German Car Zone

The famous BMW ‘four-cylinder’ tower dominates the Munich skyline. The company’s research and innovation centre may be a few kilometres away, but you remain under its scrutiny.

You can’t miss its towering presence as you enter, nor avoid its dominance as, if like me, you sit in the café, waiting for a day of technical presentations. Perhaps this is what drives the brains within, I muse, as I neck another coffee.




BMW's Bavarian HQ



Normally, these tours can be, shall we say, ‘taxing’. Every engineer in the car industry is a fiercely clever soul: they wouldn’t be there otherwise. But, like ‘A Brief History Of Time’, how they can lose you. They’ll spear off at the merest sniff of a tangent, and even if they stay on message, will bombard you with techno-babble to a level that would induce an irritating child prodigy’s first tearful kicking tantrum. The cream of BMW’s finest was set to spend a day explaining their environmental developments to me; deep breaths and very deep mugs of coffee were thus imperative.







First, a speech. By board member, Dr. Klaus Draeger, to explain BMW’s ‘Efficient Dynamics’ tagline that’s key to today’s environmentally-focused events. “The German automotive industry does not appear in a good light,” he said. “I think this is unjust and inappropriate.” ‘Bling!’, went the eyes. How about that for an opener. He explained how BMW was committed to sustained mobility, but not at the loss of dynamics, how a top CO2 limit for individual vehicles would be disastrous, and how it is bad to focus on single routes to environmentalism such as hybrids. “There will be no ‘eco’ models from BMW – all models will benefit.”

• Driven: BMW 1-Series three-door

Hybrid hullabaloo




As we filed out, it became apparent. Efficient Dynamics is BMW’s tagline for an all-inclusive approach to, well, more efficient but still dynamic motoring. Canny. Four years in the planning, the desire is a 10% reduction CO2 emissions across the fleet, rather than a 15-20% reduction for a “niche product” (read, hybrid). All the fun, and fuel savings too. But how? A man stood, alone, with a model of a 1-Series grille. I went over; and was dazzled by ‘Active Aerodynamics’, which monitor engine temperature and use flaps to close off the grille whenever possible, lessening aerodynamic drag. Result: 3% fuel saving. Clever.







And embodying the Efficient Dynamics philosophy perfectly: many tiny savings, adding to the greater good. Like all, it’s the result of umpteen boffins toiling within the oddly University campus-like building. Perhaps significantly, the feel isn’t of a car company, but of a place of learning, buoyed by large windows flooding light. Far removed from the dingy, depressing Rover block I did work experience in as a kid. And clearly inspirational. I move on to someone explaining BMW’s switchable alternator, which only recharges the battery under braking; less load means more efficiency (though it’s confusing for BMW to call it ‘Brake Energy Regeneration’. Pesky academics…).

• Green motoring A-Z

Bavarian motors work




BMW’s middle name is, literally, engine. So when the cream of the engine design team come down to tell you about their new units, you expect something special. Petrol first, and we’re wowed by a 2.0-litre unit that’s 20bhp more powerful and 20% less thirsty. Via direct ‘BMW Precision Injection’, it’s able to run lean at speeds up to 100mph, while a standard NOx catalyst cuts emissions further, from an already-low base. It warms up rapidly, is low-maintenance and costs no more than existing units. It’s sold in the 1-Series today, where it’s capable of 47.9mpg. Superb.







It also cuts out in traffic. On purpose. We drove a car through central Munich, to illustrate BMW’s ‘Stop & Start’ function. Now, these things can be dysfunctional irritations to say the least. But BMW’s system works well. You notice it – we drove a diesel fitted with it, and the way tickover vibes disappear at a halt is as obvious as the additional peace. But, slightly weird sensation aside, it’s impossible to catch out and never leaves you standing; it works via the clutch pedal and, by the time you’ve engaged first, the engine is there ready to go. Potential urban fuel savings are vast.

• Why green won't mean boring

Power to save the world




Once again, this is standard on all four-cylinder petrol 1-Series that, in 120d form, was doing so much to impress on the open road. Back on campus, we found out why – four years in design, the new all-aluminium 2.0-litre diesel range produces 140bhp even in its most basic form, is 17kg lighter than its predecessor and has balancer shafts for ultra-smooth running. The spread of power and torque is higher, it’s future-safe against upcoming emissions regulations, and is particularly compact to help Euro NCAP pedestrian safety scores. The engineers wore the translator out with their excitement for this engine.







Then they got onto the range-topping unit. Cue one hyper-flummoxed translator, jabbing out key facts. Like: 201bhp. 295 lb/ft of torque. Economy in excess of 55mpg. All from a 2.0-litre turbo? Yes, and this marvellous-sounding new engine, unveiled before our eyes, will be on sale this year. With more power and almost twice the torque of the original M3, it is, unbelievably, a diesel that cracks the gold standard of 100bhp/litre. We asked our questions, congratulated the BMW guys, then milled away in awe. Is there really any limit to what they can do? Well, the next day, we learnt all about the new M3 V8. It’s, simply, wow.




BMW's Bavarian HQ



That was to come, though. Even so, we left at the end of the first day thinking that if only BMW built football stadiums, or large jumbo jets… the level of technical accomplishment displayed is boggling. Efficient Dynamics is the company responding to environmental concerns, and the result? A 60mpg 118d costing the same as a Toyota Prius, that’s a peach to drive. We drove back, past the BMW Tower, all looking respectfully up. Back within that lair is the answer, too: the hydrogen car that emits just 5g/km of CO2. BMW say it’s their ultimate goal. Would you bet against them?

• Driven: Hydrogen powered BMW 7-Series

Source = MSN Cars