April 2016 – Cars Break

BMW Performance Driving School – 2 Day Car Control Class in Spartanburg, SC

I give you the happiest place on earth.

Recently I had the opportunity to be a stow away on a friend’s private Jet that was headed from Salt Lake City to North Carolina. That in and of itself was a very cool experience aboard a 1994 Bombardier LearJet 60. Very fast, very smooth aircraft.

I decided that if I was going all the way to Greensboro NC that I might as well drive down to Spartanburg SC and indulge in a little BMW fun. That particular week all they had was a 2 day car control school so that’s what I signed up for.

The school starts off with some really great hot chocolate (I’m not a coffee drinker) and introductions to your teachers. We were lucky enough to be instructed by none other than the Guiness World Record holder for the longest continuous drift – Johan Schwartz. He is also two time winner of the Pirelli World cup racing series. Very cool guy from Denmark who knows his stuff.

The first thing we did was hop into an M235i and do some slalom exercises. Then it was off to the skid pad in a 340i which was probably my favorite part of the whole experience other than the “BWM Buffet” on the last day where you drive an M3, Z4, M6, and X6M one right after another on a closed course at full tilt.

We also did some “autocross” stuff with the M235’s where you are timed in driving through a slalom with a wet U-turn. The second day also had some romping in an X5 which was somewhat interesting although the course was a bit cheesy and most of us probably wanted to jump the thing rather than drive slowly through 30″ of water.

On the last day they take you for a “hot lap” in one of the cars, this one is of Johan blasting through the mini course on one end of the performance center.

If this looks like good times to you, the 2-day car control course is $1550 but if I buy it for you and you pay me back you get 20% off because I have a BMW credit card The 2 day M performance course is $2900 and that’s the one I’d like to do next. It’s more race training and you get a bit more time behind the wheel of strictly M cars. They have tracks for this in SC and LA.

Here’s another video of their “Hot Lap” for people who are picking up a brand new car from the performance facility. You get to try you new car out on a track and get some professional instruction with it.

Correction: The really perfect bike for you – 2016 Yamaha FZ-07

A couple months back I wrote an article about the Ducati Scrambler, singing its praises. I don’t take anything away from that article but I’d like to add an element of reality to the mix: price. The Yamaha FZ-07 is faster, more fuel efficient, and nearly HALF the price of the Ducati. And it’s even the same class of standard-but-kind-of-dual-sport bikes.

At $6990 for a brand new one, you won’t find a better value other than maybe a 2015 model FZ-09 for $7600 but those are a bit overpowered for the average rider. Even the pros all say the 09 felt like it was trying to kill them.

The FZ-07 has a vertical twin, 689cc “Crossplane Concept” motor that is extremely impressive in low and midrange power creation. From 0-5500 rpm it’s honestly not far off from the 899 Panigale or other larger two cylinder bikes. And the low and midrange power completely demolishes 4 cylinder bikes even as large as an FZ1. The fuel injection works like magic, starts right up, idles well, and gives the feeling of control and precision.

At 479 lbs it’s one of the lightest street bikes on the road, even 50lbs+ lighter than competing bikes like the SV650 and the Ninja 650 with similar power output (65hp, 45 lb ft) giving the FZ the edge in performance and responsiveness.

Although it doesn’t have fancy upside-down forks or fully adjustable suspension, the ride is predictable and controllable. The seating position and well-placed ergonomics make it a very comfortable bike to ride although you may want a windscreen if you’re going farther than about 50 miles in one go.

The brakes are on-par with the best of them with four piston calipers up front and a two piston unit in the rear with wave rotors all around. The styling and controls really make this bike feel like it’s a $10-$12k machine and certainly not a bargain buy.

Pretty much can’t beat the fun per dollar value on this bike.

Ileta Forte, by Kia

Kia’s kind of suck. Here’s some data:

Friend’s 2014 Kia Sorento w/ 26k mi – threw a rod

Sister’s 2009 Kia Rio w/ 62k mi – threw a rod

Sister’s 2012 Kia Sedona w/ 55k mi – no a/c, total transmission failure

Other sister’s 2009 Kia Sedona w/ 68k mi – no a/c, multiple electrical fires

If you’re a Simpsons fan, you’ll know that Bart likes to prank call Moe’s Tavern asking for someone with a funny name like Ivana Tinkel or Amanda HugnKiss. Pretty sure Ileta Forte is on there, too. I rented a Kia Forte for a business trip in Virginia recently and it, too, sucked a bit. Can’t really argue with the price at $15,990, that’s cheap for any new car. But for that same money, and I’m only going to say this once, get a freakin used Honda or Toyota.

It’s not a terrible looking car by any means and I was pleased to discover that it wasn’t plagued by a CVT. The 1.8L 4cyl adequately powers the car with all of its 145 ponies galloping ahead but you’d really expect better than 26 mpg out of a car this gutless.

Conclusion: don’t buy a Kia.