EXPERIENCE

THE future is now. Well, as far as electric cars are concerned anyway. As government and corporate legislation continues to put pressure on vehicle manufacturers to be less reliant on fossil fuel, much of their R&D budget is being spent on electric vehicles.

There isn’t one car maker in the world today that doesn’t have an EV programme in place in some way.

Hell, there’s even an electric Ford Mustang on the cards.

Whether it be fully electric by a specific date or, like Porsche, who have three distinct areas of focus: internal combustion, hybrid and fully electric.

We recently spent a day with their all-electric Taycan which, at its international launch last year, had people grasping for their glasses to confirm the statistics. The top of the range Turbo S, with a motor above the front and rear axle, pumps out 560kW with its overboost function and, get it all to work in sync – you have 1 050Nm!

That will silently propel you to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds and will get you further than an F1 car in 2.6 seconds to give you an idea of its acceleration.

And for speed freaks, that’s nirvana which you may get to use very rarely on a back road or at a track day and, at just over R4 million that’s a lot of money even for a Porsche. The base model 4S is just under R2.5 million and the middle of the range model is R3.4 million. Driving normally should give you a range of about 400km.

The question is whether once you’ve done the school run and stopped to buy groceries, and got on with the daily grind that is life, can you live with an electric car as your prime mover in this country?

My first thoughts were no, not really, but depending on your bank balance you probably can.

They aren’t cheap and, if you want a good looking efficient EV with decent range like Jaguar’s award-winning I-Pace, you won’t get a lot of change from R2 million.

There’s the option of the electric Mini Cooper that’s well over R600 000 and, while mini claims a range of about

217km on a full charge, when we recently tested it, it showed 175km fully charged.

South African’s are an impatient lot at the best of times and having to plug in a car, even for half an hour, to get some juice just isn’t on our radar.

Owning an EV will need a paradigm shift in how you go about your day. Sure, you can plug it in at home every night like we do with our phones, irrespective of how much power is left, but you can’t be late for an appointment and quickly throw in a few R100 at the closest garage and zoom off.

Manufacturers are working on putting charging infrastructure in place for long hauls between cities on our national highways, but that’s an expensive exercise and, for

now at least, very limited.

They’re also talking to government about an EV programme because, among other things, there is no incentive in any way for manufacturers to import electric cars, which adds to the price prohibitive entrance for prospective owners.

And in case you’ve just beamed down from Mars, right now the South African Government has a list of urgent priorities so long, that EV and everything associated with it doesn’t even make a blimp on the radar.

So yes, you can live with an EV as an everyday car locally but, in reality, it’s for a privileged few because as things stand, the average age of our car park is 12 years and rising.

M3 OR M4 FOR YOUR DREAM GARAGE?

Say what you want about the rather odd-looking kidney grilles on the new M Cars, you can’t fault them for bringing a promising, fresh take on performance in the segment...

Follow us on social media for the latest pricing on the new M3 and M4 as it breaks. @iolmotoring @drive360 @jason.woosey

JASON WOOSEY AS promised, BMW has whipped the covers off its new M3 and M4 performance cars and not only are they set to stand apart from their rivals with dramatic new styling, but they’re also set to be the only cars in their segment to offer the option of a manual transmission.

However, South Africans looking for a more puristic driving experience won’t get to join in the fun as the sixspeed manual gearbox is only offered in the “regular” M3 and M4 models, and these won’t be offered locally. As has become the norm with M cars in South Africa, only the competition versions will be offered, and you can expect them to arrive during the first half of 2021.

While all versions of the new BMW M3 and M4 are powered by a new-generation three-litre straight-six turbo petrol engine, as before, the standard and Competition models have different power outputs, although both have considerably more urge.

The M3 and M4 Competition models are now good for 375kW at 6 250rpm and 650Nm between 2 750 and 5 500 revs, which is 44kW and 100Nm more than before and that, says BMW, is enough to get you from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds. An eight-speed M Steptronic transmission is part of the deal here.

The regular M3 and M4 derivatives with manual transmission have listed outputs of 353kW at 6 250rpm and 550Nm between 2 650 and 6 130 revs, and drivers who’ve honed their snap-changing skills will get their cars from 0-100km/h in as little as 4.2 seconds, according to claims.

All M3 and M4 models retain their predecessors’ rearwheel drive layout, but the Competition models will be available with all-wheel drive from mid-2021. Working in tandem with the Active M Differential, the all-paw system will have a rear-biased set-up and drivers will be able to choose from three modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD for pure rear-wheel drive – and deactivated stability control.

While the drive configurations will differ, all M3 and M4

M4

models will ship with M-specific suspension with adaptive damping, and M Servotronic steering with variable ratio. M Compound brakes will be standard, but buyers will be able to opt for M Carbon ceramic anchors if desired.

Drivers will also have a bit more control over the traction control system this time, with the DSC system now offering ten selectable modes, as well as integrated wheel slip limitation.

As for the rims, the Competition derivatives come with a 19-inch-front, 20-inch-rear combination, while the regular cars have an 18” 19” combo.

Of course, when it comes to visual differentiation, there’s a lot more than just wheels to set them apart from the normal 3 Series and 4 Series models, particularly in the case of the M3, which inherits the large vertical grille format from the latest 4 Series. These models do, however, wear an M-specific version of that grille, featuring horizontal slats, and the M models are also distinguished by sculpted wheel arches with M gills, side sill extensions, front and rear apron extensions and a rear spoiler.

Step inside and you’ll find newly developed M sports seats, upholstered in Merino leather, but BMW is also offering M Carbon bucket seats, with a structure-based design as an optional extra. The cockpit area includes M-specific displays and controls, while the M-specific set-up button provides direct access to the settings for the car’s dynamic systems.

Making its debut in the new M3 and M4 is a system called M Drive Professional, which was created specifically for circuit driving. It includes an M Drift Analyser, which rates your cornering antics, as well as an M lap timer.

The rest of the electronic arsenal is largely as per the latest 3 Series and 4 Series models, with BMW’s 7.0 operating system serving as the central information hub. BMW’s fully digital Live Cockpit Professional package is standard, along with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The company has also expanded the range of standard driver assistance systems which, among others, includes front collision and lane departure warning systems, as well as park distance control. Optional gizmos include the Driving Assistant Professional with steering and lane Control Assistant, Active Navigation, Emergency Lane Assistant and a Head-Up Display with M-specific displays.