There are many ways you can draw attention to yourself in Texas. In the largest of the contiguous states in the United States, everything seems bigger, larger, brighter and louder than other parts of the country. Want to wear a Stetson, chaps and boots to town? Sure. Why not? You’ll blend in with every other SUV- and truck-driving stockman and cowboy in town. Want to stick out in a crowd? Drive something small, like the new BMW 2-Series convertible.
Among the Ram, Ford and Chevrolet pickups that ply every road, highway and shopping mall car park, the 2-Series’s compact size makes it conspicuous by simply lacking the sheer bulk of its fellow road users.
The 2-Series line launched in 2014 as a way for BMW to expand and simplify its stable of entry-level cars. The 2-Series grew out of the 1-Series range; the 1-Series coupé was replaced by the 2-Series coupé, so it follows that the convertible version would also be replaced with an up-to-date model.
For 2015, the convertible gets the same configuration options as the tin-top version, with a turbocharged, four-cylinder-powered 228i (the same engine as the 428i) and a fruity, six-cylinder, twin-turbo M235i with 326hp. Both are available with optional xDrive all-wheel-drive, though the M235i won’t be available for a few months.
The one we’re currently flashing through the Texan countryside in is the 228i, with a mere 245hp, which seems plenty, given the much-needed but highly unanticipated downpour the Austin area is experiencing. We’ve been warned that the police have been told of our presence and are on the lookout for speeding foreigners. Given that five of them were at our morning briefing, chatting among themselves about how many high-powered handguns they own and how much practice they’d had at knocking down moving targets, we’re watching the speedo closely.
The 2-Series presents a smaller target for law enforcement officers to lock a bead on – and it’s nippy, too. BMW says the 228i with optional eight-speed Steptronic auto will pass through the 100kph mark in six seconds and hit a limited top speed of 250kph. For true driving fans who prefer a manual, the six-speeder adds a 10th of a second to the 100kph sprint and boosts fuel consumption by about 0.2L per 100km during everyday driving.
In terms of pace, you’re never really going to notice the difference. But eight-ratios in a compact car seems overkill, and while I understand that ramping through gears at lower rpm cuts fuel use and lowers emissions, the result is that the performance really doesn’t feel as sprightly as a manual might.
Maybe people who prefer manuals are disappearing from the face of the Earth, but a small car with a beefy engine really begs to be driven hard. An H-pattern gearbox simply makes that a more enjoyable thing to grab by the scruff of the neck and pedal across a twisty mountain road.
But you don’t need to be wringing the car’s neck to really enjoy its premium feel and finish. The driving position is superb – something BMW tends to get right in most of its cars – and a longer wheelbase, wider body and increased overall length add a touch more space and comfort that was missing from the 1-Series. There’s a decent amount of space upfront for the driver and front-seat passenger, but the rear perches are tight, knee room is at a premium and an upright backrest and thick side panels (presumably to house the roof mechanicals) aren’t designed for long hauls. The backrest folds down, so you can through-load lengthy bits of luggage if you’re not carrying people in the back.
The one thing the rain prevents us from testing is the roof. It’s available in three colours – black (standard), anthracite (dark grey) or brown – and can be opened and closed in 20 seconds (each direction), and on the fly at up to 50kph. The fabric roof folds into the boot without taking any extra space, and opens the car up, revealing what BMW refers to as a boat-deck look emphasised by a shoulder-line that runs from the front wheel arches to the boot.
It is, at its heart, a driver-orientated machine. Where the M235i coupé gets as close to the feel and performance of the original M3, the 228i convertible is a commendable performance machine in its own right. It may be too small for Texas, but it’ll fit right in with commuters in the UAE.
As will the new X6 M, BMW’s latest and most extreme take on the supremely popular X6. The X6 may polarise buyers in some markets, but UAE drivers can’t seem to get enough of it. BMW doesn’t quote official figures for the region, but it’s clear the model is an important one for dealers in the GCC.
If you’re of the mind that the M-badge should never be applied to an SUV, BMW really couldn’t care less. It nailed its colours to the mast in 2009, when the X5 M and X6 M were introduced, confounding road testers with a machine that seemed to defy the laws of physics.
