours and hours, covering hundreds of miles in at a time.

Sports Car Performance

Despite not feeling like a proper sports car, it certainly performs like one. As per usual, BMW’s B58 engine is absolutely brilliant, as is its calibration with the eight-speed ZF auto. It’s actually better than ever in the M440i, as it’s now equipped with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

So it features a battery alternator starter that can actually act as the starter motor as well as providing just a touch of low-down torque. This means that the seemingly imperceptible turbo-lag in every other B58, which is already the benchmark of the industry, has now been completely eliminated. Just smooth, effortless surges of power.

That 48-volt MHEV setup also helps with the transition of auto start/stop. Even on the brilliant B58 engine, auto start/stop is infuriating, as it herks and jerks as it abruptly shuts the engine down and starts it back up. However, the MHEV actually helps to smooth the feature out to the point that it’s not only no longer intrusive but good enough to actually keep on.

After having spent a lot of time with different B58 engines over the years, I genuinely didn’t believe it could be made any better. I was wrong and I’m thrilled about it. The BMW M440i might not provide the tactile feedback of a bona fide performance car but it certainly delivers acceleration like one.

BMW quotes the BMW M440i in the low four-second range to 60 mph but, honestly, it doesn’t matter. It’s fast. Hilariously fast. And it delivers forward thrust in any gear, at any rpm, in a way that its competitors just can’t. All while delivering an excellent, though artificially enhanced, soundtrack.

The Grille Still Needs Work

Prior to testing the new 4 Series, all of my colleagues that had already tested it before me told me that the new grille is better looking in person than it is in photos. To be honest, that’s true for most things. In person, you can see how light reflects off of different shapes better, you can see the three-dimensional aspect of different shapes and just get a better overall sense of a design. So I had a feeling the grille would look better in person and it does. But it’s still not good looking.

I like the people at BMW, they’re great people and I always have lovely conversations with them. So I felt a bit bad expressing my harsh but honest opinion. But that’s the job. It’s my job to cover and review the 4 Series and I can’t, in all honestly, say that the new 4 Series grille looks good in any way, shape or form. It looks like a beaver that’s fallen into a tub of radioactive miracle grow. The most unfortunate aspect of the irradiated grille is that the rest of the car is actually quite pretty.

Face aside, the new 4 Series is an elegant, well-proportioned and even seductive looking car. Its design also promotes the idea that it’s more GT car than sports car well, as it’s far less aggressive or muscular than its predecessor. While the outgoing F32-gen 4 Series looked like a butch, two-door 3 Series, the new G32 4 Series is smoother and softer. With aggressive cars, there’s a common automotive trope to say that the sheetmetal looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped around its structure. With the 4 Series, it looks more like silk has elegantly fallen upon its frame.

As you walk around the car, you notice lovely little creases and body lines, all of which are subtle and delicate, in the best of ways. But they you make it back around to the front and, Sweet Fancy Moses, it shocks you all over again.

Style is subjective, though. So what one person finds beautiful, another might find repulsive. One thing’s for certain, though, the new 4 Series is going to stand out from the crowd, for better or worse. Which actually makes it a surprisingly good GT car, as style is a big part of what makes a proper GT car great. So if you’re a fan of the style, the new BMW M440i will make you a very happy tourer.

Nothing Wrong with Being a GT

BMW might not like people calling the BMW M440i a GT car, especially with all of the advertising and media buzz it’s putting out about the 4er being some thrilling sports car. However, I don’t mean it as an insult when I say that the M440i is built more for romantic tours through the European countryside than it is for flogging a race track. Not only is there nothing wrong with GT cars but they’re some of the coolest and most desirable cars you can buy.

The new BMW M440i xDrive is not a better sports car than the M340i, nor is it even a proper sports car. The M440i is an 8 Series for half the price. To be perfectly honest, unless you absolutely need the extra length and 20-percent increase in luxury, I don’t see the point in buying the 8 Series over the 4 Series, especially in the blisteringly-quick M440i spec. And at its price point, I actually can’t think of a better car to go touring in.

