BMW 6 Series 640d

Top of the class

I knew BMW made darn good motorcycles – in fact the last three that I’ve owned were those from the ‘propeller’ marque. I haven’t sampled a BMW four-wheeler for some time for some strange reason, and the offer of an Alpine White 640d 6 Series Coupe for evaluation was gratefully accepted.

I had the perfect route planned for the 640d … I needed to see a pal in Oudtshoorn, so can you think of a better way to evaluate a R889 000 coupe than heading out of Cape Town on the N1, through the Du Toits Kloof tunnel and then enjoy a lengthy, beautiful and most enjoyable trip over the R62 towards Barrydale, on to Calitzdorp before reaching my final destination – Oudtshoorn. (We blessed citizens of the Western Cape remain very privileged to having the best roads in the country.)

Without doubt, this must be the quietest diesel-powered car I’ve ever had the privilege of ‘owning’ – if only for a couple of days. Under that enormously long bonnet is a straight six, 2993cc turbodiesel motor developing a whopping 230kW of power and 630Nm of torque. (C02 emissions are set at 145g/km = R2 137,50). Factor in a 0-100km/h time of less than six seconds, coupled to a potential top speed of 250km/h, and it soon becomes quite obvious the 640d is very much a seasoned sports coupe.

Creature comforts remain superb, such as front comfort seats; lumbar support for driver and front passenger (electrically adjustable); seat heating for driver and front passenger; interior trim finishers in fine, brushed aluminium; ambient interior lighting; park distance control (PDC), front and rear; LED fog lights; high beam assist; navigation system, professional head-up display; internet preparation; voice control; Bluetooth compatible cellphone preparation; area code 2 for DVD and USB interface; automatic start/stop function; brake energy regeneration, locking wheel bolts; sports automatic transmission; alarm system with radio remote control; rear view camera; glass electric sunroof, electric sliding and vent function; velour floor mats; warning triangle and first aid kit; interior and exterior mirrors with automatic anti-dazzle function; smoker’s package(!).

What’s it like to drive though, I hear you say. As a R900k car should is my only answer! Seriously, there is absolutely nothing to dislike in this car. It’s a great place to be because you are cosseted in complete luxury every kilometre of every journey. It steers, brakes and heads for the horizon in a most spectacular way.

 Would I buy one? … Well, put it this way.

If those lotto numbers play ball this weekend I’ll be beating down the front door of the local BMW dealer first thing Monday morning to place my order!

Audi Q3 TDi quattro 2.0

Torquing Audi Q3

There’s a new range of compact SUV’s in the South African marketplace right now and one of the very best is Audi’s Q3, the smaller brother to the Q5 and its flag bearer, the Q7.  We had the pleasure of the company of the Q3 version a few days ago – and my goodness, doesn’t it do its job well.

Naturally it was the diesel – a model that’s proving really popular among SA buyers. This particular derivative (2,0-litre TDi 130kW S Tronic quattro) is powered up by 380Nm of torque from 1800 rpm, and, as the name suggests 130 kW of power. Big numbers in what initially seems to be a fairly big vehicle … and yet the underpinnings are the same as the standard A3 … go figure!

Beautifully built and well specced from a standard point of view, the car may well justify the R431 500 ticket price if you take the trouble to compare apples with apples – as any astute buyer should. For starters, Quattro means all-wheel drive – just in case you’ve forgotten – a reassuring feature over slippery and dirt roads. Add in decent levels of ground clearance and Q3 ownership starts to make a lot of sense.

Move inside the cabin and it remains a great place to be. Creature comforts are well taken care of in the form of power everything including steering, windows, mirrors, central locking and individual air conditioning control. Glance around and you can’t fail to be impressed by the enormous cargo area (460 litres); fold down the rear seats to more than double-up on its load-carrying potentiality.

But the best trick up its sleeve is the ease and superb way it drives. The turbodiesel is quiet in the extreme – never infiltrating into the cabin to annoying levels. Select ‘drive’ from the easy-to-use seven-speed box and changes remain absolutely seamless. While talking about the ’box, should you like to change gear the old-fashioned way – you can – but why bother? The ’box is tractable, no matter the road speed travelled.

Gripes are non-existent with the vehicle, but if there’s something not to my liking it’s the ‘stop-start’ feature – thankfully it can be turned off (and on) with the flick of a switch.  Yes, I do understand about saving fuel – even diesel, but somehow or other I found this device somewhat annoying. Apparently, all cars that are exported by Audi have to have the annoying device.

Audi claim fuel consumption figures of around 6,3 litres per 100 km – and I don’t dispute them in the slightest. In town driving the Q3 hovered around those figures – but on the open road even better. There’s a 64-litre fuel tank fitted – that should allow for a ±800 km range. Can you ask for more?

Needless to say there’s a healthy (if costly) options list to spec your car with should you so wish. R22 500 you’ll need to find should you like the navigation system seen in the picture; Xenon headlights: R10 240, or a set of 18-inch alloy wheels that will set you back R10 850.

There’s a superb warranty that’s standard fare with any Q3 purchase: a warranty of one-year – unlimited; along with a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan. Basic ticket price is R431 500 for the Audi Q3 2,0 TDi S-Tronic.