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Take 5: BMW’s Mid Size Saloon Updated.
BMW have declared 2020 to be the year of reinvigoration. The German sports luxury car maker continues to roll out uipdates in 2020 and the latest is to the mid-sized sedan, the 5 Series. The range brings the seventh generation 5 Series to market with: 520i, 530i, 530d, 530e PHEV, M550i xDrive and M550i xDrive Pure. Included on all variants will be the M Sport package. There has been changes to the fuel pressure system on the petrol engines for the 520i and 530i. They’ll have a bump from 200 bar to 350 bar for better throttle response and fuel efficiency.
Pricing for the range starts from $95,900 for the 520i 2.0L TwinPower Turbo. There is 135kW and 290Nm on tap here for a 7.8 second 0 – 100kmh time. Head to the 530i with 185kW and 350Nm for 6.1 seconds and the price is $115,900. A PHEV joins the range at $118,900 with BMW’s Synchronous Electric Motor and 2.0L TwinTurbo and packs a 215kW and 420Nm punch. 0 – 100 time is 5.9 seconds.
A six cylinder diesel for the 530d sees power at 195kW and a thumping 620Nm of torque for $125,900. The run to 100 takes 5.7 seconds. Moving into the M550i xDrive Pure and it’s a 4.4L V8 TwinPower unit with 390kW and 750Nm. At $137,900 it’s take just 3.8 seconds to reach freeway speeds. For a little extra the M550i xDrive has the same performance but ups the luxury stakes for $152,900. It’s the flagship for the M Performance line and has the fully variable xDrive AWD system. All prices are Manufacturers List Price.
The PHEV has the electric engine integrated with the gearbox and the package can be switched between petrol, hybrid, or electric only for propulsion. When driven in petrol-only mode, the 530e produces 135kW and 300Nm, while the electric motor offers standalone outputs of 80kW and 265Nm. Battery range is around 67km. BMW adds an XtraBoost function. It bumps peak power to 215kW for up to ten seconds when “vigourous acceleration” is required. It’s a standard fitment and engages when the Driving Experience Control’s Sports mode is selected and the drive selector moves to M/S.
Standard trim in the 520i includes the M Sport package, with the exterior features such as 19 inch alloys and Adaptive LED headlights adding visual pull with Dakota Leather trim, Parking Assistant Plus, and Head Up Display are part of the interior features. The 530i adds a Harman Kardon 16 speaker hifi, front heated seats, and automatic tailgate. The M550i xDrive sees 20 inch alloys and M Performance tuning. handling and drive has the M Sport diff and Adaptive M Suspension Professional. A luxury touch is the soft close for the doors and a leather coated instrument panel. Forward vision is courtesy of BMW’s Laserlight system.
That’s available as an option on the BMW 520i, 530i, 530d and 530e, while the BMW M5 Competition donates the M Multifunctional Seats are optionable for all models. Visual spark for the 520i is available with high gloss red M Sport brakes, and a zero dollar option for the rest of the range. A different form of visual appeal can be optioned as well, with the Drive Recorder that uses the surround cameras to provide up to 40 seconds worth of video.
Bend the ear of your local BMW dealer for a test drive when the range is released.
Maserati’s New Engine Finds The Right Formula.
Italian luxury sports car maker Maserati has declared its interest in rejoining motorsport. It’s done so in emphatic fashion by trickling details of the upcoming MC20 super-sportscar, and now the company has released details of the engine, called “Nettuno”, that will be the heartbeat of the machine.
It’s got some real oomph; capacity is 3.0L, in a 90 degree twin-turbo V6 configuration. The dry-sumped design provides a peak power figure of 463kW and torque of 730Nm. 7,500rpm is where the power comes in whilst torque is at a very useable 3,000rpm. It’s close to a square-bore design too, with bore and stroke 88mm x 82mm. It will run a 11:1 compression ratio. Looking to Formula 1, Maserati have employed the use of a pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin-spark plugs. This will mark the first time this kind of technology will be provided for a road-going vehicle.
Three features define the MC20’s engine. The pre-chamber is located between the “normal” combustion chamber and the electrode of the ignition system. A set of specially engineered holes connect the two sections. A traditional sparkplug is utilised as a backup to to the new ignition system, and is designed to make sure combustion is ongoing when load is such the pre-chamber’s services are not required. The final step is an innovative fuel injection system, with a direct and indirect system lowering consumption and emissions whilst ensuring fuel is appropriate across the rev range.
Lateral sparkplug: a traditional sparkplug acts as a support to ensure constant combustion when the engine is operating at a level that doesn’t need the pre-chamber to kick in. Twin injection system – direct and indirect: linked to the fuel supply pressure at 350bar, the system reduces noise low down on the rev range, lowering emissions and improving consumption.
The MC20 itself will make its world debut proper in September and will showcase the work done at Maserati’s Modena HQ division There is the Maserati’s Modena facilities: the Maserati Innovation Lab on Via Emilia Ovest, the workshops on Via Delle Nazioni and developed at the Engine Hub, situated at the famous Viale Ciro Menotti address where it will be built. Currently the new production line and new paint shop are being modified to host the much-anticipated MC20. MC20 means Maserati Corse 2020.
Sparking The Ride: JLR Provides Electric Taxis.
