BMW's guiding star

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

BMW chose the launch of its new all-wheel-drive X3 lifestyle vehicle to confirm what it had been working on for some time: the first satellite-navigation system for New Zealand.

The timing was coincidental. The X3 and the sat-nav deal arrived at the same time as BMW Group New Zealand managing director Geoff Fletcher announced his retirement.

Fletcher was the driving force behind sat-nav. He committed much BMW money to it. He pushed for a standardised system for New Zealand, one other carmakers could use. But after many meetings they said no. Some said it was incompatible; others said it cost too much.

Fletcher went it alone. His head office in Munich, Germany, went with him. So did New Zealand mapping company Geosmart, which supplies data for the digital system.

"It has been a long process, but we have been determined to bring navigation here because we are convinced of the benefit it offers to our customers," said Fletcher. "Now, finally, we have a business model that makes the system feasible, and we are very excited about it.

"It means BMW will be the only luxury manufacturer in New Zealand able to offer its customers a factory-standard navigation system."

Sat-nav BMWs will be available from August production; Geosmart's CD maps from early next year. First up is the North Island. The South Island map will follow soon after.

The optional system will be priced between $3995-$6995 - including the CD map - and available in two specifications: Business and Professional.

The premium Professional package shows a detailed map on the console monitor, like the page of a street directory . The Business system uses arrows and distance countdown function on the vehicle's instrument display.

Both systems are supported by a verbal aid, a female voice which keeps you on course, saying things like "Prepare to turn left."

Try and hoodwink her by taking a deliberate wrong turn and she will say "make a U-turn if possible." Ignore that and the system will plot another route to get you back on track.

So how does the BMW unit work? Just like most others. Pop the Geosmart CD map into the audio slot and select sat-nav from the on-screen menu.

The car's GPS system tunes into three or four satellites - there are 24 in orbit - which, with backup from the CD map, plots the required route.

Drivers using the voice actuation function of BMW's iDrive system can verbally plot their route. Others use a navigation sub-menu with street list or alphabetic function.

The route can be selected by preference, to include or avoid motorways. It is also possible to select the fastest route, shortest route, and a function not too necessary in New Zealand: avoid toll roads.

The new X3 can be equipped with sat-nav, for those who might find themselves in challenging, unfamiliar territory. BMW's advertising for the X3 will encourage such adventures.

It took a handful of X3s off the beaten track on a farm south of Auckland the other day. It wasn't to demonstrate sat-nav - that will come another day. Rather, it was to show off the vehicle's all-wheel-drive system, called xDrive.

The four-paw set-up uses a multi-plate clutch to control the flow of power to the front axles. The clutch is situated between the end of the gearbox and the driveshaft to the front wheels.

It uses the vehicle's Dynamic Stability Control sensors - plus ABS anti-lock brakes and other electronic aids - to brake wheels losing traction and shift power to wheels with grip. It works so well it seems to act before a wheel actually loses grip.

The xDrive system provides power to all four wheels when the X3 moves off. It constantly splits power to all four thereafter until it reaches 180km/h, when drive goes to the rear wheels only. BMW did it this way to retain its signature rear-drive dynamics.

Two in-line six-cylinder petrol models will go on sale first: one powered by a 2.5-litre unit producing 141kW (192bhp) at 6000rpm and 245Nm at 3500rpm, and the other by a 3-litre engine developing 170kW (231bhp) at 5900rpm and 300Nm at 3500rpm.

The 2.5-litre with five-speed manual transmission costs $87,900; the six-speed automatic $91,900. The 3-litre is an automatic only, at $105,900.

A 2-litre turbodiesel producing about 110kW and 300Nm will be available later in the year. The five-speed automatic is priced at $79,900.

The X3 adopts BMW's recent design trend, although the lines are stronger, certainly around the rear. Inside, the X3 has plenty of the simple touches of the Z4.

Visibility from the driver's seat is first-class. The controls are light and the X3 is easy to drive.

The standard interior specification for New Zealand will include mixed cloth/leather trim in the 2.5i. The 3-litre gets leather, a multifunction sports steering wheel, automatic air conditioning, an exterior temperature display in the instrument cluster, and electrically adjustable seats with driver's seat memory.

Standard boot space is 480 litres, expanding to 1560 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

The X3 is not an off-roader. It is biased towards on-road behaviour, the way BMW would want it. But it can punch well above its weight with a few hay bales on board out the back of the farm.