Our "own" car reviews

[PelicanHazard]

...oops, now I realize why the numbers are wrong. The 130HP configuration was for the Abarth 500 from years earlier. The 160HP is for the Esseesse package which I think has been made standard now (at least here in the States).

So you mean to tell me you gave me no end of grief with your talk of the engine blowing up from being overstressed and you were wrong the whole time?

 

[DanRoM]

Another work trip, another rental car. This time, I got a 2012 BMW 320d touring with a 6-speed manual - as good as new with just above 3,000 km on the clock and only a month on the road.

This is the car (for those who don't know what a 3 Series looks like ):

320d also means it was the most powerful car I have ever driven myself, with 135 kW and a top speed of 231 kph. Unfortunately, the car was on winter tyres rated only for 210 kph, so I couldn't reach top speed without having some serious explaining to do in case something happened. So I didn't, but instead tried out the speed limit warning feature which I set to the appropiate speed.

The car also has the glorious panorama sunroof which opened about two thirds of its length. Pity that it was a really cold day (and my drive nearly was Autobahn only).

Driver's view looks like this:

The car was fitted with HID headlights, cruise control (I'm beginning to love these), navigation system, phone connectivity, USB and AUX inputs for the Hi-Fi system... aaaand some other stuff, I'm sure. As I had only an hour's drive (well, and back) to cover, this time I didn't bother trying out the goodies of the Hi-Fi system, but just stuck to radio. The voice input for changing stations worked well, though.
I cannot not compare it to the Audi A4 I drove a few weeks back, though. And the BMW loses against that one in terms of interior quality and ergonomics. The iDrive control is too far back, and the menu structure is better on the Audi, as is the general feel of the interior. Let's have some interior pictures:

Front row looks nice enough, and there's even space in the back. The driver's seat is adjusted so I can sit and drive, and I'm not exactly short. I had the seat neither all the way back nor all the way down, which is unusual and shows just how low you can sit in a BMW (X Series not counted ). I have to say though, the Audi seats were just better. The adjustable side support in the backrest didn't make up for that.
And I didn't like the standing throttle pedal. It's a very individual matter because my feet are crippled, but I could not find a comfortable position for my right foot, except when I stepped hard on the gas. Otherwise, my heel had to rest about 10 cm away from the pedal with only the ball of the foot touching it, and I don't know if that's the idea behind a standing pedal. Well, on the way to my appointment, I used the cruise control, on the way back, I just "stepped on it".

Two more pictures of the boot in which I like the various measures to secure the load, and the opening back window which I like just because:

Now, how does the car drive?
First the good: It's RWD, and that's just better as we all know. Accelerating out of corners just feels better this way than with a FWD car. We all know it, but I've been driving FWD cars almost exclusively (I had a 3 Series two years back for a work trip, and my father owned an Omega ten years ago, but I didn't drive those with the same level of interest I have today) and it was kind of a revelation that even an Audi - which are also known for good suspension - can't get even remotely close. Unfortunately, yesterdays route involved nothing curvy, just Autobahn and some city driving, so I could not experience the layout change on a proper country road. Also good, the car is very, very quiet even at high speeds and due to having enough power, it's also rather quick (What's that sudden "bong"? Oh, the speed warning I set a 210... ). Oh, I got about 6.5 l/100 km overall, with it dropping below 6 on the first half of my drive when I just cruised along at 140 kph. Nice, real nice.
Now the bad stuff: The car felt wobbly. Seriously, I thought I was swimming. I just hope this was caused by a bad choice of winter tyres by the rental car company, because I can't believe a 3 Series should drive as bad as this one did. It didn't feel unsafe, however, I didn't have to slow down much because of it. What can't be put on the tyres, though, is the steering itself. The best way to describe it is that it felt like playing a racing game with a Force Feedback wheel. It didn't provide any connection to the road at all, instead just feeling artificial. And another thing, the gear shifter was annoyingly notchy, robbing all the fun out of having a manual. That are two serious disappointments for me and blew a big hole in my plan to own a BMW some day.

Overall verdict: Nice car, but the Audi A4 is better in just about everything except the choice which wheels are driven.

Edit: The very same car came back to my employer's parking lot today, so I took the chance to check what tyres were mounted. They were "Barum Polaris 3". Whatever that is, I can't be bothered to look it up.

 

[Perc]

You need to rent the new one to compare. This is an early 2000's car, after all.

 

[DanRoM]

You need to rent the new one to compare. This is an early 2000's car, after all.

The A4 was a B8 from before the 2011 facelift. The B8 was built from 2007. The 3 Series was a E90, which had a facelift in 2008, and was built before that from 2005. Not that much of a difference.

And besides, the bad points I mentioned (suspension/ride, steering, shifting) are all something that BMW is supposed to be brillant at as part of their claimed Freude am Fahren - I expect a BMW to be better than this, yes, also if it's a nearly ten-year-old construction.