TEST DRIVE: 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost – Post-Opulent, Minimalistic and Exciting Engineering

Rolls-Royce is going through a bit of a change and that was obvious a few months ago when they revealed their updated logo and brand identity. Rolls-Royce now calls themselves the “House of Luxury” and that’s part of their plan to modernize the brand. The Rolls’ client demographic, and their lifestyle, has certainly changed over the years, as well as the average age of a Rolls customer – 43 years old.

So naturally, their luxury cars have to evolve as well. The first product to bring forward this new philosophy is the second generation Rolls-Royce Ghost. The hugely popular Rolls is also delivering a new design philosophy from Goodwood. Rolls calls it “post-opulent.”

Post-Opulent – A New Design Philosophy

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Rolls-Royce Ghost II
Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

The minimalist aesthetic comes from the customers’ newfound desire for less flashy, less in your face products.  The new Ghost’s personality also aims to reject the superficial expressions of wealth, and especially, it aims to do more with less. And that philosophy was quite intriguing to me, so I was extremely excited for my date with the Ghost.

When a new Rolls-Royce model comes around – in a production cycle that’s longer than most manufacturers in the world – things are bound to get exciting. The launch of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan brought us to the beautiful Jackson Hole, but unfortunately, 2020 had some other plans.

Therefore, Rolls-Royce decided to unveil the new Ghost to a selected number of journalists who were flown to Austin, Texas, to experience the car like most customers would do. And for the first time, I actually had the chance to pick the brains of a Ghost customer.

Meet The Rolls-Royce Ghost Customer

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Alexandra and Esteban are a young couple with an impressive collection of cars, and of course, a few Rolls-Royces. They were also one of the first customers to take ownership of the new Ghost. But their Rolls journey is just at the beginning. Over the next few years, the power couple will collect no less than 24 Ghost models.

The destination for those Ghosts is The Women Nation, an organization that “establishes synergy between its female members and nurtures that sisterhood.” Think along the lines of a startup incubator for women entrepreneurs who can build and grow their own companies. These new Rolls-Royce Ghost models will be used at different Women Nation locations around the globe.

Spain-born Esteban comes from a tech background and has an appreciation for product design, minimalism and architecture. And all these influences can be seen in his home and now, in his Salamanca Blue Rolls-Royce Ghost. Alexandra and Esteban are also working on a bespoke Ghost which was commissioned earlier this year, before the car was even unveiled.

During a private presentation, we had the chance to see a progressive and daring bespoke Ghost which will certainly be an eye-catcher when it arrives in the next few months. Furthermore, the “post-opulent” philosophy and the minimalistic-approach to design will certainly be immediately recognized.

The day-in-the-life of a Rolls-Royce customer comes to an end and I’m now ready to get behind the new Ghost.

A Subtle, But Effective Evolution

Certainly, the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost is an evolution of the ten-year old first generation. The design team in Goodwood have used a clever design to cut visual mass and give the car a subtle styling. At the front, there is a new “eyebrow” over the headlights and a single-frame lower air intake.

The Spirit of Ecstasy is now part of the hood rather than the grille, surrounded by sheet metal and paint. Even that particular feature required a lot of engineering prowess. The grille is much shorter than what you’ll find on a Phantom and, get this, it’s also illuminated. Behind the grille, there are twenty LED lights that shine on the back on the grille veins, giving them a subtle glow.

The side profile of the new Ghost hasn’t changed much, but there is a beautiful flow between the different pillars. Rolls’ engineers and designers told me that the all-aluminum body is made to look like one continuous flowing piece of metal, with as few panel gaps as possible. So from the A-pillar, through the roof, into the C-pillar and most of the rear end is all one piece, hand-welded by four craftsmen.

Speaking of the rear, the changes are certainly more obvious here. The new Ghost has a faster roofline and a tapered rear-end which reminds me of the Sweptail one-off concept. The taillights are a bit more angular, with different graphics inside, while the trunk is a bit more rounded than before.

