>>Seven Days in Heaven – A Week in the Life of BMW 335d

Seven Days in Heaven
A Week in the Life of BMW 335d

If you are a fully paid up member of the Big Boys Toys Club then you are going to love the BMW 335d.

It is one of the very few cars around on the road today that is able to reverse the widely accepted theory that diesels will never be a match for their petrol driven counterparts.

OK if you look at the statistics you will see that it produces 20bhp less than the equivalent 335i petrol version but also if you look at the statistics you will see that it has an extra 180Nm of Torque to call on and the end result of this is that a comparison off the 0-60 figures will show that the diesel is 0.4 of a second slower than the petrol. However, the last laugh is with the diesel in that you get an extra eight miles to the gallon over the petrol version.

If we take into consideration the BMWs rival model from Mercedes, the CLK, then you would have to say that the German automobile manufacturers really do have the premium “four-seater coupe” market virtually sewn up. In fact if the rumours are to be believed then with Audi bringing in the new A5 then the market will be well and truly sewn up or would “stitched up” be a better way of describing it.

If we run down the list of its impressive specifications you will get a better idea of why the 335d is fast becoming universally acclaimed.

If we take it from the top. The engine is an inline 6 cylinder 2993cc, bi-turbo engine that hands a maximum power of 282bhp @ 4400rpm. It also has a maximum torque of 428lb ft @ 1750-2250 rpm. The initial 0-60 figures claim 6.1 seconds as it has in the alleged top speed of 155 miles an hour. This last figure of course is by some philology useless within the United Kingdom as we all know (nudge nudge wink wink) how much we all abide by the 70 miles an hour top speed limit. But isn’t it ironic that in the majority, the more power and speed a car actually has, quite often there is less desire to actually use it - or am I just getting boring and old?

Answers on a postcard please.

As I mentioned before the 335d Coupe has been described as the best new generation three series coupe so far and where the diesel has really made an impression is that it appears to be bucking the trend that has hitherto seemed to be the norm in that the popular perception of any performance BMW has been “Petrol and Manual, Petrol and Manual etc”. By this I mean that the 335d has now made it almost acceptable to have BMW with performance that has firstly a diesel engine and then secondly has a pretty nifty automatic gear box.

The Coupe comes with DSC+, which involves traction control, stability control, ABS, brake drying, Cornering Brake Control, brake fade compensation, Dynamic Brake Control, brake pre-tensioning, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, hill-start assistant, Engine Drag Torque Control, and soft stop. And more besides. But to repeat: none of this messes with the essential simplicity of the drive, or with the relationship between car and driver.

This car will produce many a happy driver.

Stephen writes about a number of Internet Issues such as Georgia Driver Education, Car Reviews and also about various other Manchester car dealer issues

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By: Stephen Morgan

>>Porsche 911 GT3 – Is this the Ultimate in Extreme Road Racing

Porsche 911 GT3
Is this the Ultimate in Extreme Road Racing

The Porsche 911 GT3 has been described as brilliance to spare, the problem is with a machine of this capability is that there isn’t anywhere within the United Kingdom road network that you would be able to legitimately take advantage of its raw unsurpassed power.

Consider the following, this car can comfortably hit 114 mph in third gear and not break sweat. Its performance is brutal with 415bhp pushing 1375kg this is a car waiting to explode out on to the roads. This car has possibly one of the most powerful accelerations off any road machine available.

Start to push this car and there is no forced induction to bolster the mid- range. OK the gearing is a little different from standard 911’s but it is the apparent ease with which it basically blows other supposedly fast cars off the road whilst still only in third gear that is possibly the most impressive of all of its features.

Accelerating in third gear (god I sound like an obsessive) in the 911 GT3 has memorably been described as “impersonating a leopard undergoing root canal treatment with a poorly administered anaesthetic” and you will hit comfortably 114mph and then you realise that there are three other gears to follow until technically (because we all know that it is not legally possible within the UK) you hit what Porsche claims is the 911’s top speed of 192 mph.

At this point the scenery flashing past the car starts to blur and you realize that the problem with trying to get to grips with this car is the fact that the conventional road network within the United Kingdom cannot cope.

Unless you are either given solitary access to an F1 circuit like Silverstone or Brands Hatch you are not even going to be able to come close to appreciating what this beast can do and even then it takes real experience to be able to master this car at speed. Any fool can hit the accelerator and go. Staying alive to tell the tale, now that requires experience.

