Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

Hey guys! Check this out this listing I found:

2002 BMW M3 - 6sp manual, tastefully modded, low miles

This guy wants to trade his M3 for an 05+ Prius! So who's going to jump on this? At 55k miles I think it's a pretty good deal if you wanna know kos's bliss. LOL.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

drive a rolls royce, a lexus and your prius will feel like WW2 jeep thats served time in 'nam

 

kos have you ever driven a prius?

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

this is one of the most constructive post here, but there are some points made that are not accurate.

power and operating range. if you look at the power/torque curves and power bands of some of the modern diesels available you will see they they have a huge efficient operating range. how you use the power/torque is up to the driver but this will affect fuel consumption. they are designed to be efficient but still make power and be used in an enthusiastic manor. if you want to optimise it some re programming of the ecu is an option. i've had sever of my cars re mapped in this way for more mid range punch, i have more power when i need it in the key RPM range, but with normal driving i use the throttle less and my fuel consumption has improved.


hybrid technology is a way forward, the oil reserves will not last forever but they will be around for a few hundred years at least. plenty of time to perfect hydrogen power. electric motors have been looked at my bmw, one X5 was used as test bed for this technology and the extra torque it made was immense, but i dont think electric cars are the way forward, not in the long term

there are some features where every car manufacture can learn, power re generation from braking is one, and thats a technology which was used in F1 racing until it was banned.

if its way to keep your wheels clean so you only wash the car when its dirty then thats up to you

i'll still wash my car once a week not when the wheels get dirty

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

as said before, yes

it was a numb experience.

 

dirty diesels

I guess you don't understand the concept of what the EPA classifies as pollutants (they didn't consider CO2 to be a pollutant until recently). Go to Side-by-Side Comparison and search for a these and observe these air pollution scores (which have nothing to do with CO2 emissions).

2011 BMW 335d w/auto: 5/10
2011 VW Jetta TDI w/auto: 5/10 or 6/10, depending on the state
2010 Prius: 8/10 or 9.5/10, depending on the state
2006 VW Jetta TDI w/auto: a horrific 1/10 (this was never designated as a "clean diesel")

You can read about what these mean at About the Ratings | Green Vehicle Guide | US EPA and http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/summarychart.pdf. This is what we mean by dirty despite the "clean diesel" moniker (except the 06 Jetta TDI).

One should also go to Green Vehicle Guide | US EPA, check both checkboxes on the right, select 2011 and California. Sort by air pollution score and count the # of vehicles that do better than 5 or 6.

You might want to look at the w/annual tons of CO2 emitted, as well.

Besides VW pulling a bunch of diesels (I don't remember the years now) due to emissions, prior to emission reductions, there were some diesels too dirty to sell in a bunch of states like http://green.autoblog.com/2007/08/24/mercedes-45-state-diesels-become-42-state-diesels/.

 

the fact some of the euro bmw's are not available in the US means they can not be looked at

with out looking into to it too much, i'm sure the euro legislation and guidelines are as strict as the US guidelines but we are aware how tight the california legislation is, which if i'm correct is the bench mark.


here's an interesting read

EU electric car law ‘flawed’ | TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

let's quote it then, "if the new age pleasure is MPG and saving the world, then that's a sad thing".

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

One can still look at some values at say VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Search Results - Further Information vs. VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Search Results - Further Information.

Judging by the NOx emissions of 142 mg/km of the 118d I picked, that would do VERY poorly at http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/summarychart.pdf and should give it an air pollution score of 2/10.

From About the Ratings | Green Vehicle Guide | US EPA, NOx are "Oxides of Nitrogen, which combine with hydrocarbons to create smog".

 

kos, I think I understand what you're saying when you say there's no way a Prius can give the experiences of driving pleasure in the traditional sense. Can you understand that there are more ways to enjoy a car than "the traditional sense?" Nobody buys a Prius hoping for a traditional car. There are other experiences that can be pleasurable. Yes, some of us are traditionalists and can only enjoy life on those terms. Others enjoy reaching beyond tradition Humans are a diverse bunch. We all derive pleasure differently. It would be a pretty boring world if everybody was the same, don't you think?

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

As somebody who owns a Prius and a Lexus...thats just rose colored glasses talking.

Who? Who has called the Prius a luxury car? Find me a quote.

You might like to think that all these Prius owners are crazy folks who think their Prius' are "luxury cars", but thats not the case.

I have news for you too...I wouldn't consider a 20 year old E30 BMW a "luxury car" either. Anything I can buy with what I keep in my checking account on any given day is not a luxury car. It was a luxurious item at one point...but its old, heavily depreciated...an antique now.

I wouldn't consider my new $44,000 Lexus a "luxury car" either. Its certainly a premium car, and has luxurious features and amenities...but $44,000 is not a tremendous cost for a car anymore...Toyota itself has several models that cost more than $44k...

So...who is the person here bragging about having a "luxury car" who doesn't really have a luxury car?

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

As someone else who own a Prius and a Lexus, I would disagree. My RX does feel like a tractor. That's comparing my 2006 Prius to the 2007 RX. Comparing my 06 prius to a new RX450h and that is more comparable. All the goodness of the prius minus the awesome mpg in a comfy car. Downside is it is horrendously ugly and big.

The Prius is a luxury car.

j/k

+1

However it would seem judging from the current economic mess that you and I are not representative of a major cross section of the US. Most would be happy to have anything in their chequing account.

I find Lexi to be luxurious. But I don't find them exotic which I think is what you describe as luxury. Can you honestly sit in the back of a LS600h and tell me that is not luxury?

