BMW Ultimate Drive

[superb16]

I went to the BMW/Susan G. Komen Ultimate Drive event yesterday here in So Flo. It was a lot of fun. When I registered over the phone they told me I'd only be able to drive one car. Not true. Plenty of choices available. The rules were simple- follow a pre-determined 12 mile route (local roads AND highway). My friend and I first tried a 650i convertible. Great car, obviously, but not my cup of tea. Next up was the 335i sedan. Dear God in heaven! Effin' FAST! My buddy was in the 650i behind me and he said he had no hope of catching me! Then we jumped on I75. I rarely ever drive over 90mph, but this car felt so good that I had to go for it. 120mph came real fast! The coupe was basically the same experience except it felt more stable. And the exhaust note is much meaner. Even with an auto tranny there was still no noticable turbo lag. Maybe with a manual it would be more apparent. I hate driving auto, but this was easily the best automatic I've ever used. The paddle shifters were actually fun to use; I usually think paddles are just gimmicks (like on a IS 350), but not this time. They enhance the driving experience in my opinion. I'd still opt for manual though.

I know this car has been talked about many times, but I just wanted to tell you guys about the event in case it comes through your city. Sign up.

[nghiars]

paddles are no gimmicks my friend.. f1 car use them because they shift more efficiently than any pro driver can... but these are no t your run of the mill paddles... im sure bmw has a good setup for their paddles from the smg trannies... im not sure how up to par the paddles in the IS is tho.

[jovo517]

nice ive been wanting to do a bmw driving expirence some time. btw how much was it. weird how u went on roads and not a track. a few years back i went to skipp barber and it was on the limerock track in CT it was pretty fun beat up some neons and then drove the viper wat a blast!

[superb16]

Originally Posted by nghiars

paddles are no gimmicks my friend.. f1 car use them because they shift more efficiently than any pro driver can... but these are no t your run of the mill paddles... im sure bmw has a good setup for their paddles from the smg trannies... im not sure how up to par the paddles in the IS is tho.

A lot of paddle shifted cars (maybe even most of them) are just automatics trying to be sporty. Nothing more. Paddles don't always identify a car as a true sequential manual. The 335i is not an SMG, it's automatic. The 07 G35 is not a real sequential manual, it's automatic. IS350, automatic. So a lot of the time it is just a gimmick. Volkwagen's DSG, for example, is the real thing.

[superb16]

Originally Posted by jovo517

nice ive been wanting to do a bmw driving expirence some time. btw how much was it. weird how u went on roads and not a track. a few years back i went to skipp barber and it was on the limerock track in CT it was pretty fun beat up some neons and then drove the viper wat a blast!

The event was free. It's for charity.

[Mike_Deezy]

how do you sign up for this event?

[superb16]

bmwusa.com