Review: 2021 BMW 5 Series

“Understated luxury with zip” that is the best way to describe the 2021 BMW 5 series sedan.

 

The exterior is a orchestra of sharp lines and a aggressive front end stance. Well the rear of the vehicle does seem to lack the aggressiveness of the front, it is still a good looking rear end.

 

Inside the 5 Series is a prime example of the ability BMW has to pamper their occupants.

 

 As to be expected there rich leather throughout with tasteful black accents along with a wood trim on the dash.

 

The entertainment system works very well I particularly enjoyed watching the animations when you change settings and how easily the I-Drive system works along with the navigation system.

 

Speaking of the systems in the vehicle there is multiple drive modes which is pretty common place nowadays with any mid to high priced vehicle. I however I found the BMW’s system to be particularly engaging and responsive.

 

 

 

My particular test vehicle was the BMW 530i finished in a white glacier pearlcoat which gave it a beautiful sparkle in the sunlight.

 

My tester had the 2.0 liter turbocharged in-line 4 cylinder that BMW has crafted to perfection with 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

 

If you want more power you can upgrade to the 540i which would give you a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged V6 good for 335 hours power and 332 pound-feet of torque.

 

 I will say that I found the in-line turbo 4 cylinder to have plenty of power to overtake and ride comfortably while also seeing a real world 28 MPG with spirited driving and plenty of time on normal and sports modes on mix highway and heavy traffic, which in on par with the 530i EPA estimate of 19 city 31 highway.

 

 

The BMW 530i also includes a slew of technology and safety innovations as standard affair such as:

 

 Live Cockpit with Navigation

 

Frontal Collision Warning w/ City Collision Mitigation

 

Lane Departure Warning

 

Active Blind Spot Detection

 

Comfort Access keyless entry

 

Active Driving Assistant.

 

(Information from BMWUSA)

 

The BMW 530i is a remarkable car with very little drawbacks. In fact if you want a smooth comfortable vehicle but you have to deal with a bit of seasonal snow, this could still be a winner for you, because as always there is a 530i X-Drive which is the all-wheel drive variant.

It was this car that brought me over to actually liking BMWs and understanding the love that owners have for them, it was an amazing experience,and one of my favorite vehicles I’ve had the privilege of driving.

 

 

Bio-metric Technology ..Good or Scary??

The concept cars that are being unveiled are full of new exciting technology that promises to change how we drive forever. Everything from self driving cars to vehicles featuring the ability to read the mood of the driver.

One of the new tech features that is becoming very popular across several platforms is bio-metric technology. This technology will use fingerprint reads and in some applications retina eye scanners (yes, eye scanners) to identify drivers of the vehicle and to load the correct presets for the seat, radio and mirrors. It of course also acts as a anti-theft device in some cases.

But is bio-metric technology safe? There was a test preformed by Edmunds.com where hackers where able to gain entry into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee by accessing the cars "infotainment" system.I have linked to the article here: http://www.edmunds.com/car-technology/car-hacking-the-current-threat-is-low-but-could-be-rising.html .They successfully were able to disable the Cherokees' transmission and made it stall in traffic. Chrysler Motor Company was notified of the test and issued a recall to prevent such a incident from happening again  by making the system unable to be accessed over a certain mile per hour range.

Kudos to Chrysler for their fast response to a potentially dangerous or even deadly situation, but this does open the door to asking, is all this technology controlling the cars a good thing? We are in the age of computer hacking and software corruption. Now a hacker could theoretically break into your cars' computer and cause a wide range of havoc. Computers control every aspect of a car nowadays including the climate control, radio, door locks and even the steering and braking systems.

Newer cars rely on computers to bring us the new technology that makes driving in some situations safer. Without electric power steering we could not have lane keep technology which would  nudge you back into your own lane if you drift over the white lane marker without using your signal, thereby saving you from side swiping another vehicle. We also would not have smart cruise control or automatic braking which would kick in if it detects that the car in front has came to a stop which prevented you from rear ending that car that stopped suddenly in traffic.

But, what if a hacker accessed your controls while you and your family was on a drive to school. What if someone interested in identify theft accessed your cars computer and retrieved the data stored on your GPS? Your cars GPS keeps track of data and the more advanced systems hold even more data to help you with route assistance and traffic avoidance. This same conveniences also save your home address and any other address you program into it. These are all questions we need to ask ourselves when we are at the dealership looking at that new vehicle with all those great convince features, is it safe? And what can we do to make this technology not only more advanced but safe.

