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11-02-2013, 10:35 AM | #1 |
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I had the chance to drive the new 435M yesterday as part of a BMW promotion to help support Olympic athletes.
The event was well run and featured about 40 laps on two different tracks at the British Columbia Driving Centre near Vancouver. After the event, I am a little saddened as my "brand" has become something different than what I grew up on. When I met Hans-Joachim Stuck at the ALMS race in 1998 at Laguna Seca driving his M3, I was sold on the ultimate driving machine. Since then I have owned 6 BMWs including 4 M3s However, after this last BMW event I am not sure that M has anything to do with Motorsport. Wait - I guess that is it ... The target audience for BMW is clearly the luxury buyer that wants a few ///M logos splattered on their 'drive by wire' do it all for you car that can make even the novice driver feel like a hero at a stop light. I must have heard the comment 10 times that the 8 speed auto is three tenths faster 0 to 60 than the manual, and that was from the BMW representatives. The 435M is a nice car; no soul, no character, but thankfully it has every driving nanny in the world to help the "driver" be successful. I guess it is the fact that most people since gen-x have grown up learning how to drive while playing Gran Turismo on their PlayStation. The best part was that you could use the Navi system to help get around the course while talking on your Bluetooth ... Oh ya' sadly no cell phones were allowed while driving. As the event ended and depression was starting to take over, I opened the door on my comfort access equipped E90 M3, used the memory setting to get my seat to the right place, pressed the start button then the power switch, set the EDC to firm, made sure DSC was engaged and said thanks to the BMW gods for my 8400 rpm, naturally aspirated V8 with 6 speed manual ... Let the driving begin! Last edited by scrammer; 11-02-2013 at 11:37 AM.. |
11-02-2013, 09:02 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
Please re-read the last paragraph … the only person getting called out here is me and my car as it is loaded with all of the same "driver aids" that make me feel like a hero too!!! PS: I also run the climate control in the auto mode. Last edited by scrammer; 11-03-2013 at 10:13 AM.. |
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11-03-2013, 07:35 PM | #5 |
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I had the same feelings (BMW promotion in Ottawa). I drove 435M, the clutch felt heavy and awkward but gearbox was very smooth (6MT). Few times I had no idea where the front wheels are. The worst part was the M badges, I counted 5.
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