Other cars I've owned
08-31-2008, 10:02 PM
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It took me many years to come around to BMW and a happenstance test drive, which you may have read about in one of my other posts.
Owning BMW has adjusted my point of view about the other cars I've owned, which I detail a bit here, in case you are interested in a fairly off-topic post.
1999 VW Jetta: A decent city car. Playful steering, lovely interior. It was with this car I learned about the merits of firm seats - at first you would touch them and think they are stupid hard, but after your first 3 hour drive discover how valuable they are at combating fatigue. Cool blue instrument lighting. Disconcerting amount of body roll in sweeping turns. Stupidly I could not wait for the VR6 and bought the 2.2L crossflow 4 cyl. At full throttle, sounded like a vacuum cleaner trying to ingest a running blender full of broken glass. (Aside: with all the rough 4 cyl's I've experienced, it does wow me when I get to drive an Acura TSX.) Developed unforgivable interior rattles after only 6 months. Goodbye.
2000 Acura TL: You know those WWII submarine movies where the boat is under attack and the sweaty crewman leaps through the hatch, slams the bulkhead door, and furiously spins the big metal wheel on the door about a thousand revolutions while yelling in semi-panic? That's what the steering was like in the TL. OK maybe not quite that bad, but it was the last of the front driver's I've owned. The 3.2L V6 was sewing machine smooth and great from 30-50 mph, decidely unhelpful from 50-70 mph. I still don't know how Honda does it with those SOHC setups, so smooth and efficient. Said goodbye to this car when I decided curtain airbags should be on my minimum equipment list.
2003 Mercedes-Benz E320: M-B seats are among my favorites. Great all-around visibility; terrible automatic windshield wipers. Ancient twin-spark 3-valve/cylinder design was wheezy from a stop, but beautiful in the mid-range and perfectly capable of slicing into a highway gap at 60-80 mph. However this engine (and transmission) left me flat-footed on several occasions in the city, trying to make a quick left turn through a break in traffic, pedal all the way down, waiting while the car leisurely decided to pick up it's skirt and walk. A paragon of straight-line stability, it felt like it was traveling in a groove in the road. Con: turning required carving a new groove in the road. Plus, at 60+ mph there would emerge a nervous lightness in the wheel at dead center; borderline frightening, as if to say "Please sir, not any faster." Decided what I really wanted was a V8.
2004 Mazda RX-8: Purchased to complement the staid M-B. Sweet steering, sweet 6-speed gearbox, awesome brakes. Too easy to shift at 6000 rpm and forget there was another 3000 rpm left on the clock. At 8000 rpm, engine sounded like a million angry electric bees. Lack of torque ruled it out as a street fighter. Smooth ride around town but ultimately too darty and nervous on the highway. I imagine this car was much like a modern day Porsche 944 (normally aspirated).
2006 BMW 550i: Dodged a bullet when I almost bought a Lexus GS 430. I've documented my experience with the 5er in other posts, a few other things here. Wicked excellent automatic windshield wipers. What I call "The Three Miracles of BMW": 1) steering (no explanation necessary), 2) powertrain efficiency (ever noticed BMWs seem to get better mileage for the same hp as the competition??), 3) control of impact harshness. The last of those is what really confounds me. How is it BMW can put 18" wheels with absurd aspect-ratio tires on a car with approx the same weight and a stiffer suspension than my previous M-B (which had 16" tires with much more pedestrian aspect-ratio), and sharp road impacts are not heard or felt any more than in the M-B, and if anything the BMW is net quieter at speed??? This, I submit to you, is a miracle. Rear quarter visibility hampered by C-pillar and large driver-seat headrest. But who cares, nothing that was already behind me was relevant when I was driving the 550i.
2008 BMW 335i Sedan: Just started writing the book on this one...
Plus 5 other cars/SUVs not worth writing home about.
Owning BMW has adjusted my point of view about the other cars I've owned, which I detail a bit here, in case you are interested in a fairly off-topic post.
