BMW can do it all: screaming M3 engines to clever, new-tech green advances, says Ben Barry
Gas guzzlers. I can’t stomach how the mainstream media are chucking this handy catch-all around at the moment. It’s madness that a hybrid – even a Lexus RX400h for heaven’s sake – is now perceived by the public as some kind of enviro saviour and allowed to enter London’s Congestion Charging zone free of charge where a low capacity diesel pays full whack. No wonder people are confused.
Under the circumstances, it’s not surprising that BMW chose to offset the new M3’s V8 engine unveil with a workshop on Efficient Dynamics. It’s a philosophy applied to the entire model range, the theory being that lots of small changes add up to a substantial reduction in fuel consumption.
So when the engine’s running cool, the kidney grilles close up to improve aero. When you back off the throttle, the alternator and battery harvest the saved energy. The latest four-cylinder diesel engine crankcases are a whopping 14kg lighter than their predecessors, to the advantage of both driving dynamics and emissions. There are more innovations too. And because they’re applicable across the entire range, the changes all add up to a substantial real-world emissions reduction, rather than a headline-grabbing figure for a niche product.
It’s been a huge challenge for BMW and one it’s risen to. The real challenge now, though, is bypassing the media nonsense and getting the public to understand. And that, I fear, is unlikely.