BMW M Power Tour
When I received the invitation for the M Power Tour I started to hit delete until I saw that it was being held at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport. I have mixed feelings about the new BMWs but I do love airplanes. The thing is, lately, the styling on recent BMWs have done little for me. Yes, the performance may be great but … remember when a friends would try to set you up to go out with someone who you did not find attractive? Your friend saying the person had great personality did not help to make them more attractive, right? I know BMW may have better performance than Audi but I do find myself looking at Audi more these days.
Despite the heat and my lack of interest in BMWs – even those wearing M badges – I showed up at the airport with my Icom transceiver turned on (so I can listen to the airport communications – like I said, I really love flying and being at airports). I walked up and down the display of M-cars including an X5 M (I guess Mazda would not have liked BMW calling it an ‘MX5’) and an M1. Ok, I will admit the M1 and the X5 M were my favorites and that may not be what you would expect. My preference, again, had more to do with the styling than with performance (although they are both great performers).
I joined my group as we sat thru a 20-minute presentation on the M3 in Houston’s intense heat (it was so hot that the presentation equipment was struggling – despite the shade). I drank my nice cold water as I learned about all the engineering and weight saving measures that went into the new M3. Some of these measures included a carbon fiber roof (for the cars without sunroof or convertible top), a computer that made 200 million calculations per second and a very high tech gear box that was more like two gear boxes. Most people were excited about a lot of this stuff but I tend to think of these computers as things that can go wrong (just because I work in IT does not mean I have to computers in everything I do) or take some of the fun out of driving. I think of some of the people that go autocrossing with these cars and how great they do until you turn off some of the aids (like traction control).
I guess the older I get the more I appreciate the simpler things in life: I still get a kick every time I jump into my old BMW 2002. It may not have hundreds of horsepower and a loud exhaust but I love the sound of the valves doing their thing. And there is nothing like making going around a track faster than you did before because you know that it was you that planned and executed the braking, the turns and the acceleration just right – computers and horsepower did not bail you out. My desire for the simple things does not stop here with cars: the more gadgets I see in airplanes, the more I want to climb back into an old Boeing Stearman for open cockpit flying with basic instruments to let me know how I am doing.
Getting back to the M Power Tour … after the presentation, I almost headed for my car to leave. I did not care of paddle shifters or automatic transmissions (or whatever BMW calls it). But, I figured I was here so I might as well try it. I turned down the first car they offered me: a convertible M3 with the top down. I have a ragtop and I only put the top down in the winter. So, I was offered a black coupe. I was given a map, had the trip computer reset and once again cautioned about policemen that were meeting their quota by giving Tour pilots speeding tickets.
The first thing I noticed that the clutch was missing. I then played with the stick shift and all the talk I heard during the presentation made sense: moved the stick shift to the far right and the car took car of all the shifting. Moving the stick towards the center and it is in more of a semi-automatic mode. I played with this for a bit and then I decided just to drive the thing.
I can appreciate the technology that goes into the gearbox and the advantages it would give you on the track. But, it is not something that made me go “Wow!”. What did impress me was the suspension – what a great ride! It did not have the ultra stiff suspension ride that makes you cringe every time you see a ripple on one of our streets. I also played with the “M” button to see if I would notice any changes and, surprise, I did! Very nice.
Our route had us driving on Airport, 45, Beltway 8 (you had to pay your own toll but it was worth it) and then back via Telephone Road. With so much traffic on the roads and policemen just waiting for us to break the law, I decided to take it easy and try to soak up as much of the car’s features as possible.
Would I buy this car? I knew right away my answer would be no. When I weigh features, styling, performance, price and what I look for in a car, it’s not even a contest. I would rather spend the money on a small airplane (and something that will not depreciate as quickly.) The car is too big, has too many gadgets and takes a little fun out of driving while trying to be perfect. I will stick to my fun to drive, easy to work on 2002 and my 2000 Boxster S. Granted, I am comparing one M3 to two very different cars. The point is that 2002 and Boxster S still excite me after many years of ownership. I am not sure I would feel that way about the latest M3 … at least I don’t get excited about it like the first M3s (E30 models).
