BMW.SG | BMW Singapore Owners Community The Ultimate BMW Community – Established Since 2001
Top Gear’s host Jeremy Clarkson publishes his Top 100 cars rankings for 2013 with a lot of representation from BMW, including some really new models.
In the Electric Cars & Hybrids category, the number one spot goes to the all-new BMW i3, even if it is not yet released in the market. Clarkson has a lot of good things to say about the BMW i3 and calls it a “game-changer” in the automotive world and will give people a run for their money with its speed, state-of-the-art material, futuristic exterior, and a modern dashboard. “The i3’s brilliance arises not from revolutionary battery technology, but from being a car someone might consider buying for reasons other than the fact it’s electric, he says.
Clarkson also ranked the BMW i8 as the second on the list in the supercars category, together with the Ferrari F12 berlinetta, McLaren P1 and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series. “The BMW i8 is proof that environmental concerns need not spell the end of the interesting car. If you believe the numbers, this is a vehicle that accelerates like a Maserati but drinks fuel like a moped. Of course, numbers are just numbers, and nobody expects even a plug-in hybrid supercar to manage 113mpg, but the i8’s 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds is real enough and, if its consumption is only half as good as is claimed, it is still a giant leap forward for the eco-conscious supercar” he says. “You may not be bothered by any of this. You may instead see a supercar shape so futuristic as to make all others look obsolete, and then decide there’s nothing on earth you’d prefer to be seen in. With its scissor doors, low-slung nose and postmodern tail, the i8 is going to be bought every bit as much for its shape as for the technology within it. For the record, though, the 155mph i8 has a 1.5-litre turbo engine and an electric motor to give a total of 357bhp, and an electric-only range of 22 miles” he adds.
In the Family and Estate cars category, the F30 BMW 3 Series Sedan comes in second. Clarkson says, “the core model, the 320d SE is, in fact, two cars rolled into one. For long-distance users it provides the best mechanical refinement in the class and more than 60mpg, and with better performance and handling than the Audi A4 and Mercedes C-class, the 3-series looks set to continue its reign as the world’s best small saloon.”
