Koenigsegg Gemera Is All Four The Experience.
It’s regarded as a seismic shift when a car maker, renowned for their dedication to producing hyper-luxury two seater vehicles, produces one that will carry four passengers, and endows it with the same quality as the rest of the family.
Swedish based manufacturer Koenigsegg is well known for their production of upper-level vehicles, and has established a reputation for making the quickest, most luxurious, uber-performance and luxury cars on the planet. The Gemera, made from the Swedish “ge” or give, and “mera” or more, is a new expression of the company’s desire to deliver only the best, and then keep going. In this case, it will go until just 300 units have been produced.
At a cost of USD$1.7 million, Gemera is powered by something a little unexpected. A twin-turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine is the main component of the drivetrain. At just 2.0L in capacity, on its own it’s good for 600 brake horsepower, or around 450kW. It works in partnership with three electric motors. There is one each for the rear wheels, and one for the engine’s crankshaft. Koenigsegg have given the small engine its own name. It’s called the TFG, or Tiny Friendly Giant.
Each rear engine makes 500bhp, and torque is a mammoth 737.5 lb-ft, or 1,000Nm. The front mounted e-motor produces an extra 400 bhp and 368.78lb-ft/500 Nm to power the front wheels, making an individual amount of 1,400 bhp, and stepped down to 1,100bhp when working with the 2.0L engine. The battery is rated at 800V. In all, Koenigsegg say the final power output is 1,700bhp/1,270kW and 2,581lb-ft/3,500Nm of torque. The Gemera’s dry weight is just 3,780 pounds/1,715kg.
Top speed is unspecified, with Koenigsegg stating only that it will reach 248mph/400kph in record equaling pace. The sprint to 62mph/100kph really is a sprint. 1.9 seconds is all that is required. Range on a purely electric drive is up to 30 miles/50 kilometres and a full top speed on electric power only is up to 186mph/300kph. Total range is said to be around 620 miles/1,000 kilometres.
Koenigsegg have an eye of the future when it comes to fuel usage. It’s a flex-fuel engine, capable of running on Gen 2.0 ethanol or a CO2 neutral methanol like Vulcanol or any mix thereof. When doing so it is rated as being as at least CO2 neutral as a pure electric car. Whilst these “next generation” fuels are being further developed for better access, the Gemera can also be driven on E85 and in worst case normal petrol.
With all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, and torque vectoring (plus a Wet/Normal/Track drive selector), and a huge 118 inch/3,000mm wheelbase, Koenigsegg have opened up two critical areas; the ability to seat four, and to provide superlative handling. The rear-wheel steering adds in rapid response and increased agility, and then there’s the small car turning radius. High speed running provides extra directional control. Helping the ride and grip are a choice of (standard) Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 295/30 ZR21 and 315/30 ZR22 tires, with the other choice being Michelin’s Cup 2 R. Wheels are Koenigsegg’s third-generation Aircore carbon fiber wheels with optional center locking.
In a design sense, the Gemera is a strict two door vehicle. To allow access to both front and rear seats, the fronts of the doors hinge to allow vertically aligned opening. Given the doors have the side intrusion bars and windows, it’s an astoundingly clever piece of engineering. The A-pillars are blacked out to render them almost invisible and the rear seats are located to still provide plenty of forward looking view. It’s an impressive car to see in the flesh. It’s low, and long, and broad. 195.8 inches/4,975mm gives it an imposing presence, the 51 inches/1,295mm in height the slinky looks, and the 78 inches/1,988mm of width the space inside.
For reverse views, there are high definition cameras on either side of the Gemera. There is a pair of screens for the driver to access information. One is placed behind the steering wheel and on the column, and one to the driver’s right. Each of the tabs on the carbon-fiber wheel have haptic feedback. It’s a practical vehicle too; Koenigsegg have built in eight cup holders, with one each of the four pairs heated. And each seat, heated, by the way, is carbon-fiber in structure, adding to the weigh reduction regime. The interior is bespoke luxury, with a choice of leather or Alcantara interior with custom contrast stitching.
Ceramic brakes provide excellent stopping power and again, weight reduction over steel discs. Each corner has double wishbones and adjustable gas-hydraulic shock absorbers. There is an electrically powered ride height adjust system for an extra 1.5 inches/35mm for the front. Just in case, there are a pair of fire extinguishers. Koenigsegg’s future proofing with Level 2 Autonomous Driving. Adaptive Cruise Control Lane Keep Assist, and Park Assist and standard, naturally, as is a helicopter-eye’s view for the 360 degrees worth of camera vision.
It’s the company’s first four door car. It’s pure beauty standing still. As a complete package, Koenigsegg have tagged the Gemera as the world’s first Mega-GT.
Level 2, 9 Help Street