BMW 6 Series GT is ScoMo’s new rig

Prime minister Scott Morrison and his fellow federal parliamentarians will soon be travelling in BMW 620d GTs and Toyota Camry Hybrids, rather than the current fleet of ageing Holden Caprices.

The 142 locally-built long-wheelbase luxury sedans that currently comprise the Commonwealth government’s ‘Comcar’ fleet should be mostly phased out by mid-2020.

Holden stopped building the Caprice in 2017 when it closed its Elizabeth assembly plant.

Comcar estimates the new fleet will save taxpayers around $100,000 per year compared with running the Caprices, taking into account vehicle lease costs and running costs including fuel, vehicle registration and maintenance costs.

Released in Australia in July 2018, the BMW 620d GT is now priced at $102,900 plus on-road costs, and is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.

Comcar assessed 18 vehicles to replace the Caprices based on the Australian Government Fleet Selection Policy that insists – among others thing – contenders must have a five-star ANCAP safety ratings and “address environmental considerations”.

Seven vehicles reached the on-road and off-road shortlist for testing. As well as the eventual winners, they included the BMW 5 Series, Hyundai Genesis, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE.

During the on-road assessment, Comcar measured a number of factors, including fuel consumption, vehicle handling, manoeuvrability and performance in a variety of traffic conditions, driver and passenger comfort, ease of access for passengers, luggage space and potential integration with the new Comcar Automated Resource System.

Agencies including the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet participated in the assessment process.

Replacing the 5 Series GT, the large German liftback was released in Australia in October 2017 and remains BMW’s only surviving 6 Series derivative after its coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe (sedan) sister models were replaced by all-new 8 Series badged models last year.

Yet the BMW 6 Series GT received the highest overall score in the competitive evaluation trial and was deemed the most suitable vehicle to replace the Caprice.

The BMWs will be distributed around the nation, while the Toyotas will be Canberra-based to primarily deliver short-haul ervices. The new fleet will be painted grey rather than the traditional Comcar white.

Apart from ScoMo and his Parliamentary mates, chauffeured Comcar services are also provided to the Governor-General, federal judiciary, heads of Commonwealth agencies, guest of government visits program and for major events such as state funerals and the Commonwealth games.

The Comcar fleet already includes a number of BMW SUV models and the addition of the 620d follows the adoption of 530d sedans by Victoria Police for use as highway patrol vehicles in 2018.

The average monthly distance travelled by the Comcar fleet is 134,607km and in 2018-19 Comcar performed nearly 50,000 trips with a 99.71 per cent success rate.

Comcar can trace its heritage back to June 1910 when prime minister Andrew Fisher approved the purchase of a Renault from Kellow Motor Company in Melbourne.