vLane Blog

The BMW drive experience

From AshleyW, Featured Contributor
Posted on June 4, 2009

Filed under Lexus, driving, on ramp, interior, Audi, Feature, BMW, Diesel, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Convertible, Safety, lifestyle, Performance, design, interior, Z4, sports sedan

When I first pulled up to the area of Downsview Park in Toronto, Canada, where this event would take place I saw all these BMWs — and I had no idea what to expect. Would I get to drive each and every one of them? Luckily for me and the many other people who attended, we pretty much did.

We were given an introduction by Saladin Karl, senior event marketing specialist, Driver Training for BMW Canada. He has been with BMW for fourteen years, and with BMW Canada for the last two years. He pointed out to us that we would get to experience driving BMW sports sedans and BMW sports sedan powered by diesel. He also said we would get to drive and compare three other cars that are in direct competition with BMW, a Mercedes, Audi and Lexus. Next was a very informative presentation by Chief Driving Instructor Pierre Savoy. He has held this role for the last eight years and has been putting on driving events with BMW for the last 17 years.

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During Savoy's presentation I was blown away at the technology BMW uses in their vehicles such as the iDrive system, BMW Assist, BMW EfficientDynamics, and BMW BluePerformance. The iDrive system combines all the entertainment and communications systems to be controlled by one knob and very few buttons in the centre console. The BMW Assist connects your Bluetooth, cell phone and roadside assistance when needed. BMW EfficientDynamics technology reduces emissions, such as carbon dioxide from their vehicles that use gasoline or diesel. BMW BluePerformance is a term used by BMW to describe their technology which reduces nitrogen oxide emissions from their diesel cars.

Karl said the reason they do a presentation is to provide background on BMW to all the participants. "We could send you out driving and you all leave with a big smile but you really don't know more about that car." he said. "That's why we talk about technology first so that you know what to look out for and feel when we talk about the torque on the diesel. When you drive that later on you actually feel that. How do they distribute the power. On the driving part we obviously want to give you the ultimate driving experience. On an open road, it wouldn't be safe to experience the technology."

We were introduced to six instructors who would be on the track and off we went to begin. Divided up into small groups we all went on test run in the vehicles with an instructor driving to demonstrate how they wanted us to drive on the track, what signs and different–colored pylons meant and the rules of the track. We were told to activate the ABS at certain points, drive corners at 40-45 km/hr and a tight corner at 15 km/hr. At the end of the track we had to accelerate to 80 km/hr and then apply the brakes to activate the abs once again. Once that was over we were divided into pairs and each of us got a chance to drive the 335d, 335i, 328i, Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic, Audi A4 2.0T and Lexus IS250 AWD.

Jason Carvalho, lead instructor for the BMW Driver Training Program said that the design of the track is very important to our test drives with each vehicle. "It's designed so that they can compare back to back vehicles and segments that you encounter in a real life situation. We have a constant radius corner similar to an on-ramp or off-ramp getting onto a highway. It's a good way to determine how a car reacts in that situation," he said.

Carvalho also said that a lot of the positive feedback he received from participants was about the 335d because of the power and the torque that it has. The 328i was a top contender and some were disappointed with the Audi.

The car at the top of my list after comparing all of them was the BMW 335d. Second place would be the BMW 335i, the interior (red leather) was fantastic, the drivers seat felt very comfortable and I felt secure in it driving through corners. Third place would be the BMW 328i, the handling was superb just like it's siblings.. great with tight curves and corners and acceleration was very good. I have never driven a car that uses diesel and I was really surprised at how fast it was. I was comfortable accelerating and braking, turning the corners the car felt solid and that it was making contact with the road all the way through, some of the other vehicles didn't do that.

At the end of the track we had to accelerate to 80 km/h and then apply the brakes fast and hard to see how the car would come to a stop in an emergency situation. Every single BMW I drove excelled that part of the course. At first my instincts were not to apply the brakes that hard, but once you drive the track 4 or 5 times you become comfortable and the BMW performed well. The car responded to what I needed it to do and I felt safe stopping at that speed.

The competition

The Audi A4 — felt good in terms of braking on the track where we had to apply to brakes hard to activate the abs during the beginning and end of track. The brakes and control of the car were really good, it didn't move around a lot similar to how the BMW's came to a stop. The steering wheel felt light and turning those corners was ok but I was moving around in my seat, something I wasn't doing in the BMW really. Driving the Audi I expected more from it but it just didn't handle as well as the BMW 335 diesel.

Mercedes C-Class — Spacious inside but I was moving around way too much in it. Driving through the corners at 45km/hr felt loose and not as tight as the BMW did. The interior was really nice and comfortable but it did not handle the track particularly well. I was expecting this vehicle to handle better and it didn't. As a passenger I was moving around quite a bit and when braking quickly as we were instructed to do didnt't feel as solid as the BMW 335d. More skidding to a stop with this vehicle.

Lexus IS — The Lexus was a disappointment, I was certain that this vehicle could handle as well as the BMW. I was a passenger in this vehicle and the driver complained about the position of the gas pedal and how the molding in the interior near the pedals was too close to where her foot was. An awkward feeling. As a passenger I was moving around a lot in this car and so was the driver. Going through tight corners or turns the car felt wild and extremely light. Through the entire track it never felt comfortable for either of us and I didn't feel safe in it either. Especially when applying the brakes. I opted out of even driving this one myself. If I don't feel safe in the passenger seat, I'm not going to feel any different actually driving it.

In Canada you can own one of these for $53,900.

I was able to speak with Pierre Savoy who explained to me the importance of events like these. "You never have an opportunity to test drive cars back to back, BMW started putting on events like this in 1996," he said. "They are the first car manufacturer to put on a comparison drive where they compare their product with the strongest competitors on the market, without trying to influence people, you drive, you decide."

He also said that the most feedback they get is on the diesel. All participants had to fill out a survey before and after our comparison drive to determine what our perceptions were of each vehicle.

"First of all people don't realize that BMW has a diesel, and secondly just driving the BMW is a revelation for everybody,"said Savoy.

Karl also mentioned that he has received the same response about the diesel." I was quite disappointed when I got here two years ago and everyone didn't like diesel at that time and now everyone is getting excited," he said. "Diesel has come along way since the old, stinky truck engine that a lot of people still have in mind. You have just driven it, it's a performance engine with low fuel consumption."

Once I completed my test drives to my surprise we were introduced to the new BMW 2010 Z4. All I can say is wow! It looks great, and has been completely redesigned. Truly a show stopper.

Read More:

• Day-By-Day Review: BMW 335d
• 2010 BMW 5-Series GT
• 2010 BMW X6M

AshleyW is a featured contributor for vLane.