This morning I drove a few Beamers in the BMW Ultimate Drive Event. First I drove an M3. This car was a rocket! While driving the M3 on the interstate I passed about a dozen Dodge Vipers. Obviously a Viper club on the go. Before exiting the car, I checked under the seat for a "Barn Door Fan Club" bumper sticker. Someone else must have gotten to it first. I took this picture right after getting out of the M3. The next driver was already in place.
Next was a convertible 650i. This car had a heads-up speed-o-meter. If you want a big convertible, this is the car for you. That is me in the car sitting still.
And this is me driving the car driving on the interstate. I am also the photographer.
And then a Z4 Coupe. Just like last year, I was disappointed with this car. The interior is crampted and it needs more power. It is not nearly as fun to drive as a Miata or a Charger. This is me in the Z4.
My final ride was a 760. I selected this car because it had a V12. This car was sweet. The old-guy in me loved this car. The young guy in me opened the sun roof even though the sky was overcast. See how this car makes me look older than the Z4 did.
Just like last year, this event was a lot of fun. I ran into four people I knew who were also there for a drive. I am also happy to report that after driving all those cars, when I drove out of the parking lot, I was pleased that I preferred my Charger to any of the cars I had just driven. When I was driving the 650i convertible I couldn't help but noticing how disconnected I felt from the rode. At times that could be a good thing, but when I am in the Miata, I enjoy feeling the road. I think the thing that bugged me about these BMWs is that the controls in the cars are all so complicated. Also, no two cars I drove seemed to have the same buttons and when they did, they were located in a different position. It took me forever to find the seat adjustment controls in the 760. (They were located to the drivers right on the left vertical side of the center console.) Even the gear shifts were awkwardly different. I suppose if you drove one all the time, you would get use to the controls and probably prefer them, but for a short trip around town, they were simply awkward.
1 comment:
I left the BDFC sticker in the trunk of the 750i....
+1 on your comments. We didn't even get in the Z4 coupe this time because Donna felt so cramped in one last year. I had to ask where the seat controls were in the 7 nad once again I made a fool of myself with the shifter in a 5 series. And just forget anything with the I-Drive.
The last couple of years after getting out of the BMWs I felt that the Miata, while much more communicative, was slow, but this year I didn't have that problem. I think it was because I drove the snot out of the M3 first and it made everything after, even the 650, seem poky.
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