MHTi - Ultimate Drive - 7 May 2008 - CO's BMW

[cali-ti]

i forget who all signed up besides me. did you guys want to meet at my house and drive up together? i have reservations at 11am and noon.

[teetime4one]

hmmmmm
i don't think i can make it.
for some reason i thought it was on a weekend when i signed up.
now that i know it's a Wednesday...

[cali-ti]

must not have looked too closely at your confirmation ;)

Dear Eric,

Your registration for BMW Ultimate Drive is confirmed.

Event Date and Location: 05/07/2008 - Co's BMW Center

Confirmation for Test Drive 1: IDA004543LLF1 for M3 on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 11:00am

Confirmation for Test Drive 2: IDA004543LLF2 for Alpina B7 on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 12:00pm

i'll let you know how those two sweet puppies are once i get back. i'll have to remember to take my camera too :biggrin:

[thesk8nmidget]

would be fun!!

[elchicano318ti]

couldn't register because im too young. I got work anyway.

[Borg561]

i'll let you know how those two sweet puppies are once i get back. i'll have to remember to take my camera too :biggrin:

I was just gonna post about this and ask one of you guys to post your take on those two cars after you have a chance to drive them. Technically I'm not old enough to drive either, but I'm going to try and get into the driver's seat of at least one of them when it stops through here. http://planetsmilies.net/angel-smiley-5090.gif

If you haven't driven a Z4 Coupe yet either, I recommend driving it as well. And if you haven't seen the X6 yet, it's the signature car this year so make sure to go sign it.

Justin

[cali-ti]

raining here ... have to call to see if it's still on. had some good t-storms come through earlier.

[teetime4one]

raining pretty good here too

[elchicano318ti]

yup raining pretty good on th eeast side of town. Now i have to go to school and pick up a study guide for my final tommorow becasue my dumba$$ lost it.:anger:

[Borg561]

They'll still do it in the rain. Last year or the year before it was raining lightly when it started here. Really only affected those driving convertibles.

Justin

[cali-ti]

yep, just called and they said, "it's on!"

guess it's a leisurely breakfast and then i'll get ready. :)

[teetime4one]

enjoy

[elchicano318ti]

So how was it eric? Details please.:biggrin:

[Borg561]

So how was it eric? Details please.:biggrin:

+1

Justin

[cali-ti]

will post more later (including some pics), but as a teaser ... 135i = ROCKET SHIP!

[Borg561]

:eek::joy::shock::eek: They added the 1-Series cars? Those weren't originally on the list of available vehicles. Oh man I can't wait now. :dance::shakefis:

And yeah, they're fast. I've heard the of the slushbox 135 Coupe doing consistent 0-60 times of 4.8 seconds or less.

Justin

[cali-ti]

http://picasaweb.google.com/emasshardt/BMWUltimateDrive7May2008

cars i remember driving ;)

m3 - fast, but damn big, tall shift knob, and slop in the shifter (isn't this supposed to be an m car?), makes interesting gear noise :biggrin:, seats are very nice (although i have no idea how a fat person would be able to drive it - and maybe that's the point ;) )
alpina b7 - i didn't appreciate what exactly this car was doing and capable of until i drove the 750, tons of power, just mash right foot, rubber band tires and suspension still nicely soaked up poor road surfaces, 7s have way too many do-dads (took me a long while to figure out how to get the damn thing in reverse to back out!)
650 convertible - damn nice car! nice materials in the cabin, iDrive still sux, cruised on the freeway in excess of speed limit with ease
X5 v8 gasoline - very nice once i got it in manual shifting mode (before that, boggy and seemingly lackluster), back up camera is a handy feature and something i'd really like get/add to a used x5 when i get one, new auto shift knosbs are ... interesting (got used to it easy enough so ... whatever)
X5 diesel - still VERY nice compared to the gas v8 version, again manual mode was much more responsive!
Z4 3.0 convertible - even in stick, this car will freakin' move, tightest cockpit of any i drove, two gauge cluster in front of the steering wheel is "eh"
135i coupe - THIS THING IS A ROCKET SHIP! best and most fun drive of the day, i would take this over the m3 (not like i could afford the m3 anyway), materials definitely not as nice, but this thing flies, quick turn in, nice handling while having room for improvement, push right foot at any time and revs and it just starts starts flying, big perforated steering wheel was very nice as well!

[teetime4one]

aww man....wish i could have made it.
sounds like there were some extra cars to be driven.
glad you had fun E

[cali-ti]

bunch of stuff i never even got to drive ... new m-coupe, z4 manual, 335 coupe and convertible ... 128 ... prolly some others i don't even recall

[teetime4one]

Dang!

[cali-ti]

dang diggity schmoopsie poo!

[Borg561]

Sounds fun. Don't recall seeing any diesel vehicles in the list. And the Z4 Roadster is what got me in trouble with the law about two years ago. Was the M3 the only manual tranny car they had? I remember a few years ago they had a 330i manual (before I knew how to drive one). Think I'll be signing up for the 135i Coupe and 760Li when registration opens here on May 27th. Hoping I can work my way into the M3 and Alpina. Drove the 750i last year, so I know what to expect (and not to expect) from it.

