Name your car.
 

Cars don't last forever, at least. So there's always the replacement in a few years. By then, BMW may have introduced a minivan.

Name your car.
 

We were just talking about the other day. The local BMW dealer has a Toyota Sienna for shuttling folks to the metro, and I said, you know, even if they made one, who would drive a BMW minivan? Even the X3 and X5 seem to defy the point of having a BMW -- I'm not going to corner in that thing the way I do in the sedan-- and even the point for most suburbanites in having an SUV - there is hardly any cargo room in those things.

Name your car.
 

No argument here. But porsche and bmw seem to have discovered an entire market segment for whom solely the badge on the hood matters. I hadn't realized there was that much room in NFH's garage.

Name your car.
 

I posted the link to an article about alleged BMW concept of a people-moving-salon (volksbeweglichersalon?), but the linked page was part of a pay site (I don't know why I had access but others didn't). A BMW board member said there was a demand for moving people from one place to another in total comfort, and we shouldn't be ashamed of that. Apparently others within BMW say "nein."

When a German executive says “We are already working on the solution,” it is definitely time to worry. See also.

Name your car.
 

You'd be surprised. They don't handle like Suburbans. More like a car. Especially the 4.4. That one's been over 100 many times.

Name your car.
 

It's not the speed but the control. It may have gone over 100, but how fast will you take the ramp in it? Not as quickly as in a sedan, and you won't feel as close to the road. It's just not as much fun. I'm not saying it doesn't have some driving advantages over other SUVs; I'm saying it's not really the essence of a BMW.

For pure people-moving functionality
 

Nothing beats a Toyota or a Honda. Think Pilot.

For pure people-moving functionality
 

I've done that thinking, and the inevitable associated *sighing*

Name your car.
 

My dad traded in his '99 Carrera 2 for an X5 a few years ago due to having to get new tires every five thousand miles, and he hasn't regretted the decision. He's a Porsche driver from the 1960s (with the exception of the '91 Q45 years, which I'll have to admit, were much better than expected), and I think he wanted to save face when his knees started to protest getting in and out of the Carrera. The Cayenne hadn't come out yet when he was looking to make the switch.

I much prefer to drive the X5 than my own Ford Explorer.

Name your car.
 

I'll own that thing in my '92 5.0.

[IMG]http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=mustang+5.0/v=2/SID=e/l=IVS/SIG=13i36rmvo/EXP=1117655112/*-http%3A//www.vanhary.org/Galleriat/Kerholaisten_autoja_osa_1/Ford_Mustang_5.0_GT_Convertible.jpg[/IMG]

For pure people-moving functionality
 

We bought my wife's BMW so that we could conserve the mileage on a Toyota I love. I'll dump that over-engineered german sedan in a few years, but I plan on keeping my Toyota truck for 200,000 miles, and the dealer tells me it should run that far. I'd own Lexus, Acura, Toyota, Nissan my whole life. Best cars in the world as far as I'm concerned.

Name your car.
 

You just don't know. I've driven both the X5 and a Porsche Cayenne (non-S, non-Turbo) into a 180 degree hairpin onramp as fast as I ever pushed a car and I'm not saying it's a Carrera, but it kicked the shit out of that 325.

Name your car.
 

If someone thinks that an X5 handles poorly I don't think it's really worth your time to educate them. It would be fun to watch, though.

Name your car.
 

Just like it's fun watching you try to demonstrate reading comprehension. I never said it handled poorly, dimwit.

Name your car.
 

First of all, I didn't even read your response. I was responding purely to NFH, and the concept of her having to explain how well an X5 handles to someone who doesn't know shit (I wasn't thinking of you, but you will suffice for explanatory purposes) is just amusing to me. She and I might not see eye to eye on much of anything, but she knows her cars.

My favorite X5 story is about BMW engineers slapping a production V12 into one, not adjusting much of anything, and giving it to a professional driver for him to turn laps at Nurburgring faster than any production car ever, including true exotics from Porsche and Ferrari. Handling is pretty important at Nurburgring, kay?

Name your car.
 

I thrashed an x3 at an Ultimate Drive event last year. While you could feel the extra weight over a standard 3er, it was by far the best handling SUV I've ever driven. I went to the event pissed off that the x3 was thsi year's vehicle of choice. I left with some serious respect for it.

Name your car.
 

I think that we talked about this at the time, but me, too. It was awesome, but it was nothing compared to doing the same with an X5 4.4 the previous year. I really like the X5; it's so flat and so balanced, so perfect. I had a chance to drive a friend's 4.8is a few months ago, and, I'll sound like Sebby to say this, but my god, when are you ever going to use all that power? The sheer perfection of BMW's various 8s may have ruined me for the (I thought) perfect I6.

