Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
Typical Pebble Beach view: BMW’s 1972 Turbo concept.
This week’s Continental comes straight from Monterey, where I am visiting the Quail Motorsport Gathering, the Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. There are auctions and manifold events on the side, such as the Legends of the Autobahn gathering, which is dominated by historic and contemporary German cars. This weekend is one of the highlights of the automotive calendar—and definitely worth the trip.
I spent Thursday evening with BMW, which unveiled the M4 Concept and showed the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé for a second time. BMW USA chief Ludwig Willisch and BMW M GmbH chief Friedrich Nitschke were present; the designer community was represented by BMW’s exterior design chief Domagoj Dukec, BMW M GmbH designer Florian Nissl, and Pininfarina chief designer Fabio Filippini. (Dukec is the designer of one of my favorite non-exotics, the 2004 two-door Citroen C4.)
While BMW was actually quite close to putting last year’s Z4-based Zagato concept into low-volume production, there are no such considerations for the Gran Lusso Coupé, I am told. Still, the gorgeous concept will have a future, as it previews the next-generation 7-series, particularly the aggressive and imposing front section. It is designed to cater to Asian tastes, but I like it as well.
The face of the next 7-series?
I also got a preview of the i8 sports car, which will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show next month and is scheduled for a U.S.-market launch alongside the i3 (a few of which were driving around here) in early 2014. The i8 looks every bit as exciting as the concepts which have led up to it. It’s got scissor doors and is powered by a three-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. The interior is ultra-modern, and, unlike the i3′s, driver-oriented and low. When you open the doors, you can see matte carbon fiber, without any pretty woven patterns and high-gloss finish. This “industrial” finish for carbon fiber, also displayed by the i3, is daring and appealing.
Adrian van Hooydonk.
Mini Talk
BMW Group chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk recently spoke about the direction for Mini both at the i3 launch in New York and at a design event in Munich, the latter of which was covered by my colleague Matthias Knoedler. At the i3 launch, Hooydonk said that an electric Mini is a possibility: ”Of course I can imagine an electric Mini.” In fact, BMW’s most recent electric mobility project began with the Mini E, which was then replaced by the BMW 1-series ActiveE, before the effort begat the i3. Van Hooydonk explained that BMW felt Mini already had a rather small carbon footprint. “We wanted to start with the BMW brand and eventually let it filter down to other brands.”
The Mini brand would lend itself well to electrification since its disciples are less focused on a traditional driving experience than BMW aficionados. Van Hooydonk himself says: “The Mini customer is less and less interested in ‘hard facts’ such as horsepower, cylinder count, acceleration figures. The main thing is that the car works well.” This attitude, combined with the desire to boast a “sustainable” lifestyle, creates a favorable setting for an electric vehicle offering.
Meanwhile, the expansion of Mini’s lineup to include the Paceman and Countryman can be blamed on the failure of Mini customers to switch from their frisky runabouts into BMW vehicles down the road. “We thought that young customers will buy a Mini and move up to BMW when they grow older,” said van Hooydonk, adding: “That hasn’t happened, and therefore we needed the Countryman and the Paceman to open up the brand. Now our customers can grow with the brand.” Down the road, there could be even more large-size Minis. When asked about the viability of an SUV model, van Hooydonk offered: “It is something we should think about.” He did not disclose any details of such a model.
On the other hand, chances for a smaller Mini, such as the 2011 Rocketman concept, are slim at best. “The Rocketman was a research model to discover what is possible in terms of cleverness and space,” a noncommital van Hooydonk offered.
This Vision concept previews the next-generation Mini.
As we near the launch of the third generation of BMW-designed Minis, more details emerge about the engine choices. I am told that the entry-level Mini One and the Mini Cooper will get three-cylinder engines, while the Cooper S and the John Cooper Works stick with four-cylinders. And I hear that there will not only be another Clubman with its unique rear barn door concept, but also a four-door version of that car with a conventional hatch. Personally, I wonder: Why not call the Clubman a Shooting Brake? It has been internally discussed, and the Clubman is one of the few cars that could legitimately bear this moniker, unlike, for example, the station-wagon version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Cadillac’s twin-turbo V-6 transforms the XTS.
Cadillac’s Great Twin-Turbo
This week, I spent a good hour behind the wheel of a pre-production Cadillac XTS4 Vsport, partly on very challenging roads. It was a welcome opportunity to try the new twin-turbo V-6 and to resample the XTS, which left me underwhelmed last time I drove one. The twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter V-6 will also be offered in the third-generation CTS. In the XTS, it produces 410 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque; in the CTS, it will make an even more impressive 420 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. It will also be offered in the upcoming ATS-V, where it can be specified with a manual transmission.
- Instrumented Test: 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe
- Instrumented Test: 2013 BMW 740Li xDrive
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Cadillac XTS FWD Premium
The new twin-turbo engine is much more enjoyable than the XTS’s standard, naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6, on which it is based and which continues to be offered. Throttle pickup is instant, turbo lag virtually nonexistent. Power delivery is impeccably linear. The sound is subdued, yet there a subtly aggressive backdrop that will undoubtedly be more pronounced in the CTS Vsport and especially the ATS-V. The engine makes high-speed cruising an utterly effortless experience.
What’s more, Cadillac has recalibrated the previously overboosted steering, and the already competent suspension. The XTS4 Vsport provides decent feedback, and it is fun to push it hard through the corners. This car is a vast improvement, and I am impressed. It bodes well for the brand’s aspirations.
Source: CarAndDriver
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