Archive for the '' Category

You feel now as we felt then.

Thursday, September 29th, 2022

Amidst all the hubbub over XM you’d think no one had paid a lick of attention to the crash course and unabashed curse BMW has binged on for two decades.

It’s an affront to BMW! To my eyes! To good taste and sense and aesthetics! To UDM! To design itself.

Twenty years ago E65 was the same punch in the chest. The same disillusionment, and dismay. To that this adds SUV, which we’ve had 5 more years to accept they’re capable of doing well, and the defecation upon M, which they’ve done repeatedly since before Y2K.

Then they had Range Rover to take the high road to China. Now the X7 isn’t skyscraper enough. The iX too restrained. And the X5 and X6 and X3 and X4 Ms too constrained and contained.

So we get this second coming of sheet metal bent around components it seemingly reluctantly and then resignedly fails to contain. Another mule let out early, another sketch retrieved from the waste bin.

Both look like what MJ might create. Both refuse to be ignored, a la Fatal Attraction.

And that’s the beauty of it, even if beautiful is not what one can call it.

Where I couldn’t bring myself to look at the 7er then, and still cannot, this time I haven’t been able to look away. When I saw it in person some weeks ago, spent far longer walking around it in eccentric circles, my eyes and brain picking up on different strains and refrains the way you do at an art gallery. Something modern, pretentious, inscrutable, but somehow undeniably labored over. Even if you wish like hell it had been aborted.

Yet as E65 signaled what’s to come, so does this. If you can’t see why they did it, you haven’t been paying attention, nor are you the buyer paying for such an invention.

Like the X5 and the Cayenne, the DBX and the Macan, the Urus and the Purosangue, it will print money the way Elon fans somehow still believe their latent and perennially late Robotaxis will. And if we’re lucky those who line up to buy it will fund projects that are more our speed and cup of green tea.

Between this and E65, I’ll take this. 20 years on that tangled bungle still looks unfinished, whereas 20 from now I suspect this’ll appear they completed their homework early.

Histories of the Unexplained: The next C63S throws us a curve ball.

Friday, September 23rd, 2022

When we are young we learn that some animals are expected to sink or swim immediately after birth.

Others, like humans, are given more time to be set up for success and survival.

Cars tend to be more like the former.

I’ve been observing the industry for near 40 years and working in it for about 30.

And seemingly not a week goes by that a car isn’t released into the world without the proper support it needs from those who have one job: to bring it to market and market it.

In this series we will discuss cars that aren’t quite given what they need by their makers to succeed, and so are immediately lambasted by the public and the press.

Unexplained and therefore unappreciated.

Here we will attempt to right history.

The most recent example is the Mercedes Benz C63S revealed to the world yesterday, after months to years of forewarning that it would be powered by half the cylinders and would likely be some form of Hybrid (to achieve even higher outputs.)

The internet did not take well to the news, even if the news wasn’t exactly new.

Now don’t get me wrong; I was a huge fan of the huge V8 they shoehorned in the W204 C63. And I too did not take well to the news a generation ago that that V8 had been replaced by a one with a third of the capacity lopped off and two turbochargers plopped on.

But in usual fashion, Mercedes did the hard work, engineering the system well enough that the response and even the sound did a good impression of the former motor and made a good impression overall. Once I drove the W205 I was pleasantly surprised at how it felt consistent. And I think they’ll aim to achieve that best they can where they can, and aim for something compelling in exchange if they’re making a gamble such as this.

I’m no fan of the inline 4, but I think it helps to remember that the performance Benz didn’t start with the AMG Hammer, but rather the 190E 2.3 -16. This performance C class precursor was powered by an I4 not a I6 or V8. A high winding one. While that shifted to I6 and V8 as the cars got larger the precedent is there.

When it comes down to it, yes the next C63 will sound disappointing to those outside. But that may be a welcome relief, given how obnoxiously loud the last ones could get. In fact Mercedes was quick to point out the car can be started silently and move on EV alone if you’re leaving the house early. So while the car in the videos was meek, European models tend to have different exhaust components and tuning and noise pollution standards are a consideration. And we have yet to experience what the car will sound like to the driver and occupants, even if they sound ends up having to be enhanced artificially and again, electrically.

This is a hybrid. Which could be one to stick around for quite some time. If so, it could be a pattern for what the car is to become. And even if it doesn’t, that just means it could be one of the most singular cars ever done, whether you like how it goes about its business or not.

But it’s not a hybrid in the perjorative sense. This is how Corvette is going to do it. How Porsche is going to do it. How F1 has been doing it for years. That’s right; while they’re not using the KERS, that’s what this is looking more like, because kinetic energy recovery is a decidedly hybrid thing.

It’s also important to look not at just the weight but where the weight is carried. And not just the outputs but where they are deployed.

