[///ADMAN]

The BMW-UDE was in Vegas today. So, we decided to ditch work and go drive a million dollars worth of European Bliss.
I was personally looking forward to driving the Porsche Panamera-S coupe, since it is one of the few sedans I've missed on my bucket list.





Things I liked: Vented leather cooled seating.
Things I didn't like: Everything else.



================================================== =

Up next was the star of the event - the 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe. For some strange reason, BMW only brought the 640i. 315bhp. $85K MSRP. Not sure why they wanted to match that up against the Panamera-S. 420bhp. $105K MSRP. They would have been better off bringing out the 650i Gran Coupe. 445bhp. $95K MSRP. I guess they figured it was more of a competition between the Porsche and the new 7 series. But, that car was a pig. The old 750Li was a MUCH better ride...






Things we liked: Pretty much the whole car.
Things we didn't like: No suspension setting options.

They had a decent line up...

But once my wife sat in the M6, all bets were off.
We had to start driving EVERYTHING else on the lot.
Why not make a day of it, right?



The M5 is remarkable...



The M6 is breathtaking...



I didn't bother with the M3. I just snapped this photo for the rims.



They actually look WORSE in person. Not sure what they were thinking.



They had a few sign-ups and prizes in the "follow-up" tent. So, hopefully we'll win something.
I wouldn't mind doing the REAL driving experience at the BMW Plant Spartanburg, all at THIER expense.


Enjoy...

[keepittrill]

I see nothing wrong with the rims on that M3. Disappointed to hear about the Panamera, though. I've fallen in love with that ugly b****

[///ADMAN]

Me too...till I drove it.

[keepittrill]

Originally Posted by ///ADMAN

Me too...till I drove it.

What were its main faults?

[SgtGigglebox]

Those ventilated seats are a trip aren't they! After 10 years with a sweaty back in Z4s, those seat coolers are a frickin game changer.

[///ADMAN]

Originally Posted by keepittrill

What were its main faults?

This was my post from another forum...

Originally Posted by ///ADMAN

Okay, Okay, Already...

Yes, it's a big/heavy car and it feels like it. The body roll was terrible, even in Sport/SportPlus mode. I'm sure it probably feels better at high speed. But, still - I would hope the S4, Turbo and GTS are better.

The roofline is a bit low and it has a HORRIBLE blindspot between 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock. And, the view out the back window was pretty bad as well. Felt like I was in the Lamborghini Aventador again. Once I put the screens up, I couldn't really see anything. And, that was in the middle of the afternoon. I'd rather see them install electric privacy glass in these high-end vehciles. Oh, well...

I will say the view out the front over the hoodline is pretty cool. Like a larger version of a Pontiac Solstace or Saturn Skye, if you've ever driven one of them. Fun little cars...

The brakes were VERY quishy at first - at low speed. But, they are adaptive - so they did grab nicely once you were going faster. Good bite.

Fit & finish was good - just a little weird. The whole interior smelled like adheisive. Kind of a fruity octane scent. You know, like grape racing fuel. The seats had very hard edges to them - all the way around. Once you sunk down into them, they were okay. But, hard. I didn't have time to change all of the settings. Too many buttons. So, that could have just been the way they were set by the previous driver. But, the vented cooling was great. The AC blows through the leather and each seat can be set by each passenger. The back seats were the same too.

Over all, it was a HUGE car. Plenty of room for clients running from point A to point B on the Autobahn at 150+mph. But, it was very difficult getting in and out of the back too. Oh, and the "trunk" was ginormous!!!

It had A LOT of buttons and screens - On the dash. By your knees. On the console. On the roof. On the pillars. Too much, in my opinion. Once everything is set, it's probably fine. And, you don't need to touch them again.

Lastly, I drove this as a "comparison vehicle" at BMW of Las Vegas on West Sahara. It was part of the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience. They had the Porsche Pani, BMW X3, X5, 640i, 750Li, MB350, MB550, etc. But, you can usually go to the dealership and drive anything you want.

I'm waiting for the new Corvette Stingray to hit the lots. That's next on my list. Maybe a Fiskar too. Gotta go buy a fire suit first.

[///M3Owner]

love the m5 and m6!