Rolls-Royce Ghost II
Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

Another interesting design tidbit has to do with the front and rear windows which are equally proportioned. So regardless if you’re driving the car or being chauffeured around, the view out the window should be the same.

The list of new things continues with the first automatic, power-open doors. For ages, you could close a Rolls-Royce door with the push of a button. Now, you can open them with a long-hold of the handle. Even closing the doors manually is power assisted. Rolls-Royce even takes it one step further by using an array of sensors to ensure that the door’s open and close speed stays exactly the same, even if the car is on a hill in either direction.

The Old And New World Meet Inside

Of course, it’s the interior that fascinates me the most in a Rolls-Royce. The craftsmanship and the level of details is unmatched in the automotive world. And while not as over-the-top as the Phantom, the Ghost is equally beautiful. From the leather, the trim to the open-pore wood and the chrome switches, every detail is of the highest quality.

The classic controls remain. The new Ghost still uses rotary mechanical AC controls instead of fancy digital displays, there is a central infotainment screen, also managed by a rotary controller and a perfect combination between analog and digital.

Another novelty in the new Ghost are the digital gauges with a clean design, sharp and elegant fonts and with the most relevant information displayed in front of your eyes.

Lights play a big part of the interior. The passenger side of the dashboard trim now has the word “Ghost” illuminated in it. There are 152 LEDs above and beneath the dash fascia that match the car’s clock and instrument light color. To ensure that the word “Ghost” is perfectly evenly lit, 90,000 laser-etched dots create a 2mm-thick light guide.

The Architecture of Luxury Bears Fruit

But in my opinion, the biggest story with the new Rolls-Royce Ghost is its architecture and engineering. This new Rolls-Royce Ghost is built on the brand’s new all-aluminum architecture, the same scalable architecture that underpins both the Phantom and Cullinan.

Which means the Ghost is no longer built on the old 7 Series platform. This new chassis is more structurally rigid than before, while also providing better balance, comfort and acoustic insulation. The “Architecture of Luxury” is at the heart of the new Cullinan and Phantom as well.

The overall length has grown by 3.5 inches to 218.3 inches, and its width has increased by 1.2 inches to 77.9 inches, although the 129.7-inch wheelbase is identical.

The flexible architecture is paired with a new suspension with an unusual damper on the front upper wishbone. The new Rolls-Royce Ghost gets new Upper Wishbone Damper Units, which are part of the brand’s new “Planar Suspension System”.

Rolls-Royce has been working on this for ten years, so as to develop the best riding car the world has ever seen. The Ghost is the first Roller to get the new suspension and it’s supposed to improve not only comfort but also stability.

This new “Planar” suspension also works in tandem with the brand’s “Flagbearer” suspension system, which uses the front camera to scan the road ahead and pre-load the suspension for what’s about to come. This allows the suspension to be ready for a road imperfection ahead of time, rather than reacting to it in real time, thus ironing out bumps before then even happen.

The Flagbearer setup has been available on Rollers before, with the Phantom and Cullinan both having the system but this is the first time it’s working in tandem with the Planar system.

Furthermore, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost also gets all-wheel drive, for the first time in a Rolls-Royce car. This is the first sedan or coupe from Rolls-Royce to power all four wheels. Additionally, it’s also the first Rolls Royce car to use all-wheel steering which makes life a bit easier inside the city.

The all-wheel steering steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction from the front, up to 25 mph, but passed that, they turn in the same direction to help you achieve greater stability in corners and on the road.

The Ghost Whisperer

Rolls-Royce Ghost II
Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

One of the most important engineers aspects of the Ghost is its sound insulation. Rolls-Royce wanted to make the Ghost the most quiet and serene cabin in the world and it actually achieved it. In fact, Rolls made the cabin of the Ghost so quiet that it was actually unsettling for customers, like those silence chambers that you can hear your own heartbeat in and start to go mad. So the engineers in Goodwood actually had to add some noise back in, a noise the brand calls the “whisper”, because of course it does.

