BMW= "Burn My Wallet"?

Please... Be My Wife.

There is a usual dogma associated with with BMWs or affectionately referred to as “Beemers” as cars that would lovingly tear your wallet to shred along with whatever money that’s left in it. I have personally seen a T-shirt which says BMW= BURN MY WALLET. However is this really true?? Well driving a Beemer myself, I would admit that the cost of the maintenance is a tad bit higher compared to your average Japanese or Asian brand of automakers but in some way it makes it all worth it. Further the parts isn’t as expensive as they are notoriously made out to be. A good comparison would be that if you were to pay Rm500 on your average Proton service, a Bmw service would cost you about rm700. But for the rm200 extra that you are forking out you are getting the pleasure of a good drive and the parts would last you a good 5 years.

Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), or BMW has been enthralling the hearts of motor heads the world over for years. The MAIN reason why the cars are so expensive in Malaysia is because of the tax that’s levied. In the UK, a brand new M5 would go for about £ 66,295  so even if you convert the currecency when the pound was at its strongest the car should cost about  about rm464,065 but the on-the-road price is rm888,888 which might be a good number in terms of feng shui but is ridiculous to pay. But there must be a reason why people continue to buy them. Let me list down the reason why in my view why we Beemer lovers would fork out our hard earned money for them.

 

·         The pleasure of the drive. Beemers have a distinct sound that would make your jaw drop at a rev but yet it would sound sophisticated and distinguished. Try revving a proton with some done up exhaust system and compare it to the older cars even for example the older versions like the e30 or the e39 and you will know the difference.

·         The looks. There isn’t any car in its class that could compare with it in terms of looks. (Don’t compare Ferrari’s all la). The e30 (which is what I drive) has the look that has stood the test of time. It’s still in demand today because of its looks and characteristics. To me the most gorgeous BMW ever made has to be the e60 M5. JUST LOOK AT IT. No Merc, Jaguar or anything that’s an executive sedan can come close.

·         The people. BMW drivers are a bred of their own. They love helping each other out although they are strangers. Just look at a BMW club or even at the mechanic. I myself have made a few friends just by talking about Beemers at the mechanic shop. They would gladly give you tips on how to improve your car, maintain it and how to drive it better.

·         If you want attention from people around, a Beemer will do the job. Of course if you drive a Lambo or a Ferrari you are going to get a long glance from passer by’s who are secretly wishing they could be you, but having a Beemer would get them to stare at for about 5 seconds ogling at the beauty of the car even if you look like one of the 3 stooges.

Wake up to this everyday and life would be a spectacle.

                                                                      

I would highly encourage more people to get BMWs. Although I admit that it’s more expensive than your average car it’s worth it as long as you have a good mechanic (I would highly suggest ah fei of Optimum Motorsports in Kayu Ara Damansara ) and you have a good amount of capital to invest in it. Also be sure to join a club like the BMW CLUB MALAYSIA as they are a helpful lot and it’s good to make friends with them.

We Ride The Mediterranean Wind

      The Scirocco, an all-inclusive name given to hot and subsequently humid southeast to southwest winds originating as hot, dry desert-air over Northern Africa, flowing northward into the southern Mediterranean basin... scarcely interesting, why even bother writing about it? The Scirocco, an all-inclusive name given to a hot and sexy hatchback mated with a 197bhp, 4-cylinder turbocharged (aaah, it's such a joy to type that out, turbocharged) engine, originating from Germany and flowing to customers all over the globe... now that's more like it.

      Yes, we had a go in the Volkswagen Scirocco and came away mightily impressed. It's such an all-rounder, the 2.0 litre petrol engine well cultured as you pootle yet serves up seamless acceleration when you're at it with a heavy right foot. We began journey behind the Roc's wheel driving through a narrow back-alley with a road riddled with pot-holes with its suspension set in "Comfort" mode. Although the ride could have been better when the wheels met the potholes, the car seemed completely indifferent towards irregular road surfaces and cracks. Leaving back-alleys behind, we finally hit the main roads where the tarmac is smooth and covers three lanes. Immediately the 'Roc feels right at home, overtaking cars as if it was born to do that and that alone!

       The DSG transmission is brilliant, those precise gearchanges, excellent manual override with a choice of paddle-clicking with your fingers or gear-lever-shifting with your left hand and the superb exhaust note during those excellent downshifts, although it does jerk a split second before driving away from a stationary state. This reminds us that Volkswagen pioneered the road-car application of the twin-clutch gearbox. The brakes are over-servoed though, too grabby even with the softest prod of your foot against the pedal, providing no feel whatsoever... very very synthetic. I needed some getting used to when applying the brakes, only the seat belt restraining me and my head from getting acquainted with the face of the steering wheel, physically, painfully.

     Back to the drive now. As i said earlier, the car was absolutely zippy and would take on any hot hatch currently in the market and would probably have the latter wincing after its done with it! A corner approached and i did NOT want to brake (I told you the brakes were lifeless and too grabby) so what did i do? Ease off the throttle a bit, shift down to third and throttle all the way through the corner, that's exactly what I did and my oh my what grip! The 'Roc not only would eat up most of the mundane cars found driving on Malaysian roads, it gobbles down corners for dessert right after and aims for its next main course of family sedans and even some hot hatches.The steering’s weighty and accurate, though as with most hatch-derived coupes hardly brimming with genuine feel, and the car corners flat and neutral.

     After more pedal-to-the-metal action, we finally came to a rest at a traffic light. It was then I began to take in the interior of the car, plastics with excellent feel and the finish of every surface was simply superb. But, yes there's always a but isn't there, it had no sense of occasion, nothing to imply that I was sitting in an absolute stunner of a car. If i were to be blindfolded, shoved into the 'Roc, had my sight back right after and was asked to guess what car I was in, I'd have gone "Oh I think it's the Passat, or the Passat CC. Right?". The Scirocco would've never across my mind for a split second. Black leather seats with red stitching anyone? I'd be first in line to tick that in the options list if only it were listed. Although the interior definitely doesn't look the part, the 'Roc does come with electronically adjustable driver's seat, in-dash 6-disc CD changer, MEDIA-IN multimedia interface for iPod, USB drive and AUX-in, RCD 510 touch screen radio and vienna leather upholstery (available in black or truffle).

    Having scared half the motorists in Kuala Lumpur with our deep-black test unit we finally parked the car and got off after having to bend and twist, not an exceptionally easy car to get out of if you are 6-feet and above or maybe we were just feeling a bit stiff that morning. It's after the drive I realized how perfectly formed this car was, the best looking hot hatch ever to roll out of any factory, period! The 'Roc sits low and looks ever so poised for action, ready to pounce at the next corner its aimed at especially with those wider rear tracks, making it look extra stable. The lines on this beauty are clean and smooth, the flow of the lines reminding one of silent streams of clear water. I took a while to take in this car from the outside, it's everything the interior isn't.

      If you are in the market for a 2-door coupe/ hot hatch, don't think twice, get the 'Roc. All VWs handle well, and the Volkswagen Scirocco is no exception. All models have a hill control function, plus an ESP package that includes driver steering recommendation, brake assist, Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Anti-Slip Regulator (ASR) and ABS brakes. It does the century sprint in just 7.1 seconds and would keep going until it reaches a top speed of 233kph. It all looks good on paper, it feels spectacular in the flesh or more accurately in this case, in the metal. VW should give the brakes and the steering more feel if there's going to be a mid-life face lift (which I doubt) in the near future. All-in-all, the 'Roc is definitely a winner.