The new one is even better. I say “one”, because both the X5 M and X6 M are mechanically identical, differing only in body style.
Like the standard X6, the M version is longer than its predecessors and marginally wider and taller. It shares the same wheelbase, but carries over the base X6 M’s styling changes. Standard wheels are twin-spoke 21-inch alloys (up an inch), shod in non-run flat tyres. The M-version gets a unique front fascia with larger air intakes, a rear skirt with diffuser, twin exhaust outlets and two vertical inlets with embedded lights aft of the rear wheels, side gills in the front wings and a spoiler at the rear. The Long Beach blue finish is also specific to the X6 M.
Inside, the M-treatment extends to new seats, a cluster of gauges and the usual M-steering wheel touches. The leather-lined dash pad and Alcantara head liner are also nice M touches.
The X6 M gets a new version of the 4.4-L, twin-turbo V8, which develops an astounding 575hp and 750Nm of torque – a healthy separation from its nearest in-house rival, the X6 xDrive50i, at 445hp. The engine is matched to a torque-converter eight-speed gearbox that seems to ramp through its ratios as rapidly as a dual-clutch system.
The same rain that plagued our 2-Series test is still falling, onto the track surface at the Circuit of the Americas – home of the American Grand Prix this year. Current conditions would delay a race start, but BMW is happy to send me out on track with a 575hp, V8-powered SUV, behind the German touring car star Augusto Farfus, to demonstrate the car’s capabilities.
The track is treacherous. I’m asked to keep the traction control on and only touch the M-buttons – two switches that instantly trigger changes to the driveline, stability- and traction-control systems, when told to. BMW’s engineers have programmed the buttons (owners can too), but locked them to prevent us from dialling in settings that may have us spinning off track.
Farfus isn’t slow and is clearly having fun in the X6 M lead car as it slews through most of the track’s 20 turns on opposite lock. With a clear track ahead, the talented Brazilian is in his element. Trailing in his wake isn’t easy, even with windscreen wipers on full, and my only indication to stand on the stoppers is when the rear lights on Farfus’s car flash up. At upwards of 210kph, acting on complete and utter trust of the guy ahead, it’s quite an experience.
The X6 M simply gets on with the job. Much of the chassis-tuning focus on the new car centred on reducing understeer, and while the X6 M still uses adaptive dampers, steel springs and air suspension at the rear, the bushings have been adapted. The all-wheel-drive system is also rear-biased, and the torque vectoring brake system – working overtime in the conditions today – helps keep the X6 M pointing in the right direction.
Part of the trick is simply switching off and allowing the car to work things out for you. In such challenging conditions, the X6 M’s slight understeer is amplified and made worse if you try to fix it yourself, either by touching the pedals or adjusting your speed. It’s just far simpler to let it all happen and leave the X6 M to sort it out for you. Smooth throttle inputs are needed to stop traction control from cutting in – but we’re talking about exceptional conditions that rarely occur in the Middle East.
We’re also talking about an SUV on a Formula One circuit. Once you’re used to the elevated driving position, there’s little to suggest that the X6 M is anything other than bred for a life of circuit abuse. There’s very little body roll, performance is tremendous, braking sublime and the grip from the enormous Michelin Pilot Sport tyres specifically for the X6 M is incredible. I shouldn’t love the X6 M as much as I do, but it defies convention on so many levels that it’s difficult not to admire the package that BMW and its M division have bolted together. The car is just as impressive on the road, mainly because of the changes to the suspension and the new non-run-flat tyres, which help make the ride a lot more compliant.
There may be better M cars out there for track use, but very few offer the same level of performance and practicality as the X6 M. You may never take yours on track – and that’s fine, because it’s still an incredible potent road car. If you’re not sold on the looks, there’s always the X5 M – both are impressive, excellent performance SUVs. The 2-Series convertible (Dh212,000) and X5 M/X6 M (X6 M Dh540,000) will arrive in the region at the end of next month.
motoring@thenational.ae