The trade off for not being able to hear the V8 is not having the mass of a V8 under the hood. As heavy as the next car is, it looks set to be better balanced, and have that mass shifted from where you don’t want it to where you do. On the rear wheels rather than the fronts. The current 5 series is an interesting steer in hybrid form for this reason. Perhaps more so even than the vaunted I6 cars. Because it has a slightly rear bias to its distribution of 51:49. (Update: the distribution on the C63S is an even more promising 48:52.)

Combine that with the immediacy of electric drive at the rear and an electric turbocharger feeding the 4 pot and things are looking good that it won’t exactly have slow reflexes or responses.

And then there’s the addition of the rear wheel steering. You can see how the car bends around corners already. And I’m sure the system will shrink the sense of size and mass.

In the end I think the car will be vindicated by those who take the time to drive it , even if it’s not likely to be validated by those who don’t.

It’s an entirely different approach than the one they’ve taken, and while it’s not on paper my cup of tea I applaud the bravery of throwing away the successful recipe and starting nearly from scratch. We doubted they could do an AMG worthy 4 cylinder and they did. Then we doubted they could do an AMG worthy A class and they did.

What’s more troubling to me than the C63S is that just as the W204 acknowledged a trend to the V8 up front, others may follow suit as tends to happen. Another thing that tends to happen: not all engineers approach the problem with the same attitude or budget.

Remember too that the C63 comes at a time when AMG has been engineering the One, a hybridized F1 motored hypercar. What they’ve been struggling with there and learning from their struggles has to have affected where they netted out here.

Let’s just hope that the final result is more compelling than the One and more compelling than the C43, which also has a 4 pot, 4 wheel steering, and 4 wheels driven. The C63 needs to punch hard with that rear motor to differentiate itself from the C43. It needs to show why AMG built it, and didn’t just apply the C63 label to a C43 with the power and magic applied more emphatically.

To wear the AMG badge, it needs to. And to be let out as an AMG after their recent string of hits I think there’s a good chance it will.

Mazda CX50: After trying so hard at high fi, Mazda takes the Bose approach.

Saturday, August 6th, 2022

You have to admire the chutzpah of Mazda. The tenacity. The daring.

Here’s a company that burned its hand on Amati, was bedded and abused by Ford, and has set its sights on achieving its dreams since it became single again.

If anything defines their upmarket aspirations and global thinking it’s the CX5. Refined, right sized, and a super happy fun ball on a mountain road.

But the CX5 requires time and patience to understand. It doesn’t shine on a test drive, doesn’t make a great elevator pitch on the showroom floor.

The rear seat is snug, the chassis requires you be comfortable with roll and weight transfer, and the car as a whole demands you prescribe to the less is more approach that is oh so Mazda from the MX5 on down – or is that up?

You see Mazda’s upmarket ambitions elsewhere in the line too. The CX30 and 3’s interior, for example. In the deft tuning of every control and switch. Unfortunately those ambitions have gone unnoticed and unappreciated as buyers click their tongues on snug rear seats and lower horsepower ratings.

The CX50 is a very different approach. Feels more like a step sibling. One raised in a different home. Rather than trying to be refined and polite and genteel like the CX5 or 3, or playful like a CX30 or MX5, the CX50 seems to want to be more like the best sellers to fleets and families.

You can see some hints of domestic in its design cues. And clearly the CX50 is laid out to be more competitive in the US: stretched for more stretch out room, widened for less roll in the corners.

What it is is a wagon, elevated, in the vein of the Subaru Outback, but before Subaru turned the Outback into the very thing it was meant to be an alternative to: a clumsy and caricatured beast of burden.

Problem is, the CX50 comes across as a bit of a caricature itself.

Rather than try to nuance its way into your heart, the CX50 gives America what it wants: flat cornering, turbo torque, elbow and leg room, and a tough and rugged appearance. You won’t find the interior materials you’ve come to expect from Mazda here, nor will you find the fluidity in the ride and handling. The CX50 has a chip on its shoulder, and desperate to shed its nice guy image.

It feels more like a Subaru in another way: like decisions were made by a focus group or in a PowerPoint deck. There’s less cohesion and integration than you find in the aforementioned Mazdas. The controls feel like they’ve been plucked from different cars rather than honed for the same one. The ridge wriggles and jiggles as though to remind you it’s a tough and macho SUV. But really, like that Outback is better as a Legacy, there’s a sense the CX50 will grow its sales for the same reasons it’s stunted as a product. By targeting the base desires of the journalist looking for front end grip or the shopper punching it out of the parking lot it ends up feeling like product Mazda committed to for America. Which is fine; it’s been too long since they bothered to think about what America really wants. The CX5 has been a runaway sales success despite its size, not because of it.

