Saying Goodbye

[Van Canna]

Bill,

Say farewell to my little miss MINI_

–

And hello to the ‘silver bullet’ _ _



~~

Bill, Rich_

What do you know about the new BMW 530 XI engines?

This one has an inline six vs the V-6 in most cars.

Claimed _ high revolutions and higher torque, 255 HP_+ ‘breathe better’ higher power than the previous engines _ quick response_ very smooth idle_ great acceleration_ and enhanced fuel efficiency_[ 20-28] _

She stole my heart in a test drive. Estimated delivery date_ Thanksgiving.

[Van Canna]

This one has heated steering wheel. Nice touch.

[Stryke]

theres a lt of mixed feelings about the new styling BMW`s going for , far less conservative ...

But so styley , what a car Van .....

[Van Canna]

Yes, Marcus. Some of the past BMW owners object to this new style.

I never owned a BMW so I don't have this affliction.

Saw one cruise by me, like a 'shark' a while back, could not get my eyes off her_




And I decided it was time for me to put a 'Bimmer' _ in my life.

She has: all wheel drive_ navigation_ sports package_ premium package_ premium sound_ Steptronic transmission_ cold weather package_ and park distance control.

The Xenon headlights swivel into your turns.

Never driven anything so refined, yet so aggressive and with so finely tuned handling.

I guess they are right when they describe the BMW as the ultimate driving machine.

Time for you to check her out, Marcus.

[Van Canna]

This makes sense, No?

Think of it this way- If you want adrenaline to be pumping go with your Germans- If you want symphony and reliability go with Japanese

[Stryke]

Van BMW have always provided the best handling , they always get the weight distribution right , and the new engine sounds Awesome !!!

You have a lot of fun ahead .... definately a shark

Will need to find some shoes Van

[Van Canna]

A 'shark' for sure.

You can help me pick out new driving shoes next time you come down, my friend.

[Stryke]

looking forward to it Van

Will have to be sooner rather than later ... what a car !!!

[Van Canna]

Ouch..

What a scary pic

Welcome anytime, Marcus.

They have sharks this big in New Zeland?

[Stryke]

theres more in Australia Van but we have em .

Shark attacks are rare , but they can be good fishing

Surfers can look like turtles and seals paddling on top of there boards though ....

[Van Canna]

Marcus,

This is also of interest:

> While the Japanese have brought out cars with ridiculous levels of hp (270-300hp), their performance doesn't indicate they're using it to their advantage over the Germans. Also, one thing I like about BMW's xDrive system is that the bias is towards the rear in good weather, so it'll still feel like a RWD car. <

[Van Canna]

Dave Finklestein and Jack London_ once invited me to join them to Australia to go Shark hunting with high power rifles.

Interesting way to 'lure them' to the surface.

Never took them up on the offer. But now I have my own 'shark'
_

[chef]

Oh no.....and I never even got the ride and the cappuccino, Van.
Easy come, easy go.

Will need to find some shoes Van

Well, Marcus is right. You definitely need to get some nice riding boots to drive that car. How about these?

http://www.shoemall.com/assets/product_ ... 01280L.jpg

Vicki

[Bill Glasheen]

Van

There's a lot to be said about a Bimmer.

First... The 3.0 and 3.3 liter inline 6 BMW engines were perennial favorites at Ward's Auto. It made the "10 best" list many years in a row, although this is the first year it didn't make it. And why? Allegedly the reviewers held off because of the newer engine coming on board with the "valvetronic" feature. That has to do with the way the continuously variable valve lift control works. (Valvetronic replaces the function of a throttle butterfly.) All this is the magic that allows these newer engines to have a flat torque profile across the entire RPM spectrum. Sooo... You are getting the newest version of a breed of engines that is legendary in the industry. Many folks believe the inline 6 design BMW uses is a classic with an advantage over the typical V6. The inline 6 allows for longer cylinders, and this too helps with the flatter torque curve (a shorter, fatter cylinder tends to have a torque peak at higher RPM).

Use synthetic oil in your engine from day one. I use Amsoil, but there are other good brands. There's no reason you can't get 200,000 miles on a good Bimmer engine if you take care of it. I know folks who do.

Second... BMW set the standard years back for how to build a car. They started with a RWD design, and balanced it so that you have roughly a 50/50 weight distribution front to rear. This combined with the RWD gives you nice handling. Check out the specs of these vehicles vs. others in stats like the slalom. They consistently have the higher slalom speeds, showing their superiority (particularly over FWD) in handling curves. A RWD gives you a slight oversteer, and lots of drivers prefer this vs. the understeer you get with FWD. Plus when you start off the line, the weight naturally shifts to the back wheels, making RWD superior at starts off the line.

Third... BMW set the standard for performance AWD. The "X" system has roughly a 70/30 torque bias to the rear wheels, giving it AWD traction but retaining the RWD feel on cornering and off the line. It's just enough torque on the front wheels to give neither understeer nor oversteer on hard cornering.

Their X-drive system is also capable of sending up to 100% of the torque either to the front or rear wheels on demand in situations where you are losing traction. This is the car to have when it snows - if you don't mind getting it dirty.

The big minus to the new BMW 5 series in my mind is not the styling. Frankly I kind of like it. Most people bitch about the i-Drive system. All your controls for the car center around this "thing" in the console that you push and twist and turn like a mouse to get through layers of menus to do simple things like adjust the volume on your radio. I believe they thought it would be high tech and something that "on the edge" people would find cool. Apparently though most Bimmer drivers like the bare-boned drive, and the overdone computer interface drives them bloody nuts. It's something you'll probably develop a love/hate relationship with.

Another good feature worth mentioning - also available on a number of new cars - is Bluetooth. It will allow you to have wireless headphone connections to your car phone, etc.

A number of car companies have copied this BMW design. That would include Daimler Chrysler with the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum, Infiniti with the G, FX, and M series vehicles, some brand new Lexus vehicles off the lot (names excape me now), etc.

The 5-series has always been considered the car to have and the car to beat in the BMW line. If it's the AWD system you like (and the 530xi is a gem), the best competition out there IMO is the new Infiniti M35x. Check it out. It's a VERY smooth car and has Infiniti reliability. And it has its own unusual spin on how to do AWD with a RWD feel (the AWD converts to RWD at higher speeds under ideal conditions). It doesn't quite have that BMW panache, but Infiniti definitely is the macho luxury performance brand amongst the Japanese. I highly recommend taking that vehicle out for a drive before you take your Bimmer home.

No matter which you choose, you will be happy. And you will have lots of bragging rights.

- Bill

[gmattson]

why the change of heart for the "Mini"?

The mini has a near cult following here in Florida.