 

[Ilpav]

Maybe all of that is due to the winter tires? They give you extra safety in the winter, but they take away ride quality and handling.

 

[M3lover]

Maybe all of that is due to the winter tires? They give you extra safety in the winter, but they take away ride quality and handling.

Yeah, a car magazine that recently tested the new 328i also said it was terrible, having the same gripes as DanRoM, and it was also on winter tires. They later tested it on proper sommertires and withdrew all of their complaints.

I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of the issues with the stability and steering is due to the tires.

 

[DanRoM]

I had another look at the car and checked which tyres are mounted (also edited in that info in the review post). The car sits on "Barum Polaris 3". Never heard of that one, but my guess is, they're el cheapo.

Taking that into consideration, I am willing to put down the swimmy handling to the tyres completely. The utter non-feeling of the steering only in part, though. It still felt like I had to fight against an electric motor holding the steering wheel in position, not like the wheels trying to steer straight, as it is supposed to...

 

[narf]

Barum is a Czech tyre manufacturer, owned by Continental since the early nineties. The ADAC thinks their Polaris 3 is decent for small cars.

 

[NooDle]

Maybe all of that is due to the winter tires? They give you extra safety in the winter, but they take away ride quality and handling.

Yes it is. I just spent the best part of 200 kms in the passenger seat of an identical 320d touring, and have not felt the same wobble, mainly (I think) due to it being on summer tyres

 

[McRae]

The gearchange is indeed pretty dire though, and you can't blame that on the tires Hasn't got any better in the new 3-series.

 

[NooDle]

The gearchange is indeed pretty dire though, and you can't blame that on the tires Hasn't got any better in the new 3-series.

But I can (and do) blame it on the driver

 

[JimCorrigan]

Day off; went and test drove an Audi S5. Looked exactly like the one in the photos below.






The 2012 edition, so the last year with the V8 before Audi swapped it for the supercharged 6 cylinder. Also, a manual transmission, with all the toys (including Jezza's fav: the B & O stereo).

What can I say? It's gorgeous to look at, gorgeous to sit inside. Makes a subtle, mellifluous noise. "Only" 354 hp makes it seem slow given the other cars in this "class", but unless you're the sort of bloke who measures his dick's inches every given night, and eyeballs other guys' in the shower and bathrooms (and consequently, you get your ass deservedly kicked on a regular basis), you shouldn't care. This *isn't* an M3, and honestly, if you want to track your car, don't get this one. It's not a "yee-haw" muscle car, and if you want one of those, look at the American *cough* Canadian *cough cough* Challenger and Camaro, and the Mustang, or the C63 if you want some refinement with your jollies. This is something (for me) better: it's a seamless integration of all of the above. AND with its AWD I can slap some snows on it and take it snowboarding. And through the Rockies mid-winter (yes, I do do that). AND it has big enough back seats and boot to carry people and stuff.

Couple the achingly sensuous looks; glorious, subtle noise; the push in the back as you floor it; the unbelievably smooth gear changes and clutch uptake, the soft, gapless dash (this one's for you, Rick!), all the toys you expect a car in this price range to have, and well; and the refinement of a car not made in North America (sorry, Challenger); the everyday British Columbian usability of AWD (sorry, AMG) and you have what I made reference to in the Random Thoughts thread a minute ago: it's the best all around car I've driven in a long time. Short of my desire for a dedicated roadster/convertible, this car hits all the rational buttons, AND it pushes the lustmeter to the top of the scale. It's that good.

Cock's car? Honestly, I think BMWs fit the stigma around here more (I have never been tailgated by the four rings, but I have countless times by the roundel), but I still don't care about that. If this *is* a cock's car, then stencil a dildo on my forehead and call me a cock. If it means I get to have this car, then so be it.

Verdict: If the Challenger is a corn-fed blonde with faint freckles, piercing blue eyes, and a dream to "make it" in the big city, and the AMG C-class is a "pantsuit by day, S&M whipping your ass" bitch come evening, then the S5 is altogether a different proposition: it's the girl you never bothered to think about for all the years you've known her. She's a friend, you have a great rapport, but you've never wanted to take it to another level for no particular reason. Then, just when you're tired, she brings you a warm drink. And a smile. And it hits you like a ball to the face: you see her in thick rimmed, stylish glasses, ponytail pulled back (librarian look), and just the top button undone on her blouse and you catch only the faintest glimpse of what appears to be a warm and inviting bosom. Then you feel something warm spread to areas that warm drink has no business spreading to. And that warm feeling persists into a slow burn.

I love this car.

 

[rickhamilton620]

Day off; went and test drove an Audi S5. Looked exactly like the one in the photos below.

