Top Car

66 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016THECHASSISBoth cars are basedon modular lightweightplatforms that will serveeverything from C-Cl ass toMaybac h, from 2 Seri es to X7.48v elec tric s means grea terefficiency and more gadgets:semi-active suspensionand virtual damperscoming in thefuture!THEPOWERTRAINSE-Class and 5 Seri eswill go plug -in hybrid, bothusing 2.0-litr e 4-cylinderengines with e-motors. Mercis ditching V6 engines for inlinesixes, and both cars willget downsized four-potdiesels in a bid tocrack99g/km CO2.``````THETECHNOLOGIESBoth cars will featurespookily similar, hugelycomplex driv er assistancesystems, with remote-contro lparking, car-to-car comms,gesture contro l and sat-navcontro lled predictiv e driving.They disagree on lightsthou gh: BM favourslasers, Merc LEDs.``````THELINE-UPSFour-door saloons willremain the best-sellers,but Europe will gobble up the5 Seri es Touringand a muchbetter-pac kaged 5GT. China’sfondness for limos wi ll mean lwbversions will be key, with BMWbasingits new e-po wer model onthe lwb 5 Seri es. New E-Classcoupe and cabrio willbecome proper four-seaters.23NEW 5SERIES,NEW E-CLASSCARBONFIBRE &HYBRIDTECHREVIVEGERMANECO CREDBUSINESSCLASSgets upgraded to first in 2016 asBMW and Me rcedes load their Mk7 5 Series/E-Classrivals with th e sort of kit and tech you used to expect onlyon a limo. That means not just moreluxury, but cuttingedge powertrains, futuristic driver aids, ultra-lightmaterials and Stephen Hawking-smart platforms.Merc’s modular rear-whe el-drive architecture (MRA)and BMW’s cluster platform (CLAR) are both flexible andscalable, so you’ll find them underpinning everythingfrom C-Class to Maybach (not the crossovers though) andfrom 2 Series to 7, with X-models included. Both usealuminium, and BMW also incorporates carbon fibrereinforc ement elements, to el icit weight savings ofbetween 70 and 150kg.Better packaging frees up morespac e too.A big, fuel-saving breakthrough comes from 48-voltelectrical systems. Not only do they feed ancillaries suchas oil and water pumps (goodbye tobelt-drive!), but thesystem is also much be tter at recuperating brake ener gyand storing it in a lithium-ion ba ttery. 48v also providesthe power for new gadgets, such as electrically operatedturbos delivering instant boost. Other future tech it couldfacilitate includes semi-active suspension with dynamicanti-roll/dive/squat, and electric actuators in li eu ofsprings and shocks. Radar surface scanners will repl acecamera-based se nsors (which don’t work at night).Plug-in hybrids will be moreprev alent in each line-up.``````Uncannily, both brands will offer2.0-litr e engines mated to 60kWe-motors; Merc will also offer a sixwith 80kW e-assistance in the US,and a plug-in diesel for Europe.And Me rcedes is junking its V6sin favour of new, cheaper-to-build in-line sixes too. Outfirst is the 2.9-litr e diesel with 233kW in twin-turbo guiseand over 300kW when motivated by four chargers, two ofthem battery-driven. At the bottom end of the range,there’s a new 91kW 1.6-litr e four which, like BMW’s 520d,is aiming for 99g/km of CO2.Driver tech systems will personify both cars. Made bythe same hardware supplier they’re unsurpri singly similar,featurin g remo te-control manoeuvring, pred ictive drivinggoverned by sat-nav, different levels of to uchscreeninteraction and ge sture contro l, lane-chang ing andovertaking assist, and an autobahn-assistant which can beleft alone at up to130kph.Still room for the driver in al l this? We hope so.``````AUTO BILD/L``````ARSON