Test drive: BMW M140i xDrive

I openly admit, I´m a sucker when it comes to hot hatchbacks. I think they are probably the coolest thing you can buy on four wheels. So when this opportunity presented itself I couldn't pass it now could I.

This thought may have popped into someones head that the concept of a hot hatch has been taken too far. Maybe that is why a new term for the most powerful hot hatches mainly the A45 AMG and the RS3 has been coined, "hyper-hatch". Where the difference between a hot hatch and a hyper-hatch goes is still a bit unclear. I'd call the VW Golf R with 300 HP a hyper-hatch but the Civic Type R with 310 HP a hot hatch. After deliberating on this matter a while I realize there are more pressing issues to be discussed so we'll just gloss over that point.

Hurray for Angel eyes!

Which brings me onto something which is not a blurry line the BMW M140i. Only when it goes 250 km/h does it become very blurry indeed. The M140i is the most powerful and dynamic 1-series BMW you can buy today. Under the rather long bonnet lies a slightly renewed classic BMW 3.0 litre single turbo straight six developing the same amount of horsepower as its spiritual predecessor the 1M, 340 HP. In this small car that is plentiful.

BMW M140i xDrive in Alpine white, probably for the bilboard effect.

Talking about the exterior, I happen to like it. The predecessor to this looked in my opinion as a VW Polo which had eaten like a rich Freemason. But this looks more focused and more upmarket than ever. The long bonnet makes it look like the driver sits right in the middle of the car rather than in the front which further strengthens BMW's "ultimate driving machine" ad-phrase. The rear I'm not so sure of. It feels like BMW where so focused on making the 1-series front-end blend with the rest of their fleet of cars that they sort of forgot it was a hatchback. This is highlighted very well by the fairly small rear doors, which made even little nimble me struggle to hop in the rear.

I happen to prefer two large exhausts instead of four smaller ones.

Interior is typical BMW. Nothing has changed in 10-15 years, just more digital screens and a smoother iDrive. In the M140i however there are some nice touches such as alcantara on the steering wheel and above the glove box. Also some sprinklings of carbon fiber can be found on the door handles and the gear knob. I cannot say if it was real but it didn't feel like a nasty plastic knock-off. All in all a nice sporty place be. The seat made that abundantly clear. It was good but unnecessarily hard.

Half digital dash, with analogue speedometer and rev counter.

Usually when you heat the drivers seat with your own bottom you tend to be driving and who wouldn't with a 340 HP hatchback. The 1-series is famously rear-wheel drive but this was fitted with xDrive four-wheel drive. The xDrive is thankfully more weighted for rear-wheel drive action, which may have been taken advantage of on the snowy roads. By putting the car in Sport mode the traction control also allows to have a bit of controlled fun which is enough on public roads. For track-day goers I should report that switching it in Sport+ turns it off altogether. The car is beautifully balanced and almost feels like it pivots around your hip like a hula hoop. Steering is obviously accurate and agile and feels surprisingly connected to your finger tips despite the electronic steering assistance.

Pay attention when choosing a driving mode. In sport mode you can choose sport chassis or drivetrain setup or both.

The four-wheel drive system made it possible to unleash that magnificent straight six in these tricky conditions. The noise through the M-sport pipes is in my view better in the M140i than in the M3 or M4. Listening to the engine rev and take new flight when the (probably) award winning 8-speed ZF automatic selects a new gear is pretty special in a small car like this. The xDrive M140i has an official 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds. I will not argue that at any point.

The engine in the BMW M140i is something to experience. There may be faster cars and larger engines than this but this is a complete and full package. Over here in Finland this particular car has a price tag of over 70 000€, which is a huge amount of money for a car of this size. But after sensing that engine, handling and noise, I wouldn't judge anyone for buying this hyper-hatch.

Test drive: Jaguar F-Type R coupé

Alright so, the Auto2016 event started off with a bang for my part at least. Instead of starting the weekend off cautiously I decided to dive straight to shark infested waters by driving the most expensive and most powerful car available the Jaguar F-Type R.

Jaguar F-Type R in a special Jaguar Experience livery

 I entered the large area where the test drive cars are kept with anxiety and general uneasiness. I was among one of the first to drive this thing. It is worth over 200 000 euros, what if i bin it? What if some orangutan in a Renault drives into me? Then there wouldn't be any F-Type for the rest to drive around in. I entered the car as gracefully as I could and started the engine in what turned to be a very echoey room. During the test drive I was accompanied by a nice woman wearing a discrete Jaguar jumper, because no one is allowed to drive off alone in any of the test drive cars. The lady showed me where to open the flaps on the exhaust, I gave the engine a 'gentle' warmup just to make sure the Jag got everybody's attention and then drove off.

The four tail pipes emit a sound only made by a furious deity.

The general numbness, though, went away quickly when I entered the outside world. The F-Type R in normal city traffic is actually not scary at all. It's extremely easy to maneuver and the visibility, all though not great, is sufficient enough for you to sense the corners of the car. The test drive route for the event is around 20 minutes and exciting at all. Mostly in the city a bit of motorway acceleration and that's it. But the F-Type made the route very exciting indeed.

