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Comments
I remember that. The Prius was placed in a situation whereby the throttle was always wide open... not exactly fuel efficient.
This situation created by Automobile Mag was quite different, however... no fuel sippers in the group. The idea was to see just how many MPGs could be squeezed out of a few vehicles that don't generally have any reputation for fuel-efficiency.
IOW, for the most part, a worthless, but entertaining exercise.
I do think that recently, along with the recent amazing trek that was accomplished in the new Ford Fusion Hybrid, that I am noticing more media attention being given to specific methods of driving that seem to accomplish incredible levels of fuel efficiency. I just have to wonder who in their right mind could actually drive like that. And, I sure don't want to ever get stuck behind one of 'em!
TM
My biased experience so far, is that Prius drivers aren't going for max mpg, but believe since their car is a sipper & green, they are entitled.
Just 2 days ago, one was drafting me on an onramp(car in front of me prevented going faster), but he couldn't have been a foot from my bumper.
I stopped on the ramp for 2 reasons. First, to give the guy ahead of me time to get out of my way. & second, to make clear how I felt the Prius driver was #1 in my mind.
Next was the 1st time I've tested my 0-60 & saw him become very tiny in the rear view.
I'm not trying to paint everybody with the same brush, but IMO, in my area, the hybrid drivers stick out as very obnoxious.
Regards,
OW
It's got the word "HYBRID" plastered all over it. What a noble purchase!
I wonder if it has a neon light option? :shades:
...or do you like the Prius badge better :confuse:
It does sparkle quite brilliantly, don't you think?
Regards,
OW
Unfortunately, so does the BMW radio display.... completely!
Yep, very disappointing. Like being half blind I mean, with tunnel vision. :sick:
Regards,
Jose
Regards,
Jose
PS: Currently reading about the nice audio stuff you told me about. Thanks.
Yes, that was a good one. By the way, you can watch it any time on the southpark studios website.
Here is another reference:
If your sun glasses are polarized in a direction that blocks the polarized light from the display, you can put a polarizing film over the display at an angle of about 45 degrees to the polarizing angle of the display. This will effectively rotate the polarizing angle so that it will now be visible through your glasses. I am a bit tired to do the chalk work tonite, but refer to J. D. Jackson, Classical Electrodymanics or the older work by Smythe. Balanis' "advanced engineering electromagnetics" will also cover this but in a less rigorous way. For a first grade introduction, look at Neff's test on electromagnetics.
Regards,
OW
the washed-out radio display and the cup holders.
I loverd reading about the Ferraris---all of them ---last night ...That is a storied brand, and it is surprising how well the prices have held up....I hope one day you willl stumble over that t v program that shows the building process....Thanks Tony ps Howard you had me chuckeling ovey your`` glasses`` problem
No cup holders for me, thanks. While still waiting to be served by a little co-pilot robot under my orders (wait and see the new gizmos to come), I'd rather carry a dropper.
Regards,
Jose
May be the "reason" is there is no retractile cup holder in front console in bimmers sold in Europe. Neither my former 5 Series nor the current 335d have had it. My be BMW put retractile cup holders only in cars going to American market. May be even then BMW wants to make clear that such a nuisance is not fitting the driver-oriented style of the copkit :P . (Oh, please, I am half-joking / half messing around with the idea; is not my intention to start a wild discussion on if this is good for drivers or rather better for poseurs :mad: .)
That said, the truth is I usually have the central console plenty of things (iPod, little appliances, etc.,) the lateral door bags filled with sun-glasses (the polarized for comfortable driving, the non-polarized to see the radio/aux settings when I foreseen a boring trip :P , the additional ones for my wife [she insists in driving my car]). No place for a humble little bottle of water, which has to rumble free in the copilot seat when I drive alone.
Regards,
Jose
So you have a 335d? Not too much torque? :shades:
Regards,
Jose
So far I can tell BMW is capable of making the ultimate driving machine, in terms of great engine, tranny, and steering, etc related to driving, but totally sucks at making novelties like the right radio display, cupholder, or at least the right leather for the seats.
That's okay so long as you budget around $500 a month for the "authorities" who just may not share your point of view. :shades:
That's the fun of high torque, baby!