Review: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a premium midsize SUV. Its standard equipment list is very extensive and it's packages are easy to understand. The ride quality is fairly impressive for a SUV of its size, the ride feels secure and not as top heavy as a lot of other sport utilities in the segment.The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee drives well and handles most urban situations with ease.The standard list of equipment is impressive, but the Jeep Grand Cherokee fully loaded with options can get quite expensive .

On the other hand fit and finish has improved dramatically and leads us to believe that it would hold up reasonably well with time.The infotainment system works well and we found it to be fast, predictable and easy to use.The Jeep Grand Cherokee feels premium feel especially in high up trim levels overland and limited.Safety has also been a big factor in our decision making.

The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee earned a 5 start rating for front and side impact for both the driver and passenger.The Jeep performed very well in roll over protection with a score of 4 stars.The Jeep Grand Cherokee also is reasonable gas wise with a MPG ranging from 19/25  to 13/17 if you want the 475hp 6.4 liter road scorcher.

With all this we can do nothing but recommend the Grand Cherokee its a solid performer with great numbers and excellent handling for its size.

Review : 2015 Jeep Cherokee

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee is a relatively new model that's aimed at the small SUV crowd.

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee is a four cylinder SUV that is known in Jeep language as being "Trail Rated".
The 2015 Jeep Cherokee earned a 4 star rating for its front impact,5 star for its side impact and 4 star for roll over. (this was all the nice things i could say about it)

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee is a carry over from the 2014 model year which was the release of the new model which separates itself from the more premium Grand Cherokee by being less expensive,smaller,with less available features. The Cherokee is  under-powered and lacks certain creature comforts that other small sport utilities vehicles in its segment have standard.

The Jeep Cherokee isn't a very pretty looking SUV, with its overbite looking front end.Its visibility leaves much to be desired due to its high rear end and small windows.

The 2015 jeep latitude handles normally for its size however it tends to get quite jittery on uneven surfaces.

In all the Jeep Cherokee Latitude costs thousands less then Grand Cherokee however, the under powered drive-train and rough handling  can not be ignored.The Cherokee is a major disappointment in all areas.Its does not have good quality materials and it feels cheap and out of date.The ride is bumpy and unrefined.

The Jeep Cherokee was made with the intention to be more gas efficient then the Grand Cherokee..here is the kicker..ITS NOT it averages just 22/31 which if you compare it to the most efficient engine available on the Grand Cherokee is only 2 miles more per gallon in the city and 1 more mile per gallon highway.Even the Grand Cherokees most thirsty engine a  475 6.4 liter is 100% more fun to drive and averages 13/17 which if price was not a factor id go for,at least i would  have a reason to get bad fuel economy.Getting only 22 mpg in this slow turtle is a joke in itself.

If your on a budget and you really want a Jeep then  go for a Grand Cherokee and pick one of the more efficient engines.Yes, the Grand Cherokee is more expensive by about $7,000 base model being compared to base model.But I'm wiling to bet you would be more comfortable with a base Grand Cherokee then you would with a base Cherokee.The quality of the interior by itself is worth the investment.

New Car Technologies That Make Driving Safer.

There is a number of new technologies that just hit the market place that makes driving safer. However do they really work? we shall find out.

New cars are coming standard with lane departure warning and rear view cameras. Lane departure warning alerts the driver that a vehicle is in its blind spot, and assist the driver in making a decision to change lanes or not. However often-times the light is not able to be seen in direct sunlight,also it stops certain people from using their mirror which would help detect other objects that might cause a collision.

Overall the technology works,it assists the driver in making a safer decision and prevents certain types of collisions.I would note that drivers should always check their mirrors prior to making a lane change,even if their car comes equipped with lane departure warning.

Rear view cameras come standard on most cars these days and have proven themselves to be very useful in helping to prevent parking lot collisions. But just like with lane departure warning,people sometimes rely totally on the system alone to prevent a collision. While the rear camera is very useful and often comes with radar and multiple sensors,it just cannot compete with looking out the rear windows and checking your mirrors.

So the systems do work and have proven themselves too be very useful.Just remember that due care should always be used I fully support the use of devices to assist in driving however human mindset cannot be predicted.Always use your turn signals and always check your mirrors before turning or reversing.

2015 Reno Auto Show

I covered the Reno Auto Show in mid January.The show had 19 local dealers there with a good array of vehicles.I will be doing reviews of some of these vehicles in the future so keep a look out for them.Don't forget to catch my video coverage of the Reno Auto Show on our YouTube channel.

2015 Subaru WRX 2015 Jaguar XFR Supercharged V8 2015 Mercedes-Benz E Class 

2015 Mercedes-Benz S Class

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