E46 vs E90

At first I thought the new 3 Series (E90) was a dud when compared to the E46 in the looks department. the E46 just seems like one of those cars that will look good for years to come. This has been the case with most past BMWs. I am not sure what time will do to the sharp creases that BMW favors now, but I will say that the new 3 is growing on me. It certainly offers a lot of cool features and, as always, ups the power quotient.

Someone but together a great comparison of the two here. I agree wholeheartedly that the E90 has one of the worst cup holder designs ever ... although those crazy Scandinavians at SAAB seem to be pretty good at engineering an ergonomic beverage disaster.

Thanks to Kristopher Lindquist for doing this review. I enjoyed reading something other than a magazine article where the journalists are more focused on finding a cute or clever remark to make than providing insight an everyday driver can appreciate.

A TC is not a race car

I like Scions. They are kind of quirky, have unbelievable quality for the price, and have an interesting sales structure. The TC is a cool car with a lovely sunroof and a capable FWD chassis from the Toyota Avenis (not sold in the US). It is not a race car. Regardless of that fact, nearly every time I see one it is being piloted by some spikey-haired Asian fellow (not the same one ... at least I don't think so), has a giant asshole muffler, and is weaving uncontrollably in and out of traffic.

I loath Scions. I take it all back. I loath them now because when I see one in my rear view it undoubtedly means someone is trying to live out their Playstation Grand Turismo wet dream at my expense. "Why my expense" you ask? Seemingly these Scion Samurai seem to think a BMW 3-series is part of the same ecosystem/food chain as them and are always trying to race me. I do not for a moment pretend that a 325i is a very fast car. "Quick" is the best I can give it. Regardless, I am not really into street racing and my usual response is to maneuver my car in a way that boxes the little tike in. My feelings about the latest infraction, which occurred on the way into work this morning, and the driver's prowess can be summarized by this haiku:

Giant Exhaust Can
Could it be Asian Thunder?
Limp Ramen Noodle

Infiniti has sand in its, um, ...ear

So Infiniti lost to BMW in a battle in the Canadian courts over its use of the "M" moniker by itself to represent the M35/45. Infiniti has been introducing the cars as "the new M". While this seems petty, fair is fair for the Japanese cry-babies. Infiniti sued Audi for the use of the "Q" in Q7. Does anyone out there even remember the Q45? I say BMW has a lot more in the game than Infiniti when it comes to this letter of the alphabet. BMW has a whole subsidiary simply named "M".

What is curious to me is why Infiniti/Nissan has not raised this before. If there is any letter that they have ties to, it is the "Z". BMW has been using Z to identify all of its roadsters (Z1, Z3, Z4, and Z8). Perhaps it was the fact that the "Z" became the "ZX", or the gap in production. Perhaps it is because they have just been biding their time...waiting to strike when we least expected it. They are sneaky that way.

Read the news here.

1 Series coupe spied

I have always had a thing for quirky cars. Maybe that is why I loved the M-Coupe. Maybe that is why I have wished for the 1 Series to make it to our shores. The 1 Series is available everywhere else in the world as either a two or four door hatchback. I have always kind of liked hatchbacks - they are practical beyond belief and the thought of one quells the panic attacks about how I am going to bring the latest Ikea or Home Depot haul back to my pad. Unfortunately for us, BMW is a little gun shy about sending a hatch across the pond after the whole 318ti show. Do you remember the 318ti? If not, I don't blame you. It looked like a regular 3 series that had been in a serious rear end collision. Not too many people bought it. Oddly enough, though, it is a model that is doing extremely well on the used market today. BMW has gone back and forth on it for some time now, and has instead suggested it will come over as a coupe and possibly convertible. While I like the hatch, I would still be excited to see it come regardless. As the 3 series has grown in size and price, it has left a nice spot at the bottom of the chain. The 1 Series is similar in size to the E30 3 series of the '80s and has been touted as the spiritual successor to the beloved 2002. We will see about that.