The idea is that passengers get a soft, subtle, barely perceptible, single note of noise. To do this, and get the cabin to emit nothing but one single note of noise, Rolls-Royce engineers worked tirelessly, inspecting literally every single piece of the car to see what sort of resonant frequency it emitted. If the levels of sound or frequency were unacceptable, they were changed.

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Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

For instance, the air condition air ducts were creating unacceptable levels of noise, so they were taken out and polished on the inside, fixing the problem. The prop shaft was creating an unwanted frequency, so it was replaced with a thicker, sturdier one that worked better.

The seat frames in early prototypes created an unwanted frequency, so they were changed. Even the trunk made some unwanted frequencies at high speed, so ports were built under the rear parcel shelf which let the disruptive sound waves from the trunk escape and dissipate.

There’s 220 lbs (100 kg) of sound insulation overall, 55 lbs (25kg) more than in the previous Ghost. And of course, the windows are also double glazed, which reduces wind noise.

A Ghost You Want To Drive

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Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

One thing was immediately clear after a few hours behind the wheel of the new Ghost: This is a car you’d want to drive. Sure, sitting in the back of a Rolls never gets old, especially when the car is whisper-quiet, luxurious and smooth. But this Ghost is special: it’s engaging, effortless to drive and can be quite fun.

Of course, a lot of that has to do with the 6.75 liter twin-turbocharged V12 which develops 563 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Interestingly, that hulking engine is mounted entirely behind the front axle, as Rolls-Royce has pushed its aluminum suspension subframe mounts as far forward as possible. This was done to give the Ghost as close to a 50/50 weight distribution as possible.

Not that many Rolls customers care about the balanced distribution, but nonetheless, even if you’re not a race track driver, it’s something you’d immediately notice. The new Ghost just floats on the pavement, but with less of a boat feel. The luxury sedan is certainly more composed than its predecessor and it can quickly trick you into higher speeds than normal.

This masterpiece of an engine is second to none and I’m hoping it will stick around for a while.

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Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

The transmission is flawless as well and in typical Rolls fashion, it does everything for you. There are no adaptive drive modes to choose from, no transmission settings to play with, everything was tuned to just please you. The transmission uses GPS assistance to intelligently select the right gear for upcoming corners and or intersections. And it works without any interference on the driving part. Everything is so well connected together that it makes you wonder how much time was spent on that.

There is hardly any tire noise, despite my test car riding on massive 21 inch Pirelli tires. The air suspension and adaptive dampers smoothen out any road imperfections, keeping that calm and serene drive. Naturally, at higher speeds, the new Ghost delivers the iconic magic carpet, thanks to additional dampers that counteract any road vibrations.

On the night before, I was picked up by a driver in the new Ghost, but it wasn’t until my next day’s test drive when I realized how quiet the car was when having a conversation with my driver at 60 mph.

I rarely comment on the steering feedback and input in a Rolls-Royce. Firstly, it’s kinda silly to even attempt do that in a half a million dollar luxury sedan. Secondly, there is very little evidence that suggests a Rolls-Royce customer having the steering feedback up on his preference list.

But with this new Ghost, I’m making an exception. The large, yet thin steering wheel is iconic, but this time around, it gives you plenty of weight and feedback. So why would I care about that? Simply, because in combination with the chassis, the suspension, the all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, the steering puts everything together to deliver a fun and engaging drive.

You might be mesmerized at first by the beauty and elegance of the Ghost, but it’s only after a longer drive that you start to notice and appreciate the engineering side of things. Especially when you also factor in the all-wheel drive system which constantly works to deliver the right setting between the drive agility and stability.

Ghost – The Smartest Product Ever Launched in Goodwood

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Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

Arguably, the Rolls-Royce Ghost is the smartest model in the history of the brand. The Ghost has opened a new market for the Goodwood-based luxury maker and attracted a new and unique demographic. It’s also a Trojan Horse which will lure you in into the Rolls universe, only to later finding yourself owning  more than just one piece of automobile art.

And without a doubt, the second-generation of the Ghost will go down in history as their highest selling model. Ever.

