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Tri-Diesel Power: Driving the BMW X5 M50d

It's not hard to imagine why diesel cars have not really caught on locally, just years ago, these oil burners were the reserve of commercial vehicles and taxis, and with a rather "image conscious" pool of buyers, such an association is proving somewhat hard to shake off. Couple that with a heavier (and rather confusing) set of taxes, you can't really fault our local motoring community for passing on these diesel alternatives. Yet, on countless articles and tv shows, we are shown that diesel is one of the ways forward if range and fuel saving is a priority. The thing is though, fuel savings and range is not very sexy. And in our local motoring context at least, sex sells. In a battle of badge snobbery, a "D" stuck onto your boot is about as exciting as the last Transformers movie. But what if we moved the game up a little, what if, we sprinkle that "D" with a touch of "M"? We might have ended up with one of the longest model designations known to mankind but at the same time, it does change your perception a little doesn't it? No longer is it a hum-drum oil burner built to pound it's life away thinking it's latest achievement was gaining an extra kilometer. No, it's become something more purposeful, it's now an M(lite) and it's got gained proper street cred. Will this be enough to sway potential buyers though? Here are the numbers. The 3 liter (Euro V compliant) diesel straight six unit in the, X5 M50d (yes i know, 3 liters, not 5), is by far BMW's most powerful diesel engine ever produced. Force fed with not one, not two, but three turbochargers, this equates to an impressive output of 381 horses at 4400rpm and an even more impressive tire squishing 740Nm of torque which come on full song between 2000-3000rpm. If that doesn't pique your interest, i don't know what will. Putting those specs into perspective and at risk of cannibalizing sales from "normal" BMW X5s, the X5 M50d doesn't just outgun the similarly priced xDrive35i variant but comes within striking distance of it's more vocal big brother, the xDrive50i. That big twin-charged V8 might have a power advantage with 444 horses, but with 90Nm less torque, there is just 0.3 seconds separating these two cars to the century sprint (5.3seconds vs 5 seconds). And, according to BMW, the M50d will give you 14.9km's per liter if you are ginger with the throttle. (We got about 11, which is still pretty good for something that tips the scales at just over 2.2 tons)

Both cars are limited to 250km/h so top speed comparisons are rather moot but one thing is for certain, the xDrive50i cost almost another 90 grand more. Food for thought. Aesthetically, the "M Performance" bits on our test car makes it a far better and sportier looking SUV (or SAV in BMW speak) than it's brethren. Although the basic shape remains, it's enhancements have nipped and tucked it into a more toned body shod with massive 20-inch shoes and equally generous tail pipes. As expected, space inside is vast and with the massive sunroof, gives a very generous feeling of space. Swathes of dark leather wrapping around the very comfortable and supportive seats and door trims give the interior a rather muted and understated atmosphere broken up with strips of aluminum highlights. Seating for 5 remains comfortable and although the rear packs 2 extra seats that can be raised from the boot floor, space way out back is best reserved for either short journeys, children, or friends who are into yoga. There are some details which set this interior apart from "normal" X5s though, the lovely to hold M steering wheel, the gearknob, those door sills, and the digital speedometer readouts all trumpet the most powerful alphabet in the World. Stomp on the loud pedal and if by any chance you're not overcome by all 740Nm of torque, you will be treated to a rather interesting soundtrack. Yes everyone, like most modern BMWs, the M50d comes with a digital soundtrack. Though in this instance, i'm not going to fault BMW. Diesels as we all know, suffer from a rather, how shall we say, a set of rather uninspiring vocal chords. Those pipes exiting the rear bumpers might be big enough to stuff melons in but most of the car's sound comes from the engine up front. It might churn out enough power to dig roads up, but aurally, remains rather agricultural. Which is why, it's best to keep the windows up and indulge in some "Active Sound Design". Or you can sink the track and pump the track with it's stonking sound system.

There are again, multiple driving modes to choose from and depending on your mood, can go from comfortable, to slightly less comfortable. Some might have pointed out that Sport mode stiffens up the steering too much but personally i found it to provide the best level of resistance and feel with the sharpened throttle response that's befitting of the car's badge. Although the M50d stays planted through most road conditions, when it encounters a series of switchbacks, no amount of computers can hide how much it weighs. You don't quite flow through the bends but rather, pulverize them into submission. The trick is to go hard on the brakes going into turns and use the X50d's juicy torque and traction for the exits. It might sound strange but i honestly mean it as a compliment when i say, it drives like a petrol. Such is the engine's willingness to move up the rev range even though it redlines just below 5500rpm. Over-steer antics on this car are still probably best left to professionals. So how does the M50d stack up next to it's brethren in the X5 stable? Rather well i reckon. With enough firepower to claw at the heels of it's V8 brother and priced similarly to the xDrive35i (but better looking), the M50d now not only has the specs to prove why it's a viable alternative to it's petrol drinking brothers, but the figures as well. Next to the xDrive35i and xDrive50i, the M50d actually looks like pretty good value. Blows your mind drastically, fantastically. It has to be, automatically. Pity it's a little disappointing phonetically.