P.S. The IS250 in all flavours is not included in the "luxury" list

 

^What about the IS F? I looovvvveeee me some IS F.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

I've sat in one at the dealership, but never driven one. It is very flash. Kind of looks like a ricer was given a few days to make an IS look fast, and they did... The specs are impressive, but if you want a racecar get an LFA (if they select you that is lol).

But I meant the IS250/IS350 range. The econobox of Lexus.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

Its the CVT. I personally don't like the way cars with CVTs drive. You can't deny though, the Lexus is far smoother and quieter than the Prius...as you would expect it to be.

Gee, thanks LOL

This is true...

Oh for sure they are luxurious, but they are not something that is out of reach of all but the wealthy consumer. The LS is one of the most luxurious cars on the road...but its not a Bentley...

Maybe its just where I live...but I don't form a mental image of someone as being "wealthy" when they drive down the road in a Lexus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes...they're just everywhere...

I don't really agree. The IS is a fun little car, very fun to drive and the IS350 is FAST...and they can get to be $50k with options.

Material quality in the IS is good, fit and finish is good, features are good. Its small...but its supposed to be small.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

The CVT is a huge plus to me. Driving up and down mountains the RX shifts constantly. The Prius never shifts obviously. The electric assist is another major plus. I hate automatic transmission lag. Prius has none. You floor it, it goes NOW. The RX350 you floor it, and it is wait wait wait jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerk and then vroom vroom. The RX400h/RX450h is an immediate floor to vroom scenario.

The RX is quieter from road noise. But it also cost me $39,000USD more than the Prius. I would expect it to be. The Prius is quieter when sitting in traffic or at a light. Or when just motoring with the window down.

I have no doubt that quote will be used somewhere else without the "j/k" part to prove his point...

Not a fan of Bentley at all. Never driven in one or have been driven in one, but I have sat in one. It was an older model on display and it just didn't do anything for me. I think the LS is the new bentley. That is the Bentley for people who are not footballers or drug dealers. That is why the chrystler 300 looks like one, so the peon drug dealers can look the part without spending all their savings...

It is just where you live. And where I live. And where anyone with one lives generally. People tend to live in places with similar income levels. Obviously you could afford a house in the most deteriorated part of town where the cops are on first name basis with all the "residents" but you more than likely don't. Similarly, they probably can't afford to live where you live. So they are common to our neighbours and to us, but not once you get into some of the other areas of town.

Oh it is fun. But I do not find it luxurious. It is the same sort of hard plastic crap found in the Prius. To me it seems like Toyota made the IS just to fill that gap to get lower income people into the dealership so they can talk them up into something much more pricy. Not something they really wanted to sell.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

My wife feels the same way as you about the CVT. Personally I think they make engines too drone-ey.

Oh...without a doubt. He's going to wig out too when he sees my point that his BMW thats not only old enough to get a drivers license and drive itself, but is almost old enough (or maybe is old enough depending on the year) to purchase an alcoholic beverage for itself isn't particularly luxurious or impressive lol

I'm not really a fan of them...but they are certainly a luxurious thing to own.

I mean...maybe its because my Dad drove Lexus LS's for so long...but the new Bentley? I do not know. The LS is probably my favorite car on the road...but still...

I think the plastics are definitely an upgrade from the Prius in the IS. The dash is a nice soft touch material, the leather is high quality as is the carpeting...all of which are issue points in the Prius...

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

IS, LS, ES, GS etc....The thing I really like about Lexus is that the interior is always as nice as the exterior. Neither are overly gaudy, it's form complements it's function, and every line is tasteful. You can't say the same about many other brands. A lot of luxury cars have great insides but odd looking exteriors and vice versa. Honda/Acuras exteriors are blech for example. Infinitis interior is blech too. Even the BMWs interior and electronics are not up to par. iDrive? No thanks.

The Lexus, however, always comes in one great package, and at a relatively good value.

 

Have you seen the new Infinitis though? Specifically the M? GREAT interior on that car. The outgoing M had a nice interior also though. If I were looking for something in that midrange class...I wouldn't even consider a Lexus GS compared to an Infiniti M.

BMWs interiors have come a long way too, the new ones are quite slick and nice. Older models were very stark...

The one manufacturer I have always liked the exterior of but never the interior is Mercedes. I have always wanted a Mercedes, just something about the look and that three pointed star on the hood...but whenever I sit in one...the interior just does absolutely nothing for me.

New Audis have great interiors too...

 

^Obviously my opinions are a little misguided and biased. I'll admit that. Maybe it's because I'm so pro-Toyota. I really trust the stuff they put out and when you look at their cars through that scope, it's easy to call them a great package and pick out the faults of other cars.

PS - I meant that the Infiniti exterior looked bad to me - not the interior. I was typing/thinking too fast. Here's what I was getting at:

My understanding is that Japanese cars were always the masters of electronics and interior layouts. However, they always looked a little funky from the outside. Oppositely, European cars were the masters of great exteriors: safe, simple designs, and luxurious looking. However, they were plagued by having iffy electronics and boring interiors. <-- I think this will stand up to your opinion about Mercedes, Steve.

Anyway, Lexus always has seemed to have the best of both worlds. There is ever little to complain about other than "its an overpriced Toyota." Of all the Japanese brands, its exterior is closest to a European car's exterior in the simplicity of its design. And its electronics/interior well...are Japanese, so there's much to worry about there.

I'm sure most companies are catching up now, but that's just my experience...