At first glance, BMW's Active Tourer Outdoor concept makes a fair amount of sense for bicyclists. Take a compact car, add relatively cavernous cargo space, line it with ruggedized materials, throw in an hybrid powertrain, and the end result is?as the name suggests?the Ultimate Driving Machine for cyclists?offering them a perfect car for zipping up to isolated, windy mountain roads.
It's even got a fold-out rack that allows for storage of two bikes in the back with plenty of room to spare. But while this feature makes it noticeably harder for bike thieves to do what they do, it also means the BMW makes little sense for people who ride with any sort of regularity.
The rack seems to be too clever by half: Because car's roof is so low, making the bikes fit inside means riders need to remove (or at the very least, fully lower) the seatposts. The extra step sounds trivial, as any seatpost secured with a quick-release takes seconds to remove. But in practice, every single time you mount up you'll need to spend an extra five minutes adjusting your seat to the right height. It's like having to readjust the driver's seat every time you get behind the wheel.?It's a minor annoyance that makes a major difference for this could've-been-great concept.?
These people are not cyclists.
And really, stashing a bike on a car is a non-problem to begin with. No matter the vehicle, there exists a compatible bike rack?most which can store bikes easier and quicker than BMW's design. Some?as professional cyclist Peter Sagan demonstrates?don't even require you to get off your bike.
The BMW Active Tourer Outdoor concept is almost a good idea. There's yet to be a car designed specifically for cyclists in the way BMW has done with this concept, so we applaud the effort. But the execution falls short at the car's most important feature?like putting holes in a bucket to make it lighter.
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