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Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

16087 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2013 at 9:32 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37, Acura TL, Lexus IS 350, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Cadillac CTS, Volvo S60, Audi A4, Acura TSX, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 1293 of 1609

#12919 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [shipo] by nyccarguy

Jan 05, 2012 (9:05 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Jan 05, 2012 3:13 pm)
shipo: My Aunt & Uncle live in Southern, NH (Salem), very close to you. You also know I have a tremendous amount of respect for your opinion and vast knowledge, especially when it comes to all things automotive. You guys get some serious snow. Much more than we do here in Stamford, CT. I've lived in NY all my life (Rockland, Ithaca, Manhattan, Westchester) and much like MA & NH, they plow & salt. Early and often.
 
I thought the weather here in Stamford would be exactly the same as in Southern Westchester (Hartsdale, White Plains) where I had moved from. I was very much mistaken. Now I will admit that we had a "bad winter" last year as far as snowfall goes. Here in Stamford, I live off The Merrit Parkway and many people have well water, so they DO NOT salt the roads. They also don't send the plows out like they do in NY. I've got to be at work at 7:30 AM. That means leaving at 6:30 on normal days and between 6:00 & 6:15 when it snows. Last year I saw a few times that they had done a few passes on The Merrit, but didn't plow the entrance/exit ramps. I actually followed a plow on the the parkway thinking I'd be able to get off at the next exit and turn around. Well, I had to drive 10 miles North to Norwalk before I could turn around and come back south. This was all in my 2001 Honda Prelude equipped with a set of Michelin Pilot Arctic Alpin winter tires.
 
I think AWD with a set of 4 snow tires would have helped me plow through some of those unplowed on ramps and made my life easier.
 
For years I thought AWD/4WD was not needed in the "tri-state" area. That RWD and a set of winter tires would be all my whatever bmw I was building online would need. AWD adds weight & cost. It hampers fuel economy & performance for the other 355 days a year that it doesn't snow. AWD helps you start, but the added weight can be your enemy trying to swerve around something and increased your stopping distance. After spending 1 (bad) winter here in Stamford (southwestern CT for those who are unfamiliar with the area), my tune has changed.
 
I equip my FWD Acura TSX with 4 Michelin Pilot Arctic Alpin winter tires. My next car will hopefully be a BMW. I'd love an X1 (gas or diesel), a CPO X3 (N55 Turbo), or an F30 328i w/ X drive.

#12920 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [shipo] by sweendogy

Jan 06, 2012 (4:03 am)

Replying to: shipo (Jan 05, 2012 7:43 pm)
Was talking VW passat

#12921 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [sweendogy] by shipo

Jan 06, 2012 (4:26 am)

Replying to: sweendogy (Jan 06, 2012 4:03 am)
Ahh, sorry. We test-drove a Passat TDI 6-Speed as well; not as quick as the Golf, but it did feel quicker than ten seconds to sixty. That said, I believe the 2.0 TDI is a bit under powered for a car the size of the Passat.

#12922 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [shipo] by sweendogy

Jan 06, 2012 (5:08 am)

Replying to: shipo (Jan 06, 2012 4:26 am)
That's exactly what consumer reports said. Surprised given the torque how slow car was to 60. Like the looks and Mpgs thou

#12923 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [sweendogy] by dino001

Jan 06, 2012 (6:38 am)

Replying to: sweendogy (Jan 06, 2012 5:08 am)
Diesels feel quick until you reach the revvs above the band and it "dies" very quickly. This means you have to shift a lot very precise shift points - this will impact acceleration number like 0-60. However, highway acceleration numbers (like 45 mph-60 mph, or 50-70 mph) usually are very good with diesels and make them feel quick and powerful.

#12924 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [kdshapiro] by flightnurse

Jan 06, 2012 (8:33 am)

Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 05, 2012 2:09 pm)
If I lived in Flagg you are right, however I stay away from Flagg when it does snow. I have been up there after it has snowed and never had a problem in a RWD car.

#12925 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [sweendogy] by flightnurse

Jan 06, 2012 (8:57 am)

Replying to: sweendogy (Jan 05, 2012 7:12 pm)
Sweeny the passat is 0-60 in 9.2 second, which isn't bad for a 2 liter diesel. In fact VW does have a higher HP 2 liter which makes 170hp.

#12926 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [flightnurse] by sweendogy

Jan 06, 2012 (12:03 pm)

Replying to: flightnurse (Jan 06, 2012 8:57 am)
9.2 for a 30k car - But getting 45mpg would be a good trade off

#12927 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [nyccarguy] by markcincinnati

Jan 06, 2012 (2:31 pm)

Replying to: nyccarguy (Jan 05, 2012 9:05 pm)
I loved your post, but I must take exception to something kind of buried in your prose, to wit:
 
"It hampers fuel economy & performance. . ."
 
I don't really want to get into a discussion about the merits of AWD vs RWD or FWD or the difference between 2 driven and 4 driven wheels -- however, therefore, notwithstanding (and any other lawyer-ly sounding thing), I do agree that AWD done poorly can hamper performance. I agree that typically (meaning virtually always in fact) the added weight of AWD does decrease fuel mileage.
 
Yet we don't live (or at least most of us don't live) in a perfect world with respect to driving -- if we did, I suspect virtually everyone would agree that RWD at least ought to be the best.
 
Assuming we all accept the premise that our driving world is imperfect, I would submit that AWD generally speaking (and with the qualifier that I am speaking about AWD done well, such as by Audi, BMW and Infiniti, wherein the AWD is rear biased and may include torque vectoring or what is sometimes called a sport differential) performs better in the real world.
 
My premise is that AWD is not just about driving in the snow and on other low coefficient of friction surfaces.
 
We can, if you like, agree to disagree and be done with it -- I just couldn't let the "hampers performance" remark stand since it seems too broad and perhaps would lead a newcomer to this forum to come to believe that only RWD is good and AWD sucks gas and decreases performance.
 
For a lot of folks, even in warmer areas of the country, AWD means the potential for greater perfomance in everyday driving circumstances.
 
Drive it like you live.
 
 

#12928 of 16087 Re: BMW F30 [markcincinnati] by nyccarguy

Jan 06, 2012 (10:18 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 06, 2012 2:31 pm)
Mark
 
First off I'd like to thank you for the compliment. I admire your posts and opinions, so your positive thoughts mean a lot to me.
 
If you go back and re-read that paragraph, it reads: "For years I thought..." meaning my thinking has changed.

Messages Page 1293 of 1609

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