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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).

UPDATE: Click here for an audio clip of the next M3’s siren song…

UPDATE 2:More coverage from Automobile...

If you’re a regular reader, you might have picked up that I’m lukewarm on the 3 series coupe – its too big to have such a small backseat and the coupe specific electric steering is a huge leap backwards from the sedan’s hydraulic setup.

If you want a BMW coupe, the 1 series coupe spotted testing will be here in a year’s time.

It’s closer in size to my favorite BMW coupe bodystyle to date, the E36.

If BMW dials out the understeer, knobby ride and aloof feel that plagues versions of the 1 series already on sale they’ll have a car that could put BMW back on the path they should have never deviated from.

(Thanks to reader SMG for the tip).

Here’s an unlikely bit of news: BMW is being comissioned by Airbus to design the cabin of an upcoming plane.

See the title for the punchline…

BMW designed the current Range Rover to be an alternative to the S class, A8, etc. But traditionalists moaned that it had grown too large, so when Ford took ownership Land Rover introduced the smaller, sportier Range Rover Sport.

Now that the X5’s gained about 400lbs and a considerable amount of length and width, BMW is considering an X6.

For those who thought the last X5’s form factor was large enough but want the new X5’s front suspension and chassis technology, this should be just the ticket.

This video on YouTube is worth a look…

In a single generation, the old BMW buyer’s mantra of ‘petrol and manual, petrol and manual, petrol and manual’ has been turned on its head. This is the best new-generation 3-Series Coupe so far – and it’s a diesel with an auto box. The petrols are very good, better in many ways than any earlier ones. But the diesels have leapfrogged them and the 335d has leapfrogged all the other diesels. And although there’s nothing at all wrong with BMW’s current six-speed manual gearbox, this auto is excellent. It’s unbelievably smooth and quick – to the extent that you sometimes don’t believe it can possibly have made that change already. – 4Car

I was fortunate enough to sample BMW’s twin turbo engine and the new 3 series coupe today, and the outcome was nothing like I expected. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are BMW’s official pics of the new X5, expected in dealer showrooms in about a month’s time.

To me, this is BMW’s most cohesive styling job since the E39 5 series, proportions are spot on despite the stretch job to add a third row seat, surfaces are complex without being caricatured, and – get this! – the wheel sizes are no larger than the last model, a sign that the stylists were finally grounded for their style it first engineer it later ways.

Interestingly the new X5 uses a double wishbone front suspension, a first since the M1 if my memory serves. Also of note: sport package models get all season tires, which makes a hell of a lot more sense than the summer only rubber fitted to the last model on 19s. Lastly, iDrive gets 6 programmable shortcut buttons (thank you to my friend at BMW for passing that request along – I’d like to think I played a part).

Dynamic Drive and variable damping is now included in the sport package (so now head toss won’t be a part of the X5 experience – BMW’s SAVs have a notoriously firm ride to get their tall bodies to remain on an even keel when pushed), and active steering is a standalone option.

The only sore spot for me is that run flats are standard on all models as in the 3 series. Yes, these are fourth generation models, but had I an X5 this would be the first thing I’d attend to.

Overall I’m impressed with what they’ve done here – unlike the next MINI, its done the way it should be.

Kudos to BMW for changing what needed to be changed and retaining what made the last X5 the best car in its class.

UPDATE: Click here to download a short clip taken during the my drive…

Original post [08.28.06]: Acura recently decided to drop the RSX from their U.S. lineup, feeling it was too unrefined and raucous to be sold next to cars like the RL and MDX. So it surprised me today that I was relieved to return the keys to the RDX because it felt – well – unrefined.

Let me back up by saying this was a car I expected to love. On paper it has one of the world’s most advanced all wheel drive systems, a suspension based on the new Civic’s (a good thing) and loads of torque without resorting to a heavy V6. It has the industry’s best nav system with real time traffic data. It was benchmarked against BMW’s X3. I was sure I’d love it.

But I didn’t, and neither did the potential buyer I accompanied. And here’s why… Read the rest of this entry »

It’s always amazed me how profoundly a slight tweak here or there can change the composure of a car as it goes down the road or the confidence a driver feels behind the wheel.

Many times it comes down to a change of bushing, a tighter damper, or a change in final drive ratio, not a lower ride height or bigger wheels.

The details can make your head spin and its not just in high performance cars. ‘07 Mazda 3s get relocated tie rods and rear trailing arm mounts for even quicker turn in response, the difference in body control and response in an X5 sport package comes from different front shocks and springs…

This passage from 4Car is what got me thinking along these lines…

This is a much better suspension set-up than the GT HDi 110’s, because it’s less jittery over broken surfaces yet handles with more enthusiasm. It’s surprising what a difference stiffer rear bushes for the front suspension’s wishbones, a rear torsion beam stiffened by 12.5% and recalibrated dampers can make.