BMW 320D M Sport - Review

Ok, so this is my first attempt at a car review, I haven't even tried to review the Abarth or Mitsubishi, so if this attempt is a bit of a fail, or a bit.... well.... crap, let me know in the comments and I'll stay clear of doing this in future!

BMW 320D M Sport

So the other day I got the chance to test drive a BMW 320D M Sport. I was contemplating getting it as a new daily to replace the Abarth. I suppose with it being a BMW, the obvious place to start is with cliches. Yes it had indicators and no it did not make me want to buy a bluetooth headset to scream down. Can I get started properly now? Good. 

So my first serious point does actually take me back to the indicators. I really didn't like them.... 

BMW Indicators, they do exist!

The indicators didn't function like a traditional stalk, rather felt like they were a button which hinged where the stalk gets fat half way along. It didn't feel nice to use, and gave no feeling that the indicator had flicked on, which I'm guessing is why BMW installed the loudest indicating click noise  to go with it, just to let you know that light was flashing, I didn't mind this too much in the first 5 minutes of driving, then it started to get old.... real old, real quick. I began to wonder if that's why BMW drivers just don't use their signals?

Indicators aside it was probably one of the best driving cars I've ever been behind the wheel of (and I've been behind a few). The cars I have owned in the past have all been shouty and angry (yes, even the Abarth when it's in sport mode). This car wasn't. Even in M mode it didn't shout as loud as I expected, but it felt good. It made me feel almost grown-up. Is this a sign I'm getting old?

BMW Drivers POV

 I think part of that, as you can see from the above picture, is the automatic transmission. I have always hated them in the past with a passion. Automatic transmissions were in my eyes, the work of the devil, or worse still, vegans. I'm not actually shamed to say it could potentially convert me (to autos, not vegan-ism). 

This is only actually the second automatic I've driven, the first was a DSG box, and I actually preferred the BMW's full auto box. The first couple of times I pulled away going from first to second was a little jerky until I got used to not having a clutch, then after that the drive was unbelievably smooth. It made me wonder why, when my journey into work was all traffic jams and motorways, didn't I already have an automatic? It just seems to make sense in a daily, especially as the project car is manual to still give me a fix on a weekend for driving a car with a man pedal.

320D M Engine bay

I did a bit of research into the car before the test drive and was surprised to find that it's 0-60 figure was only 7.9 sec. I was actually a little disappointed on the drive to the dealer, questioning whether trading in for a slower car was the right thing to do? Thing is, when driving the car, that figure didn't matter in the slightest. The car felt like it pulled really well and didn't feel that slow. In fact accelerating from 30 to around 60 or 70 I was impressed at how effortless it was. Comparing it to my hawkeye, the Impreza would have made a bigger show of it, louder and more attention grabbing, but if I'm honest, probably not much faster! Which is strange to say given how much faster it would manage 0-60. The BMW just felt like it pulled that well when rolling, and that specific range used for overtaking was where it did it best.

Taking it down some back roads

The car felt very much like it was designed for life in traffic and on the motorways, so I was pleasantly surprised that I seemed to rather enjoy a blast down the country lanes too. Being used to FWD at the moment, stepping into a RWD for the first time in a good couple of years, the car gave me confidence, it had grip for days! It was bone dry, but I got the impression that in the wet it would drop its business-like persona completely and be a totally different animal, a bit like that one mate, who has one pint too many and then gets lairy thinking he can fight the world.

Start stop button and radio.

In terms of finishing touches it didn't have quite as many as I expected from a German saloon. The start stop button was fun (yes, still a child at heart) but the radio was just, well.... normal!? The car was a couple of years old, but only a couple, so I kind of assumed there would be a screen or something, but alas not.  I suppose they are more an item for the luxury models rather than sports. Instead there were little M badges hidden all over the car, I kind of prefer them anyway. 

M badge

One of the most surprising things about the car for me, was how much Mrs 3ofdiamonds liked it. She was with me on the test drive and I genuinely think if I don't buy it she'll be trying to herself...

I was going to talk about potential mods I would do if I got the car at this point, but think I've wittered on for long enough, so maybe that's another entry?...

If you would like to laugh at my lack of progress in real time you can follow me on social sites by clicking the links below or search the @s :

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5 obvious observations from the Aussie F1

Normal service based around procrastinating from working in the Mitsubishi will resume shortly, but with the F1 starting back up I thought I would put down my thoughts from the first race in Melbourne.

1. Qualifying sucked

worst qualifying format ever

A lot of changes in F1 appear to the fans (well, to me) to be developed by committee, often with the best interests in mind and often they get it wrong. But it will invariably favour one team over others so some will push to keep a change and others push to change it again. I think this is the first change I can remember which has every team principal unanimously wanting it gone, and gone ASAP. 

The new format involved each session running for a while (different lengths depending upon session) and then once a certain time was reached, every 90 seconds the slowest driver would be knocked out. This was intended to promote more racing on a Saturday, instead it meant there were more cars in the garage for longer without the end of session surge for people trying to set hot laps. This also meant pole was set a good two minutes before the final session was over.... fail. Here's hoping they see sense and revert the format. 