Regards,
OW
Regards,
Jose
At least that's something that can wake you up from a perfect luxury ride! Hope the 335d can do the same!
Regards,
OW
I usually press shortly DSC button to switch off traction control, as recommended by BMW, when the pavement is slippery (e.g., snow, mood, etc.). Quite effective. I have only switched off sliding control a couple of, I mean just two, times in the 335d. Not exactly in a track but a broad road without traffic. With my former 530d I did it also several times. Mmm, I won't do it in a real road. Too much stressed fun.
Regards,
Jose
I haven`t gotten my arms around the way I feel about the change from just a pure engine to a hybridized one....I like the principal of saving on gas, but just remembering a really simple pure engine---the kind I was brought up with--is hard to let go...As for the plastering of HBRID everywhere--things can be done with taste..
On the subject of taste, I find most of the new designed cars to fail imo...Honda leading the way, with the domestics right behind....It will take a long time for me to purchase --even a Ford-- domestic with the kind of prices they are asking....I frankly am not even interested if the price is twenty five percent higher than what it would really cost......What a bunch of `bull`....They need a different approach to selling cars...Tony ps What have you been up to Phil? Miss you posts, along with Dewey....:)
About 3 weeks ago, w/no change to my mobile software, these forums changed how they appear & load, & not for the friendly. Takes much longer to load, etc. & I use my mobile more than pc.
S5 is doing great! In fact, I was the neighborhood idiot washing her in the rain today. Mostly to get rid of the love bug stains from the front end that H & yourself talked about. If you don't get rid of them quick they tend to mold to the paint. That, & it was time to get rid of some brake dust. I can live with the spotting from the rain until next weekend.
No unscheduled trips to the dealer required so far. 5K service will be next week. Only question I need to ask them is why it's 50/50 when I can answer an incoming call. That's it & not crucial to me 'cause I can call back.
Last tank returned 21.9 mpg, highest yet, & I no longer baby her, so I'm impressed.
Biggest dissapointment is I can tell the tyres are losing grip fast.
Other than that, not a squeek nor a rattle!
Now I am thinking more of driving fun.
Regards,
OW
The only car out there that impresses me looks-wise is the Cayman.
I could eventually switch the 328i for a 335i, but it's the same old 3 Series design. As you know in many areas of LI, LA, South Florida, North Jersey, Ashville, but not Nashville.... they seem to be infested with 3 Series vehicles..... soooo common. I will eventually test drive a Cayman, hard seat and all. I would probably get one just to stick my tongue out at all the unimaginative conformists who drive 3 Series cars. :P
Call it... making a statement. :shades:
The darn service notification mileage indicator on my car has been stuck on 1200 miles to go (14,350 on the clock) for a while now. Regardless, when I have 14,800 miles driven, I make the call.
The 135i looks nice in red, but is also quite nice in my 328i's color, Alpine White.
I have yet to see any 1 Series vehicles on the road within 100 miles of where I live.
Are they selling well, relative to the 3 Series?
AW is the most popular color for the 1er, and for good reason. It really looks great in AW. And, you are obviously aware of the benefit of a white car in your climate, since you already made the wise choice of getting white with your 328i.
BTW, rented a 328i recently in L.A. The car could have handled a little tighter for my taste... and it had more power than I expected, but could use a little more low-end grunt... but overall, it's an impressive vehicle that is hard to fault.
Are they selling well, relative to the 3 Series?
I recently read that the car is selling well, given the economy... but I don't recall the numbers, sorry. I am seeing more and more of them on the road out here. Maybe you'll have one of the few in your area... either way, be ready for lots of curious stares, people asking questions about it, and lots of thumbs-up.
If you fit in one, believe me, you will fall in love with the drive. I am totally hooked on it.
TM
Once the vehicle is already in motion and you step on the gas, there is plenty of smooth refined power. As the C&D reviewer said back in the January 2008 comparo, "the revs. build quickly". When on the highway, the 328i does not urge you to go beyond 80 mph as the 545i did and as I'm sure the 335i, 135i and Cayman S would.
I'm glad you had a favorable impression of the 328i, a good car that we both know should be even better.