If we sum up the 911 GT3 RS, it is going to set you back at least £94.280 (or $192,000) and for that you get a car that will go from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and supposedly tops out at 192 mph though other testers have claimed even in excess of that figure. The engine exerts 409bhp at 7600rpm and has torque of over 298lb ft at 5500 rpm. It has a Power to Weight ratio of 298bhp per tonne.

Funnily enough for car of this power, driving around conventional roads it’s not actually too much of a problem, in fact in fact it makes the act of restraint quite a virtue that is key to enjoying the suppressed power that lies within. Self preservation and common sense quickly remind you that this is not a car whereby you hammer your way through the gears trying to impress the boy racer in the car behind you.

Let him be, you can relax quietly confident that if you really really wanted to, there would be no contest and that he would soon become a very distant memory and shortly history.

Scott James writes about a number of Internet Issues such as http://www.drivereducationonline.us, Ohio Car Dealers and also about Speculative Issues and Internet Poker

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By: Sott James

>>Subaru’s WRX STI—The Little Sleeper That Woke the Dead

Subaru’s WRX STI
The Little Sleeper That Woke the Dead

In these days of tuner performance, it’s nice to see manufacturers joining in the fun. No longer do we have to buy some little Honda and slap on a bunch of shoddy parts to make a proper street racer. Now, you can roll right off the show-room floor ready to rock and roll. Right now, the car with the most out-of-the-box performance potential is hands down, the Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

The WRX comes ready to go with wide low-profile tires, huge brakes, and super-firm, high quality suspension components. Plus, the all-wheel drive and snappy throttle response make this little Subaru a blast to drive. Once released to the public, it quickly became the poster child for street tuners and high performance racing.

The Impreza started life in the unlikely world of rally racing. Quite popular in Europe, rally racing is kind of an off-road/street race for heavily modified sedan and hatchback style vehicles. These cars are some of the best handling and most versatile of all race cars. They can carve a corner like dad carves a holiday turkey and catch the kind of air Evil Knievel would envy. Rally drivers are also hailed as the best drivers in motorsport.

The race-bred version of the Subaru Impreza is the WRX STI. The STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International which is Subaru’s in-house racing program. They put a lot of time and money into the program to become the winningest constructor in the professional series. Subaru decided to put this same race-winning engineering into the WRX STI.

Besides the all-wheel drive and radical suspension mentioned earlier, the WRX boasts a turbocharged 4-banger powerplant. Don’t get fooled by the absence of the other 4-cylinders—this baby cranks out nearly 300 horsepower and 300 ft-lbs of torque, without any turbo lag. The Subaru WRX really is one of the fastest sleds on the hill.

The only drawback to the WRX—that’s actually a plus—is the looks. This thing is ugly—real ugly. Those egg-heads at Subaru sure know how to make a fast, tight-handling ride, but they don’t know a thing about aesthetics. This is good though. When you obliterate Joe Hotrod’s ’66 Nova in your Japanese econo-box, that unsightly Subaru sheet metal will be the last thing on your mind. The WRX is simply the perfect street package; sleeper looks and hell-fire under the hood.

But of course, you’re a street tuner, and that means you just can’t leave stuff alone. If you were the kind of kid that hot-rodded your mom’s hair dryer or fabbed-up a wing for dad’s riding mower the WRX STI is for you. Since the car is so popular, there’s a healthy aftermarket industry supporting these Subaru racers—as if they’re not fast enough. Since the WRX is already wildly potent, souping it up is pretty basic. The traditional chip, intake and exhaust trifecta is the quick and easy way to parlay extra performance. Anything beyond these mods and you’re treading on track-only territory. For street reliability and drivability, it’s best to stick with the basics. K&N, Borla and Unichip all make killer gear for the WRX and each boasts a long, storied reputation in the industry.

So whether you leave it alone or hop it up like a jack-rabbit on steroids, the Subaru WRX STI is one bad ride. With an unassuming look and a belly full of turbocharged horsepower, the WRX is the definition of the modern, soon to be classic, street rod.

For a complete selection of Subaru accessories—performance or otherwise—check the internet speed shops. There’s a lot out there for your WRX street racer, including the K&N Typhoon intake and a plethora of performance gear designed to wake up your little sleeper.

David Brooks is the SEO Manager for AutoAnything, an auto accessories and performance parts e-tailer based in San Diego, CA.

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By: David Brooks