blackburn

btw if your from lancs click on the link in my sig, were starting up some north west meets if your interested

 

I have to agree with everyone point this rant. Driving used to be a skill, not a right. I hate the idea of technology getting in the way of my driving. If we contiune to use all this technology to aid bad drivers, then they will enver get any better, and will simply rely on safety systems to get them out of trouble.

I hate automatic wipers and headlights on cars. It should be down to the judgement of the driver to turn/use these items on. That for me, was the thin end of the wedge. And it will only get worse.

I have a friend who basically wants a "capsule" he gets in every morning which takes him to work, with no imput from him. So long as there are people like him about, cars like the new 3 series will always sell well so long as they make driving easier for them.

 

I agree with every word Jamie!

Automatic wipers! what sort of people are they letting on the road these days if they don't even realise it's raining!

 

The scary thing is that I heard some bloke who was head of a research department at I can't remember which university today on the radio.

He was an 'expert' on pay as you go/drive motoring and they had been developing a system to implement PAYG. Just in passing he let slip 'Oh we already have the technology and have a car that knows the local speed limit and cannot break it'.

Ask yourself where all this is going ?

And also think of the safety implications of NOT being able to break the speed limit, especially in a situation where you have to make an evasive move where using power may be your only option.

 

I do remember watching a TV programme some years back about a firm that had developed a car which was not able to break the speed limit. By using GPS the on board computer knew where it was, and what the posted speed limit for that road was. So bascially the driver could sit there with their foot welded to the floor, and the car would never break the posted speed limit.

They did some concentration tests on a driver, who they interviewed eariler in the programme who was a car enthusiast. They found that because he was not driving at "his" safe speed limit, he was not concentrating on the road ahead because he was bored/didn't feel in control of the car, and therefore he posed a much greater danger to himself and others, compared to when he was in control of the cars speed.

Get's you thinking, about the future of the car as we know it.

 

One of my driving instructors made an interesting point the other day;

It is difficult to teach someone to drive now, because you can't disable these gadgets.

The emergency stop is nearly pointless with ABS.

If you pull the fuse, insurance is invalidated.

No wonder there are so many shit drivers out there.

 

It's dumbing down for the masses who are becoming terminally stupid.

Instead of informing and educating people the easy way out seems to be to legislate nowadays or actively intervene.

 

All BMWs are pretty much loaded with all kinds of kit now... they've even got High Beam Assist (turns main beam on and off for you ) so the 3-Series Coupe is not alone in this. The old Three Coupe had rain-sensing wipers and automatic lights.

Anyway...

LTB was right, I did drive the 335i recently and thought it was fabulous, you can turn all the electronics off if you want to extract the best from it.

Looks - I appreciate it isn't as taut as the old E46 Coupe but it is very elegant, and almost looks like it should be a 6-Series.

I think the 335i is a great car for what it is, but if you go to drive one expecting the involvement of, say, the S2000, you're going to be sorely disappointed. The 335i's USP is long-distance crushing pace. Now you may think that this heralds the end of driving for fun on the roads, but I'm not so sure. If every car on the roads was an S2000-alike (raw, involving), I think it'd be a bit boring. There are two ways of going quickly - in your face (Elise, S2000, Fezza 360CS etc etc) and refined (335i, Alpina B5, Bentley Continental). I think there's room for both...

Finally, I would've have shot the BMW salesman in the head if he'd had the temerity to suggest there was no petrol 335 E92. He is CLEARLY grossly incompetent at his job and should be fired. Imagine going to an Aston Martin dealer and enquiring about a DB9 Volante... and the bloke says they don't do one, they just do the Vantage. F***ing rubbish!