Writing as a petrol head with a passion for performance vehicles and a lifelong love of motoring, I see, hear and feel the rumblings of uncertainty in our community. Is an electric vehicle (EV) as good to drive as a good-old-fashioned internal combustion engine? Will the new EV models feel as light and engaging as the older BMWs? Will motorsport feel the same without the roar of a race car passing by?
I hear these questions from fellow enthusiasts, commentators and loyalists of legacy brands alike. Essentially, can this new world of future mobility live up to what the last 60 years have delivered?
Indeed, there is something to be said about the emotion that stirs when one hears the roar of an internal combustion engine. In BMW’s case, for many years, it was a straight-six engine mated to a manual transmission, sending its power to the rear wheels.
It’s that very emotion that informs the contents of my own garage. I am the proud owner of a BMW 325i S and a BMW 745i. The latter features the M88/3 straight-six engine descended from the BMW M1 supercar. Meanwhile, the 325iS retains a special place in South Africa’s motorsport history, conceived to meet racing regulations and featuring performance upgrades not found in equivalent 325i models available in other markets.
But the formula for the ultimate driving experience has never been that strict. Over the years, it has evolved. Advancements, from the double-clutch gearbox to adaptive suspension, go to show how innovation can be reconciled with heritage to great success.
For BMW, that process is all too familiar. It’s demonstrated by the car I use day to day, the BMW i3. Now more than a decade old, it continues to serve me well thanks to the strength of the innovation that informed its creation. It was (and still is) backed by principles and an engineering approach that make it a pleasure to commute in.
The i3 served as the launchpad, alongside the i8 sports car, for the BMW i platform back in 2010. It was the brand’s first mass-produced zero-emissions vehicle and remains one of the best-selling EVs, setting the pace for clean urban mobility around the world.
And what did that best-selling car feature? An internal structure and body made primarily of carbon fibre. A 125 kW electric motor that sent power to the rear wheels. All packed into a car that was built with a forward-thinking vision of transportation.
These are the ingredients synonymous with the BMW driving experience, and they are part of a legacy that BMW is using to write its next chapter. Just look at models like the new BMW iX3, a car I have personally driven around the Aschheim test track in Germany.
The ‘Heart of Joy’, BMW Group’s innovative high-performance control unit, is a triumph in harmonising the powertrain and driving dynamics. Concerns about EVs being too heavy or not engaging enough disappear in a car that is planted yet feels light-footed, with electric and mechanical control unlike any other. Every aspect, from the use of materials to the weight distribution, plays its part in delivering the ultimate driving experience.
It’s a car that, along with the upcoming BMW M3, helps set a new benchmark. That emotion you feel, the one associated with BMWs of old, is still there, but it is joined by something truly new and exciting. Something that’s rooted in sheer driving pleasure. That is why BMW is, and will continue to be, the enthusiast’s choice.