Do you need anything more than a 320d?

[Tractor lad]

Anyway Audis 100kg increase is terrible!!!

[anonymous-user]

Ares said:

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I'd hardly call going to the gym 6 times a week 'moderate'. Sounds like you chose vanity whilst the rest (ok some) of us chose good food and fine wine.

[T0MMY]

RobM77 said:

...I find that my E90 allows me to take whatever stance I want to in a corner and to control the car smoothly between u/s o/s and n/s, and to me that defines 'good handling'...

That's a nice concise way to define much of what makes up "good handling", there's nothing better than a neutralish car that responds to even quite gentle weight transfer. I'm just not sure I've seen that in BMWs however, at least in the older ones.

Maybe they've moved on since the E36s but I found they handled much like most other normal cars on the limit, i.e. understeer on the throttle (assuming you're not overpowering the grip), a bit less understeer on a neutral throttle and still less understeer off the throttle unless really provoked. Always still understeer unless you do something violent to upset it.

Again, this is not to knock them for what they actually are. I'm criticising them here as put up against cars that really do handle very well indeed because some owners seem to want to put them in that class! I remember a student we had at work who was constantly going on about how wonderful his E39 528 was around corners and how you couldn't feel the weight etc.etc. Eventually he let me drive it as I was always taking the piss out of him (not least for having a 5 series at 21) and I think he genuinely thought I'd be blown away by it. In fact it was even worse than I thought and lurched around like an oil tanker but I didn't have the heart to lay into it after that

[RobM77]

T0MMY said:

RobM77 said:

...I find that my E90 allows me to take whatever stance I want to in a corner and to control the car smoothly between u/s o/s and n/s, and to me that defines 'good handling'...

That's a nice concise way to define much of what makes up "good handling", there's nothing better than a neutralish car that responds to even quite gentle weight transfer. I'm just not sure I've seen that in BMWs however, at least in the older ones.

Maybe they've moved on since the E36s but I found they handled much like most other normal cars on the limit, i.e. understeer on the throttle (assuming you're not overpowering the grip), a bit less understeer on a neutral throttle and still less understeer off the throttle unless really provoked. Always still understeer unless you do something violent to upset it.

Again, this is not to knock them for what they actually are. I'm criticising them here as put up against cars that really do handle very well indeed because some owners seem to want to put them in that class! I remember a student we had at work who was constantly going on about how wonderful his E39 528 was around corners and how you couldn't feel the weight etc.etc. Eventually he let me drive it as I was always taking the piss out of him (not least for having a 5 series at 21) and I think he genuinely thought I'd be blown away by it. In fact it was even worse than I thought and lurched around like an oil tanker but I didn't have the heart to lay into it after that

I think there's a lot to be said for the more humble models from both BMW and Mercedes; I certainly find them more delicate and willing in the corners. My 320d's handling is certainly more rounded than my Z4 Coupé was, and it understeers less in extremis (in the dry that is, the Z4 Coupé's wet handling was neutral, almost bordering on oversteer). I also think there's a certain amount of handling that is dependent on how a car reacts to one's individual driving style and perhaps I just get on well with the 3 series.

[s m]

RobM77 said:

my E90 allows me to take whatever stance I want to in a corner and to control the car smoothly between u/s o/s and n/s, and to me that defines 'good handling'. It's good handling for a 1350kg car

I think you'll find your 320d will be closer to 1450 kg at least Rob.
Get it on some scales or a weigh-bridge for a proper figure

The Autocar one tested above( see scans ) , albeit quite highly specced, tipped the scales at 1535kg

Even a 116i 3-door weighs a fair bit more than 1350kg

[RobM77]

s m said:

RobM77 said:

my E90 allows me to take whatever stance I want to in a corner and to control the car smoothly between u/s o/s and n/s, and to me that defines 'good handling'. It's good handling for a 1350kg car

I think you'll find your 320d will be closer to 1450 kg at least Rob.
Get it on some scales or a weigh-bridge for a proper figure

The Autocar one tested above( see scans ) , albeit quite highly specced, tipped the scales at 1535kg

Even a 116i 3-door weighs a fair bit more than 1350kg

I was merely going on the book figure and deducting the 75kg passenger and half a tank of fuel, but my sentence still reads the same if you put in 1450kg instead.

ETA: The BMW book figure is 1505kg, less a 75kg passenger and 90% of a tank of fuel (47.2kg), so the car is 1383kg at base spec.

Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 7th July 11:16

[ORD]

Nah, Rob's got a special order 320d. No lag. 350kg. Handles like an Elise.



