trinacriabob

I have to slot this into August; it was a few hairs short of September ... These always still catch my eye, especially if in decent shape *sigh*

This little car, a 2022 Chevy Spark, saved the day …. or, rather, the week. I exchanged a larger and more complex vehicle and, of the few available to pick from, I chose this one. It was a dark metallic blue sedan. I once had a Spark for a day in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and I felt I could go for this pint-sized and economical go kart, even though, this time, I would be taking it on the open road for about a week. The Spark’s hallmark is simplicity. The interior is simple. The controls are simple. And what’s under the hood is simple. A person gets into the Spark and setting it up is easy. The controls are straightforward. Curiously, the only thing that was missing was a temperature gauge, which could have been slotted in near the fuel gauge. Similarly, the center stack is also easy to work with, except that everything is a little smaller and less complicated. However, dials and switches are “Cadillac grade.” For the infotainment system and climate control, GM’s divisions share the parts, and, here, the Spark benefits. Some similar cars in Europe are powered by 3-cylinder engines. The Spark runs with a familiar 1.4 liter 4-cylinder Ecotec engine, sitting in a very tidily organized engine bay where things are accessible and serviceable. Like many other small cars, the Spark uses a CVT and has for several years now. For everyday driving, the Ecotec 1.4 is acceptable. Its best feature is how it pulls off the line, or maybe that’s an illusion because it’s small and agile. It fares okay on mid- to high-speed upticks in speed, but not enough so to get oneself out of tighter situations with neighboring cars with way more horses. On several highway tanks, the mileage came in at between 38 and 44 mpg. The lower mileage treks probably had more city driving to find gas stations or supermarkets! The Spark’s CVT seems to perform fine. The nice thing about it is that the shift lever is very simple and is notched such that it moves down directly from P or R to D, and requires a jog to move over to L. You won’t get to L by accident. The CVT does drone on when pushed, but it’s not as pronounced as in some other vehicles. Ride and handling are two different things. The Spark rides decently on well-kept city streets and on well paved highways. In fact, here, it almost defies its smallness and low weight. However, on rough local roads and highways that have washboard pavement and gaps, it might as well be a “beater.” The roughness can come through as jolts. As for the handling, it’s nimble and agile. You always know what the tires are doing, though not in bad way. There is some isolation. It’s fun to drive this car in downtown areas, on good suburban roads, on mildly winding 2-lane roads, and even on interstates with speed limits under 65 mph. The interior materials are not especially uptown, but their assembly is respectable. We are talking about small expanses of surface areas that need to be trimmed out, hence the car’s interior appears to be put together well. The seats are firm, have some shape, are suitable for up to an average sized individual, and do the job … except for maybe long-haul jaunts. It’s funny that there’s a small fold down armrest only for the driver. I actually used it. There is no console. There’s not much else down in the center except for the squarish module with the shifter. At the base of the center stack, there is a small tray which has a USB outlet and a lighter outlet right above it. Controls at the stalks are standard GM items and the infotainment center and climate control system are almost intuitive. There is a floor mounted fuel door release by the driver’s seat, a feature that I believe should not be omitted for gasoline or diesel-powered engines, yet some larger cars have done away with this feature. The rear seat, while nicely finished for the price point, does not offer much legroom for adults. The storage space with the back seat up behind the hatchback (or 5th door) is very limited. It can probably handle a medium sized suitcase and a smaller duffel bag, so plan accordingly. Still, it’s slightly better than what a Smart Car can offer in the back, and it comes with a cover that hides your contents. The Spark’s exterior is econobox all the way, with some endearing almost toy-like aspects, such as a low-key front fascia and rear taillamp assembly and bumper. It comes in the standard colors, but also some “radical” ones like metallic lime, metallic passion fruit, toasted marshmallow, and possibly a strong “yield sign yellow” aimed at younger drivers or someone who wants to do things a little differently. The rear overhang is especially short and hearkens to the smallest foreign cars in Europe and Latin America. This car would look right at home there, but I don’t know if it’s marketed elsewhere at this point. Alloy wheels can round out the look, as do the rear door handles that are up in the frames at the side of the doors, just like they were on ‘88 to ‘96 GM W-body coupes! The car might make you chuckle as you go about your business without fetching much attention. The Chevy Spark is a car that serves a purpose – it’s a zippy little city car or local road trip car for someone that wants a known brand and a car that has been around for a few years at an entry-level price. It has some systems that have had some issues, and the jury is still out on CVTs and their longevity, but Ecotec engines have been around for a while though, for some reason, certain years fare differently than others (think dots on adjacent columns in Consumer Reports). Some of the other systems are common to and shared within the GM stable, so they should perform acceptably. In short, I had fun driving this car for that week. However, coming home to a larger vehicle that is smoother, quieter, and more isolated was also welcomed. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING

An excellent sighting and test ride (not drive), too: Angled view from the vantage point of the Olds Toronado (what a contrast between the crisper lines of yesteryear's GM and the simpler more jellybean lines of more recent GM) Front view of the 2 vehicles ('08 LaCrosse and '81 Toronado) Angled view from the vantage point of the Buick LaCrosse Hood ornaments, "Parthenon" like grilles, and rectangular lamps ... oh yeah Driver's side of the dashboard; yes, it has a temperature gauge Passenger side of the dashboard; the digital clock was keeping time Comfortable vehicle seating no longer known to the American market; this made me miss my '84 Supreme Brougham coupe (although it was blue inside) ... note the Toronado crest above the armrest in the rear seats ... the rear pillar may be thick, but the upright windows made for good visibility Imposing, clean and angular defined hoods with hood ornaments - a great period in GM's history in my mind - - - - - A great way and time to have spent last Sunday's afternoon

I saw these earlier in the month I'm starting to get used to, and like, the proportions of the current Corvette to accommodate the mid-engine design. Bonus photo - I don't remember what kind of vehicle this was, but I think the ragged flag might have been on the rag

Yesterday, I also saw many "cars" ... at the same time ... and thought of @balthazar

Happy first day of autumn, folks ... summer flew by. I saw this once before and I saw it again yesterday A thing of beauty that may have been taken for granted when they were a dime a dozen.

INTERIOR PHOTOS Front of cabin and console - simple in appearance, but assembly appears to be good Rear of cabin A partial view of the somewhat generous rear compartment over the (upright) rear seat showing the charging station These are the 2 areas at the front of the console where you can charge a couple of phones Side note: It looks like I forgot to take a photo of the unique dashboard, so I've uploaded one from available images (credit to the cars sector of US News). Also, I did not hook up my music, so I'm not able to show you "choice" selections from my music collection. - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

EXTERIOR PHOTOS This is the vehicle's tall rump, also indicating dual motor It wasn't that hard to find the charging slot, but it wasn't that obvious, either This is the 1st of 2 charges and these stylized contraptions mean they're supercharging stations Upon turning it in, I took this photo ... au revoir

Random pissed off thought: I've seen this road maneuver a fair bit lately. The traffic at an intersection will slow down and some people rightfully choose to go into the dedicated left turn pocket as they crawl up to it and the striping allows them to get in. A few people who see this up ahead decide to get into the yellow zone between the broken yellow lines and make a beeline for the dedicated left turn pocket. Some of them are cruising along at a higher rate of speed than the adjacent traffic that's crawling. These people are big time a-holes. So, then, if an incident were to occur, are both at fault because the driver who zoomed in through the broken yellow lines didn't follow the rules and the driver who got into the left turn pocket right where the striping allows it may not have been exercising enough vigilance? A sad situation. Keep your eyes peeled for these inconsiderate morons.

