Popping to Munich for the weekend... spotted BMW on Demand..
Discussion
Driving up to Munich for the weekend, having a look at what things to go and see.
She says:-
- English Garden
- Munich Zoo
- Marienplatz
- Nymphenburg Palace
and so on.
Then I spot, BMW Welt. BMW On demand, BMW Museum, and so on. Right so the attractions are sorted then
Unfortunately the new M3 Coupe is booked for eternity (all 3 of them). Strangely, the 118d hasn't got a single booking.
Ended up with the new Z4 35is on Sunday as I didn't fancy the 535i Limo
Hopefully it won't rain, although the forecast says it might "light rain".
She says:-
- English Garden
- Munich Zoo
- Marienplatz
- Nymphenburg Palace
and so on.
Then I spot, BMW Welt. BMW On demand, BMW Museum, and so on. Right so the attractions are sorted then
Unfortunately the new M3 Coupe is booked for eternity (all 3 of them). Strangely, the 118d hasn't got a single booking.
Ended up with the new Z4 35is on Sunday as I didn't fancy the 535i Limo
Hopefully it won't rain, although the forecast says it might "light rain".
They charge 33e per hour, plus the fuel. It's more expensive if you crash The M3 coupe was 40 per hour. You pay for the fuel by a key card, so you don't waste time filling up. I think one chap mentioned at full chat, the M3 was using 23litres per 100km. 
If you take them at 6pm until 9am, you only pay for 2 hours, but get the car the whole night.
During the day you pay a bit more, but you get 9 hours when paying for 4 hours.
Certain M cars have a mileage limitation (150km per paid hour) and then you pay more, but a lot of the cars have no limitation. The booking t&c on this said no limitation. However I imagine it is limited to 155mph. You pull out of the centre and you are right on to the 3 lane autobahn, plus there is a lot of other things to see in the area.
I looked at trying the 135i, as a lot of people have said they are good fun. My idea was obviously shared by others, and it isn't available. This was a last minute thing, total impulse, as I had forgotten BMW HQ was even there
It seems for the more popular cars you have to book in advance.
I guess for BMW, this is a good exercise in PR/Marketing, and testing, as these cars probably cost them a fraction of their RRP ...
The M3 coupe was 40 per hour. You pay for the fuel by a key card, so you don't waste time filling up. I think one chap mentioned at full chat, the M3 was using 23litres per 100km. If you take them at 6pm until 9am, you only pay for 2 hours, but get the car the whole night.
During the day you pay a bit more, but you get 9 hours when paying for 4 hours.
Certain M cars have a mileage limitation (150km per paid hour) and then you pay more, but a lot of the cars have no limitation. The booking t&c on this said no limitation. However I imagine it is limited to 155mph. You pull out of the centre and you are right on to the 3 lane autobahn, plus there is a lot of other things to see in the area.
I looked at trying the 135i, as a lot of people have said they are good fun. My idea was obviously shared by others, and it isn't available. This was a last minute thing, total impulse, as I had forgotten BMW HQ was even there
It seems for the more popular cars you have to book in advance.
I guess for BMW, this is a good exercise in PR/Marketing, and testing, as these cars probably cost them a fraction of their RRP ...
LuS1fer said:
Boy that Z4 is unattractive. Seems to have grown to the size of a small farm in the process too.
Look chaps. I was all excited about the new M3 manual, and de-restricted autobahn / country blasts on a Sunday afternoon, not worrying about tyres or being mechanically sympathetic in any way, only to find out you can't get the damn thing until 2015, so I ended up with my automatic hairdresser 'farm vehicle', the other choice was a 118d, or a limo. Let me have my fun - seemed like a good idea at the time LuS1fer said:
Boy that Z4 is unattractive. Seems to have grown to the size of a small farm in the process too.
Quite agree but a must do in Munich is dinner is Restaurant 181 http://www.drehrestaurant.de/Took Mrs TR7V8 there for her 50th & have been living off the million brownie points ever since. Also some of the best steak I've had for a long time
tr7v8 said:
Quite agree but a must do in Munich is dinner is Restaurant 181 http://www.drehrestaurant.de/
Took Mrs TR7V8 there for her 50th & have been living off the million brownie points ever since. Also some of the best steak I've had for a long time
Thanks !Took Mrs TR7V8 there for her 50th & have been living off the million brownie points ever since. Also some of the best steak I've had for a long time
stuart-b said:
However I imagine it is limited to 155mph. You pull out of the centre and you are right on to the 3 lane autobahn
Yes, it's a BMW, it will be limited to 155 mph.The A9 to Berlin is IIRC five lanes each
way for about 10-20kms and seems to be unlimited.
