BMW Test Fest: 11 cars, five hours, one incredible afternoon

It may perhaps just be another data point to flex on a press release. But brought to life all at once under the burning sun at the Bayfront Plaza carpark, the diversity of the BMW Group's range today is truly quite something to behold. 

Sharing the first row with a two-door performance coupe and an all-electric sedan are a couple of round-eyed fraternal twins: One without a roof, the other without tailpipes. They are flanked on the side by a trio of rather dissimilar '3'-badged cars. 

Across various body styles, price points and performance levels, the diversity of what BMW Group offers in Singapore today is truly a feat to behold 

Further behind stand two 'less traditional' BMW models - a crossover and an MPV - that have both thickened BMW's order books. Then, there are a couple of properly menacing SUVs too. One of them even has a twin-turbo V8 engine under the hood, and is the undeniable bookender of the range with its million-dollar price tag. 

This crew of 11 cars has been ceremoniously brought together under a special event called the 'BMW Test Fest'. Best of all, across five hours, eight locations and around 100km, we're getting the chance to take them out for a spin around Singapore. 

Our writer gets to drive seven out of the 11 cars 'participating' in the Test Fest

It's worth pointing out that scheduling actually only allows us to drive a total of seven cars; it's also fastest hands (and legs) first at each driver swap location. Nonetheless, with a mixture of luck, kindness from fellow participants, and of course, pure hunger for certain cars, this is what we get to experience: 

Littler pockets of sunshine: MINI Cooper Convertible, MINI Electric Collection

In case it was unclear, the round-eyed twins we mentioned are - naturally - MINIs, and between the duo, it's the roofless one that we hop into right away.

Fraternal twins: The MINI Cooper Convertible and MINI Electric Collection offer varying takes of the chirpy and perky nature of the brand's cars

Against the BMW M cars here especially, performance from the MINI Cooper Convertible is not neck-snapping: 'Just' 134bhp and 220Nm of torque from its turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine. But the euphoria of drop-top driving - even in the blistering afternoon heat - is inexplicable, and not replicated by any other car here.

In fact, the first stretch of our route is perhaps also one of the best points to experience the car. Singapore's postcard-ready skyline already leaps to life when driving along Raffles Boulevard and then up onto the ECP. The extra sensory dimension exclusive only to a convertible, however, elevates the feeling multiple-fold. 

Putting the roof down may sound silly in Singapore's weather - but whoever said sensibility and fun always have to co-exist?

The Cooper Convertible is also not a car that needs to be driven quickly to be enjoyed thoroughly. Wind in your hair, its grippy tyres and plantedness encourage the driver to push it hard even if not at dramatic speed. It's pure, easily-unlocked fun.

The latter is arguably a quality shared by all MINIs - and one that isn't lost even when you remove a combustion engine and replace it with an electric motor. 

The signs are sprinkled all over when you settle in that this is a different type of machine: Electric Yellow accents on the gear lever, Start button, and even on the digital dash. But as MINI's first all-electric model, the MINI Electric (the one we drive specifically is the special-edition MINI Electric Collection) clearly has its own brand of fun while retaining the puppy-like perkiness of its siblings.

The MINI Electric is testament to how the brand has still managed to maintain its DNA even with the swapping out of a combustion engine for an electric motor

Put the car into 'Sport' mode and the 'point-and-squirt' driving nature of MINIs to an even more urgent extreme; all 270Nm of torque unleashed in an instant. Likewise, lift off the brakes and the deceleration is more pronounced as the rather aggressive regenerative braking kicks in. 

Admittedly, these MINIs are not for everyone. The Cooper Convertible has both limited boot space and rear visibility with the roof down, while the Electric's 32.64kWh battery doesn't offer much range; both occupy even more specific niches than the typical MINI. 

Nonetheless, the two cars bring something unique to the table, unmatched and not offered by anything else even within MINI family. 

Compact, downsized heavyweights: BMW X1 sDrive16i, BMW 216i Active Tourer

While the phrase 'downsized heavyweight' may strike as a confusing paradox, the X1 sDrive16i and 216i Active Tourer are heavy-hitting cars for BMW in their own right. Especially because they are sold with Category A COEs. 

BMW's 2 Series Active Tourer and X1, in current form, are both significantly improved over their direct predecessors 

Certainly, these are not the models that traditionally come to mind when one mentions 'BMW'. Both are also front-wheel driven. In fact, they even share the same powertrain in Singapore: A 1.5-litre turbocharged engine mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, producing 121bhp and 230Nm of torque.

Nonetheless, one needs to take a step back to also appreciate what BMW has done with the cars. Significantly improved over their direct predecessors, the X1 and 2 Series Active Tourer in current form are arguably two sides of the same coin that offer a small but potent shot of BMW's DNA in different body styles.

There are the clean but expensive-feeling cabins, for starters, which are marked by their nice level of soft-touch materials (remember that these are entry points to BMW ownership here), ambient lighting and of course, the uninterrupted Curved Display housing the digital driver's display and infotainment touchscreen.

