White Roof Radio #415
Woofcast 415: [audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/www.whiteroofradio.com/podcasts/woof415.mp3]
Download| 47:15 | 22.7mb | WRR @ iTunes | Show Notes
Starting off right away talking about the next Company Car that you can see above and read all about here. We all agree it looks pretty sweet and are excited for a chance to drive it. Good chance you will get to see this car during MTTS, but no promises. Finishing off with the rest of the news from Motoringfile.com.
Shout-outs and silliness make up the rest of the show. Listen passed the end credits this time. _Trust me_.
<p>Great show guys. I was interested in Gabe’s comment about the gas milage in his new wagon and how he believes people in the USA are starting to pay attention to this. It’s great to hear the USA is coming around to what has been the case in other markets for quite some time. In New Zealand it costs $92 USD to fill a 50 litre tank (I believe that’s the size of MINI tank). A new MINI Cooper S hatch with no options costs $40,200 USD. Different markets etc of course (although we don’t earn more) but you can see why people in other markets like Europe and NZ diesel cars and economical petrol cars are the sensible option. Now, back to my 1M…</p>
<p>Great job guys.</p>
<p>As a happy Coupe owner do have to disagree with something Gabe said. Hands down one thing I would not laud the R56/R59 family is the steering. Moving between our GP and the JCW Coupe The Coupe is not nearly as settled and much more numb in hand. While not a avid fan of the feel through the wheel of a E86 BMW I am not sure I would say the current. Would not say the current generation of cars really are much better than ghostly when it comes to steering input.</p>
<p>I would agree. Numb is a good description. Advancements in steering technology seem to have made most all cars, on the surface, easier and more comfortable to drive. They’re not less responsive but that visceral feeling of connectedness is fading away with every advancement. This is an opinion I think a lot of people share. Not all, but many people. Driving newer cars is becoming more like playing a video game. MINI added an increased steering feel with the addition of the sport button and that helps but it still feels artificial in comparison to an older car, the GP or any R50/R53 for example. Granted, there is a large amount of subjectivity to all this. The car still goes where you point it, that’s the whole objective but what is changing is the “seat of the pants” feeling and visceral feedback that newer cars are offering. </p>
<p>Talk about visceral: my dad’s Model A Ford really had that primal connection. There’s something to be said for it, but I prefer my MCS.</p>
<p>Once we picked up the JCW Coupe was amazed on the drive home that unlike my first exposure to the first generation cars where I still remember vividly to this day being blown out of the water with the feel of the car. I felt that I could drive down the edge of a dime and place the car with pinpoint accuracy. However driving down I5 in our Coupe I actually had to turn the sport mode off as the car felt loose on the road. Not only is the steering slightly worse in the Coupe its actually not that much better than the vanilla feeling in standard American cars. The first gen cars felt so much like a baby BMW for driving feel, then the next became skittish and numb.</p>
<p>Still love most things about the JCW Coupe we bought but I can say with confidence that its a long long way from matching the smile that my GP puts on my face every time.</p>