But me? I’m far more excited about the upcoming CX60 and CX70. While the CX30 and CX50 feel like stopgaps thrown together to appeal to market trend, signs are strong that the CX60 and CX70 will finally fulfill Mazda’s destiny to compete with the premium makes. And for space in garages that are tired of the premium makes resting on their laurels.

So when you’re shopping for a crossover, especially one from Mazda, or reading a review of the same, you’d do well to ask yourself: “Do I want hi-fi, or something that isn’t as accurate but gets the party dancing?”

The CX50 may not just feel right, but it’s probably right on target for what people want right now: a wagon that disguises its wagon- ness enough to be taken seriously, and more fashionably that any wagon would have been. We’ve been crying out for a Mazda 6 wagon, and like it or not the CX50 is as close as America deserves or is going to get.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll be over here listening to my high – fi, waiting a bit longer for the CX60 to arrive.

Oh ///My

Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

Right about now, the Internet is ablaze with reactions to the BMW XM.

Offensive, and not just up front. An affront to all they were and promised to never be.

And yet… I’m not bothered by it so much.

Because offensive, and affront have been core BMW selling points since the Bangle era. The XM is just the most extreme case yet, and their current goal is to shock us as much as possible, when possible.

And besides, let’s consider it for what it is: a car designed with Chinese tastes and sensibilities in mind. Which to our tastes and minds might seem senselessly tasteless. But we aren’t the ones writing the checks for these.

Also consider we felt like this when BMW released the X5 in 1999. “An affront! Offensive!” some cried then too. And I was tempted to until I drove one, and realized they’d not only created a category but a singular experience too.

Those who cried offensive affront upon gazing at the iX for the first time saw the light once they drove it. Same was true of the i3. And others.

So put down your pitchforks, and take comfort in knowing that even if it’s not a car for you and me, at least BMW has some mojo and attitude and has come out swinging again.

Hello, BMW’s Carbon Future

Thursday, May 22nd, 2014

Zintro called upon its network of experts to discussed SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers and BMW Group’s plan to invest $200 million to triple the carbon fiber (CF) capacity at their Washington state plant to handle high demand from the automotive sector. This was my response as selected and featured in their newsletter May 22nd, 2014:

This announcement should come at no surprise, and yet it is a delightful harbinger for both the future of BMW models and that of lightweight materials in vehicle construction. ‘No surprise’ because the M3 CRT portended this shift in early 2011, and now in addition to the i3, BMW is now ramping up production of three other vehicles that rely on CFRP to varying degrees: i8, M3, and M4, and given the response to the ‘joy’ reduced weight is bringing back to BMWs lineup, we will surely see its use proliferate beyond the i and M brands to the regular models, just as thermoplastics, aluminum and magnesium have historically played the same role to varying degrees. Don’t be surprised to see increased carbon levels in all BMW vehicles a generation or two from now. This comes at an opportune time for BMW: they’ve lost technological and dynamic footing to competitors like Audi and Cadillac who have used (and marketed) aluminum and lighter metals to bring their weight down just as BMWs was swelling. Carbon based components will help restore BMW’s driving machine ethos and give BMW a marketing edge and halo technology they need to stand out once again, especially given the high performance and racing associations some consumers have with the Carbon Fiber. Those less interested in performance or racing will also see gains given regulatory and market pressures for more fuel efficient vehicles despite increased safety, feature content, and size.

Even professional reviewers can benefit from CarCounsel.

Tuesday, August 20th, 2013

A number of them are wise enough to seek it.

Here’s one example:

“The evening before I was scheduled to return the 2013 Honda Accord Sport after a weeklong test, I stopped by the home of my friend and automotive guru, for his counsel and once-over. He listened to the engine idle, with the same diligence as a pediatrician and a stethoscope. He stepped inside and, as is customary, touched every surface, knob, and fabric. When opened the cubby underneath the radio controls, he noted the slight heft in the compartment’s open-close action, and smiled.

You may not realize it now,” he said, “but once you give it back, you’re going to miss the little things about how this car works.“”

Transcript of our interview heard around the world

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

“With the Detroit auto show in full swing, a US-based analyst talks to DW about the changes that have enabled German carmakers to secure a bigger slice of the North American market.

DW: What sort of factors are coming together right now to bring some more success to German carmakers in the US market – a market that used to be a very niche thing for them?

CarCounsel: I think part of it is the recent ability of German manufacturers to build toward the American market specifically. For a long time the German makers were kind of set in their own ways, saying this is the way we do it, because it’s the best way to do it. But although they were probably right about that, it didn’t necessarily translate into the North American market. So, a lot of what’s going on right now is the product of studying the American buyer and seeing what’s working for other manufacturers. I think they’re more willing now to follow trends.

They’re also designing vehicles that don’t necessarily make sense for the European market, but do in the US. For example, BMW’s super utility vehicles drive better than SUVs should, but now all German carmakers are pretty heavy in the cross-over SUV market. Then there’s been the perception issue that Japanese cars are reliable and German cars are not so much. BMW has been a champion of free scheduled maintenance. Others simply had to follow suit or try and pull out again.