It’s also my favorite Rolls-Royce today because it manages to combine brilliant engineering with a subtle yet beautiful design, and without overwhelming you with cabin technology.

The base price of “my” beautiful Salamanca Blue Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at $332,500, but a decent amount of options brings it to $428,250. It might cost you a pretty penny but there is no buyer’s remorse in sight.

TEST DRIVE: 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC – A luxurious electric SUV

Whenever Mercedes-Benz announces a new and unique product, the car industry stops and listens. Understandably so as the German brand was one of the first to come out in the automotive industry and its founder is largely credited for making the first ever automobile. Therefore, with a tradition spreading back to 1886, Mercedes has a lot of pull in the car world.

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Last year, the Stuttgart-based giant decided to finally get into the electric car market with a proper, standalone model. And while the EQC might be the only purely electric vehicle Mercedes-Benz is building right now, it’s not exactly the first. Our more car savvy readers might recall the Smart electric cars and also the electric A-Class launched more than a decade ago.

Yet, this will be the first time Mercedes-Benz does this properly and plans to sell such a car by the thousands.

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EQ Brand Dedicated To Electrified Cars

The EQC is just the first attempt from a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz, one that will focus exclusively on EVs. Just like BMW’s i Division or the Mercedes-AMG one, the EQ sub-brand will focus solely on electrified cars. The first one to come out happens to be in the shape of a Crossover with the size of a GLC. And that wasn’t a random pick either.

Look at the sales figures and you’ll soon realize cars of that exact size are best sellers today. The demand for SUVs and crossovers is at an all-time high and there are no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Therefore, making an electric SUV is now a must for every car maker. BMW will bring their own electric SUV to the market this year – the iX3. The Audi E-Tron or the Jaguar i-Pace are some of the other offerings in the segment.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC has some strong headwinds to face, but it also has the right weapons to handle them. Driving down to Mercedes-Benz to pick it up, I was really curious to see whether this will be a similar story to the Porsche Taycan. Alas to see whether this EQC would actually feel like a proper Mercedes-Benz even though it doesn’t have an engine under the hood.

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A Familiar Design

From the outside you’ll notice some familiar traits on this car. That’s not by mistake. The EQC is largely based on the same platform as the GLC and it shows. The design is similar in overall shape, but there are key differences between the two. The front-end has a totally different shape, one that carries a huge Mercedes badge on it, flanked by a lot of glossy black for a grille that would probably even put the new 7 Series to shame.

However, even though it’s big, the integration with the front fascia is quite nice. The headlights also have a distinct shape and blue accents on the very top end. An LED bar that goes from side to side completes the package and creates a powerful visual block, especially at night. There are two versions available for the front bumper, the Electric Art choice we had on our tester or the AMG Line one, with larger “air intakes” on the sides. I’m using quotes because they are fake intakes, to help out with the drag coefficient, which is low for an SUV, at just 0.28.

Move to the sides and you’ll notice the roofline is right between the standard GLC and the Coupe version. It is a bit sloping towards the back but I wouldn’t call this a Coupe SUV. There are also running boards on the sides which just get in the way, to be honest, as this SUV is not that high riding. However, according to Mercedes-Benz, they help out with the aerodynamic coefficient so I guess they are welcome. The EQC is also about 4 inches longer than the GLC but just by looking at it without another car to compare it to, you’d be hard pressed to figure that out.

There is a big difference on the rear-end though, where there’s a long LED strip going from taillight to taillight, creating a rather beautiful effect. The rear bumper also has a couple of interesting details on the lower side, which replicate a set of tailpipes.

A Beautifully Shaped Interior

Step inside and the similarities with the GLC simply vanish. The interior is absolutely stunning and has a fresh design, one that’s decorated with all sorts of materials that truly make you feel like you’re in Mercedes. There are some downsides too, like the huge pieces of piano black trims positioned on the center console that, unsurprisingly, creaked. That’s a problem all Mercedes-Benz models below the E-Class seem to have. Other than that, there’s really nothing I could complain about.