There are very few BMW's in my immediate area, so any BMW I drive is almost guaranteed to be unique. Yet there is one spunky older lady driving her 2007 Boxster around town and she does get the most out of it.
Like I said, I hope to compare the 135i Coupe to a 335i when I bring the 328i in for its free oil change within a month.
Hahaha, I myself am not very fond of white vehicles.
Hey, do you remember sometime back last year you tested an M3, I am not sure if it was you who posted or someone else.
Anyway, if it was you, I remember you mentioning the air conditioning wasn't working very well although it was turned on all the way up, yet you were sweating? :confuse:
If the dealer tells me he has 5 wonderful 335i coupes for me to drive-one each in black, red, silver, gray and blue, I will tell him to call me when he is in a more serious mood and has one in Alpine White.
By the way, in practically every serious poll of BMW drivers, whether it is of 3 Series or 1 Series drivers, the exterior color Alpine White most often comes out on top. :shades:
There is one exception to the Alpine White color being the most flattering BMW external color and that is the 135i convertible, which looks absolutely smashing in Titanium Silver.
So there you have it... totally without spin and unafraid. :shades:
That is correct.
Just to emphasize a point, I will insist that any future BMW vehicle I test drive must be Alpine White.
You can easily enough test drive any color... but always purchase the color you want.
I sometimes like it when the color I want isn't in inventory. That way, I still get to drive one, and then the salesman can't push me to "buy one today".
There is one exception to the Alpine White color being the most flattering BMW external color and that is the 135i convertible, which looks absolutely smashing in Titanium Silver.
Like mine, of course. Couldn't agree more.
TM
Regards,
OW
TM
It seemed to be a common problem as there were various complains regarding the AC that time, and most complaints came from M3 and 3series customers. Plus I've read articles from either C&D or MotorTrend saying their test units had AC problems too.
Hopefully they're fixed it now.
BTW, for those that aren't familiar, when I say "adjust the heat/cool proportion," I'm not talking about the temperature knob. In BMWs (maybe other cars, too) you can actually adjust the proportion of hot and cold air that the HVAC produces irrespective of where the temp knob is set. A neat feature if you want that much control; otherwise, just a nuisance.
The latest iDrive is much better... simpler and easier.
The older versions were more complicated and frustrating.
But... while credit for improvement is given, I am not about to let BMW off the hook on this... there are still a few areas within the iDrive interface that are overly complicated, illogical and/or downright stupid... and could indeed use some improvement.
TM
Dont know about everyone else's but my test car was indeed i-drive equipped, hell all M3s have iDrives as far as I know.
When I asked the salesman he just went blank on me, then the manager changed the cooling proportion setup for me. It barely changed anything though, it confused the heck out of him as well.
Oddly enough these problems just disappeared after a few months, so the dealer's manager suspected that they were defective units.
Though I liked the iDrive in my 2004 5-Series, I must acknowledge that at least the heating/cooling setting was quite laborious/unpractical.
And, because of it, it was a constant cause of harsh-exchange of words between my EW and I through long trips. As she always drive with her key and I with mine, every time she drove the car with me at her side, I quickly went to iDrive to change her heating/cooling settings, thus obliging her to change back again after. And vice-versa. And so on. Glorious quarrels. (She never understood why I liked iDrive altogether. She used/uses to say I love the illogic German logic.
Now it's easier but boring having to handle only with the console buttons. No iDrive in the 335d. Simple and effective, I must recognize.
Regards,
Jose
No, I think Porsche is the only brand that can (barely) get away with doing something similar on the 911 GT3 RS.
Somehow the car looks very unhappy in that picture, as if its saying "why are you doing this to me? I wasn't built for this! Stop it!"
Yes, Edmunds added one of those annoying "mobile" sites, and now any phone browser that is detected (including both my Nokia/webkit and Opera browsers) automatically default to the mobile site. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way around this. When you click on the "main site" link at the bottom of the mobile page, the cookie only lasts for 8hrs after which you have to do it again.
What I do is click on my Inside Line Forums favorite button which loads the mobile site, click on the main site button at the bottom of that, stop the load as soon as it starts, and then click on my Forums favorite button again, which takes me to the forums. Opera Mini is nearly desktop fast on wifi, so its only a minor hassle.