The car is beat up. Its headlights have gone hazy, the black paint has lost its gloss, and the interior is ragged, with the door panels and console nicked and peeling. It seems someone loved this car and used it hard. Actually, did they love it at all? I twist the key, and the 2011… Continue reading Test Drive: 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S vs 2011 BMW M3
After six years and eight months, I am finally out of extended warranty on my 2011 BMW M3 Competition. The M3 has been, by far, the highest-maintenance vehicle I’ve ever owned. How needy was the M3? I’ve owned it for 65,123 miles, 6 years and 10 months, and in that time the M3 needed $43,706… Continue reading Long Term: 2011 BMW M3
When BMW originally introduced its M Sport line of cars and SUVs, it felt like an exercise in trickle-down badge-o-nomics. The M Sport treatment tarted up BMW’s standard models with M-inspired fascias, seats and steering wheels. More recently, BMW developed the M Sport lineup to bridge the comfort-focused base model BMWs and the hard-edged—and expensive!—M… Continue reading Review: 2020 BMW M340i
“Location, location, location.” This overused real estate mantra is shorthand for the idea that two identical houses in Bel Air, CA and Birmingham, AL have vastly different values. Well, the mantra applies to automobiles as well. As I’ve just learned, two identical BMW X3 M40i’s can be either pleasures or curses depending on their locations.… Continue reading Review: 2020 BMW X3 M40i
This November, I had a frustrating track day in my 2011 BMW M3 at Sonoma Raceway. While it was a beautiful day with a dry track, a quick run-group, and a purring M3, the best lap I could manage was over 2 seconds slower than my personal record at Sonoma Raceway. I left the track… Continue reading Performance Driver 3 at the Sears Point Racing Experience
Yes, it’s happened. The most sports-car-minded, petrol-brained enthusiast (me!) has bought his first electric vehicle. So what’s the new EV in my long-term fleet? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range! Why did you buy a Tesla Model 3? I wasn’t planning to purchase a new car, but my lust… Continue reading Long Term: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range
Big, powerful, and mature, the BMW M5 has long been the silverback of sports sedans. The newest rendition of the M5, the F90, carries on the tradition. More power, more driven wheels, more space and more luxury. While nobody needs a 617 hp executive sedan, the question remains: Do I want one? My test drive… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 BMW M5 Competition
As I settle into the black and mustard yellow driver’s seat of the 2020 BMW X3 M Competition, I recognize how much of a BMW aficionado I’ve become. Six years of BMW M3 ownership, countless dealership loaner vehicles, BMW drive events, Turo rentals and BMW Performance School classes have all made the brand as familiar… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 BMW X3 M Competition
2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i Last year I theorized that the 2018 BMW X5 was so wonderfully serene and spacious that BMW should make it the brand’s flagship vehicle. To me, the X5 was the perfect platform to bestow with all of the cutting-edge technology and luxury features that typically debut in the 7-series. Well, the… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i and X3 M40i
After a 20-year hiatus, the 8-series has returned to BMW’s lineup. Its most hairy-chested rendition—at least until an M8 arrives—is the M850i xDrive. To afford it, you’ll need a gold chain swinging from your chest, as this big coupe—why doesn’t BMW call this a gran coupe?—starts at $112k and quickly climbs with options. Is this… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 BMW M850i xDrive
Mike's Steering Column 