You’re also seeing a proliferation of all-wheel drive, which European makers agree is not a necessity. They say winter tires are just as good, if not better. But American buyers want to have all-wheel drive for their convertibles and sports cars. German makers have now gotten round to including all-wheel drive across their model range.

DW: Let us bring things around to Volkswagen. The company announced this week that it had sold over 8 million units worldwide in 2011. While the company is a large and influential carmaker, it has always been a bit frustrated by the US market. But it looks as though in 2011 they may well have cracked the nut. They experienced a 25 percent year-on-year increase in sales. So what exactly is making it the right time to sell a non-luxury German car in America?

CarCounsel: Again, they were designing for the European market. They were designing a car as well as they knew how, and they were designing to a performance standard and then setting their prices accordingly. This is a contrast to a lot of the Japanese and domestic makers that VW was having to compete with. The real change that we’ve seen with Volkswagen in the last year or two is that it’s decided that American buyers aren’t interested necessarily in the highest level of technology or how the car is made. They’re more interested in the value, meaning getting more car for their buck.

VW’s Jetta has just gone from having really good dynamics and safety qualities and engineering properties to being a car that’s been stripped a bit – a car that was designed for China and India, and not the European market. And that Jetta is considerably larger in the back seat and cheaper to assemble. And similarly with the Passat. The Passat was – like the Jetta – kind of in between two stools in its pricing. It was a smaller car that was competing on price with one-class-above cars. So, they brought the price down and they brought the complexity of the vehicle itself down. And now it’s also offering a very roomy back seat, a big trunk – a whole lot of car for the money.

And even without trying to be a baby BMW or a baby Audi, the experience of driving a Volkswagen is a lot more relaxed, a lot more domestic or even Japanese. Critics and analysts like myself have decried the fact that the brand has gone afoul. But those very changes that seem so offensive to us seem to be resonating with the consumers at large.

DW: On the other end of the scale, German luxury makers are also doing rather well in the United States, especially BMW. In fact, last year they led the luxury sector there for the first time ever. What is it that BMW is doing right in terms of getting more high-end consumers in the US to go into the showrooms and buy cars?

CarCounsel: As discussed earlier, the two things that BMW did that toppled some of the barriers in the marketplace were the free scheduled maintenance and the inclusion of all-wheel drive. People wouldn’t think about a BMW, but then did after those changes. But BMW has also led the charge in a couple of other ways. Some things hadn’t really been received very well at first, but a spin-off car from an existing car for instance doesn’t cost a whole lot of money, and it can really fill the hole in your product line-up. There’s a general shift in the kind of cars BMW is conceiving and inventing. They’re still fine automobiles, but they aren’t placing driving as the number-one priority. The positive thing there is that they’re able to cannibalize from other makers.

Someone who might be looking at a Lexus or a Mercedes for comfort or technology reasons would now find a new BMW 5-series car. So, it’s the same sort of mass appeal that could be impacting the brand sales overall. A lot of loyal BMW owners are starting to look around and defect, or at least consider it in a way they might not have before.

Design is a big aspect as well. If you look at Audi or BMW, they both brought in designers who really shook up they way German car companies are doing things. But while diluting a little bit of what they do, on the mass scale they’ve become a little more focused in their products in the performance divisions.

my how you’ve grown

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Nearly two decades ago the Honda/Acura NSX shook up the performance car scene.

This year, the Nissan GT-R is said to be doing the same.

But could the two cars be any more different?

Looking at this picture I stumbled across on the web – is the NSX is too much like a Formula 1 car or is the GT-R is too much like an SUV?

A day after 2 hours and 25 miles in a smart ForTwo…

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

I am still sore and deaf but must say it was one of the more thrilling drives of my life if only because like on a Segway you’re pretty much at the limit whenever you’re in motion.

The sounds it makes evoke what it must be like to find an old 911 turbo in a barn that you try to nurse home – I never heard so many grunts, moans, pops and hisses from a single motor.

The squat under acceleration was addictive, reminding me of something that was lost when trailing arm rear suspensions went extinct and making the car feel far more powerful than it was. In fact I never wanted for more power, and was shocked to find it felt better on the highway than around town.

If it had a different tranny (impossible to get a smooth shift out of and eons between ratios) and brakes (truly binary) it would be fun but as it is I’m fairly convinced the people who own them kick themselves each time they send in the payment check.

next M3 spotted

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

It seems that each time I visit LA I end up chasing down a test mule, usually at night or with my camera phone’s battery low.

Not this time.

Click here and here for videos of the E90 M3 in motion.

(Unfortunately I couldn’t capture the cry of the engine over that of the chase car’s and the wind noise once rolling but trust me: it sounds glorious).