The Munich ring 'bahn, the A99, is also unlimited. I've
had 140 mph round there on the way to Dortmund.
Try that on the English M25 and see how far you get.
Mind you, I wouldn't be bothering with the car,
while the Hofbrau Haus is open. Tourist central,
but still the best pub in the world.
There's the Perlach Research brewery out in suburbs
if you don't like tourists. forschungbrauerei.de
dcb said:
Yes, it's a BMW, it will be limited to 155 mph.
The A9 to Berlin is IIRC five lanes each
way for about 10-20kms and seems to be unlimited.
The Munich ring 'bahn, the A99, is also unlimited. I've
had 140 mph round there on the way to Dortmund.
Try that on the English M25 and see how far you get.
Mind you, I wouldn't be bothering with the car,
while the Hofbrau Haus is open. Tourist central,
but still the best pub in the world.
There's the Perlach Research brewery out in suburbs
if you don't like tourists. forschungbrauerei.de
Just dropped the car off. Excellent bit of kit, managed to hit 155 on the autobahn back from South of Munich very quickly, and it had a lot more to go, but couldn't unfortunately. Went for a really enjoyable drive around the mountains too. Although it was raining at first, most of the time it was clear and the car is very stable in the wet considering the power. The torque at 2,500+ rpm is excellent, no need to rev it too hard all the time to take advantage of the roads. This car had all the extras, and sounded like it had a sports exhaust (very loud, popping on the over run), not sure if that is standard? The A9 to Berlin is IIRC five lanes each
way for about 10-20kms and seems to be unlimited.
The Munich ring 'bahn, the A99, is also unlimited. I've
had 140 mph round there on the way to Dortmund.
Try that on the English M25 and see how far you get.
Mind you, I wouldn't be bothering with the car,
while the Hofbrau Haus is open. Tourist central,
but still the best pub in the world.
There's the Perlach Research brewery out in suburbs
if you don't like tourists. forschungbrauerei.de
The car felt the right size, not as nimble as some may like, but it felt like a proper GT car, rather than an MX5. The roof was a bit touchy at times, and took me a while to get it to go down. It first thought we were at an incorrect angle, then it said something was blocking it (but it wasn't). Got there in the end.
Very flat around the corners & the ESP stopped anything silly happening. The new 7 speed gearbox was very responsive without any 'auto lag' or sloppiness. No noticeable under-steer and very confidence inspiring handling when pushing on. I haven't driven a double clutch 7 speed before, and I have to say, in Sport mode, I was very impressed. With overboost the car launches forward, and you experience a very pronounced thud as you change gear at full chat. Although the car has 340PS, the power comes in very early, so you are using much more of it throughout the power bands, allowing for fast overtakes without too much forward planning. The 3.0 twin turbo engine is a real peach, with a lovely churp from the turbo's.
The 0-60 seems dead on, which is around 4.7 or less. It seems to launch without official 'launch control', if you put your foot flat to the floor from standstill, it will rev to 3,500-4,000 then launch forward, so around 0.5 second delay before accelerating. ESP will kick in and you will experience a slight tyre squeal even in the dry.
A few niggles - the car had a noticeable vibration from the gearbox/car when in overboost at full acceleration, accelerating from 60-220+ km's, I wasn't sure if the clutch was struggling or not or if this is common with this setup. It didn't seem to affect the car, and at 90% acceleration, you couldn't notice it.
There was also a "clicking" which you could hear coming from the passenger side with the roof down, or window down, when you take your foot off the accelerator, and then reapply again. I can't really describe what it resembles, perhaps a stretched cable sound - who knows. Perhaps the new fancy gearbox was about to pop
although the computer didn't flag up any issues.Another issue was that I didn't feel the brakes were quite up to the job. I had noticed this when I was in a 640ci a while ago, echoing similar comments from the driver. The car is very quick to gain speed, but seems to struggle when consistently asked to reduce speed. I certainly had them cooking after our first mountain pass, even when fully utilising the gearbox braking. Although there was no nose diving, they just didn't dissipate the heat fast enough.
Fantastic quality interior, really appreciate the workmanship that has gone into improving the overall feel, as well as the new iDrive upgrades, which help you to navigate a lot faster. The Nav is much better than any other Nav I've tried, and the fully integrated USB and audio was very well executed.
