Hmmmm?

"Dave Plowman (News)" > haute in die Tasten:

> IIRC, SAAB beat them to it. On an engine still loosely based on a Triumph
> unit. ;-)
>

AFAIK Porsche fitted its big 3 litre four banger for the Porsche 944 and
968 in the 80's and early 90's with balance shafts.

Frank

--
please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact

Citroen - Made in Trance

"Ramone Cila" > haute in die Tasten:

> Ya know, I used to say that too, but recently I find myself using
> MapQuest and Expedia quite a bit a realizing for people who travel far
> more than I do NAV is probably a great tool. And both are generally
> better than paper maps.
>

It depends on your personal driving habits as well on the place you are.
Compared to old european citys like Paris, Rome or Berlin it may be easier
to find your way in Las Vegas or so. I use a small PDA based Navi system in
my current car and I enjoy being guided by voice, so that I can concentrate
on the traffic instead of the map on the passenger seat.

But it is definitely a matter of taste.

Frank

--
please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact

Citroen - Made in Trance

"Ramone Cila" > haute in die Tasten:

> I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but that the writers are not familiar
> enough with something they denegrate.

You have the same effect with every car on the German market, which leaves
the user interface standard set by Mercedes and VW. Citroen fans for
example scream out loud every time they read in a german car mag that a new
Citroen features an user interface which "requires acclimating". If I test
30 cars per year, I may have a problem with that, but necessarily not, if I
buy one and drive it for years.

Frank

--
please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact

Citroen - Made in Trance

"Ramone Cila" > wrote in message
...
>
> I don't know much about the Z4 packages and options, but in the E60
> whether
> or not you have a spare has no bearing on the trunk size since the spare
> well is there anyway. I am wondering why the Z4 trunk is any larger
> without
> a spare tire. Does the Z4 not have a spare well? Is it only available with
> run-flats?
>

Since its inception in 2003, the Z4 has come standard with Bridgestone RE050
run-flats on either 16", 17" or 18" wheels, depending on model and whether
or not equipped with the sport package. The trunk is designed without a
spare tire well and contains about 9 cu.ft. of space vs. about 5.5 cu ft in
the preceding Z3 roadster. The Z3 had a full size spare located underneath
the somewhat shallow trunk. Having taken 3000+ mile trips with my wife in
both cars, the Z4's extra luggage room facilitates both comfort and domestic
tranquility! In comparing roadsters, only the Boxster and the new SLK350
equal the Z4's trunk space - but the Porsche is nearly a foot longer than
the BMW, and the Merc loses half the space when the top is lowered.

Unless (for whatever reason) the E60 owner would never have a tire changed
en route, I can't understand the advantage of the run-flats on a car where
trunk space isn't an issue. Also, I notice that the bmw.usa website shows
the standard tires for the 5 series as 17" all seasons, with 17" or 18"
run-flats included in the sport package. All options specify a space saver
spare, along with a warning that low profile tires are more susceptible to
tire & wheel damage. There is also a finally disclaimer indicating that
performance tires aren't suitable for snow & ice!

Tom

I reckon I am/was curmudgeonly but a couple of years ago I had satnav in a
car I rented and drove around three towns and some motorway and, on balance,
I was favourably impressed, even though it tried to get me to turn where
there was no turn any more etc.

If I drove a lot more and on unfamiliar roads I would probably obtain a
system. My biggest concern is that if I stopped looking at big paper maps I
would lose the overall impression and feel for a region.

DAS
--
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

"Fred W." <Fred.Wills@'remove this to reply to' myrealbox.com> wrote in
message ...
[...]
>
> I would prefer paper maps for the difference in $$.
> Plus I can easily consult them when I am planning a trip and not in the
> car.
>
> Call me a curmudgeon... ;-)
>
> -Fred W
>

And Merc 4-cylinder engines are good.

DAS
--
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

"Fred W." <Fred.Wills@'remove this to reply to' myrealbox.com> wrote in
message ...
>
> "Andrew Thomas" > wrote in message
> om...
>> dizzy > wrote in message
>> >. ..
>>> >Personally, I think that BMWNA would do well to bring the 4 cyl and
>>> >diesel
>>> >to the US,
>>>
>>> This I do not agree with. Every cheap Korean cars have 6-cylinders,
>>> now. I'm never going back to a shaky, flatulent, 4-banger, that's for
>>> sure...
>>
>> I agree that four-pot BMWs are irrelevant in the US - quite
>> irrelevant. But you've obviously not driven a BMW four lately.
>
> I disagree. Take SAABs as an example. Their 4 cylinder turbo engines are
> far preferred to the V6 engines even in the US. Now granted, a V6 is not
> the same as a BMW I6, but I think it still makes the point that a well
> executed 4 cyl ebgine Xjï°a place in the US market in a near-luxury class
> car.
>
> -Fred W
>