Our tester was a special 1886 Edition model which means it came with a certain color combo, mixing black and blue in a very interesting fashion. There was a new material used on the upper side of the door panels as well as on the dash. It felt like some sort of plastic fabric and I later learned it was made of recycled materials. It truly felt nice to the touch, especially the bit on the top of the door panel that reminded me of denim.

In other parts of the car there was what Mercedes calls ‘man-made leather’, which also felt rather nice to the touch, combined with Alcantara and the 1886 stitching on the seats. The vents had rose-gold inserts which could also be found on the doors, while aluminum completed the design on the door cards and went up over the dash, under the windscreen and all the way on the other side, creating a single visual block.

Simply stunning!

The EQC also comes with the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system but in a different scale. The screens come straight from the A-Class, along with all the functionality. Therefore, they are a bit smaller than the ones we had on the GLE 450 earlier this year. The functions remain the same though and the graphics as well and, apart from a special sub-menu dedicated to the EQ part of the car, everything’s the same.

I really don’t mind having smaller screens inside the car, to be honest, so I did find this refreshing. The EQ menu shows you the battery range, what motor is used at a certain moment and charging times as well as the energy consumption for various intervals. All of it related to the electric character of the car.

A Refreshing Driving Experience

And that electric character was what worried me the most setting off. I was – unjustified as it turned out – worried that the character of the car would be different than a regular Mercedes just because there was no internal combustion engine under the hood. I was wrong.

The EQC uses two electric motors, each good for 150 kW, one for the front axle, one for the rear. While they have the same power output (204 HP) they work differently. The one above the front axle, working the front wheels, is set up to be more efficient, while the one on the rear axle is supposed to offer a sportier feeling.

Basically, the front motor has a less tightly wound stator than the rear one, which has greater torque. Together, they can deliver up to 408 HP and 760 Nm (564 lb-ft) of torque. The latter is delivered, of course, instantly. And that frightened me at first, thinking that this would just be another brutal EV that hurts your neck when setting off. To put things into perspective, the current BMW M8 has a bit less torque than this car and not from the moment the engine/motor starts spinning.

However, Mercedes worked its magic on the EQC because is very well damped and the power delivery was set up to mimic what you would find in a ‘normal’ Mercedes-Benz. Therefore, when accelerating hard from standstill you wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the torque. Instead you get a feeling that you’re being rushed somewhere but without any sort of panic. It’s all set up to be soothing and well calculated.

Don’t get me wrong, the car is fast, doing 62 mph from standstill in 5 seconds flat, but it never feels brutal when launching. As a matter of fact, it’s more brutal when you mash the go faster pedal while on the move, especially at speeds up to 60 mph.

All that goes to show that this car was set up to be a true Mercedes. But despite the engineers’ greatest efforts, there is an issue at play here: the weight. Some have accused Mercedes of being ‘lazy’ for not developing a bespoke chassis for its first EV and that’s the main reason why the car is so heavy. There are a couple others at play here as well though.

First of all, the 80-kWh battery pack weighs no less than 700 kilos (1,543 lbs) and that’s basically a small car you carry around all the time. The EQC could’ve been lighter, but Mercedes-Benz decided to make it a bit safer instead. For example, there’s about 4 inches of space on each side of the battery, between it and the side sills. That was done on purpose so that there’s a buffer available in case of a crash.

Furthermore, the engineers say the car has steel-tube replicas of the engine block and gearbox housing inside it, to make sure it behaves the same way an internal combustion car would in case of crash. Removing those alone would’ve shaved some 150 kilos. And that’s why the hood doesn’t open and you don’t get a frunk.

Therefore, the car tips the scale at about 2.5 tons. So yeah, it’s pretty heavy. And it feels heavy and massive when you drive it. Even when you close the doors you feel like you’re inside a vault, by the way they sound. Its suspension also works very well and gives you the impression that you’re driving a very comfy tank.