Midnight Runner

Taken during a short drive with some friends at night, i think these are prob the best shots i've ever had of ol' Sasha Grey on the move. Mucho credits to Abel Tan!

Daily dose of Godzilla

While it might not look as polished or as pristine as the other Gun-Metal grey GTR32 we featured earlier. This San-ni might be a litle rough around the edges aesthetically, but it doesn't sit idle for long as this is a daily driven Godzilla. (With a fully rebuilt engine of course.)

One EF'in clean Civic

Could Gerald's EF be one of the cleanest and most unmolested Civics around? We wouldn't bet against it!

ND Miata blows up the internets

By now we're pretty sure you've seen pics or even the video of the new MX-5's unveiling (+Duran Duran!). Not much point for me to post 'em here. So instead, here are 2 photoshopped versions of Mazda's latest baby! Threw on some trick Watanabes and gave it a more purposeful stance. Or maybe the same treatment but grafting on a Z3M Coupe rear end to create a Shooting Brake?

BMW i3 Part Deux: The Mobile App

Released alongside the i3, the BMW i Remote app (available for both iOS/Android) allows you to stay connected with your i3 even when it is safely parked away or charging up at one of the few charging stations around the island.

Once installed and paired up with your BMW i (password enabled), it keeps you informed of the battery / fuel level status of the vehicle and provides a real-time check on your car as it charges up. There are also tips and tutorials on hand for users to learn how to drive more efficiently. Taking it a step further in connectivity, the app also allows you to have some control over the car. Doors can be locked and unlocked, lights can be flickered and even the horn can be activated remotely.

A cool feature of the i Remote is also being able to start up the car's climate control system before you get into the car, which is pretty helpful if you're parked outside most of the time. Can't find your car? Use the GPS finder and it will instantly pull up a map showing where your car is located. If your car is sitting outside of GPS' range (or hiding underground), it will show the location where it last communicated with the satellites in the skies.



Need a charging station nearby? The app has got you covered with a list of charging pods pinned onto its map.



For those interested in data, the app also calculates how efficient you were on your previous journey. Easy to understand graphics show various aspects of your last drive and you can even see if you measure up with the community of i3 drivers.



Like the i3, this app shows how everything around the car has been thoroughly thought over. It might be a small app, but it presents a glimpse of the future with with clever integration of technology between the car and mobile devices. Marty Mcfly's going to be impressed next year when he sees what BMW has built.

A Breath Of Fresh Air: Driving the BMW i3.

