The BMW 3.0 twin turbo engine is a monster. For the first half of a second upon putting your foot down on the pedal in first gear, the car starts out slow like you'd want it to from a dead stop. The second half of the second sees the turbos kick in and the vehicle just snaps your neck back as it lunges forward. I drove it for about twenty minutes with two other people in the car, and couldn't drive it conservatively or gracefully enough while trying to go slow. The ride was a bit more pleasant when you anticipate the crazy turbo lag-then-go first gear action, give it enough gas to get up to about 20mph in first, then let the automatic shift into whatever gear it wanted to to cruise to 25.
Also, the paddle shifters, which I've never had a chance to try in a car and was a real hoot when the car was going in a straight line, was nearly impossible to use when the car was in a turn. You just can't shift in a turn or when the steering wheel is moving. So I kept it in auto mode.
The ride is probably the most responsive I've felt. You really feel the bumps in the road, but it never translates into pain in your butt. Not even a firm ride really, it's just good road feedback. That was the part that stuck with me the most, the ease of driving it.
The I-Drive system is ridiculous. But you can push a button on the steering wheel and it will dial a phone number for you and engage the call, or easily select an AM/FM station, or help you scratch your back. Ok it won't scratch your back but if you can afford this expensive thing you can hire a masseuse to do that for you.
The worst thing about the whole night was that he wouldn't trade FJ for BMW for the night even though I have a secure garage
Oh well it's his baby!