Luxury sports car and SUV building company Jaguar Land Rover has agreed to support the capital of Norway, the City of Oslo with the world’s first high-powered wireless taxis.
In a programme known as ‘ElectriCity’, the global vehicle manufacturer will join Fortum Recharge (the region’s biggest charge point operator), Nordic taxi operator Cabonline (NorgesTaxi AS), along with US technology developer Momentum Dynamics, and the city itself to build wireless, high-powered charging infrastructure for taxis in the Norwegian capital. This lays the groundwork for Norway’s push to have, by 2025, all new cars sold as zero emission vehicles.
The project will be the first wireless high-powered charging system for electric taxis in the world. As a test bed it will prove the validity of providing a charging infrastructure model that can be implemented almost anywhere, and it will help the rapid adoption of electric vehicles globally.
Fortum Recharge, who will be supporting the installation and electrification of the project, have identified a need for a more efficient charging experience for taxi drivers in Oslo and have partnered with and enlisted the support of Momentum Dynamics in integrating the wireless charging infrastructure.
Jaguar Land Rover will provide 25 Jaguar I-PACE models to Cabonline, the largest taxi network in the Nordic region. The brand’s performance SUV has been designed to enable Momentum Dynamic’s wireless charging technology, making it an ideal vehicle to drive the initiative. A team of engineers and technicians from both Momentum Dynamics and Jaguar Land Rover were engaged to help in testing the solution, and Cabonline signed up to operate the fleet as part of Oslo’s ElectriCity programme.
For usage efficiency, taxi drivers need a charging system that does not take them off route during their working hours. Multiple charging plates rated at 50-75 kilowatts each, are installed in the ground in series at pick-up-drop-off points. This allows each equipped taxi to charge while queuing for the next fare. The below-ground and cableless system provides a no-contact method for charging, engages automatically and provides up to 50kW for an on average 6-8 minutes of energy per each charge. The taxi then receives multiple charges throughout the day on its return to the rank, maintaining a high battery state of charge and the ability to remain in 24/7 service without driving range restrictions.
The Oslo ElectriCity partnership is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s ambition to make societies healthier and safer, whilst reducing emissions. Delivered through relentless innovation to adapt its products and services to the rapidly changing world, the company’s focus is on achieving Destination Zero, a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion.
Prof Sir Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive, said: “We’re extremely proud of our track record in electrification and we’re committed to making electric vehicles easier to own and use. The taxi industry is the ideal test bed for wireless charging, and indeed for high-mileage electric mobility across the board. The energy efficient and inherently safe,high-powered wireless charging platform will prove critical for electric fleets, as the infrastructure is more effective than refuelling a conventional vehicle. We’re delighted to be part of ElectriCity and to continue to lead the field in electric vehicle technology. This is a great step forward to reaching our Destination Zero mission.”
Arild Hermstad, the City of Oslo’s Vice Mayor for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re delighted to welcome private enterprises to help us to turn our vision into reality.
As part of our commitment to reducing emissions by 95 per cent before 2030, we have put many exciting measures in place, but transport continues to be a key challenge. By improving infrastructure and providing better charging to the taxi industry, we are confident that by 2024 all taxis in Oslo will be zero emission. To reach our goal, the public sector, politicians and private enterprises must come together, as we do in this project.”
2020 F1 Undergoes More Rescheduling.
As the Covid-19 situation continues to dominate world news, it’s also affected the once-tight schedule for Formula 1 in 2020. The new suite of regulations that were expected to come into play for 2021 has now been sensibly postponed until 2022. This allows all teams to be on an equal footing as possible and it’s also hoped that it will minimize the economic impact on the lesser funded teams.
The FIA released a statement that read in part: “Due to the currently volatile financial situation this has created, it has been agreed that teams will use their 2020 chassis for 2021, with the potential freezing of further components to be discussed in due course. The introduction and implementation of the financial regulations will go ahead as planned in 2021, and discussions remain ongoing between the FIA, Formula 1 and all teams regarding further ways to make significant cost savings.”
The schedule for this year has also been updated with the Dutch GP, Spanish GP, and the marquee Monaco GP all being canceled. With a current mooted restart date for 2020 being put forward as the end of May 2020, this is by no means a certainty due to the Covid-19 spread. This news also means that the Dutch GP, due to return to the schedule for the first time since 1985, will have to wait, along with the Spanish GP in Barcelona, says the FIA, until sometime later in 2020.
However, it’s also been declared that the Monaco round has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. A key part of the reasoning is the amount of infrastructure required to run such events in the tiny principality, with the end result is the Automobile Club de Monaco saying: “To all the fans, spectators, partners and our members, the Board of Directors wishes to express its sincere regrets that these two events cannot be postponed and under no circumstances, will it be possible to organize these events later this year.”
With respect to the regulations, it means all teams will need to use this year’s chassis design in 20
21. Again, this ensures as level a playing field as possible. “As possible” being the keywords here, like McLaren, for example, who were due to change powerplants in 2021. The team was due to switch from Renault engines to those from Mercedes, and with different designs for the blocks means the chassis itself needed to be modified.
Sitting on top of all of this, however, is a cost cap for each team and that’s $175 million per team from next year. This also means, and the catchwords here are “in theory,” that teams should still be able to develop their now 2022 cars under that cap.
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