Driven: 2011 135i vs WRX

Earlier I wrote that the BMW 135i was a mini M3. Well, after having the pleasure to drive a new 2011 135i, 6-speed man, w/sport package, I have to give an update. First, I'm 6'3, so getting into and out of the 1 is a task. Also headroom is nill compared to my wrx. The shifter was smooth yet a bit vague feeling. The steering felt stiff and somewhat artificial. The car had issues getting off the line at full power due to all the low end torque. These were my only issues with the car. Other than that, it's a great ride and it hauls. For comparison I had the opportunity to do some 50-120 pulls with the 1 while I was in my 2010 wrx. I had the 1 by a half a length till about 90, after that the 1 pulled away. This car is amazing at high speed. Go flat out and before you know it you'll be doing 130mph and will barely feel it. The wrx on the other hand, after you hit 110-115, you start to feel the speed in the steering wheel. And the rex cant pull like the 1 when you get past 90. The car's true value lies in it's pure speed. Add a chip, downpipe, intake and you can take on m3's and 911's with ease. The handling is nicely balanced as a bmw should be. It feels dialed in, connected to the road. But being the driver of an awd car, it is easy to sometimes feel a bit insecure midcorner. And you cant get on the gas as soon as you can in the subie. That being said, if I were 2 inches shorter, I'd trade in my wrx for a 135 in a heartbeat.

Auto Mags and Their Prime Demo

I wanna talk about automotive magazines. I get a subscription to four different automotive magazine. As we all know, men drive cars as well as women. Cars are a universal thing among race, class and gender, almost everyone has a car of some sort. Whether it be a $300 1988 chevy impala or 1.6million dollar bugatti veyron, it seems everybody has a car of some sort. That being said, I had a revelation, all of these magazines are targeted at white, upper-middle class men. They are highly gendered and I believe, through the ads and other cues, that they are targeted at affluent white males.
In the back of the magazines there are ads for viagra, cialis, levitra and other natural male enhancers. There are ads for pheromones that guarantee that they will attract women to you. "10x!!!", it reads. There are also ads for men's accessories such as watches, hats and clothing. There are almost no pictures minorities or women in the ads. My point is that if it is an automotive magazine, and everyone of every race, gender and class have cars, shouldn't there be ads for women as well? Or they could at least not be so blatant in their main demographic.

Miniature M3

Since it's debut a few years ago BMW's 1 series has been a hit among frugal buyers of smaller stature. Since it's introduction in 1986, the BMW M3 has set the benchmark in the luxury performance market. But with the 135i, you can have M3 performance and luxury for 20 grand less. This "pocket M3" has nearly identical acceleration figures. 60 comes in only 4.7 seconds and it goes on to beat the M3 by a hair in the quarter mile. Handling is also very similar, the 135 can hold .94g on the skidpad compared to the M3's .96. Many also note that the 135 also has more comfort over bumps and a better overall poise. Both cars offer the same features as well, they even offer the same twin clutch automated manual tranny. The best thing about it is that it is cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain. When it comes to BMWs, you must follow the simple rule to maintenance costs. The higher the number on the back of the car, the more it's gonna cost to fix. And if there's an M in front of, double that number. So if you do the math, the 135 should be almost half as expensive to service. Bottom line is that the 135i is slightly faster than a 335i and slightly slower than an M3. So one could say that the 135i bridges the gap (performance wise) between the 335 and the M3. But the catch is that its the cheapest of the three.

The Numbers Don't Always Add Up

There is talk that many drivers, such as wrx drivers, are blinded by their cars cult-like following. They are not open to other cars and only look at the stats the numbers. 0-60;quarter mile;slalom;skidpad etc. We are a people of discerning tastes when it comes to cars. Younger buyers, I believe, are attracted to these kinds of numbers. It's all about hanging out in the parking lots of Krispy Kreme's and In and Outs and comparing 0-60 times, skidpad adhesion and slalom speeds based on the numbers given to them by MT,CD,RT. WRX drivers could easily convince themselves that their cars are superior based on a sub 5 second 0-60 time or the fact that it has all wheel drive. Mazdaspeed owners could brag about it's .90g skidpad and all the options from leather seats to swiveling xenons and a "micronav" interface. Ralliart drivers could brag about the dual clutch gearbox and...thats about it. But my point is everyone has a reason for buying a car. Many cars in this price range have fanboy cult followings.The true enthusiast makes his choice based on his experience in knowing that it is not about the bragadocious numbers but the feel/soul of the car. See MT's article by Arthur st. antoine.