When you set off, you immediately notice that the driving experience is natural and just a tiny bit different than a ‘regular’ car as it lacks the NVH elements. Even so, visibility is great all around and the car is easy to live with. Around town, the bumps and potholes are dealt with impeccably while going a bit faster will reveal its limitations.

There are several driving modes available, from Comfort which is the standard one, to Sport, Individual, Eco or Maximum Range. Sport doesn’t help out that much in dealing with the heft of the car but an interesting mention goes to Maximum Range. Using this mode will make the EQC feel like it’s limping home. As a matter of fact, it makes it feel like you’re in Limp Home mode, if you’ve ever experienced that.

The throttle doesn’t seem to want to respond and you’re dead slow in doing… anything! I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. There’s also an adjustable regenerative braking system, using the paddles on the steering wheel. Using the one on the right eases off the regen braking, allowing you to coast. Using the left side paddle, you can increase the harshness and recuperate more energy. According to Mercedes-Benz, this is where the extra weight of the car comes in handy, as it will generate more energy upon slowing down.

The Driving Range

So how much energy does it require to go around town then? Well, during my time with the car, in heavy city traffic, I saw an average of 27 kWh/100 km covered. That means you could do about 290 kilometers on a single charge. A bit far off from the 400 km claimed by Mercedes-Benz. However, the testing conditions were harsh, with heavy traffic, the AC running all the time, along with the wiper and lights and the tester was on winter tires. As I mentioned before, most of the time, the car will use the front motor alone, the rear one intervening when it’s necessary.

Outside the city limits, the faster you go, the more energy it will need. At average speeds close to 80 km/h (50 mph) I saw the indicator showing 21 kWh/100 km which would get close to the 400 km of range advertised. On the highway, at an average of 77 mph that number went up to 30 kWh/100 km, dropping the range to about 250 km.

Recharging the batteries is yet another important topic. Mercedes-Benz says that the EQC can take in up to 112 kW using a fast charger, which is pretty good and should allow you to recharge the car’s battery pack in under 1 hour. However, you will be depending on the infrastructure. You won’t find such fast chargers just about anywhere.

More common 50 kW CCS stations are easier to find and they will get the job done in about 2 hours. From here on down you can do the math for 11 kW, 7.4 kW or 3.7 kW chargers. If you want to charge this car at home, you’re looking at the 3.7- or 7.4-kW chargers most of the time, the latter requiring a wallbox. Once again, you need to take into account how you’re going to use this car and whether it is right for you.

There’s no sound or vibrations coming inside from the engine bay. Therefore, the atmosphere inside is serene, as one would expect. Only in the EQC things are even better than I expected. This car is even quieter than the Taycan I drove not long ago. Combine the refined suspension, the heavy, solid feel of the car, luxurious and beautiful interior and the utter quietness you get inside and you truly feel like you’re inside a Mercedes-Benz.

The character of the Stuttgart-based company is right there with you. And that, for me, was great news.

Not An AMG-GT, And That’s Okay

Sure, some might say that the EQC is not sporty enough and I agree. The weight of it simply can’t be masked in any way. It’s a heavy car and, even though the weight hangs low, you can still feel it working against you whenever you’re taking turns in rapid succession or changing direction on the fly.

At the same time, nobody really expects the EQC to behave like an AMG GT and I also think the car was set up to be luxurious, comfortable and silent more than anything else. On those three topics, there aren’t many cars that can challenge it today. What the EQC showed me is that the future of electric cars is shaping up rather nicely. Just like in the case of the Taycan, the EQC feels like a product made by the company behind the logo on its boot.

That may very well mean that, while we will be missing internal combustion engines in the future, not all electric cars will be bland, quiet, boring models with nothing to separate them from anything else on the street. It looks like car makers are working extra hard to give their products a personality and that is incredibly good news.

Exterior Appeal – 8

Interior Quality – 9

Steering Feedback – 7

Performance – 8

Handling – 7

Price Point – 8

7.8

What the Mercedes-Benz EQC showed me is that the future of electric cars is shaping up rather nicely. Just like in the case of the Porsche Taycan, the EQC feels like a product made by the company behind the logo on its boot.