After multiple teasers and an unveiling at the BMW Expo, the BMW i3 has finally touched down on our local roads and we were given the privilege of being one of the earliest to sample this revolutionary vehicle in Singapore. Let us first take a brief look at the philosophy behind BMW i. BMW's latest baby sub-division, kind of like like BMW M, but instead dedicated to innovative and ground breaking concepts for sustainable mobility. From the energy-intensive carbon fibre manufacturing factory set up in Moses Lake, USA, tapping power from the World's largest hydroelectric power plant to the assembly and manufacturing facilities in Leipzig that relies on 100% renewable energy sources. Their philosophy, Born Electric, starts true right from the very start. Presented by their two current offerings. The i3 and the i8. Both cars pave the way forward in sustainable mobility and at the same time, bring the future of motoring to our present day. Away from exhibition halls and showroom floors, the i3 stands out with its futuristic design accented by the use of dual-tone colors. Sitting rather wide and tall, it isn't as small as the press pictures might suggest. But having a short footprint and wheels positioned at each corner with minimal overhang, makes zipping about in town and maneuvering around tight spots a doddle. That unique shape doesn't just look bold, but underneath the plastic body panels sit one of the most important bits of the i3, its carbon fibre passenger body cell, dubbed the "LifeDrive Module". Marking a first in bringing this material to a mass production vehicle, what was once used only in aerospace and exotic machinery is around 50 % lighter than steel and around 30 % lighter than aluminum. As you can imagine, this keeps weight low, necessary to offset the weight of the batteries with the high-tensile material bringing the added benefits of increased safety, versatility in creating unconventional shapes, and allowing for dynamic driving characteristics. Having something so radical in construction and design, this can only mean that even though it's not a low-slung noisy supercar (quite the opposite really), it does get quite a bit of attention from fellow drivers and pedestrians alike. Heads turn and camera phones are whipped out either from amazement or sheer confusion seeing this strange car on our local roads. BMW has to be commended for bringing something so different and bold to production, looking like nothing else on the road, The i3 has created a new twist to traditional BMW design. Gone are the double halos and in their place are U-shaped DRL graphics, now a signature BMW i element. The kidney grilles remain but with no need for cooling air to flow through, are now enclosed and depending on choice of exterior color, are accentuated by an accent color in either BMW i Blue or Frozen Grey. The use of a dual-tone color scheme reinforces its futuristic design language, developing a flowing silhouette that runs from the bonnet, up the roof, through the side windows, and dipping slightly before tapering off after the rear quarter panels and finishing off at the tailgate. BMW call's this the "Black belt". I call it "Awesome". One of the reasons why the pictures might have given the impression of this being a smaller car is that, being conditioned to think of eco-cars having small wheels, we'd never have imagined that the i3 rolls on standard 19s. These are no ordinary bling bling 19s though, they have been specially developed for the i3. Coming with the skinniest tires ever fitted to a 4-wheeled BMW. This Reduces rolling resistance and together with aerodynamic details, ensure their highest efficiency. Opening the suicide doors, the CF tub frame is exposed for all to see on the door sills. As we all know, carbon fibre doesn't get its strength from material alone but mostly in the way it's weaved, and i was told the exposed CF tub is left exposed so that in the event of a scuff, technicians will be able to see the weave of the CF and work in the repairs as needed. The typical glossy resin was also left out to save the overall weight of the vehicle. And i thought it was done just to look "cool". Stepping over the CF frame and getting into the i3 presents a whole new take on interior surfacing and textures. BMW calls the interior design on the i3, "Next Premium", and presents a wonderfully beautiful combination of textures and surfaces that are rarely seen in production cars. All of which are made from either recyclable materials or from certified sustainable sources. Our car came equipped with the "Lodge" trim spec and looking like a Ray & Charles Eames homage, gives a very light, airy and almost scandinavian feel to the interior space. Having the energy storage systems located under the floor of the LifeDrive module and no conventional gearbox to house, this gives the entire interior space a flat floor and again, contributing to the lovely sense of space. I especially like the curved and flowing eucalyptus wood on the dash and the tanned leather accents on the seats and door cards. Lovely to look at and pleasantly tactile to the touch. Juxtapose these with the very high-tech gizmos on the dash and it becomes one of the most lovely interior spaces ever to grace an automobile. There are a couple of other trim options, but if you are ever in the privileged position of buying an i3, this is the interior to have. Interior space for four adults is good and the rear seats accommodate taller passengers readily, though the rear seating remains strictly for two with a cubby hole in the middle to eliminate any thoughts you might have of fitting in a third passenger. Rear passengers will also have a nice view out the sides as the rear glass sits lower than those up front. Boot space is not fantastic, but as it was designed to be a city-car first, should be sufficient for all trips to the malls and supermarkets. Remember the first time you held an iPhone in your hand and thought to yourself that things are never going to be the same again? This is that moment the minute you thumb the starter button in the i3. Contrary to what you might have read or seen, it is not entirely silent. There is a faint sci-fi-ish startup sound as the electrics spin up to life as the auxiliaries light up. Same for shutting down the car, you get faint spinning down whine when you turn it off. This has strangely provided me with a nerdy sense of joy every time i get in the car. No, not a car, it's a Star Trek shuttlecraft! It might sound like i'm gushing but the i3 is one of the cars that i really enjoy making journeys in. From the moment the car starts to the end of the my commute. Without the need for a conventional gearbox, all the controls normally found on the center console have been repositioned to the steering column with only 3 basic drive modes selectable with a nicely sculpted knob. "Drive", "Neutral" and "Reverse". Park is a separate button located on the same chunky stalk or if you are lazy, auto-engages once the car is turned off. With only a single gear for forward propulsion and full power from rest, the i3 has one of the smoothest drive-trains on the market. Acceleration is quick yet so very silky smooth and with no gears to shift through, makes for the sort of progress i have never experienced before on any other car. Apart from the same science-fiction-esque electric ascending sound and the rumble of those skinny profile tires, you'd hardly hear anything else emanating from the i3.