Overall I think the car is an excellent proposition if you are after a roadster at this level. I did not like the old Z4, and next to it, this new model makes it look rather like a 'toy'. In the flesh the new design is very fetching, especially in yellow.
Excellent fun for the day, thank you to everyone at BMW, you were all very nice and polite, and thanks for the extra time with the car.
220km's travelled, 44 litres used... 13.5 mpg average, super unleaded, and nearly 80km of that was slow 80km/hr traffic, so I think more like 10 mpg if really pushed.
I will try and upload a couple of videos and some photos later.
Next time I am in Munich, I will book the M3
Try Block House on Leopoldstrasse as well, great chain of steakhouses and they do cracking burgers.
Munich itself is just about my favourite place in the world, wonderful city, lots to see, great places to eat, drink and shop, hot German women and Paulaner is beautiful beer.
Hofbrau beer is slightly less nice but you owe it to yourself to go there and try it and see the place.
The metro system is great as well, one ticket for the entire weekend, dead easy to get around, trains plentiful.
Munich itself is just about my favourite place in the world, wonderful city, lots to see, great places to eat, drink and shop, hot German women and Paulaner is beautiful beer.
Hofbrau beer is slightly less nice but you owe it to yourself to go there and try it and see the place.
The metro system is great as well, one ticket for the entire weekend, dead easy to get around, trains plentiful.
shambolic said:
I really like the new Z4(biased) and the 35is has had it's power plant stolen and stuck in the 1m. It's a really quick car but more od a tourer than a roadster, still great though!
You lucky git, lovely car there.I agree - but it is just so rapid for what it is. I was very surprised. Do you have the 7 speed double clutch?
F1GTRUeno said:
Try Block House on Leopoldstrasse as well, great chain of steakhouses and they do cracking burgers.
Munich itself is just about my favourite place in the world, wonderful city, lots to see, great places to eat, drink and shop, hot German women and Paulaner is beautiful beer.
Hofbrau beer is slightly less nice but you owe it to yourself to go there and try it and see the place.
The metro system is great as well, one ticket for the entire weekend, dead easy to get around, trains plentiful.
I went to blockhouse and had a lovely fillet steak Munich itself is just about my favourite place in the world, wonderful city, lots to see, great places to eat, drink and shop, hot German women and Paulaner is beautiful beer.
Hofbrau beer is slightly less nice but you owe it to yourself to go there and try it and see the place.
The metro system is great as well, one ticket for the entire weekend, dead easy to get around, trains plentiful.
I agree I love the city. It is so spaced out, well planned, clean and good fun. Plenty of nice cars around (I saw a Veyron from France yesterday parked outside a top hotel here, first time I have ever seen one in the flesh, much smaller than I expected!!)
I may have the option to live here within a year, may consider it! Worth it for BMW on Demand alone
I'd heartily agree with the consensus on the Hofbrauhaus - You need to go once, at least! They'd even been kind enough to put in an Indian across the road last time I was there! 
If the weather's good though, try the Augisteener Keller's beer garden, right by the Hauptbahnhof - Amazing ribs, great beer, perfect spot to spend a warm summer's evening!
On the BMW front, I did the factory tour when I lived there (many years ago) and it was fascinating - Worth it if you've never been round a car factory - Was free when I went, book at the Museum.
The places the missus suggest are great too - It's a lovely city.
I'm a bit baffled at the suggestions of Steakhouses in Munich though - I never saw a beef cow in 200 miles of the city!
Eat German - You can get burgers and steaks anywhere!
My top tip? Lammhaxen at the Andechs Monastery Stuben - Great place to drive in a Z4 too, but let her drive back! (Damn just noticed you've returned the car! Well, you can get there on the S-Bahn too 
)
M.
If the weather's good though, try the Augisteener Keller's beer garden, right by the Hauptbahnhof - Amazing ribs, great beer, perfect spot to spend a warm summer's evening!
On the BMW front, I did the factory tour when I lived there (many years ago) and it was fascinating - Worth it if you've never been round a car factory - Was free when I went, book at the Museum.
The places the missus suggest are great too - It's a lovely city.
I'm a bit baffled at the suggestions of Steakhouses in Munich though - I never saw a beef cow in 200 miles of the city!
Eat German - You can get burgers and steaks anywhere!
My top tip? Lammhaxen at the Andechs Monastery Stuben - Great place to drive in a Z4 too, but let her drive back!
(Damn just noticed you've returned the car! Well, you can get there on the S-Bahn too )M.
Edited by marcosgt on Monday 25th July 14:44
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