FEBRUARY 8, 2023
Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 08:54AM 
BMW has unveiled the 2024 versions of its X5 "Sport Activity Vehicle" (above) and X6 "Sport Activity Coupe" (below). What do you get? New design details, expanded standard equipment, electrification across-the-board and advancements in digital technology. And? The entire range of powertrains has been comprehensively re-engineered. The plug-in hybrid drive in the 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e delivers more power (483HP, 516 lb-ft of torque) and a greater purely electric range - 40 miles - than its predecessor. In addition, the introduction of 48V mild-hybrid technology to the V8 engine has increased its power, performance and refinement. More? New systems for automated driving and parking, plus the latest-generation iDrive control system with the BMW Curved Display and BMW Operating System 8. The power unit under the hood of the new BMW X5 xDrive40i and BMW X6 xDrive40i is part of a new generation of inline 6-cylinder engines, as is the engine in the BMW X5 xDrive50e plug-in hybrid. The 3.0-liter unit’s output of 375HP in these two models is up by 40 compared its predecessor, while peak torque rises by 51 lb-ft to 383 – and can be boosted to as much as 398 lb-ft with the input of the mild-hybrid system. It enables both the new BMW X5 xDrive40i and new BMW X6 xDrive40i to go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds (preliminary testing). The BMW X5 M60i xDrive and X6 M60i xDrive models are both powered by a newly developed TwinPower 4.4-liter S68 Turbo V8. The engine utilizes the thermodynamic benefits of a cross-bank exhaust manifold, bank-symmetrical turbochargers and external engine oil cooling. In addition, a reinforced crankshaft drive, further developed turbocharging with a blow-off valve, a new oil pump, and a weight-minimized oil sump all play a role in increasing the engine’s efficiency. The engine is paired with 48V mild hybrid technology to produce superior response and power delivery under acceleration. In both models, the S68 engine produces 523HP and peak torque of 553 lb-ft. It propels the new X5 M60i xDrive and new X6 M60i xDrive from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds (preliminary testing). Bring loads of ca$h-ola, however. The X5 sDrive40i starts at $65,200 (+ $995 destination and handling) all the way up to the the X5 M60i xDrive, which starts at $89,300. The X6 xDrive40i starts at $73,900, and the X6 M60i xDrive starts at $93,600. The 2024 BMW X5 and X6 will make their public debut at The Amelia Concours d’Elegance in March. Production of both models will begin in April 2023 at BMW Group Plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The BMW X6 interior.
The Bugatti Chiron Profilée is a one-of-a-kind piece of Bugatti history and the last W16-powered car available from the manufacturer. It has just sold for a price of 9,792,500 Euros net at the RM Sotheby’s auction, which took place in Paris on February 1st. It makes the Chiron Profilée the most expensive new car ever sold at auction. With production of the Chiron, the W16 Mistral and the Bolide completely sold out, the Chiron Profilée represented the last possible opportunity to buy a new Bugatti powered by the legendary W16 engine directly from the Atelier in Molsheim, France. Seems like a lot of ca$h-ola for a car that will probably never turn a wheel.