Europe vs US

I recently took a trip to Italy and got to drive my rented Fiat Punto on the autostrada. Hooray! lol. So maybe driving a car that has a top speed of 96mph and a 0-60 more worthy of a 14 year old's scooter is a little dull. But I can tell one thing, I only had to fill the 12 gallon tank once, and I drove over 600 miles. The car got about 40-50 MPG. And I wasn't the only one. Everywhere I looked, everyone drove minicars that were run on diesel. Going to Italy's Tuscan wine country, I was let down in that I expected to see Enzo's and Lambo's cruising around at 120+. Instead it was just a bunch of wussy econoboxes that sipped on diesel like it were a fine wine, an 84 Chateau Margeaux possibly. But here's the catch, we are a country obsessed with our cars. They are our second homes, our status symbols, our american contagion. Europeans are far more eco sensitive than Americans, especially when it comes to transportation. All the VW's, Fords, BMWs, Mercs and Chevy's are retrofitted to have little tiny engines that run on diesel and average up to 76mpg. AND THESE ARE NOT HYBRIDS. MPGs are doubled and carbon footprints are cut in half. A perfect example is the new Ford Fiesta. IS the US it gets a 1.6 liter that gets 35mpg and has a Carbon Footprint of 261gram per mile. The UK version gets a 1.6 litre diesel that is capable of 76mpg and a carbon footprint of 157. We need to get our priorities straight. What is more important to us? Performance or Economy? We are too obsessed with getting from A to B quickly. Lets live like italians and relax. Cruise the highways at a safe speed and be courteous to our fellow motorists.Just to give you an idea of how disinterested we currently are with these European cars. Road and Track magazine gives the stats of all the cars it has tested in the back of each issue. There was only one euro-enviro-like vehicle tested. It was the VW Golf TDI with a tested 38.9mpg. Of course the tested some Teslas too. But we need to expand our taste of enviro friendly vehicles beyond the Supercarish Tesla, which is essentially one of its kind right now. Please correct me if Im wrong on that.

Read more: http://forums.motortrend.com/70/8287695/future-concept-vehicles/the-future-of-transportation/index.html#8221876#ixzz0psnB71X6

Pony cont..

I recently wrote about how today's Mustang is no longer the "one trick pony" it has been in the past. I pointed out that it's handling, and specifically grip, have drastically improved over the models of yesteryear. But I failed to mention the huge improvement in fuel economy. The said Mustang V-6 gets almost 30mpg highway, thats incredible when you look at the figures of the Pony cars of the 1960's. The question is, "will the internal combustion engine find ways to cope with rising gas prices and environmental pressures or will there be an automotive revolution?" With oil spilling uselessly into our Gulf Coast at thousands of barrels an day, it's good to know that u wont have to be stopping at the pump every other day. Especially when the effects of the BP spill hit the gas prices.

Read more: http://forums.motortrend.com/70/8201525/sports-high-performance-cars/pony-cars-no-longer-a-one-trick-pony/index.html#8221747#ixzz0pskpsJcr

Read more: http://forums.motortrend.com/user/01/NewThread/30103/index.html?ForumId=30103#ixzz0opYFFvKk

Say Goodbye to the One Trick "Pony"!

Forty years ago the Pony car was introduced to America. It was you basic Mustang or Camaro. They had huge engines and put up great numbers in the quarter mile as well as their 0-60 times. The downside to these one trick Pony's was just that: they only accelerated quickly. The new Pony cars are more than just big wild beasts, they're nimble as well. The affordable new base Mustang can get to 60 in about 5 and a half seconds and pull .95g on a skid pad, that grip is almost as good as the rally-bred Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. This performance is all for around 23 large, thats cheaper than my Subaru; maybe I should have reconsidered...buyer's remorse, well...possibly a little.