I fell in love with the BMW M2 when I drove the little beasty at BMW’s Performance Center West. The twisting training track at the Performance Center West became a playground where I freely chucked and slid the M2 through the corners. I discovered that BMW’s littlest M car is a joyous creature, one that… Continue reading Review: 2019 BMW M2 Competition
I’m going to admit that I’ve been a Tesla Model 3 skeptic. My skepticism wasn’t based on driving experience with Tesla, but rather umbrage over the grandiose and over-promising proclamations from Elon Musk. I try to under promise and over deliver in my life, while Elon has a tendency to do the opposite. What I… Continue reading Review: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range
Curiosity, disappointment, acceptance. These are the emotional stages I went through when receiving a 2019 BMW X3 xDrive30i as a dealership loaner. You see, I’d hoped to draw the X3 M40i, a giggle-inducing SUV I briefly sampled last year and an SUV which seems honestly ready to romp on a mountain road. The xDrive30i? It’s… Continue reading Review: 2019 BMW X3 xDrive30i
It has been four years since I last took my 2011 BMW M3 to the track. I remembered that my M3 was good on the track, but I forgot exactly how good it is. The track is truly the M3’s spiritual home. Today’s track day was at Thunderhill on the 3-mile track (CCW with the… Continue reading Long Term Update: 2011 BMW M3 at Thunderhill
From the get-go of the Model 3, Tesla put a target on the back of the BMW 3-series and aimed to make a better compact luxury sedan. The Model 3’s price range of $35k to $71k mirrors the BMW 3-series, and the two cars have similar passenger space, performance and handling capabilities. Did Tesla really… Continue reading Comparison: 2019 Tesla Model 3 vs. 2019 BMW 330i
The king is dead! Long live the king! After seven years of the F30 BMW 3-series, BMW has delivered the next generation 3-series, code-named the G20 chassis. The reboot is very welcome. The F30 was decidedly “meh” upon its release and only improved incrementally in its mid-cycle update. My chief complaint about the F30 was… Continue reading Review: 2019 BMW 330i
I am the antepenultimate driver. I qualified for BMW’s 2018 Ultimate Driver Competition by turning the fastest autocross lap at the San Francisco stop of BMW’s 2018 Ultimate Driver Tour. Me and 14 other drivers from the other cities on the 2018 tour and from BMW’s 2018 M Schools were flown to Palm Springs in… Continue reading BMW Ultimate Driver Competition 2018
The M3 is BMW’s star sports car and the workhorse of BMW’s Performance Center West driving school. Paying patrons flock to the school to learn how to drive these icons as they deserve to be driven: Through twists, around tracks, and in smokey skids. Robust, agile, and comfortable for four, the M3 is the perfect… Continue reading Review: 2018 BMW M3 Competition and M2
BMW’s Performance Center West in Thermal, California offers many different driving classes for clients interested in defensive driving, performance driving, BMWs, M cars, and more. The PCW, as it is known internally, also benefits from its location on the campus of the Thermal Club, a three race-track country club for well-heeled gentlemen in Piloti shoes.… Continue reading Private Instruction at BMW’s Performance Center West
For a while, BMW had lost the plot. The Bavarian automaker's malaise started in 2012 with the introduction of the (F30) 3-series, the first 3-series that tipped the scale harder for luxury than sport. Non-enthusiasts were pleased: To them, the blue and white Roundel is a symbol of luxury, not sport, and the coveted badge… Continue reading Review: 2018 BMW 530i
Mike's Steering Column 