2. Alonso had a crash

As you can tell from the footage the crash was rather serious, and enough to stop the race temporarily with a red flag. Both Alonso and Gutierrez were lucky enough to walk away from this. But it goes to show how dangerous a sport motor racing can be.

I like this version, its well cute! But for those who would rather see the proper footage, that's below.

3. Mercedes still seem to have the pace

So, Mercedes 1-2.... who would have ever guessed? Well.... everyone really. The surprise to some people will have been the seemingly united front from the two drivers, even a congratulatory hug between the two drivers post race!

Rosberg-Hamilton hug Post Australia 16

My bet is by race 4 (maybe 5) this honeymoon period will be over again as one driver starts to demonstrate a better start to the season than the other. (Go Lewis!)

4.  Ferrari were fast off the line

AThug life Vettel

Ferrari were quick off the line. This year there is only one clutch and the Ferrari boys really showed the rest of the pack how the new style launch should be done. Had it not been for the red flag I imagine Vettel would have won the race. Maybe we will see more of a Ferrari threat this year, especially if they can keep up those electrifying starts.

5. Rosberg won
For Hamilton fanboys... myself included... this may actually be a worse thing than it sounds.

Australia Podium 2016

For those who watched the Sky Sports F1 coverage, rather than that of Channel 4, you may have picked up on an interesting statistic highlighted by Ted Kravitz. He pointed out that every time a team had a 1-2 finish in the first race of the season, the winner of that race has gone on to secure the Drivers Championship that year. (I wanted to actually check this fact but my computer is playing silly beggars so have a feeling I may be editing this later, but for now its a quote so it stays). If anyone can go against the statistics based on the form of recent years its Lewis #TeamLH and either way it will be interesting to watch how the team dynamics unfold over the next couple races.

Also notable:

Mclaren seemed to have improved their pace from last season, still not where they should be given their heritage, but no longer look like they'll be fighting just not to come last. Roll on the next rule change for their return to the top? Also a respectable finish for Haas, one to keep an eye on this season.

In other news: 
The Abarth may be going. I will be test driving another car within the next couple of days. I hope to publish either a review or an unveil at some point over the Easter weekend, wish me luck!

If you would like to laugh at my lack of progress in real time you can follow me on social sites by clicking the links below or search the @s :

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Clutching at Straws... or rather an invoice for a new clutch (finally)

If you follow my posts regularly you may have realised I missed a week last week. It was one of those weeks where life got in the way of cars sadly... Much to the dismay of Mrs 3ofdiamonds I was having to work down south living out of hotels #firstworldproblems

Sadly this has meant that I have not had much chance to do anything with the GTO, I have however used this time to finally shop for a new clutch which is now ordered and should be here by the end of the month!

I did a bit of research into performance clutches and still probably couldn't explain it very well, so instead here's a handy tutorial I watched on youtube:

From local suppliers I could only find an OEM replacement which meant that from the get-go that option was out of the question. It would have allowed me to get the car on the road faster, however I didn't see the point of buying a clutch now only to buy another in just a couple of months. 

This meant I was going to be shopping online. I found a wealth of OEM replacements available on various sites. When I got the GTO I read on many a forum that parts would be hard to find and really expensive, so was pleasantly surprised at the choice. The more I looked at performance clutches however, the more I was getting messages back saying that I couldn't order them, or that they weren't in stock with no indication they would be restocked.

Just as I was about to resort to importing from the other side of the Atlantic or trying to learn Japanese to order a JDM replacement clutch, I did find a couple of sites which stocked them and ended up torn between a kit on each, the first was h-tune.co.uk and was an Action Clutch kit. Beyond stage 1 however there was no organic option and I had decided against a metallic kit moving forward for trying to preserve the feel of driving under normal driving conditions.

Stage 2 Action Clutch - Kevlar with 70% increased capacity over OEM and looks like a piece of art!

So from my available choices I came to realise that the best option would likely be a stage 2 clutch to give the best balance between drive-ability and potential for increase in performance. Which is why I ultimately opted for a stage 3..... Typical bloke, what I need and then some! This is why I am not allowed to do the weekly shop...

The clutch is a Competition Clutch kit from demon-tweeks.co.uk and will be good for a torque increase of 150%. This will be more than I could ever possibly need and gives plenty of room to grow the power figures over the next couple of years. Luckily its not going in a daily driver otherwise everyday would be leg day! The clutch is ceramic, so although it will lose some drive-ability going for a stage 3, it hopefully wont lose too much. It was described by Competition Clutch on Demon Tweeks as "Ultimate 'Street and Strip' Kit" and as "Ideal for enthusiastic fast road driving". The latter of the two statements shall put that to test on the mountain roads in the summer.

Stage 3 Competition Clutch - Ceramic

Following installation there will be a 500 mile break in period and then it will be back to business as usual. I still have a couple of parts to install from January I have been waiting to get the car rolling again before installing (such as the 57i induction kit) so will hopefully be busy with her again soon!

I have also been trying the new Amino Garage app. First thoughts are that it is a bit like google+ or facebook but just for cars. No random pictures of food. No shots of legs in the bath or on a beach. Just cars! (Well, and the odd bike). Check out the app. You can follow my profile here.

If you would like to laugh at my lack of progress in real time you can follow me on social sites by clicking the links below or search the @s :

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