It's almost always snowing in winter

There's not much of a surprise in claiming winter brings snow. The baffling part is just how much the year has been reclassified as winter in SLC. Here's the rental Jeep in Utah in the middle of April with fresh snow all around.



This shouldn't be interpreted as a rant against Utah, its inhabitants, or its educational and health systems, just the 9 months of the year that are unbelievably cold.

Undermining the cool

I dig the Range Rover. It's like a limo for the suave. Although the total time I've spent behind the wheel of the RRs is likely less than a couple hours, the capabilities on dry pavement and in snow have me thoroughly impressed. Save for the abhorrent gas mileage, cost of entry, plummeting depreciation, dismal service record, constant change in ownership, and dismal ride quality compared to its German cousin, it is the perfect SUV.

I've spent the last couple of years thinking about the sociology of driving brands. The message and feel from the world brands ranges from 'I'm important' to 'go away' to 'me, too.' I always loved driving my bimmers until I'd see someone behind a roundel pull an offensively arrogant move. Sad thing was, these moves were not only on the freeway, they often included a snotty look as someone in a 650Ci pulled into that parking space first and jeered at the Camry's less-important priority when parking. That's baggage the MINI doesn't seem to have. Boy, we just wave at everybody. (I've even paid a stranger's toll, just like the Book of Motoring instructs.)

So I had to laugh when I followed this guy on my way to work today. I'm still scratching my head to figure the benefit of having a vanity plate that documents the owner's lack of creativity. Range Rover? No kidding.



If you've got to use a vanity plate, use it to say something about life, your personality, or the adventure you're going to have. (E.g. Roving, Unibody, Mounting, and so on.) Don't bother saying, "This is a Range Rover." I can tell that already. The problem with stating the uninteresting is that it inspires a game of grapevine where the resulting message is, "I'm an a**."

New office in Spring

We've got blossoms outside the new hq. It's 72-degrees outside. No longer in a historic downtown, we do have central air, which will come in handy here in the South. We're on the far side of the third floor.



Apologies to anyone living where it /cough/ is still snowing.

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.