Edmunds is reporting that it will likely arrive in 130i trim, meaining we would have a small rear wheel drive coupe with 230 horsepower and 200 pound feet of torque for under $30k. I would be surprised if they put the new twin-turbo in it, as it might cannibalize the Z4 M Coupe (at least in current form). Either way it looks good and has my attention. As you can see from the pic, that adonis of a man is fueling up what looks to be a pretty complete car. If this were available when I bought the 325, I probably would have ponied up for a new car. God that guy is sexy.

BMW does hydrogen

Although not exactly new news, I recently read an actual road test of the BMW Hydrogen 7 on Edmund's Inside Line. While it sounds like big 7 is unremarkable in the context of BMW's other sport sedans, it is an amazing showcase of technology that proves engineering a viable, well-mannered hydrogen car can be done. In addition, it manages not to look like a small Japanese shoe or some cartoonish high-riding mini-truck as Honda might have done. Although looking like a 7 series is no great compliment in itself. Even with the recent taillight updates, it looks as if some giant creature dropped a metallic turd on the trunk. At the end of the day though, this car is about bragging rights. The fact of the matter is that there is nowhere to fuel it because no one wants to make the fuel. More fossil fuel gets burned processing the liquid hydrogen than the car would have burned in the first place. Now that is an inconvenient truth [speak out loud in constipated Al Gore voice].

E-gad! BMW E-codes

Starting after the iconic 2002, BMW began using "e-codes" for each generation of a series ("E" stands for Entwicklung, which is crazy German for evolution). These only change to signify a major redesign of a series, or the introduction of a new series. A lot of enthusiasts use these codes to differentiate years, because saying you have a "325", or even a 2005 "325", can be meaningless. People also use it to be pompous.

BMW AG reported in September 2006 that BMW will switch to the letter "F" for their future models, beginning with the F01 numbering for the 7 series replacement. I personally think it is idiotic for BMW to abandon what has been a tradition for some time. Future vs. Evolution? Hmmmm. The thing I have always liked about BMWs is that they were evolutionary and stuck close to their "Ultimate Driving Machine" roots. I hope this does not indicate a paradigm shift at BMW. Yeah - I used "paradigm".

• E3 (1968–1977) 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.3 "New Six" sedans
• E9 (1969–1975) 2800CS, 3.0CS, 3.0CSL "New Six" coupés
• E12 (1972–1981) 5 Series
• E21 (1975–1983) 3 Series
• E24 (1976–1989) 6 Series
• E23 (1977–1986) 7 Series
• E26 (1978–1981) M1
• E28 (1981–1988) 5 Series
• E30 (1982–1992) 3 Series
• E32 (1986–1994) 7 Series
• E34 (1988–1995) 5 Series
• E31 (1990–1999) 8 Series
• E36 (1991–1999) 3 Series
• E36/5 (1995–1998) 3 Series Compact (known as 318ti in US)
• E36/7 (1996-2002) Z3 Series Roadster
• E38 (1994–2001) 7 Series
• E39 (1996–2003) 5 Series
• E36/8 (1998-2002) Z3 Series Coupé
• E46/4 (1998–2005) 3 Series Sedan
• E46/3 (1999–2005) 3 Series Touring/Sports Wagon
• E46/2 (1999–2006) 3 Series Coupé
• E46/C (1999–2006) 3 Series Convertible
• E46/5 (2000–2004) 3 Series Compact
• E52(2000–2003) Z8
• E53 (2000–2006) X5
• E65 (2002–2007) 7 Series short wheelbase
• E66 (2002–2007) 7 Series long wheelbase
• E67(2002–2007) 7 Series Protection
• E60 (2004–present) 5 Series
• E 61(2004–2007) 5 Series Touring/Sports Wagon
• E63 (2004–present) 6 Series coupé
• E64 (2004–present) 6 Series convertible
• E83 (2004–present) X3
• E87 (2004–present) 1 Series
• E85 (2003–present) Z4
• E90 -(2005–) 3 Series
• E91 (2005–present) 3 Series Touring/Sports Wagon
• E92 (2006–present) 3 Series Coupé
• E70 (2007-present) X5
• E93 (2007–present) 3 Series Convertible
• E86 (2006–present) Z4 Coupe
• E88 (2008) 1 Series Convertible
• E89 (2009) Z4 roadster
  

You should not own a BMW if...