"Frank Kemper" > wrote in message
...
> "Ramone Cila" > haute in die Tasten:
>
> > Ya know, I used to say that too, but recently I find myself using
> > MapQuest and Expedia quite a bit a realizing for people who travel far
> > more than I do NAV is probably a great tool. And both are generally
> > better than paper maps.
> >
>
> It depends on your personal driving habits as well on the place you are.
> Compared to old european citys like Paris, Rome
> or Berlin it may be easier
> to find your way in Las Vegas or so.

Well, Vegas isn't a very good comparison because it has an unusually well
planned grid, but I have used NAV in Rome and Paris and found it better and
more accurate than systems I have used in East Coast cities like Baltimore,
Philly and the out bouroughs of New York. Some of our cities have streets
that are two way in the afternoon, one way North in the morning and one-way
south in the evening and that in particular hasn't translated well in the
NAV systems I've used. I imagine you have that in Europe as well, though I
have not come across it.

Still, I haven't found my need or use of NAV locally to be anything that
warrants me purchasing that option.

"Frank Kemper" > wrote in message
...
> "Ramone Cila" > haute in die Tasten:
>
> > I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but that the writers are not familiar
> > enough with something they denegrate.
>
> You have the same effect with every car on the German market, which leaves
> the user interface standard set by Mercedes and VW. Citroen fans for
> example scream out loud every time they read in a german car mag that a
new
> Citroen features an user interface which "requires acclimating". If I test
> 30 cars per year, I may have a problem with that, but necessarily not, if
I
> buy one and drive it for years.

No doubt, but you see, as on this ng, people with little or no experience
with a car take what they read in a magazine and run with it, as if it could
be only gospel. I mean there are people on this ng who have complained
loudly about i-drive and have never used it for more than a few minutes.
Unfortunately the magazines have fooled many people into believing their
subjective takes are accurate.

I like magazines for the hard data they record, but I am less and less
enthusiastic about their opinions on driving, comfort, capability and
user-friendliness. I have felt this way for a few years now. What's funny is
that I thought they overplayed the capabilities and ergonomics of the E39.
Great car for sure, but hardly the machine they made it out to be. Over my
6.5 years of owning two there were a number of things about the car that I
thought were well suited to the historical eccentricities of BMW as a brand.

"Tom Korth" > wrote in message
...

> Since its inception in 2003, the Z4 has come standard with Bridgestone
RE050
> run-flats on either 16", 17" or 18" wheels, depending on model and whether
> or not equipped with the sport package. The trunk is designed without a
> spare tire well and contains about 9 cu.ft. of space vs. about 5.5 cu ft
in
> the preceding Z3 roadster.

Then I of course understand your acceptance of run-flats on the Z4.

> The Z3 had a full size spare located underneath
> the somewhat shallow trunk. Having taken 3000+ mile trips with my wife in
> both cars, the Z4's extra luggage room facilitates both comfort and
domestic
> tranquility! In comparing roadsters, only the Boxster and the new SLK350
> equal the Z4's trunk space - but the Porsche is nearly a foot longer than
> the BMW,

No kidding! As I said before I have little experience with the Z4 but I
would have never guessed the Boxster a longer automobile. That long nose on
the Bimmer makes the car look more expansive.

> and the Merc loses half the space when the top is lowered.
>
> Unless (for whatever reason) the E60 owner would never have a tire changed
> en route, I can't understand the advantage of the run-flats on a car where
> trunk space isn't an issue. Also, I notice that the bmw.usa website shows
> the standard tires for the 5 series as 17" all seasons, with 17" or 18"
> run-flats included in the sport package.

That's for 2004, in 2005 the option list alters a bit and run-flats and
active steering become standalone options....at least that's what my local
BMWCCA chapter mag reported recently.

> All options specify a space saver
> spare,

Yeah, that's the kicker. A car of this cost and caliber should have a full
sized spare. It seems so flinty to have a space saver spare.

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 16:55:20 -0600, "Ramone Cila" >
wrote:

>> All options specify a space saver
>> spare,
>
>Yeah, that's the kicker. A car of this cost and caliber should have a full
>sized spare. It seems so flinty to have a space saver spare.

You wouldn't like the E39 M5, then.
--
Dan Drake