Opinion: $160K BMW showed me combustion is essential to a performance car experience

However, in the BMW XM, once the 31 miles of electric range runs out, the gasoline engine is even more impressive than any electronic sound, gadget or software could ever be. As soon as I heard and felt the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine roar to life, I knew it was no preloaded sound profile. “That’s the real thing,” I said to myself.

Credit: Special

Credit: Special

The engine thrusts the $160,000 SUV forward with authority. All four tires grab the pavement like a loved one giving a last desperate hug. From behind the wheel, you can feel that sense of connection, of owning something special, and I mean genuinely owning it. The large touchscreen does not infuse those feelings. These sensations are something else; something intangible; something that touches your core.

The real thing

One surefire way to spot an imitation is to spend time with the real deal over and over and over. It’s why real soldiers can easily spot a fake in a crowd. It’s why you give your kids frozen yogurt instead of real ice cream for as long as possible. Once they taste the real deal, there’s no going back. It’s the same with cold, hard cash. The best way to spot a counterfeit bill is to handle a bunch of authentic bills.

Credit: Enes Kucevic Photography

Credit: Enes Kucevic Photography

And that’s the case with performance cars. Performance cars are different from other types of vehicles. They’re not just transportation; they embody joy in driving. Performance cars reward us with the sights, sounds and smells they make. And they reward us with authenticity. Automotive enthusiasts know the difference between a Ferrari, a Mercedes-Benz and a 5.0L Mustang just by the engine’s sound.

Electric cars

Unfortunately, electric cars have genericized most of the driving experience. They all feel the same, with only slight differences. BMW has elevated the electric car driving experience to its heights. In an electrified BMW, graphics, screens, colors and sounds work together to deliver a compelling experience behind the wheel.

However, as soon as you get behind the wheel of a V-8 BMW, you forget all those tricks. When it comes to the real thing, you instantly “just know.” It leaves you speechless. When you “just know,” something spectacular is about to happen.

Porsche offers a solution

There is some evidence that combustion engines will be with us well into the future. Porsche is working on an “eFuel,” a synthetic liquid fuel derived from hydrogen. Without getting into the chemistry, it’s a synthetic gasoline that burns near carbon neutral. Porsche is already using eFuel in a limited capacity. The company plans to eventually run all vehicles at the Porsche Experience Center on eFuel.

Right now, there’s not enough of the advanced synthetic fuel. A Porsche spokesperson said, “The quantities of eFuel produced in the pilot plant are currently used exclusively by Porsche as part of Lighthouse projects, such as the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup racing series or at other events for demonstration purposes, like the Goodwood Festival of Speed.”

In addition, Porsche is considering adding combustion engines to some of its electric cars. If this happens, the reason will be simple: customer demand. Many Porsche shoppers saw the Taycan and immediately said, “What a beautiful car. A turbocharged flat-6 would make it even better.”

Porsche officials are a little more direct. According to Green Car Reports, Porsche has said, “We are currently in the middle of making conceptual decisions. What is clear is that we are sticking with the combustion engine for much longer.”

Here’s the bottom line: Porsche cars and other high-end vehicles are engineered to a greater standard than mainstream makes, and that engineering pays off when you’re in the driver’s seat. The little explosions under the hood are part of the payoff.

You can’t have a proper performance car experience without burning some fuel. The sound, smell, and raw visceral feel of a combustion engine isn’t just the icing on the cake; it is the cake.

Brian Moody is a senior editor of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader and an automotive expert specializing in transportation, car shopping, electric cars, in-car technology, and future vehicles.

The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are owned by parent company, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.