The suspension is not set up for comfort

When applying the throttle for some big speed it punches through the air and waves and buildings and anything else really, with an absolutely brutal V8 soundtrack. The general numbness that existed in my legs before the test drive returned. The acceleration is something I've never experienced before. I'd love to compare the acceleration and the sensation of speed to something else but truth be told, this is by far the fastest most powerful car I've ever driven. Only words that come to mind are holy sh*t I need to drive this on an autobahn and try again.

I apologize for the bad picture, my hands were shaking

The car is an absolute beast when it wants to be and in dynamic mode it is constantly rattling the cage door wanting to be freed. It feels very normal when you're not feeling playful but no one is ever going to drive this car normally. It's a complete animal with a massive character wrapped in a handsome and muscular suit, that can burble the alphabet if it wanted to on the overrun.
I honestly cannot be objective with reviewing this car, but then again I'm not a real journalist.



Specs: The Jaguar F-Type coupé has a supercharged 550 horsepower V8. Power delivered through a ZF eight speed gearbox to the rear wheels or all four wheels (test car had AWD).

Auto 2016 Car Show

This weekend in Helsinki, Finland there will be held a car show called Auto 2016. It won't showcase concepts that may or may not enter production in the year 2028 but instead new and relevant cars that already are or will enter the showrooms in the near future.

I predict the glamour and prestige of Paris or Tokyo motor show will be absent as well but this car show has a special niche that I have never come across. There will be over 100 cars that you will be able to test drive. You're not anymore restricted to just look and talk about the cars on display. Hurray!

Obviously the organisers of the event and importers of the cars cannot just give you the keys to any flagship model from their selection. This means most of the cars will represent what I call the buying with the brain sector. That mostly means small hatchbacks, economical SUVs and well, other boring every day greywackes.

But it's not all bad. Some test drive cars are fully loaded such as the latest Civic TypeR and VW Golf R variant. But certainly the highlight will be when I place my right foot on the throttle pedal of the Jaguar F-type R. Yes, indeed, any ham-fisted lead-footed lunatic with a driver's license can this weekend step out from the virtual world of Forza Horizon 3 and drive a 550 horsepower super cat in the real world. That's some serious trust the local Jaguar importers have on this nation which invented the Scandinavian flick.

Anyhow. This weekend will be filled a lot of driving in very different cars ranging from the Mazda 2 to Mercedes GLC. Probably all the test drives and opinions on cars that are only on the floor will end up on this blog. That's a lot of content.

Test Drive: Audi S3 Sportback

Another hot hatchback? You're damn right it is. And I've been driving this one.

The Audi S3 has been with us now for 16 years and from that day on been at the top of the hot hatchback game. Remember, this was a time where the Golf GTI (the hot hatchback to beat) had a frankly miserable 150 HP and Audi came along with a 210 horsepower speed and agility machine.

Years pass and today the current Audi S3 has an amazing 300 HP from a 2.0 litre TFSI engine. I can report that that power flings the car forwards at quite a nice pace. Around five seconds is enough to achieve 100 km/h and if you keep your ankle fully extended it will keep on going to a limited top speed of 250 km/h. With these performance numbers the S3 is challenging some serious sports cars. As in the previous S3's it has the quattro four wheel drive system to keep everything under control. Add to that the optional Audi Magnetic Ride suspension and brakes that stop the car so fast that when it has stopped you immediately check if your eyeballs are still in your head. You are going to have a hard time crashing the thing.

Audi S3 Sportback in Monsoon Gray metallic with the traditional silver side mirrors.

And this feeling of safety is apparent all the time. Even when your going at full speed it feels very controlled, like a German health and safety person monitoring everything you do from the passenger seat. Even though the speed is impressive and the handling is very well balanced it lacks a sense of danger. But most depressingly it lacks a sense of real joy, which in my view is the essence of a hot hatch.

The three door version looks better. This looks a tad bloated.

To help you have the fun the S3 has Audi's drive select system. Here you can choose the driving mode and the characteristics of the car. You can choose between efficiency, comfort, auto and dynamic. Obviously I chose dynamic first which makes the car more racy in many different ways. Throttle response becomes quicker as does the gear changes but most importantly valves open in the exhaust to make it louder. The S-tronic gearbox also keeps on moderately high revs for that ready to race feel at all times. In this mode the car also lets out a sort of burp noise when changing gear.
The driving mode most people will choose is the comfort mode, which is rather nice. Some of the sportiness is evidently lost when engine quietens down. If you make the change from dynamic to comfort while driving the gears go up by one or two for efficiency. It becomes a normal hatchback.

Four exhaust pipes are not really necessary. But it does look good.

Finally the interior. It's one of the best interiors for a small car money can buy. It's stylish and of great quality. The buttons are laid out perfectly and the display is the correct size and easy to use. But for heavens sake don't use it while driving it's just as bad as texting while driving, just don't.
The seating is good too. Sporty seats but not too hard or cramped. And as it has five doors it's easier to jump in the back. I have to report that the leg room is poor, so I wouldn't recommend the backseat for adults.

It's a very nice place to be, no complaints here.

The new Audi S3 Sportback is a great car, which it should be since it costs with the S-tronic gearbox and some other optional extras over 60 000€.  Even though it packs an overwhelming amount of technology in a 1,500 kg package, in my opinion that's too much money for a small car. But then again it's a serious price for a serious car.