As entry points to BMW ownership, both cars still offer a commendable level of comfort and driving engagement (Cabin of 216i Active Tourer pictured)

But just as importantly, the two cars mix a (surprising) level of driving engagement and comfort when on the move. The Active Tourer, especially, remains flatter than you'd imagine through bends, and feels like a proper five-seater with its spacious rear bench.

Firecracker: BMW M3 Touring 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a Test Fest would not be complete without some sprinkling of fireworks. While the all-new M2 sadly eluded us for the day (that's as 'old-school' as modern BMWs get), we were lucky enough to have this be part of our road trip mix instead: The M3 Touring.

The M3 Touring already announces its special identity as a track star from the moment one slides into the driver's seat. In Singapore, the wagon is sold solely in the Competition variant, with its straight-six engine tuned to 503bhp 

The M3 Touring has made particularly tidal waves because it's the first of its kind to ever go into production. That it has reached Singapore is even more remarkable, since our market, of late, is not known for being friendly to anything other than sedans and crossovers. 

Before its famed S58 engine warbles to life, the car already silently yells its identity out to you with its cabin, tinged with carbon-fibre trim, the iconic M-colours, a special gear lever, and of course, those M1 and M2 buttons.

Still, even after settling into the sports seats, nothing quite prepares one for the hair-tingling sensation felt after depressing the Start button inside the cabin of the M3 Touring. 

Foot to the accelerator, fingers on the left paddle shifter - and the M3 Touring rockets forth, as its engine clears its throat and loudly sings its song

As the car starts to roll along, the low hum of its straight-six is always playing in the background, impatiently grumbling to be let loose… until the road ahead suddenly empties out. Foot to the accelerator, fingers on the left paddle shifter - and the car rockets forward as the engine clears its throat and loudly sings its song. 

Except that on this part of the journey from Seletar to Changi, the traffic is rarely clear. Either way, the M3 Touring also reaches the legal speed limit in no time anyway, before it's left hanging, waiting for more from the driver. 

There is no doubt that the M3 Touring is a special and highly desirable machine - one whose capabilities would be unshackled in full glory on a test track. But unless your trips regularly bring you up North, it feels unfairly caged up in Singapore. That brings us to… 

Tasty, medium-rare perfection: BMW 330i Touring, BMW i4 eDrive 35

Although highly different on the surface, the 330i Touring and i4 eDrive35 are similar in that they can both be broadly classified as 'mid-range' in BMW's lineup today. (Worth noting is that the i4, like the 330i Touring, also has a meaner 'M'-badged model that sits above it.)

These may not be the most powerful variants of the 3 Series Touring and i4, but they are perhaps the more compelling ones to get in Singapore 

But let’s focus first on the 330i Touring. Considering that a single wagon model is already rare today, one can only imagine the excitement that erupts when two arrive at almost the same time.

Announced shortly after the M3 Touring, the 330i Touring uses the same B48 engine found in the 318i Sedan, but it's tuned to a tastier 242bhp and 400Nm of torque.

In terms of power, handling, style and practicality, there are few other models in the lineup that feel as properly-rounded as the 330i Touring.

With its irresistible wagon profile, and sublime balance of performance and practicality, there are perhaps few other models in the lineup that feel as properly-rounded as the 330i Touring

It has the irresistible profile of a wagon, replete with a conventionally attractive face. The car still feels well-balanced and sure-footed on the road, even though it's carrying extra mass at the rear. And finally, the extra punch from its engine works in beautiful harmony with its eight-speed transmission.

The all-electric i4 eDrive35 delivers a different sort of pleasure.

With its sedan-like shape, the i4 has long felt like today's most faithful example of the traditional BMW template among its EVs thus far. Thanks to the silence of its powertrain and incredibly well-insulated cabin, you feel even more cocooned and insulated from the world outside than in a normal ICE-car.

It's never been hard to have a soft spot for the BMW i4, and with the new eDrive35 variant, the model is even more alluring than before 

The eDrive35 variant, however, is somewhat new; it has slightly less power and a smaller battery than the eDrive40 that first introduced the i4 to Singapore. But lowering the stakes slightly has only done the model favours. It's still a fairly good marathoner (expect over 400km of range in the real world), and now has a less abrupt, more pleasant linearity to its power. 

Don't get us wrong: The i4 eDrive35, like the 330i Touring, isn't lacking in power. At the same time, both cars are also not what you'd call 'entry-level' either, especially with their price tags in today's COE Climate. 

But well-tuned balance (in every sense of the term) is just as hard to arrive at as unbridled drama. By the very token that both cars are not obsessed with superlatives and 'simply' exist as more-than sensible models in BMW's lineup today, they are also the ones that tug at our heartstrings the most - as quiet examples of the inimitable magic the brand threads into its cars, whose abilities can still shine through in full in Singapore. 

Here are a few other stories that may interest you!

With the iX1, BMW's EV lineup is now more complete than ever

Reintroductions: Every car that has gone from Category B to Category A in the last 12 months (May 2023)

BMW M - A lineup of cars that can do anything and everything from the roads to the track

See us as we take the cars on the road on video as well!