Hush, all you unwavering disciples of the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’. There isn’t another way out. Mercedes A and B Class cars bring the brand closer to a wider segment of the market, and BMW can no longer just sit and watch. The premium compact segment is to grow by 5% every year in the future. The longitudinally mounted engine is now transverse and drives the front wheel instead of the rear. The Concept Active Tourer is an indication of the future of the production version of this concept which is rumoured to carry the 1 Series GT badge.
In addition to the transverse 1.5-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo engine, the Concept Active Tourer’s rear wheels are driven by an electric motor. The eDrive concept that we’ve seen from the BMW i8 makes an appearance for the first time in a core BMW product. eDrive is BMW’s terminology that covers all components of the electric drive, the electric motor developed by BMW, the lithium-ion battery and the intelligent engine control unit.
The new BMW TwinPower Turbo 3-cylinder offers character-specific benefits: running smoothness, revving power, spontaneous response and a dynamic, sporty sound. BMW says in a 3 cylinder there are no first and second-order inertia forces and thus reduced levels of noise and vibration. The level of roll torque is lower than that of a 4-cylinder and is compensated for by a single counterbalance shaft. This helps keep the engine extremely smooth-running in the low engine speed range too.
The BMW Concept Active Tourer makes a healthy 140 kW/190 bhp with a combination of combustion engine and electric motor. The BMW Concept Active Tourer accelerates in less than eight seconds from standing to 100 km/h and can go all the way upto 200 kph. In spite of these impressive performance figures, the average fuel consumption is less than 2.5 litres per 100 kilometres, with a CO2 emissions level of less than 60 g/km. BMW Concept Active Tourer has a maximum range of over 30 kilometres when running on electric power alone.
A long wheelbase of 2,670 millimetres, a high roof line and a compact transverse engine with front-wheel drive make it possible to create a generously sized interior.
Interior
The upper and low decor surfaces of the instrument panel appear to be connected with open-pore laminated wood milled from a single block. The door trim panels and seats are covered in light, velvety soft full-grain leather and smooth leather, making the interior a place you wouldn’t want to step out of. Contrasting orange seams drop a hint at the supposed sporty nature of the vehicle.
Panorama Sunroof
If the white leather and the orange seams weren’t enough for you to fall in love with the interiors, how about the play of light thanks to the sunroof? The composite glass roof with innovative Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology that lets you control the brightness or temperature . The special lighting effect can be achieved by manually adding a large-area leaf structure design to the glass roof. Not unlike the Mercedes Benz’s Magic Sky Control, electrical impulses cause the molecular structure of the glass to change at continuously varying levels between light and dark according to preference.
Travel & Comfort System
In addition to the highly flexible rear seat configurations, a centrally located vertical metal track is integrated in the back of the front seats, as part of BMW’s Travel & Comfort System. This innovative clip-on track system allows folding tables offering a range of convenient adjustment options to be attached by means of a quick fastener, and additional storage bags can also be suspended. You can use your iPads, Galaxy Tabs or if the production version takes time to get to the showroom, probably the Microsoft Surface! Tablets can fixed to the clip-on track system in either portrait or landscape format.
“Seismic Surf” app
Oh BMW, aren’t you clever. BMW addresses a wide spectrum of family-in-car problems with this app. Rear passengers (read Twin Turbocharged uncontrollable kids) in the BMW Concept Active Tourer can play “Seismic Surf”, a racing game which draws on the acceleration figures, engine speed and other data supplied continuously by the BMW Concept Active Tourer. Each real-life driving situation is interpreted and used to generate an infinite variety of new challenges in the computer game. The aim of the game is to collect as many points as possible along a virtual route and record the most efficient driving style. The driver, (read Dad) can directly influence the level of difficulty. Anticipatory driving simplifies the game, while a sporty driving style creates a winding and more difficult virtual route in the game. Only perfect interaction between a fuel-efficient driver and a skilful player at the rear can maximise the point score and achieve a podium position in the BMW games universe. Dad gets fantastic fuel efficiency, kids stay glued to the screens, all ending in a safe, eco friendly drive, BMW scores. Wait, are we still talking about the Ultimate Driving Machine?