It's quite surreal the first time you do it and subsequently still feels out of this World every time you put your foot to the floor. I enjoyed the serenity inside so much, most of the time i drove with the radio off. All you get with the hammer nailed is just a very smooth constant flow of propulsion, nothing more, nothing less. And nothing else on our local roads drives like this. 100km/h comes up in about 7.9 seconds and because there are not gears to shuffle though, feels slightly more brisk. Immediate getaway from rest usually startles most road users as the full gamut of 250Nm comes in from pretty much the moment you plant your foot down. Mid-range acceleration for overtaking maneuvers and slicing through city traffic is equally impressive as the i3 picks up speed at a pace you might not expect. You will have to keep your eyes on that speed readout if you value your license. Thankfully, the speed limit of each road you are on is displayed prominently on the main readout as keeping track of speed by ear is pretty much impossible. Most of time, you'll be traveling quicker than you think. Live traffic reports also popup once in a while to keep you informed of any oncoming road hazards. Steering though remains light and slightly devoid of feel on the straight ahead, the car still tracks well and with its wide stance, keeps the i3 stable throughout most road conditions. The BMW i3 also comes with regenerative braking. What this means is, when you lift your foot off the throttle, the car starts to regenerate energy back into its batteries and at the same time, produces a braking effect and slows the car to a halt eventually. It might seem slightly alien and maybe cumbersome at first but doesn't take very long to get used to and driving with just one pedal becomes a very intuitive thing to do. Step to go, release to slow down. It also eliminates the yo-yo effect of conventional brakes when coming to a stop. Now we come to the handling part which to be honest seems quite contradictory to the whole point of the i3. No one is going to buy this car to throw around the twisties, but surprisingly, the folks over at BMW have spent quite a bit of time tinkering and fiddling to make this car do things few would venture into. Though the steering still feels a tad light, the car rides and rotates very well. Don't be fooled by the height of the vehicle, most of it's weight is positioned below the passenger floor and coupled with BMW's slightly firm damper settings, gives the i3 pretty good road holding characteristics!

The regenerative braking effect of coming off throttle comes into play as lifting off the throttle immediately gives what normally we would consider engine braking to slow the car down, as you turn in and feed in the power, the rear squats under the electric torque and gracefully propels you forward with minimal fuss, minimal noise, maximum efficiency. It's no M3, but it holds true to BMW's commitment of developing cars for "Sheer driving pleasure". Let's now come to the topic of range. Of course this all depends on individual driving styles, if you hammer it down every road, i don't think you can expect to get very far. But i had it over a couple of days, and driving the i3 on "Comfort" mode and air-con on all the way with a mixture of frugal and frenetic throttle applications, i managed to get about 210km's before running out of petrol for the range extender, with 33km's left on the batteries. So overall, I'm guessing a full range of 240-250km's is easily within reach for most under normal driving conditions. Just how does the range extender work? In a nutshell, it is a 2-cylinder motorcycle engine that acts as a backup electricity generator for the electric motor. You can either set it to come on manually (via the iDrive) once the batteries reach 70% capacity and below, or wait for it to come on by default once the batteries hit the 20% mark. The range extender will then kick in to hold the batteries at whatever percent the batteries are currently at. So if you manually activate it when the batteries are at 50%, it will hold the charge at 50% (give or take 1-2%) until it runs out of juice (The ancient dinosaur type).

Most drivers could of course just leave it on the default setting and let it come in at the 20% mark but i found a nice way of working it into my journeys. In town and around the neighborhood, i ran full electric e-Power, but once on the expressways, turn on the range extender to help with my highway commute. The range extender gives the car a slight bit of vibration but with more road and traffic noise on the e-ways, becomes hardly noticeable. Interestingly though, i found the car slightly livelier with the extender turned off. Once the range extender runs out of petrol, prepare for the cheapest fill up ever! An i3 in a petrol station, a rare sight.

Understandably there is a lack of infrastructure in Singapore for EV vehicles and although a chicken-egg situation with the charging stations, it would be nice if more companies and industrial players jumped onto the EV bandwagon. After all, Singapore's size and connectivity should by right, make it the perfect place to run electric. Makes you wonder why isn't the Government giving more incentives or putting in more effort to push for alternative energy vehicles. Of course, to the i3's benefit, when you do buy one, the local dealer will install a charging point in your home just for your i3. Overall, i really really enjoyed my time driving the i3. It is probably one of the best cars I've driven this year and by far the most interesting and innovative, and at the same time, is able to make simple commutes and short journeys interesting. Yes there is a contention over its price. At slightly over S$236,000, it isn't what one may call, affordable transport for the masses. Close to the price of a 328i, most people i talked to could not fathom the idea of going for the EV over something more conventional. But look at it this way, you could of course go for the 328i, an excellent car no doubt, but with the i3, you are no longer just getting a car, you are stepping into the future.