I have come to believe that you shouldn’t opt for the manager’s special or wild card to save some money on a rental car. If you order a specific type of car, it is usually set aside for you or an upgrade is possible. In this case, the agency's manager’s special indicated that it could include EVs. I called several days ahead and was told that getting a gasoline powered vehicle was likely if that’s what the customer wanted. When I got to the airport location, that wasn’t the way it was going to be. I was given the keys to a Tesla SUV, a twin motor Model Y. I was told that getting a gasoline powered car would cost me a fairly hefty sum, for which it seemed they made up the rules, and numbers, on the fly. I wasn’t given much in the way of instructions for getting the Tesla Model Y going, except for how to open the doors. The flat card style fob was sometimes temperamental in opening the doors. To start the car, one slid this card near the underside of the opening of the center console and the icons on the main screen came to life. The Tesla Model Y’s vibe, fittings, and styling seems to be minimalist chic, but there’s not much that’s minimalistic about operating it. I do not care for the strong upright jellybean look of this model and only find the model S offering, with the air slat in its front fascia and its more rakish roofline, to be their most attractive model, albeit an expensive one. The seats, console, and interior appointments are spartan in appearance but, for this kind of money, the fit and finish have to be good. The leather seats are firm and comfortable enough. Even with the rear seat up, cargo capacity is generous. There is also its frunk up front for some extra storage. This vehicle has a curved glass roof which is far more than what a sliding moonroof would be, and, inside, there wasn’t much in the way of felt heat gain. In front of the driver and the passenger, there is the dashboard cowl, albeit a low one, and the driver gets a steering wheel, too! However, the driver just looks out over the road and both the driver and front passenger only have subtly concealed air conditioning vents directly in front of them. Just about everything to operate this vehicle is in a large laptop-like screen that is in the center and above the center console, and there are a lot of icons. I was able to adjust the mirrors and the seats, but did not work with a lot of the ancillary settings. Nevertheless, I started to drive off and, soon, I was on the freeway. The Tesla Model Y is stable, firm, and fairly smooth. It would have been smoother if it had smaller wheels. I credit the large wheels and tire profile for not being as smooth as it could have been. It is very stable because it basically feels like a tank, but not in the old school American boulevardier sense. At almost 4,500 lbs., it is a heavy machine. This Tesla’s steering is fairly nimble and the handling is responsive. It feels at ease at high speeds, so much so that you may not notice how fast you might be going. Pushing down on the pedal gets a quick response. Being electric, the automatic transmission does not have gears. This Tesla just lurches forward on demand. Perhaps the strangest thing about this vehicle is that it does not coast when decelerating. It seems to rapidly slow down when one backs off the accelerator. Perhaps this has to do with power generation or saving. I was able to figure out several key settings, such as the air conditioner controls and even searching for a place to charge up the vehicle. I learned something that afternoon. Tesla has dedicated stations with their logo that are stations for “supercharging.” (Yes, the cost to charge the vehicle is less than that of gasoline fill-ups.) Getting the Model Y back up to the “restricted” 80% charge level at these stations took about 20 minutes. Even so, I don’t think that a range of 250 miles (+/-) is all that generous. Later, I needed to charge this Tesla again and went to a Tesla “destination” station. Here, it takes upward of an hour to charge it up, hence there was no one there. I had to drive to another Tesla location to charge it rapidly late in the evening. The reason for doing this is that I was now in another major city and was going to take it back to the airport to exchange it. And it wasn’t even about charging issues, but about some simple operations. I figured that sliding the card fob in the same place would inversely power off the vehicle. It did not. There was a search bar on the main screen and I typed in “shut down” to get no hits and then typed in “power off” which took me to a link! I hit that link and was able to see everything power off. Only then did I feel comfortable that the vehicle was turned off. Moreover, the rental agent at the return location had to hunt around a little to find the odometer reading. Other EVs supposedly resemble and operate more like a regular gasoline powered vehicle in the cabin and in their controls. That said, I’m for electric vehicles and the direction this technology is going. However, the operation of one should be more intuitive. That’s not what I found with the Tesla Model Y. There appears to be a learning curve. This vehicle, and brand, have an interesting reputation. It is supposed to enjoy a long service life in terms of miles because of the simplicity of the electric engine. However, some of its other quirks seem to bring owners to the service department for repairs. Tesla vehicle professional and consumer reviews are not faultless when addressing whether they are very reliable and hassle free. Also, different models have different ranges and, just like with a cell phone, the vehicle should not be overcharged … and this didn’t make for a range which impressed me, or even satisfied me. Incidentally, at the front of the console are two cell phone sized grommets where a person can insert their cell phone and it will be charged fairly quickly. I feel it would have been nicer to have more conventional controls and clusters, with some of the controls directly in front of me. There could be more than one minimalistic pod or screen. This vehicle may be compelling for some, starting at close to $50,000 MSRP before tax credits, but perhaps, like its creator, they seek to make a statement (in addition to using a greener and cheaper form of energy) and are willing to live with this Tesla’s unconventional side. I can only vouch for what I experienced with this Tesla Model Y. I picked it up in the afternoon and returned it just before midnight … perhaps so I wouldn’t turn into a pumpkin. I’m joking. I stated above why I returned it. That said, I can’t opine on how much I would like this vehicle if I could get used to it or, more importantly, if it’s a good vehicle. It appears that choosing a Tesla is a very personal decision more than anything else. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING

I'm employing some elbow grease these days to touch things up that I've let go, especially inside. I have a collection of toothbrushes sitting on the floor in the back seat after using them for 2 weeks that I use to scrub some areas, such as places within the engine bay, for one. - - - - - At around noon, I went to the oil change place. I went back to the one that gave me a great BYOO (Bring Your Own Oil) price last time. As it turned out, I made it so that I had exactly 4.5 quarts of Castrol GTX full synthetic in my possession ... and that's the amount it takes. I have fresh synthetic oil again as of this afternoon and no bottles of engine oil around.

It's always a new car to someone - especially when renting - and a person has to get used to its parameters. Unless it's a Chevy Spark or a Ford Fiesta, neither of which are for sale in the U.S. anymore. When I see rims equal to the sidewall of a tire, the first thing I think of is that the ride isn't meant to be a cushy one.

Yes, and a potential "profit center" for rental agencies - especially overseas - when you scuff up the alloys on their cars so equipped.

Random thought: Things you don't see anymore ... curb feelers.

I would agree with this only when moving. Or if transporting a large object that a person just bought. And that periodically happens for most people. And a SUV/CUV would be immensely helpful. However, for every other occasion, it's a sedan or a coupe for me. I really miss them. Also, I prefer one that sits higher and has better visibility, so that's why sports cars, which are fun to drive, are checked off the list ... even though I have always liked Firebirds and Camaros, once owning a Camaro as a second car for a short while because I couldn't find a used Firebird I wanted.

It made it! I did it! Never did I think this vehicle, delivered to me new some 15.75 years ago in a suburb of Portland, OR, would move out of the PacNw, or even California. Well, it did. On trips out of town, I usually rent a car, whether from a neighborhood location or from whatever airport I use. I wanted the car to "see" (LOL) the Atlantic Seaboard, and here it is, at Virginia Beach VA, doing just that (see photo - at Rudee Inlet, with Oceanfront district to the left and Croatan Beach to the right). The plan was to continue up along the coast and take it for the quick tour of NYC where it would quickly circle its 5 boroughs: I-278 across Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge, aorund Brooklyn and Queens on the Belt Parkway (stop at beach at Far Rockaway near JFK airport), up through Queens on the Van Wyck Expwy or parallel route, the Whitestone or Throg's Neck Bridge into the Bronx, I-95 across the Bronx (stop in little Italy) and the skinny part of Manhattan (stop at the Cloisters for a view over the Hudson and the GW Bridge), and then, finally, cross the GW Bridge before heading into New Jersey. That circle tour is no more than 25 to 30 miles ... and 5 boroughs ... such a deal. Sadly, I did not continue north to NYC for some unforeseen developments. (The car has been running like a champ.) Oh well, as a consolation, never did I think I'd drive the car to Toronto 3x, including a visit to and photos of it at the GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where it came off the line. Doing goofy and quirky things can make life interesting.

Thanks for putting this up. It's interesting, but it definitely skews toward the early years. Yes, it was called the Fireball at first. Then, when it came back in the catalytic converter era (1975), it was just the 231 cubic inch. And, yes, 231 is 75% of the old small block Buick 310 V8, so they did shave off two cylinders. He's right in that the engine really got momentum when it became Series I, Series II, and Series III, but he doesn't focus much on the later and better years. And he's right that the 3.6 DOHC V6 has had problems here and there, despite becoming the new flagship V6 engine for GM. He mentions the addition of the balance shaft in 1988 and that's when it became the 3800. (I'm at a loss right now for what a balance shaft looks like.) However, I don't think he mentioned the transition from odd-firing to even-firing, which was a really big deal and a 1978 M.Y. occurrence. The funny thing is that the bigger colonnades of 1975-1977 ran with the odd-firing V6 and the downsized ones that went from about 4,000 lbs. to 3,500 lbs. ran with the even-firing V6, which they accomplished by offsetting the journals in the crankshaft. At idle, the difference was noticeable. I've put just about 400,000 miles on the Series I and Series III 3800s I've owned (combined). I love this engine. Throw in an odd-firing V6 '76 Regal coupe that my dad had, an '80 even-firing V6 Century Limited sedan (basically a Regal for those years) that my dad had after that, and a hand-me down Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe with this engine ... and add rentals (from late '80s Toros and Parks to mid-90s Regals to early 2000s so equipped Impalas) and I think I might get to 500,000 miles of driving some version of this engine! What a hoot. This was the loss leader for Buick mid-sizes ... the triangle rear window coupe '76/77 Century Special coupe ... stripped down and probably having an MSRP of $3,999. This has the rally wheels but they came with blackwalls and hubcaps. Here's an engine bay with the 231 c.i. V6 pushed all the way to the back and with no A/C That some didn't have A/C occurred enough and ensured the loss leader price, as well as a boring dashboard. But nothing to go wrong.

Join me in wishing @A Horse With No Name, our long-time member and friend who knows how to mix up insightful observations and zany humor, a happy birthday! Enjoy your special day ... and cheers.

Word. And your penciling of the situation makes sense. People have become increasingly more disconnected from each other, music has gotten crappier, etc. etc. Is it any wonder that the choice of vehicles has become more disappointing as well?

BONUS Don't say I didn't try. This also shows the infotainment center graphics (complete with orange/amber effects), that weren't to my liking, especially for songs and artists, unless there was another way to set this up - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

INTERIOR Full view of instrumental panel, console, and part of front seating Angled view of instrumental panel, console, and part of front seating A fair deal of ergonomic comfort is built into the front seats (that stuff in the creases is sand, which is an all too common occurrence in this area since people will take their rental cars to the beach) Rear seats (you can barely see the dark blue/light blue/red striping theme toward the top); the visibility was good and the rear view mirrors and alert systems helped, though I do still turn my head, "old school style" Cupholders in the rear seat armrest as well as 2 air vents and 2 USB ports at the rear of the console ... as you can see, the rear seat leg room is fine but not generous The speedometer is to the left and the tachometer is to the right, which is opposite what I expect to see ... but the mapping is centralized, which makes it easy to use ... there are both fuel and temperature gauges, and the speed readout can be set to digital within the speedometer - I was satisfied with the main IP pod The vents circulated air very well and conditioned air came on very quickly, but I'm not so sure how I liked the controls beneath them and above the console This is the console at night with the shifter and you can see the "P" indicator on a button at the rear of the lever while the others are attained by moving the lever; anymore, a lot of settings such as brakes, drive mode, and others are on buttons on the console These are the blue graphics that make their ways onto the front passenger doors at dusk; the cross hatching is sort of interesting The trunk size is fairly good for the size of the car and the roofline There is also this additional shallow space beneath the trunk floor, and the spare and other things are below this, which might be the actual floor of the trunk

