Wrong way, right way bumper stickers

From the Unauthorized Owner's Manual comes an example of don't and do for the rear of the MINI.

Of course, I recommend leaving the bumper stickers off altogether. This isn't a soccer vehicle.

M3 on Speed

In a perfect world I'd store my M3 in a photo studio with carefully managed lighting. Until then I'll have to keep it in my run-of-the-mill garage. Before that I'll have to actually get an M3.



Image is from BMW touting the M3's review on Speed TV premiering tonight.

The long way home

I was picking through some MINI paraphernalia yesterday and pondering that the greatest asset of the S is how fun it is to drive on random roads. It's not nearly as fast or dart-like as the 330i was, but it outperforms when it comes to wandering into new territory. Add to the experience the Nuvi hanging from the windshield and everyday is an invitation to take the long way home. Just like the Book of Motoring advises.



So I set off on a route I hadn't taken before. I hit a few red lights and then got clear of the small downtowns. Just as I caught up to the group of cars ahead of me, they stopped. And waited. And then I heard the horn blast.



This isn't an encouraging story. But I take comfort in other nuggets of wisdom doled from the Book o' Motoring: it's possible to motor, even when sitting still.

Second-class

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the small wagon. I love sport-with-an-option-to-haul cars. For some time I've been watching the 1-series, available as a 3-door and 5-door in Europe. Although the 1 is being made as a coupe and convertible, just available on U.S. soil, we're missing that hatch and the engine options that make it really great.

Wired notes that the 118d, with a small turbo diesel wins the "World Green Car Award" in NYC and then promptly gets on a boat and goes home.



Full article here.

The general discussion, which I've seen for years as a BMW car club member, covers not only the failure of the underpowered 318ti to post great sales numbers in the early 90s, but the general distrust of diesel engines and anything with less than 6 cylinders. Add to that the premium of a BMW, regardless of engine, and most people just don't buy it.

I cry foul. I think it's a different market and BMW NA (North America functions as an independent subsidiary) knows it. I can't say whether they're savvy enough to do something about it, but the existence of two new changes for 2008 mean that they at least realize that we're no longer in the swinging 90s. First, we've got the 128/135i hitting the shores. It is super-powered, but it's still small. And cheaper than the old 325. (I argue that the current 328 isn't an upgraded 325 but rather a downgraded 330.) The point is, there is a new entry-level.

Second, the X5 and 3-series are both receiving diesel engines this fall. The market is looking for economy and it even includes the upper middle-class baby boomers that drive BMW sales. As oil becomes or even stays expensive, economy will be a bigger and bigger factor for car purchasing. I don't think it will hit quickly, but when the wave crests it will be pervasive. Americans like to suspend thought and follow the trend for automobiles. At least, without that theory I have no other way to explain the Hummer H3.



My conclusion is that the people who decide and the people who complain aren't meeting in the middle, where the rest of us that spend would happily participate. Quite simply, BMW makes more than one turbo diesel. Without needing the big guy from the X5, BMW already has a 2.3d making 204hp with economy not too far off the 1.8d. Give us the 123d. Go ahead and offer us the M Sport that the Londoners get. And we'll buy it because it's not out of reach, it's not euro-slow, and it changes our economics in a personal way that other cars don't right now.

C'mon BMW. Show us some love.

Wheels

The weather is warming in the South. Hopefully I get out a lot more consistently this year than last. It makes me think about how much time I spent on a bike while I was in school. Ironic that the source of so much stress back then was getting from one place to the other without sweating through my clothes or getting in an accident.

The car/dog conflicts still chase me but I feel so much more stress during the winter months that I don't ride regularly. When I can spend even an hour on the bike, it changes my whole day. When I ride two or three days out of the week, I notice the change in my energy level. Here's to health and man-powered transportation.



As for the pic, I live and work in an Atlanta suburb and still manage to find even more country-esque places to ride. When it comes to the country, the S and I enjoy every bit about getting to and fro.

Tornado, shanado

Interpreting rain warnings for nothing more than just rain, I rode a short cycling event in mid-Georgia on Saturday. It was overcast, but without the wet stuff falling from the sky. Apparently Atlanta was reeling from a downtown tornado the night before and an additional row of tornado warnings were passing over my house. I did make it back to the house in time to witness the sirens, hail, and visibility-eliminating-torrential-rain. Fun, fun, fun.



I came across this wall in the middle of the ride and couldn't resist the temptation to photograph yet another historic Coke wall ad. Realize that this is out in the middle of nowhere. And then some. I rode a good 5-10 miles before and after this spot without seeing another 2-story building. Yup, this is the downtown center of a southern Georgia city.