1999 VW Jetta: A decent city car. Playful steering, lovely interior. It was with this car I learned about the merits of firm seats - at first you would touch them and think they are stupid hard, but after your first 3 hour drive discover how valuable they are at combating fatigue. Cool blue instrument lighting. Disconcerting amount of body roll in sweeping turns. Stupidly I could not wait for the VR6 and bought the 2.2L crossflow 4 cyl. At full throttle, sounded like a vacuum cleaner trying to ingest a running blender full of broken glass. (Aside: with all the rough 4 cyl's I've experienced, it does wow me when I get to drive an Acura TSX.) Developed unforgivable interior rattles after only 6 months. Goodbye.
2000 Acura TL: You know those WWII submarine movies where the boat is under attack and the sweaty crewman leaps through the hatch, slams the bulkhead door, and furiously spins the big metal wheel on the door about a thousand revolutions while yelling in semi-panic? That's what the steering was like in the TL. OK maybe not quite that bad, but it was the last of the front driver's I've owned. The 3.2L V6 was sewing machine smooth and great from 30-50 mph, decidely unhelpful from 50-70 mph. I still don't know how Honda does it with those SOHC setups, so smooth and efficient. Said goodbye to this car when I decided curtain airbags should be on my minimum equipment list.
2003 Mercedes-Benz E320: M-B seats are among my favorites. Great all-around visibility; terrible automatic windshield wipers. Ancient twin-spark 3-valve/cylinder design was wheezy from a stop, but beautiful in the mid-range and perfectly capable of slicing into a highway gap at 60-80 mph. However this engine (and transmission) left me flat-footed on several occasions in the city, trying to make a quick left turn through a break in traffic, pedal all the way down, waiting while the car leisurely decided to pick up it's skirt and walk. A paragon of straight-line stability, it felt like it was traveling in a groove in the road. Con: turning required carving a new groove in the road. Plus, at 60+ mph there would emerge a nervous lightness in the wheel at dead center; borderline frightening, as if to say "Please sir, not any faster." Decided what I really wanted was a V8.
2004 Mazda RX-8: Purchased to complement the staid M-B. Sweet steering, sweet 6-speed gearbox, awesome brakes. Too easy to shift at 6000 rpm and forget there was another 3000 rpm left on the clock. At 8000 rpm, engine sounded like a million angry electric bees. Lack of torque ruled it out as a street fighter. Smooth ride around town but ultimately too darty and nervous on the highway. I imagine this car was much like a modern day Porsche 944 (normally aspirated).
2006 BMW 550i: Dodged a bullet when I almost bought a Lexus GS 430. I've documented my experience with the 5er in other posts, a few other things here. Wicked excellent automatic windshield wipers. What I call "The Three Miracles of BMW": 1) steering (no explanation necessary), 2) powertrain efficiency (ever noticed BMWs seem to get better mileage for the same hp as the competition??), 3) control of impact harshness. The last of those is what really confounds me. How is it BMW can put 18" wheels with absurd aspect-ratio tires on a car with approx the same weight and a stiffer suspension than my previous M-B (which had 16" tires with much more pedestrian aspect-ratio), and sharp road impacts are not heard or felt any more than in the M-B, and if anything the BMW is net quieter at speed??? This, I submit to you, is a miracle. Rear quarter visibility hampered by C-pillar and large driver-seat headrest. But who cares, nothing that was already behind me was relevant when I was driving the 550i.
2008 BMW 335i Sedan: Just started writing the book on this one...
Plus 5 other cars/SUVs not worth writing home about.
08-31-2008, 10:05 PM
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My Ride: 2011.5 Alpine White E90 M3 | Black Novillo Leather | Carbon Fiber Leather Trim | ZCP | ZP2 | M-DCT | Navigation | Moonroof | 6FL Mods: TMS 12.5mm spacers all around l Hawk HPS Brake Pads l OEM M3 Edition Grills l Paint Matched Side Gills l Key Hole D
you can add these and the other cars you didn't write about to this thread..
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=57774
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=57774
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