Justin

[Borg561]

Well, the drive stopped by Omaha yesterday, and other than all the holiday traffic on the road, it was fun. Drove a total of 11 times, a couple vehicles more than once. First comment is BMW does not (and probably will never) make a minivan. Seen an older lady the last three years there, and when they first ask her what she wants to drive, she asks if they have a van, because she drives a van, etc..... Thoughts on the vehicles:

X6 xDrive 35i: Not sure why BMW is trying to call this a sports activity coupe. Once you get in it, the only resemblence to a coupe is the difficult-to-see-out-of rear window and the sloping roofline, which you don't notice from the driver's seat unless you look to your right or back. Not a bad drive. The 35i is a little sluggish, but for those needing more power there's the forethcoming 50i with the twin-turbo V8. Awesome sound system. Took a flashdrive with me with some music on it to crank up and this was the best by far (especially in terms of bass). The rear-view camera is definately nice. iDrive? Gotten used to it enough over the last few years that it doesn't bother me.

X5 4.8i: Pretty much similar to the X6, but with much better rearward vision. Also has quite a bit more power (thanks to the V8), but it still seemed a little slow off the line. Keep in the throttle though and it will move.

650Ci: Nice "grand touring" car in my eyes. Comfortable, powerful, decent site lines, though the blind spots are a bit big. Can't imagine anyone, even a child, sitting in the rear seats. Not a handler like the 3-series cars are, but I don't think it's intended to be one either.

535xiT: Yes, the Sports Wagon, and one I almost wouldn't mind owning. A ton of space for items, even with the rear seats up. Major disappointment is power. The all-wheel drive, wagon body, and automatic add a lot of weight, 400lbs more than a 535i, 300 more than a 535xi. BMW quotes a 0-60 in 5.8, but I think it felt slower than that. Add more power, either to the 3.0L twin-turbo, or drop in the V8. And maybe give us a RWD version.

760Li: Over the top. Honestly, I'd say the car is worth the $125,000 base price, and the car they had was optioned to around $135,000. Night vision, rear-seat entertainment package, rear-seat climate control with refrigerator, active cruise.... Materials are top notch, everywhere you look is either wood, leather or alcantara; 10,000-way power adjustable seats (I swear it took me almost 5 minutes to get them adjusted to my satisfaction, and I already knew how to work the controls) with cooling and massaging functions. And power, loads of power. BMW claims a 0-60 time that's the same as the 535xiT (and this sucker weights 800lbs more), but I'd swear it's faster. Stomp on the throttle and it moves. A little slow off the line when it's in drive, but that wasn't an issue when I put it in manual mode. Don't care for the location of the buttons on the steering wheel though. All that being said though, it's a VERY big car and too much for me, even if I could afford it. Eric, did they not explain the transmission to you? I got the explanation on using it last year, so I didn't need it again.

335Ci: Awesome car. Wait, great car, awesome engine. This car is all about the engine. One of only two vehicles that I turned the radio off as soon as I got in it, and never turned it back on. The sound is something to almost die for. The seatbelt handover thingy is a nice touch. Handles very well and the looks of the coupe are so much better than the sedan. As nice as a hard-top convertible is over a standard softtop, I'd take the coupe over either, even if I lived somewhere where it was sunny and warm 75% of the time. All-around great car.

135i Coupe: As Eric said, this thing is a rocket ship. I think I had a grin on my face the whole time I was driving it (both times I drove it :)). This happens to be the other car I never listened to the radio in. Again, the engine is amazing, I completely understand why it won an engine-of-the-year award when it was first introduced. Leave the car in automatic mode and it flies, put it into manual mode and it's even more fun. Forget the brakes, use engine braking and listen to the lovely sounds. Loved the nice, fat steering wheel, and the seats were fabulous. I still think it's a bit over-priced, especially if you add any options, and over-weight, but you'd be hard pressed to talk me out of buying one if I could afford it.

Z4 Coupe 3.0si: I drove this car last year and was amazed. Drove it again this year since it kinda reminds me of the ti and I'm a bit disappointed, mainly because I'd already driven the 135i twice. Rearward vision sucks and the blind spots are the size of Texas (especially the driver's side). The seats were great, but I wish they had more seat-bottom angle adjustment. And BMW, please, please, please drop the 3.0L twin-turbo in this car. Yes, it's already darn quick, but the twin-turbo would make it even more so (though it might steal sales from the M Coupe). Exterior wise, I think this is the best looking of the cars. And the site of those rear fenders in the side-view mirrors.....

Overall fun day. I managed to keep it below 100mph all day and didn't get any speeding tickets. For those of you out in Denver that missed it this year, don't miss it next year. Seriously, if that means missing your mother's funeral or something like that, do it. Okay, maybe not that drastic, but it is a fun event and raises money for a good cause.

Justin