Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

[Redwood]

http://www.rideanddrive.net/p4/index.php?show=register

Cody says there's a TAMSCC autox on that Sunday, but maybe we could go to this on Saturday? I don't know what's involved, but it SOUNDS good. Anybody interested?

Test and compare BMW and Cadillac and uncover a variety of performance attributes including acceleration, handling, braking, ride, and stability control on our specialized test courses.

[Oversteer]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

"Sorry this event is full."

[Redwood]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

"Sorry this event is full."

What time did you pick? I just registered for Saturday at 3pm after I saw your post. Deena had me sign her up as well.

[GoDog]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

Kami and I did this in Denver and it was lame. We drove a Cadillac CTS (not V) and Mercedes C230 on one 20 second course with 3 passengers. Then you write up your impressions. Then we drove a Cadillac STS (not V) and BMW 530i on another 20 second course with 3 passengers.
The "instuctor" yelled at me when the tires on the BMW started complaining. Not worth the time.
Totally Lame...

[McCall]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

Kami and I did this in Denver and it was lame. We drove a Cadillac CTS (not V) and Mercedes C230 on one 20 second course with 3 passengers. Then you write up your impressions. Then we drove a Cadillac STS (not V) and BMW 530i on another 20 second course with 3 passengers.
The "instuctor" yelled at me when the tires on the BMW started complaining. Not worth the time.
Totally Lame...

Ah, so what you are saying is that if we want to spend our time writing and giving our opinions on the cars, it's cool BUT if you just want to actually drive them to full ability, you can't. bummer

[Oversteer]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

"Sorry this event is full."

What time did you pick? I just registered for Saturday at 3pm after I saw your post. Deena had me sign her up as well.

It won't let me pick a time. Replaced with "Sorry this event is full." Ergo, not able to sign up.

[Redwood]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

"Sorry this event is full."

What time did you pick? I just registered for Saturday at 3pm after I saw your post. Deena had me sign her up as well.

It won't let me pick a time. Replaced with "Sorry this event is full." Ergo, not able to sign up.

That's totally bizarre.

[Redwood]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

Kami and I did this in Denver and it was lame. We drove a Cadillac CTS (not V) and Mercedes C230 on one 20 second course with 3 passengers. Then you write up your impressions. Then we drove a Cadillac STS (not V) and BMW 530i on another 20 second course with 3 passengers.
The "instuctor" yelled at me when the tires on the BMW started complaining. Not worth the time.
Totally Lame...

That's a bummer. I do love giving my opinion on cars, though that sounds like a stacked comparison. Yeah, let's compare the V6 model to their 4 cylinder... At least BMW and Lexus had the guts to compare equal cars (even if the IS lost in the handling department). I do want to try the new 5 series out since I didn't drive it at the Lexus event.

[Redwood]

Re: Car & Driver's Ride & Drive in Dallas 11/12-11/13

Deena and I went today at 3pm. It took us around 2 hours...a little longer due to my verbose review of the cars. Unlike what Adam went on, this had not only the 530i vs. STV, but the CTS-V and M3 (one of 2 cities that get the latter two).

530i: We were driving the '05 with 225hp, not the 255 of the '06. The interior was clearly roomier than the STS, but felt cheaper and too angular. The iDrive blew chunk. HORRIBLE. I'm pretty techy and I couldn't figure out how to get it out of the radio settings. The 530i had a TON of body roll. I don't know if they put the sport package rims/tires on a premium package model, but it was not impressive. Not confidence inspiring like that. It had enough headroom in the rear seat for me, which is EXTREMELY rare outside of a giant SUV.

STS: The STS outweighed the 530i by 400lbs, but felt much more nimble and confidence inspiring. It was impressively flat in the corners and steering was precise. Interior was cramped, but I liked it better visually and tactile-wise. Rear headroom was a bit short. Front headroom was identical in both cars. Deena and I both easily gave the nod to the STS. Shocking, I know.


CTS-V vs. M3: The M3 interior ergonomics and seating is about as flawless as one can get. I don't like the CTS-V interior at all (STS is better), but room was better than I expected. CTS also had more rear room. Both cars were manuals (yes, even Deena drove them). The CTS-V was an '05 since it had the LS6. From outside the car, the exhaust note of the CTS-V is a clear winner (no shock there). Driving them was no contest. The CTS-V was clearly not meant to be driving slowly (would suck in stop & go) and was sluggish off the line, but had good pull once it got going. The shifter was a little bit more rubbery than the M3 (which doesn't have as good of a shifter as my B&M), but it was not horrible. The CTS-V felt even heavier than the 400lbs more weight would suggest. It was boat of car with a hell of a lot of power. The M3 acceleration was instant and smooth. I know test numbers say they are very similar cars by the numbers, but the M3 felt faster. The brakes, handling, steering, everything on the M3 was nothing short of amazing. It was extremely flat and made my car feel like crap (gotta get some sways!), yet the ride was not harsh. The car is just an extension of the driver. Can you tell I'm in love? Deena was too and was extremely pumped after driving the M3. No contest: M3 won. If they had a 4 door M3, I'd have to get one.