| New three-door BMW 1 Series arrives with economy |
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| Written by Administrator | ||||
| Wednesday, 24 January 2007 | ||||
Page 1 of 2 The new BMW 1 Series goes on sale in a matter of weeks. The line-up includes a model line up that includes the most fuel efficient production vehicle BMW has ever produced. The introduction of a three-door model and a revised five-door come as a raft of new fuel-saving innovations are rolled out across the range. The new three- and five-door BMW 1 Series models will be on display at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Technologies such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Automatic Start-Stop
function and Electric Power Steering are combined with lower rolling
resistant tyres and a gearshift change indicator to encourage
economical motoring. These innovations are in addition to the use of
variable valve technologies and High-Precision Direct Injection engines
on some 1 Series models that boost power output while cutting fuel
consumption and emissions. The BMW 118d, BMW's most economical car, manages its record 4.7 litres/100km (60.1mpg) figure courtesy of these features in conjunction with the use of further lightweight engineering. The car now has an aluminium crankcase to save weight. Aside from the BMW Hydrogen 7, the BMW 118d also posts the lowest ever CO2 emissions of any BMW recording 123g/km (putting it into the Band C category for Vehicle Excise Duty). Other engines in the new 1 Series range record economy improvements of up to 24 per cent compared to the previous model, while emissions have also been cut by up to 21 per cent. These improvements have not been to the detriment of driving pleasure. The new 1 Series is powered by a range of engines whose outputs have increased by up to 20hp with a consequential improvement in performance figures. Brake Energy Regeneration (iGR) makes its debut on the 1 Series. The system uses an Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC) and an Absorbent Glass Mat battery to recycle previously lost energy, in turn saving fuel. This is achieved as the IAC reduces drag on the engine by only engaging when required to charge the battery, whereas a traditional alternator is always pulling power from the engine. Additionally, the energy generated by the engine on over-run (under braking or descending a hill) was previously wasted. Now this lost energy is utilised by the IAC to charge the battery. iGR alone is responsible for a three per cent improvement in fuel economy. The new 1 Series comes with Automatic Start-Stop function to cut fuel consumption. Standard on all manual transmission models (except 130i), the system automatically switches the engine off when the vehicle is stationary and the driver puts the car into neutral. To restart, the driver only need engage the clutch again before pulling away in the normal manner. Should he not want to use the Automatic Start-Stop function, it can be manually switched off. |
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