I was lucky enough to be invited to BMW's Ultimate Driving Experience today. Oh man!! I'm sure most of you are already going bleh, but man oh man, these Bavarians really have their crap together. Unbelievable balance, steering and braking. No wonder the whole world is always trying to benchmark these cars.

The high point for me, was hot laps in the 335i Coupe (Turbo). Unlike some other driving events where your speed is closely scrutized and limited, at BMW's event, their is no speed limit on the autocross track. You are not only allowed, you are encouraged, to go just as fast as you can possibly go and push the car as hard as possible.....and the course was quite large for an autocross event. You get 3 consecutive laps per car, so you really get the opportunity to build some speed. The 335 coupe is one freaking awesome car. It's so easy to drive ridiculously fast. In fact the faster you go, the better it is. And it is so virtually unflappable. As were the the 530i and even the X3 I drove.

BTW, regarding that X3.....I drove it around the track at 10/10ths (maybe even 11/10ths ). Incredible. Pretty mind blowing when you consider that this thing is a little SUV. Anyway, as I finished my laps with it and pulled into the pits to wait for the next available 335, I took a close look at the tires. There was abit of wear apparent on the outer shoulder of the front tires, but not too much. I asked the instructor if they had gone through alot of tires this weekend. He said no, all these cars still had the same tires they came with - no tire changes. It takes fantastic chassis balance to achieve that.


So flame away bro's. But if you've never driven a BMW really hard....you've got nothing to say to me.

 

There's one thing I've come to learn about automobiles. It's one thing to love a company (GM) and it's another thing to appreciate the automobile for what it is.

If a company produces a fantastic vehicle such as the Beemers, I'm not going to hate on it. I'd appreciate it and have as much fun as you did today, but it's another thing to know you have GM DNA in your blood and know where your true heart lies.

It's like when you go to a bar (in your case the BMW driving experience) and have a cute little bartender that's hanging around all night but in the end you know deep down your commited to your significant other back at home.

That may have came off as stupid, but hopefully it helps illustrate my point.

 

Amazing what you can do when cost is no object.

But I would love to do that, GMs auto show in motion is cool, but they get quite testy if you chirp the tires.

 

This is why BMW is such a revered name. They have awesome cars!!!

 

As you know Josh, my daily driver is IMO, the closest thing available domestically to a BMW. A Y43, 18" wheel performance pkg., 6 speed, 3.6L, CTS....and now fitted with a CTS-V exhaust. Essentially, the baddest *** CTS, short of the V. In most regards, I find it's performance impressive. But let me compare it to a 5 series, which is closer to it's size than a 3.

I think my CTS's chassis dynamics are great, but BMW really nailed the ride/handling equation better on their car. The steering is excellent on my car, but perhaps not quite as direct as the 5. My HF 3.6 is a thoroughly modern V6, however it's not as smooth or sweet as the Bimmer's I6. I could go on about brakes, interior, etc.

Why do I say this? No, it's not to badmouth my car, but it is to illustrate that Caddy/GM needs to sweat afew more details to get to BMW's level. Of course, you're going to spend maybe 10 grand or so more for a 5 than for a CTS, and I realize that.

 

Well, I am a GM guy, but I do currently own a 94 530i. For its time, it does handle very well, and although it is only about 225hp, you don't feel underwhelmed. The newer BMWs I have driven were all this way. They never blow you away with their performance, but you look down and you are taking a corner at 60 when the sign says 35....

I will admit though there was nothing like the first time I drove my brothers V, even with the Run-flats the thing just stuck. I really want to drive a 335i though, almost did a couple weeks back, but decided to not because I would have wanted to sign papers probably.

 

I know what you mean about speed. At the event, I took a 530i out on the road. I got on it alittle bit and was shocked when I glanced down at the speedo, and the needle was going past 100 mph.* It's stunning how effortlessly you can build speed in these cars.



*Disclaimer: (If you are a represenative of local law enforcement, the insurance industry or BMW....I am completely full of BS and am prone to spinning tall tales. )

 

Actually, I drove their course in Vegas last week, and was encouraged to flog the new Corvettes I drove. Spun off the line, slid in the corners, and a good time was had by all. The course is located right behind the Sahara off Tropicana Blvd. Warning: You must take AND PASS a breathalyzer before taking the wheel.

 

lucky you.. a buddy of mine got kicked out for kicking the tail out in an STS.. for a split second.. recovered it no problem


i got yelled at for taking the turns in the vette with one hand on the wheel, and the other out the window

 

My buddy has a 2001 BMW M3 and we swapped cars for a day, and I was extremely impressed with the smoothness and confidence inspiring steering feel. I didn't like the gear box, but everything else was awesome. Getting back into my car made me feel sad, but good at the same time, knowing it was at least faster in a straight line and cost $20k less

I'd still take the M though, any day.

 

Speaking of the M3. I wonder why BMW developed a new 300 hp turbo motor for the 335i and didn't just use a version of the old M3's normally aspirated, 333hp I6.

Not that I have any complaints on the turbo motor....just wondering.

 

Broader torque curve, less revs and less noise.

Its the same reasoning behind why a lot of sedans use 200hp V6's compared to a 200hp inline 4s.

 

Based off the 3-series right? That might explain why it was so fun to toss around.

 

Now that I think about it, what was more ridicolous was that in the truck section... people were taking escalades and hummers around corners at sixty next to a wall and no one blinked an eye...

 

Yes. Although it sits high, like any SUV, BMW brought the center of mass lower, by fitting the powertrain afew inches lower. It also has a near 50/50 front to rear balance.