(MINI)
To better understand consumer insights around manual transmissions, MINI USA recently conducted a consumer survey to find out just how people feel about manual transmissions today. Commissioned by Engine’s CARAVAN®, the survey found a few indicators that were both surprising and optimistic, and show manual driving still has an opportunity to shine. An impressive 63% of all respondents agree that learning how to drive a manual transmission is a rite of passage and an important life skill. Additionally, “fun to drive” was the top characteristic respondents most associated with a manual transmission vehicle. Despite this, however, less than a quarter (24%) of all respondents indicated they own a manual-equipped car. Regarding consumers’ knowledge of how to drive a manual, nearly half of all Gen Z (49%) and 42% of all women indicated they did not know how to drive a car with a manual transmission. When asked if they were willing to learn, more than half of all respondents (53%) indicated they are interested in learning. Impressively, two thirds (67%) of younger respondents aged 18-34 were most eager to learn to drive a manual transmission car. These results show a clear opportunity to impart the fun and engaging element of driving a manual to current and upcoming generations of drivers. Editor-in-Chief's Note: What does it all mean? Not much. New drivers, and enthusiast parents/mentors who want to teach new drivers how to drive a manual-shift car/truck, have to seek out vehicles - usually used - in order to impart that life knowledge. It's clear that competent operation of a manual gearbox for most people has become a lost art, and it will only get worse as we progress into the EV Age. I, along with plenty of other enthusiasts, believe being able to work a manual gearbox is still a skill worth knowing and preserving. I hope it continues for decades to come. -PMD
The AE Song of the Week:
Thinking of the fear I've had so long
When somebody hears
Listen to the fear that's gone
Strangled by the wishes of pater
Hoping for the arms of mater
Get to me the sooner or later, oh
Holding back the tears
Chance for me to escape from all I know
Holding back the tears
'Cause nothing here has grown
I've wasted all my tears
Wasted all those years
Nothing had the chance to be good
Nothing ever could, yeah, oh
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on, so tight
Well I've wasted all my years
Wasted all of those years
And nothing had the chance to be good
'Cause nothing ever could, oh yeah
Oh
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
Holding
Holding
Holding
Holding, la-la-la, la, la-la
I said, ooh, yeah
That's all I have today
It's all I have to say
"Holding Back The Years" by Simply Red, from the album "Picture Book" (1985)*. Written by Mick Hucknall and Neil Moss. Publisher: BMG Rights Management; Songtrust Ave; Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Video here.
*Simply Red is fronted by singer-songwriter Mick Hucknall ("Red" was his nickname because of his red hair). Hucknall's mom, Maureen Taylor, walked out on him and his barber father, Reg, when he was three. The pain caused by not having a mother inspired him to write this song. Hucknall wrote this song in his bedroom at his father's house when he was 17. The inspiration for the song came from a teacher at the Manchester School of Art, where Hucknall studied fine art. The instructor suggested that the best paintings are created when the artist is in a state of unconscious creation, and Hucknall attempted to use this approach in his songwriting. "I wanted to do music, not art, so started writing lyrics that way," he told The Guardian. "The first song I wrote was called 'Ice Cream and Wafers.' The next was 'Holding Back the Years.'" Hucknall didn't realize what the song was about until he'd finished it. "It's about that moment where you know you have to leave home and make your mark, but the outside world is scary," he explained. "So you're holding back the years."
Strangled by the wishes of patermo
Hoping for the arms of mater
Get to me the sooner or later
Hucknall's conflicts with his father during his teenage years inspired the "Strangled by the wishes of pater" line. He explained to The Guardian that the two frequently argued because there was no female presence to mediate the disputes. Hucknall originally recorded "Holding Back The Years" in 1982 with his punk group The Frantic Elevators. He added the "I'll keep holding on" chorus after the band had split and Hucknall had formed Simply Red. Simply Red keyboardist and trumpeter Tim Kellett took inspiration from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue album for his trumpet solo. He'd noted the jazz supremo's use of a harmon mute, a metal device that is inserted into the end of a trumpet and decided to try one out, which took producer Stewart Levine by surprise. "I played something spontaneous, and everyone liked it," he recalled. "A trumpet was pretty rare in pop and Levine was going: 'I can't f---ing believe it, man. We've got a trumpet solo.'"
The music video follows Hucknall as he walks through the English countryside and Whitby Abbey. The other members of Simply Red (excluding Fritz McIntyre, who portrays a one-man band) appear as local cricketers who greet Hucknall as he walks by. The video concludes with Hucknall riding a train, filmed at Goathland railway station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. "When I do the solo in the video, it's out of sync," noted Kellett. "My fingers aren't playing what is coming out. I don't know if Mick's even noticed, but it has always bugged me." Simply Red went on to record 10 UK Top 10 hits, including "Fairground" a 1995 #1. In the US, their cover of Harold Melvyn's "If You Don't Know Me By Now" became their second American chart topper and the best-selling British single in the US in 1989. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG