Mighty Car Mods return

Back for another season!

Nip & Tucked - Driving the facelifted BMW 535i

Towards the second half of last year, BMW gave the current generation 5-Series what is known in automotive circles as a "facelift". Whilst most manufacturers would take this opportunity to give their cars minor plastic surgery, BMW had chosen a more restrained approach on the F10. A slight nip and tuck if you will. Like the 5-Series Gran Turismo we drove early, the external changes are so mild even some keen-eyed observers would stumble to point out more than a handful of revisions. A new front bumper incorporating redesigned front air intakes, new adaptive LED headlights and fog-lights, a new rear bumper with an extra "crease" in the rear apron and revised taillights pretty much sums up the external updates on BMW's executive mover. There are of course slight variations depending on your trim specifications and how generous you are with the M-Performance (or BMW Individual) options list. The result of all these little changes though, is a reduction in its drag coefficient (Cd value) of 0.25 (0.29 previously). Oh yes, you can now open the boot with a wave of your foot below the rear apron. (But that's not exactly a visual revision.) It does look like the people who spec-ed up our "Luxury Line" test car had some exquisite taste as our car also comes with BMW Individual options, 19-inch Individual wheels and a selection of Individual bits to make up the interior. These all make our 535i slightly more special but i'm guessing it all comes with a "slight" premium. The pearlescent paint does look stunning, throwing off golds, greys and browns depending on the angle you're looking at. Inside, the revisions are more apparent as you'll now have a TFT-screen dashboard and touch sensitive controls on your iDrive. Both of which, we saw earlier on our drive with the 5 Gran Turismo. On the road, we all know the story. Top of it's class. BMW mentions they've fine-tuned the chassis dynamics but unless you are driving an earlier and later car back to back, for normal drivers like us, it will be quite hard to tell the difference. There is no lack of grunt from the Twin-Powered 3-litre turbo which in this car, does prefer to cruise instead of bruise. Mid-range overtaking maneuvers are easily dispatched with a squeeze of the throttle and the car's exceptional road holding will keep it planted through long sweeping bends and the occasional switchback. Pushing too hard will scrub the front wide but easing off the throttle brings it back without much drama. The electric steering might feel slightly numb at times but for most drivers, the added convenience when driving around town and parking will probably be appreciated much more. All in, BMW might have taken a much more restrained hand than what most of us are accustomed to when we think of "facelifts", but what this does show, is how good the initial offering already was. The new facelifted BMW 5-Series range is now available for viewing at Performance Motors’ showroom.

Cars & Kopi - Spring 2014

A small group of us old and modern classic car enthusiast just had a meet over the weekend and interestingly enough, the turnout was probably the biggest we've ever had! With many cars on our local shores not having the chance to even celebrate their 10th birthday, it's usually a treat when such meets happen. Especially with a nice eclectic mix of cars lined up and good people to swap stories with. Here's some of the cars that showed up. BMW Z4M, an instant classic the moment it was born. You just can't beat a clean MX5. Roadstar's clean rear. Saab 900s are cool. Why? They just are. A more modern day interpretation of the Saab philosophy. Good to hear they are coming back. S204s are quite rare on our local roads but two of these STI specials made it to the breakfast meet. From one boxer to another. The biggest surprise and the highlight of the morning for me was this 914-6. Prior to this sighting i had only seen one other 914 many many years ago. One of the rarest cars on our local roads for sure. Check out the spartan (but very clean) interior. From one old German to another, sitting ahead of the 914 was a Mercedes W123. I remember seeing many of these when i was growing up. Not many left anymore as i hardly see them now. Mercedes' from a slightly younger vintage. A W201 and W126, both clean and unmolested by time. A Porsche 914, Subaru WRX and a Mercedes W126. What did i say about an interesting mix of cars. :) Adding to the variety was the youngest but certainly the most powerful car of the meet, a Fezza 599. Audi RS4 Avant joining the AWD brigade. The 'Bahn-storming wagon As always, i showed up in the Garage36 jalopy! Here's hoping there will be another meet in the near future! Buy my sticker here »