Yes, yes, Rob, I know what you say about turbo lag and it is infuriatingly probably true.

[CarAbuser]

wormus said:

I'd hardly call going to the gym 6 times a week 'moderate'. Sounds like you chose vanity whilst the rest (ok some) of us chose good food and fine wine.

There's plenty of people that sit at home watching celebrity love jungle island while consuming a tray of oven chips and Birds Eye fish fingers.

You can keep yourself in good shape and enjoy food, especially when building muscle. It's hard not to enjoy eating when you have a 5000 calorie target for the day!

[Tractor lad]

Part of the reason I exercise near obsessively is SO I can enjoy nice food and wine/beer without getting fat.

[RobM77]

I love food and wine, but I happen to also love exercise, which is a good combination! I wouldn't say 6 times a week is excessive, especially not if like me you enjoy it. I probably do more than that, but it's not a chore, it's fun.

[ORD]

Ares said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fair play! and I respect your dedication I was 10 stone from aged 16 to 32 but the last 10 years I have put it on, almost 42 now and if I gave up the drink I would soon be back to 10 stone but I am not giving that up! but I have to run or I would just pile it on.

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I call bullst on the 126kg bench press unless you are knee high to a grasshopper.

[RobM77]

ORD said:

Ares said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fair play! and I respect your dedication I was 10 stone from aged 16 to 32 but the last 10 years I have put it on, almost 42 now and if I gave up the drink I would soon be back to 10 stone but I am not giving that up! but I have to run or I would just pile it on.

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I call bullst on the 126kg bench press unless you are knee high to a grasshopper.

I'm not in a position to doubt the figures, but the notion of someone weighing 63kg and being able to bench press 126kg and also squat the same amount is intriguing How tall are you Ares?

[Ares]

wormus said:

Ares said:

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I'd hardly call going to the gym 6 times a week 'moderate'. Sounds like you chose vanity whilst the rest (ok some) of us chose good food and fine wine.

Moderating life. Moderating input with output.

I choose good food and fine wine (and fine Gin).... I just moderate it by burning off the calories too so that I don't look like the fat bd on the beach.

[CarAbuser]

It's possible. A lot more achievable for shorter guys but still a very respectable figure.

If you bench the same as you squat then you obviously don't train legs hard enough

[Ares]

ORD said:

Ares said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fair play! and I respect your dedication I was 10 stone from aged 16 to 32 but the last 10 years I have put it on, almost 42 now and if I gave up the drink I would soon be back to 10 stone but I am not giving that up! but I have to run or I would just pile it on.

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I call bullst on the 126kg bench press unless you are knee high to a grasshopper.

Come to the gym with me and find out. I'm 5'6.

[Ares]

RobM77 said:

ORD said:

Ares said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fair play! and I respect your dedication I was 10 stone from aged 16 to 32 but the last 10 years I have put it on, almost 42 now and if I gave up the drink I would soon be back to 10 stone but I am not giving that up! but I have to run or I would just pile it on.

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I call bullst on the 126kg bench press unless you are knee high to a grasshopper.

I'm not in a position to doubt the figures, but the notion of someone weighing 63kg and being able to bench press 126kg and also squat the same amount is intriguing How tall are you Ares?

5'6. only c5kg of my weight is fat:

[Ares]

CarAbuser said:

It's possible. A lot more achievable for shorter guys but still a very respectable figure.

If you bench the same as you squat then you obviously don't train legs hard enough

Damned true. I don't want Chris Hoy legs. Already tight enough in slim jeans.

[anonymous-user]

Ares said:

ORD said:

Ares said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fair play! and I respect your dedication I was 10 stone from aged 16 to 32 but the last 10 years I have put it on, almost 42 now and if I gave up the drink I would soon be back to 10 stone but I am not giving that up! but I have to run or I would just pile it on.

I'm 43. 63kg, 8% bodyfat, can bench and squat double my body weight.....and drink like a fish (but avoid beer most of the time). Life is all about moderation. 6 days/wk in the gym offsets the taste for drink.

As I was told.....nothing tastes as good as walking on a beach with a six pack feels.

I call bullst on the 126kg bench press unless you are knee high to a grasshopper.

Come to the gym with me and find out. I'm 5'6.

320d thread turns into mid-life crisis posting for PH older members

[lostkiwi]

St John Smythe said:

320d thread turns into mid-life crisis posting for PH older members

Or a Mens vanity magazine promotion....

[anonymous-user]

St John Smythe said:

320d thread turns into mid-life crisis posting singles club for PH older members

What's next, a PH meet at the local nightclub in grey slip on shoes, chino's and open shirt