05-15-2014, 12:25 AM
It may come as no surprise that after today's test drive I totally love the car. I in no way expect to be able to convey any useful information or review, nor could I be very critical when I felt like I was operating a vehicle from the future.
The lack of weight was quite apparent at lower speeds, turn-in was crisp, and there was plenty of grip. The only reason it didn't do a tail-out, smoky display of aggression from a hard u-turn was that I hadn't looked into turning off the traction control. Then on the highway at 75mph, it wasn't nervous like a short, light car often is; it felt like cruising in a brand new 3 series. Acceleration from a standstill was awesome-- just a strong, linear force, and merging onto the highway was more than sufficient. "Throttle" response was excellent.
The raw material look, and mix of utility and comfort in and out of the car totally work for me. The doors and chassis have no flex, while at the same time the body panels are quite flexible... everything's engineered to do what it needs to do without much fat.
![[Image: IMAG0733_zps5fc7f71e.jpg]](http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e19/ecpreston/IMAG0733_zps5fc7f71e.jpg)
FWIW the event was very low key. Plenty of time for me to open up every door, remove some service panels, lay on the ground and view the suspension set up and generally do whatever I wanted while nice looking women and a friendly support and sales team answered all my questions and bullshitted about 2002s and E34s and other silly boxy things.
Jury's still out on 80+ mile daily commute. From my unscientific view of the range changing as miles were covered in my 8 highway miles with AC on at 75MPH, I get the impression the rated 81 mile range is conservative and close to worst case. :dunno: I hope to be able to justify owning one and towing it to an autocross now and then. :thumbup:
The lack of weight was quite apparent at lower speeds, turn-in was crisp, and there was plenty of grip. The only reason it didn't do a tail-out, smoky display of aggression from a hard u-turn was that I hadn't looked into turning off the traction control. Then on the highway at 75mph, it wasn't nervous like a short, light car often is; it felt like cruising in a brand new 3 series. Acceleration from a standstill was awesome-- just a strong, linear force, and merging onto the highway was more than sufficient. "Throttle" response was excellent.
The raw material look, and mix of utility and comfort in and out of the car totally work for me. The doors and chassis have no flex, while at the same time the body panels are quite flexible... everything's engineered to do what it needs to do without much fat.
FWIW the event was very low key. Plenty of time for me to open up every door, remove some service panels, lay on the ground and view the suspension set up and generally do whatever I wanted while nice looking women and a friendly support and sales team answered all my questions and bullshitted about 2002s and E34s and other silly boxy things.
Jury's still out on 80+ mile daily commute. From my unscientific view of the range changing as miles were covered in my 8 highway miles with AC on at 75MPH, I get the impression the rated 81 mile range is conservative and close to worst case. :dunno: I hope to be able to justify owning one and towing it to an autocross now and then. :thumbup:
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a van is a good guy with a van