The Semi-Unofficial Pistol-Forum Car geek, gearhead, hot rodder, and vehicle thread

[OlongJohnson]

One of my coworkers got one of those. Said it was the slowest 500-hp car he'd ever driven. Sold it after about a year and a half.

He previously had an SC'ed Mustang, so he may have been expecting more low-RPM torque.

[RevolverRob]

It snowed 3” yesterday/last night, between the drifts and plowing there are a few places where it is 8-10” deep. So I had some fun with the FJ today. The Pirellis are sweet and while I didn’t need 4WD at any point today, I had some fun climbing over plow piles in the parking lot of Target earlier while my wife was in the store. She comes out to find me parked on a four foot high pile and says, “Are you having fun?”

“...No...”

(I was having fun).

[Bart Carter]

One of my coworkers got one of those. Said it was the slowest 500-hp car he'd ever driven. Sold it after about a year and a half.

He previously had an SC'ed Mustang, so he may have been expecting more low-RPM torque.

Any NA, 7,500 RPM car sacrifices low end torque. But the suspension, steering, manual trans and hearing that engine wind out is what makes it good to go for me. The DEC, 2019 Motortrend best driver's car comparison had it 2nd behind the new 911 Carrera S, but ahead of a lot of great cars, including the BMW M2 Competition.

[Maca]

The 2011 M3 sedan I'm driving now is a decent example of an analog car. No Nav, no iDrive, no sunroof, cloth and leather seats, 6-speed manual, Competition package with the adjustable suspension. Simple V-8 sedan. Analog dash displays, needle gauges and one small amber monochrome trip computer display with 5 functions. No bluetooth. Just drive.

The 2020 M4CS I'm looking at is the exact opposite, it is a digital (electric jet) cockpit. HUD with multiple displays, the dash display is much more complex, but not a full-color LED display like some of the 5/7/8 series cars. It still has tach and speed needles. It has iDrive/Nav/Apple CarPlay. Pages of menus in the iDrive to set and adjust every function of the car. LED headlights that actively steer, and dim the high beams with oncoming traffic. The euro-version will even steer the high beam away from the oncoming car at night, but keep the high beams on. Not approved yet in the US by the DOT. OLED tail lights, not sure why those are needed, but they sure are unique. Bluetooth, real time traffic, SOS, and there is even a fluffer function buried in the menus ( I jest). The Transmission, suspension, throttle and steering all have three levels of comfort/sport/sport+ settings. Plus shortcut buttons on the steering wheel to activate your desired profiles.

We spent 10 minutes where the salesman explained all the electronic functionality to me. Just getting the transmission out of Park and back into Park is non-intuitive. Those pesky german engineers. On the road it took me a while to understand how to transition the transmission from auto to semi-auto and back while driving. Paddle shifting versus the stick. Supposedly the engines are under-rated for power from the factory. Dinan tested the cars on the dyno, and found greater than the rated 425/444/454 bhp. The M4CS handles very well, with ample power to throttle-steer the car anywhere you want. The tires and brakes were excellent, although the temperature was a sunny 41 degrees when I drove it, so the Michelin Super Sports were cold and lacked some grip.

It is certainly strong contrast between an analog car and a digital one. I'm going to try the digital sports car for a while. I would not be surprised if I like it, but I would also not be surprised if I go back to and analog car (used) in a few years.

My daily is a 2018 m550i. All the same gizmos as the current m3/m4, minus the unnecessarily stiff suspension and farty exhaust. It’s fast, has incredible grip, especially in the wet, and is a very comfortable daily driver. But it is not engaging. If you love the analogue nature of your e92, I would recommend looking at a 911. I loved my e46 m3 but when that car got up in miles, I ended up with a 997 gt3.

BMW’s M products today are engineered with a different philosophy. They are fast, unnecessarily sharp, and they are full of gizmos that are useless day to day such as the Sport Plus setting that unnecessary turns up every point of feedback without making the car any faster.

[Trigger]

My daily is a 2018 m550i. All the same gizmos as the current m3/m4, minus the unnecessarily stiff suspension and farty exhaust. It’s fast, has incredible grip, especially in the wet, and is a very comfortable daily driver. But it is not engaging. If you love the analogue nature of your e92, I would recommend looking at a 911. I loved my e46 m3 but when that car got up in miles, I ended up with a 997 gt3.

BMW’s M products today are engineered with a different philosophy. They are fast, unnecessarily sharp, and they are full of gizmos that are useless day to day such as the Sport Plus setting that unnecessary turns up every point of feedback without making the car any faster.

I agree with you. I looked at 911s and Caymans. I drove a new 911S, a Cayman, Cayman S and a Cayman GT4. I loved the handling, but the performance did not seem to be that higher, and the cost was significantly more. The dealer had a used 911 GT3 with very low miles that I lusted after, but they were asking $156k, and that is way beyond what I’m budgeting. Maybe in a few years.

I agree that car manufacturers are not aiming at gear-heads as their target market. Something simple, light and well-powered would be great. If BMW had made a driver’s version of the i8 design with an M3 engine inside and a manual transmission, the world would have lined up. Instead it is a virtue signaling car that hits no target markets. Detroit is on the horsepower wars (Camaro ZL1, Mustang Cobra, Hellcat, Corvette) and that seems good, but they are overweight 4000+ pound porkers. 2700-3000 pounds would be just fine for a sports car.

But the average car buyer seems to view a car as an appliance, like a dishwasher. Put in dishes and soap, get clean dishes. Nothing more. Basic sedans are boring, uninvolving, and drive poorly. In some cases the blind spots and driver feedback is so bad that they make it too easy to be a bad driver. Neglect to see that you have a line of cars trapped behind you on the highway, blind spots so large you are afraid to change lanes, so you don’t. All buyers are interested in are the telematics: nav, music, CarPlay, traffic, rear seat tv/video, etc...

If I ever buy a minivan please shoot me. Now.

[GyroF-16]

Amen, Brother Trigger.

[Doc_Glock]

...

If I ever buy a minivan please shoot me. Now.

You’d be surprised at how nice they drive compared to the cookie cutter sedans and crossovers.

[RJ]

You’d be surprised at how nice they drive compared to the cookie cutter sedans and crossovers.

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[Jim Watson]

I have a van. Makes me the shooting match bus driver. My cronies don't have back seats.


Whatthehell is a Kia Stinger $53000?!!!

[OlongJohnson]

I have a van.

And a place to live down by the river, if you ever need it.