Name your car.
 

There's a video out there of one of the engineers pushing the crap out of a Carrera on that track. It's absolutely breathtaking. He puts it into just enough drift to take it through a curve. I'd send y'all a copy if I could, but it belonged to a guy who's very overprotective of it.

Name your car.
 

Damn, you are so cute.

Name your car.
 

I suspect they'll have e90's this year, which promises to be fun.

Name your car.
 

I suspect you're right, and I suspect they're all xi's, or the fancy electronics are going to get more of a workout than the novice drivers.

Name your car.
 

That car (truck) kicks ass. In theory, though, you are supposed to use that power to haul your yacht to Tahoe. Or your snowmobiles.

Name your car.
 

And, really, it feels a lot stronger than 355/350. I suspect it's a bit underrated and is actually making a good bit more on high octane fuel when the computer is getting more aggressive.

P.S. Did Danica cause that late crash that took off half or her front wing? It looked like it from the replay but it wasn't mentioned in the articles.

Name your car.
 

Very good avatar for you.

Name your car.
 

They said it was cold tires, but yeah - rookie mistake. At least she didn't take herself out.

Name your car.
 

Posts like these that make me wonder what paigow will be like when she is great with child. OTOH, given the disaster the world narrowly averted the last time with the whole Ambassador Thorn incident, I suppose it's better not to risk it.

Name your car.
 

And I look a lot like her, except my hair is shorter and in layers. And I'm a whole 1" taller.

Name your car.
 

How did your ass look in FHM?

Name your car.
 

Anyone have a link to that spread?

ETA: this is the best I have found:

http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/04pics/danika-3.jpg

Name your car.
 

Less posted it on the FB.
I have not seen it as it is not work safe - I'm sure.

My ass was not in FHM. I am more muscularish than she - in both the thigh/calf area and the shoulders. I can pick up a full box of documents and lift it over my head. Take that Danica!!

Name your car.
 

How about the G35 sedan? Or, if he's not wedded to a stick shift, an M35/M45? Or, if he wants something at the lower end of the price spectrum, a Subaru Legacy GT (don't laugh until you've driven one).

Name your car.
 

I've heard great things about the G35 coupe from SF's boy racer crowd, but the only thing I've heard the sedan has going for it is RWD. Anyone driven one? Anyone here own an Infiniti, for that matter?

Name your car.
 

I have driven most of the Infinitis. They feel tight and are strong. Nothing remarkable, but they are good cars. I didn't like the manual transmission; it didn't have enough feedback in the clutch and shifter for my tastes.

I liked the Murano/FX, too, but I guess those are SUVs. They're really more of a wagon, though.

Name your car.
 

I have driven then entire Infiniti line. I also like the Murano, except for the fact that the interior is a little cheap looking and the window sills are way too high.

The G35 is a total boy racer car. The interior was designed to appeal to 20yo's. While it is better this year, it still doesn't have much adult appeal. The wheels are very nice and it handles like a champ - I just couldn't bear to look at the interior every day though.

For the M, Automobile says that the M is incredibly stiff, suspension is incredibly damped and the brakes are fab. And they hated the steering. They gave it a meh rating.

Name your car.
 

I take it your comments are directed at the G35 coupe just as mine were. My impressions of the G35 sedan* are that it's a good choice for people who want straightforward Japanese reliability combined with RWD. Infiniti seems to be the only Japanese RWD, although with all of the auto press criticism of modern high-HP engines mated with FWD (a technology that made perfect sense with early '80s engines), my guess is Acura will also move to RWD for at least one of its sport sedans in the next five years.

*I do not understand why Infiniti thought it wise to give them the same model names, given how little they have in common.

Name your car.
 

. . . on the Internet.

Name your car.
 

Shouldn't you be in the bathroom right now?

Name your car.
 

I'm using Bluetooth to stream the brown note to my Blackberry. Regards from the WC!

Name your car.
 

Owned a G35 coupe. Loved it. I think that the comments about the dash being too boy racer-ish are overstated.

Likes:

- Power, sound, and feel of a small block V8
- Handling
- Braking
- Ergonomics
- Snickety-snick 6 speed manual
- Not one of the 50,000,000 325s around DC

Dislikes:

- High beltline
- Heavy clutch with not much feedback
- Tiny, tiny, tiny trunk

Name your car.
 

This is definitely one I would consider for myself in the $32K-$35K category, but my impression was that it gets really pricey when you option it up, which is not true of the Acura TL (admittedly a quite different car, but arguably a competitor) because Acura's philosophy is to offer it all as standard equipment. The only options on TL are 5sp/auto, summer/all-weather tires, and nav/no nav.

I've often wondered whether an all-options TL is actually cheaper than an all-options Accord.