jeremy clarkson

[TW]Fox · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:42

If you are used to a Golf a 1 Series should handle like a Lotus Elise in comparison.

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:46

[TW]Fox;15360705 said:
As for unpredictable power, thats small turbodiesels for you not the 1 Series on its own.

Ah - never had any problems with my dads turbodiesel passat... but when I do drive its usually a golf vr6.

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:47

[TW]Fox;15360742 said:
If you are used to a Golf a 1 Series should handle like a Lotus Elise in comparison.

Never driven an elise so I wouldn't know - but none of the golfs I've driven have felt like a barge... sure the VR6 takes a bit of muscling at low speed but on the open road its a dream.

[TW]Fox · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:47

Strange, the 1 Series should be a much sharper and better handling car than a Golf VR6. The fact its a 'company car with 100k on the clock' pales into insignificance alongside the Golfs 12+ years of age.

Freefaller · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:52

I have nothing against the 335 but damn he's a fun writer!

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 19:54

[TW]Fox;15360773 said:
Strange, the 1 Series should be a much sharper and better handling car than a Golf VR6. The fact its a 'company car with 100k on the clock' pales into insignificance alongside the Golfs 12+ years of age.

These aren't just plain old 10th hand golfs - I'm a big VR6 fan - first one only had 3K miles on the clock and the latest one had 10K worth of work on it before I got it including professionally rebored for 200BHP.

The 116 was a real effort around carparks, etc. and on the motorway you felt like it took forever to change lanes - I've only driven the 1 bmw (a few times) tho so as I said not much experience with them as a whole.

The_Dark_Side · 20 Nov 2009 at 20:04

Pretty much everything Clarkson says has far more to do with style and presentation than it does with factual content.

alex24 · 20 Nov 2009 at 20:17

The_Dark_Side said:
Pretty much everything Clarkson says has far more to do with style and presentation than it does with factual content.

Sounds like...wait, I'm not going there again.

Participant · 20 Nov 2009 at 20:20

Ouch he really hates the twin-charged Golf GT. I can't identify with his assertion that twin-charging is pointless - it's not jerky as he says in his article, and apparently he accidentally had it in winter mode for his entire test drive. Anyway this thread is about a BMW so I won't labour the point as nobody cares, but I had to say it anyway!!

[TW]Fox · 20 Nov 2009 at 20:49

Rroff said:
on the motorway you felt like it took forever to change lanes.

Well there you go guys, the definitive test of car handling.

Clarkey · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:02

lol Rroff. Good handling = light steering in the supermarket carpark?

Fr0dders · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:09

Robbie G said:
Ouch he really hates the twin-charged Golf GT. I can't identify with his assertion that twin-charging is pointless - it's not jerky as he says in his article, and apparently he accidentally had it in winter mode for his entire test drive. Anyway this thread is about a BMW so I won't labour the point as nobody cares, but I had to say it anyway!!

whats winter mode out of interest ?

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:19

[TW]Fox;15361096 said:
Well there you go guys, the definitive test of car handling.

Clarkey said:
lol Rroff. Good handling = light steering in the supermarket carpark?

A little more than that - wasn't a supermarket carpark either - was the works one at the time - gave it a good hard drive along the A303 then M3 then back again a week later... it was naff - I won't use it as the benchmark for BMW but I was distinctly unimpressed.

[TW]Fox · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:21

Wow the A303, a fantastic road for testing car handling given most of its a dual carriageway and the bits that are not are full of lorries even at 4am and speed cameras.

What exactly was wrong with the handling?

Duke · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:31

Worst road ever.

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:47

Well I wasn't exactly testing the car... but I do remember the steering felt "delayed" for a better way to put it... theres 2 sections that are fun to drive - one going east theres a downhill under a bridge then a long uphill left hand bend thats usually a blast and going back theres a long downhill with a left hand corner at the bottom - its fun to blast into the corner and leave it til the last minute to turn out... I didn't even dare with the BMW felt like I'd have ended up in the crash barrier.

Fr0dders · 20 Nov 2009 at 21:49

Rroff said:
Well I wasn't exactly testing the car... but I do remember the steering felt "delayed" for a better way to put it...

here you go son

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 22:02

Thats helpful I'm sure...

I said I didn't have much experience and people were asking about my experience and you wanna be an ass...

I borrowed a company car to drive upto the airport and back and I didn't feel it was particularly special and said my experience was different to clarksons... I didn't say all bmws are bad coz I had one bad experience.

sigma · 20 Nov 2009 at 23:07

Sounds like you drove a lemon?

Rroff · 20 Nov 2009 at 23:50

Well I've never driven any other BMW to compare... and as I said the car had done quite a bit of milage - I've never driven a hire or company car thats been entirely "right"

But compared to any other car I have driven in recent times it was deff. a bit of a barge. (Golf GTI, VR6, Renault Clio, Ford Focus Zetec (no it isn't an S)).