BlueGoblin
04-30-2007, 03:32 PM
Did anyone else attend this?
What a fantastic morning BMW put on; an autocross-type handling course down at the South end of the RC road course.
They had a new 528i, 535Xi, X5 3.0, and X5 4.8 to compare with an E350 4Matic, ML500, Audi A6 3.2 and Q7 3.6.
The handling course, not surprisingly, played to the strengths of the BMW's over the rivals, but still a great comparison, getting to go back to back with these cars.
The 535Xi (with the twin turbo 300hp I6) stole the show for me, and not just from a performance angle. It was remarkably quick and agile through the slalom bits, and had an amazingly comfortable interior. There was a dark blue one with a tark tan leather interior that I would have mortgaged my house for had it had a manual transmission. The rear bias to the torque even let it get a tiny bit over steery a couple times. Not a hooligan car, but still a blast to drive. I was a bit surprised by how marked the turbo lag was, but still, it had some character to it, which I like more than just sterile thrust.
The X5 4.8 with active suspension and steering had all the speed you would expect from a 350hp v8, but way better handling feel than it had a right to have given its height, and the brakes were like throwing an anchor overboard.
I hope I can get invited next year as well if they run it....
What a fantastic morning BMW put on; an autocross-type handling course down at the South end of the RC road course.
They had a new 528i, 535Xi, X5 3.0, and X5 4.8 to compare with an E350 4Matic, ML500, Audi A6 3.2 and Q7 3.6.
The handling course, not surprisingly, played to the strengths of the BMW's over the rivals, but still a great comparison, getting to go back to back with these cars.
The 535Xi (with the twin turbo 300hp I6) stole the show for me, and not just from a performance angle. It was remarkably quick and agile through the slalom bits, and had an amazingly comfortable interior. There was a dark blue one with a tark tan leather interior that I would have mortgaged my house for had it had a manual transmission. The rear bias to the torque even let it get a tiny bit over steery a couple times. Not a hooligan car, but still a blast to drive. I was a bit surprised by how marked the turbo lag was, but still, it had some character to it, which I like more than just sterile thrust.
The X5 4.8 with active suspension and steering had all the speed you would expect from a 350hp v8, but way better handling feel than it had a right to have given its height, and the brakes were like throwing an anchor overboard.
I hope I can get invited next year as well if they run it....