...you feel that you are somehow empowered to stick M3 badges all over your 318. Or if you have convinced yourself that BMW made an E34 M5 wagon (although they just did introduce a new one). Or if you think you have a better handle on the aerodynamic needs of a Bavarian autobahn stormer than the folks who birthed the beast.

A BMW Motorsport Division (now simply "M") vehicle is a serious thing, and you are not fooling anybody. Seriously folks, what are you thinking. I want to vomit every time I see a fine German auto treated this way. It should be illegal for companies to even create clear "Altezza" lights for a BMW. Furthermore, there is not a legit after-market accessory made for a BMW that can be picked up at your local AutoZone. I don't even know what else to say. I am embarrassed for all of you and can only hope you are sterile.

Check out this great page where no-talent ass-clowns go to swap fluids. The site, which is stocked full of BMW nightmares, has been around a while. May God have mercy on you all.

Topasblau

Here she is. My current ride is a 2002 325i. I went back and forth between a BMW 3 series and the Lexus IS and GS models, being admittedly intrigued by the similarities in layout to the Germans while having impeccable reliability. Who doesn't like that? In the end, though, the BMW won me over. I looked long and hard for a good example. Out of the blue one day, I came across an extremely well maintained car at a decent price from a private seller. The car was a 5-speed manual (a must have) and featured the sport package (ZSP) with 17" wheels/summer tires, sport suspension, sport seats, and sport steering wheel. Standard sport fare for BMW. These first two items are very rare in the D.C area, with manuals being rare and ZSP manuals even rarer. It also has the premium package, giving luxury goodies such as wood trim, power seats, and gray leather among other things. Beyond that, it has wonderful HID headlamps, heated seats, and an outstandingly mediocre harman/kardon "premium" sound system. It is also Topaz Blue (topasblau) metallic and not the Booz-Allen staff-car silver.

Some might wonder why I went for a 325 instead of the 330. As an "enthusiast" I should have gone with the 330, right? While I cannot say I would not rather have a 330, I am completely happy with the deal I found. The car had 29k miles with all records and had been garaged its whole life. The orginial owner was moving back to England and tried to get rid of it, but had no takers presumably because of the manual transmission and lack of warranty. He had given up and had arranged to have it shipped to England with him. I could not pass the deal up. The other point is that a well driven manual 325 is plenty capable of moving out and getting you into trouble. It just takes a little more effort and skill to keep in boiling. That is part of the fun though. All things being equal I would have gotten a 330 - but things are rarely equal. At the end of the day, I would rather have a pristine 325 than a questionable 330.

Why we are here

Why are we here? Well...I am not sure about you, but I am here because I thought it would be fun to write a little bit about BMWs and the surrounding culture. I used to maintain another blog, motorchrome, but found writing a general automobile blog a little overwhelming for a single person who has an unrelated [very] full-time job. Narrowing my focus a bit may help keep this going a bit.

I only very recently became a BMW owner, although I have been a frequent driver of the family E30 325i cabriolet - 5 speed of course. I have also had the privilege of spending lots of wheel-time with the E36 family thanks to a good friend of mine. What I can attest too, however, is that I appreciate a focused, sporting automobile - and this is where BMW comes in. I have always admired the BMW brand for holding tight to its roots. Every BMW I have ever driven, from 318 to M5, has made me smile and think "now this is a fine car".

I also may have a slight case of OCD and tend to become ravenous in my research. I spent countless hours leading up to the purchase of my 325i examining all options and possibilities, and the same care is placed in everything from the type of tires I used to the brand of wax. I hope that this quirk of mine will be beneficial for someone out there.