View attachment 8547

View attachment 8548


The 2012 edition, so the last year with the V8 before Audi swapped it for the supercharged 6 cylinder. Also, a manual transmission, with all the toys (including Jezza's fav: the B & O stereo).

*snipped*

I love this car.

Aww a shoutout! V8 = excellent choice...while the 6 cylinder is good there's something about a V8.

 

[Lastsoul]

I hate the fact that 90% of A5s around here seem to be Sportscoupes Sportsback. Not an ugly car by all means, but it just loses everything that's right on the proper A5 Coupe.

 

[Eye-Q]

You mean Sportback, not Sportscoupe, do you? But yes, I have to agree, the Sportback isn't as good looking as the Coup?.

 

[Lastsoul]

Thanks, I stand corrected

 

[NooDle]

So, a colleague of mine was fretting about getting her winter tyres fitted because she didn't dare drive it on the ramp... I asked if she would mind if I did it and she jumped at the opportunity

So I had a chance to drive the....

Peugeot 5008 1.6 HDI

It was only about an hour or so, and heavy traffic meant I only covered 50ish kms, but I did get a good impression of the car itself.

1. Comfort and interior

I was expecting it to be like my wifes Xsara Picasso, as (IIRC) this has the same chassis as the new C4 Picasso. I was quite surprised to find this interior, which could not be further from the dull and oldschool interior the Citroen has. If you put them side by side you can clearly see the differences :

I know the 5008 is much newer but the difference was profound. It did help that this was the fully loaded version with pop up GPS screen, bluetooth and every other connectivity known to man, with heated leather everything. Still, this had a firmer ride (which is strange considering this is a family/kids carrying car).

It also helped that the system was very straightforward, and I could jump in and play with all the functions without having to read 400 pages of manual.

2. Engine

While not known to be a race monster, I did expect a tiny bit more from the engine. 110 hp from a 1.6 is nothing to write home about, but the lack of torque was painfully there. Of course, it didn't help that it was equipped with this :

Kickdown was a laugh, since the auto mode shifts up verrrry early (55kph = 5th gear for some reason). So kicking its arse meant you needed 3 (!!) downshifts and about 10 (!!) seconds before it got moving....
It did have the optional steering wheel paddles which worked fine, but what's the point of getting an auto if you're going to shift yourself all the time?

One weird thing : you could tell this was a manual box converted to auto : if you put it in D and let go of the brake pedal, nothing happened... only if you touch the throttle, you started to move... weird at first.

I did find it had an S button, which meant the engine finally allowed you to rev the nuts off it (and get some decent acceleration at last), but downshifts were very jerky as a result...best leave it in auto and just be sensible, it's not the type of car that invites you to flog it... if you do it sort of looks at you like "what are you doing dude, the kids are gonna puke all over my lovely leather if you keep this shit up".

3. Handling

I didn't take it to the track but did try some frantic acceleration and lets call it "swift" cornering... all of which resulted in a tiny bit of tyre squeal and lots of body roll followed by understeer. Safe, boring, predictable... yet better than my wife's Citroen again (it rolls ALL over the place)

4. Sensible stuff
Interior space is massive, even with the weird console/gear lever thing, seats are comfortable, rear passengers have about the same space and the boot is enormous.

Parking brake was counter intuitive too (you can pull a lever and turn it on, but you can't turn it off... you have to drive off and it disengages automatically....)

It did drink a lot I thought, managing to do 8 l/100 kms on that short stint while Peugeot claim it can do around 6.

Overall : a decent 7, I was very surprised by the comfort and interior, but let down in driveability, probably largely due to the autotragic box. I imagine giving it a 2.0 l diesel and a manual would help massively

 

[McRae]

The 1,6 HDI/TDCI is for Focus-size cars and nothing bigger. And maybe the slushbox works better with the 2-liter diesel.

 

[narf]

I had that engine in a 3008, and there it could have done with a bit more oomph.

 

[Perc]

Lots of repmobile Volvo V70s and S80s are sold with that 1.6 liter diesel as well. It won't break any land speed records but you get like 1200km from a tank and it, apparently, has enough guts to be a daily driver. I don't think it would be any worse than a perfectly normal 2.3 liter 940, in any case.

And the box in the 5008 isn't a slushbox per se, it's a robotized conventional box with a single clutch. As far as I know, the box itself is identical to the one you get in the manual version. The verdict on it seems to be that it's fine if you take it for what it is, but don't expect it to be as smooth as a proper auto or a DSG. The gearchanges aren't any worse than they would be if you did them yourself, but they just annoy you a lot more when someone else is doing them for you.

Dimwitted kickdown and early upshifts sounds like programming issues, or perhaps just the result of an adaptive gearbox and your coworker's driving style. Someone that is afraid of driving into a tire shop is probably not going to spend much time above 2000rpm.