EXTERIOR Side view near Parque Nacional Peneda-Geres Rear angled view above the town of Viana do Castelo Front view of grille at pick up Large, skinny tires, with no curvature at their sides, and aluminum alloy wheels - taking photos at pick up When you step out at dusk and the mirror is still extended outward, the logo and BMW are reflected on the ground When you step out at dusk and the mirror is finally folds inward automatically, the logo and BMW are reflected on the side of the door and will finally go out on its own

Good morning

Couldn't take a photo. It was ugly, anyway. It was the "entry level" Tesla with a license plate saying: OUTA GAS He or she could also be: OUTA AMP

This was the last of 3 rental at different locations in Portugal and a vehicle I never thought I’d be writing a review about. Again, I rented an automatic vehicle with one of the major agencies and the description indicated a Toyota Corolla Hybrid automatic or similar. Anymore, you go up to a kiosk, as if ordering at McDonald’s, to kick off your rental at major European airports. It’s important to have one’s data for the transaction ready. If there are questions or hiccups, agency personnel are on hand. I was doing this and then, at a certain part of the screen, a car description, including specifics like the license plate, appeared. I asked the agent what this was all about. I was told that a BMW Series 2 Gran Coupe was the car I was being assigned. I almost didn’t want it and asked if they had something else. They didn’t. I started looking at this smallest member of the BMW family in awe. I also sked my phone what its cost might be since insurance might have certain parameters. It appeared to come it at somewhere between 37,000 Euro and 42,000 Euro, depending on how it’s equipped. I could not form an immediate opinion of this car. I was in a stupor that I would be driving this car for 4 days. Also, its controls and settings are not that easily learned. I did learn most, while a few more obscure ones went unlearned. They do not correspond to the settings we know in American domestics, Japanese cars, or even VW-Seat-Skoda. As I got used to the BMW 2 series, what shone was how planted this vehicle was and how nicely weighted the steering was. This car was driven on city streets in or near Porto, on the tolled highways, and on 2-lane roads, with one foray into the twisties into and out of Parque Nacional Peneda-Geres. It fares well everywhere, but it really inspires confidence on the highway where, for its size, it’s sort of a small “bank vault” and on two-lane roads where it corners with agility and remains composed. I had only driven a college friend’s BMW 3 series with a manual transmission from Santa Barbara back to L.A.’s San Fernando Valley and it, too, shone for being nimble and planted, although they were not the most reputable as the years wore on. My friend eventually moved on to a new Ford Mustang with a V8. With this BMW’s good handling, the ride is also very controlled – firm and smooth. Noise suppression is also excellent and the maximum posted highway speeds, or slightly more than that, produced negligible wind or road noise. It’s a car that doesn’t wear on the driver for a long-haul trek. The engine was a twin turbo diesel and, when pushed, it responded very well and the engine produced more of a strong hum rather than the clanging sounds one would except of a diesel. It didn’t really sound like a diesel from inside the cabin. However, if standing outside the car when it was idling, it did sound a little like a diesel, but not quite like the old school Oldsmobile diesels that sounded like they were gargling with metal marbles. The car responded well to quick and defensive merges and prolonged grades on highways, which Portugal’s interior definitely has. The other part of the powertrain equation is the transmission. It was a geared automatic with 8 speeds. The truth is that you could barely feel any of the shifts, making me question if BMW could have sold out and gone the CVT route. That wasn’t the case. If pushed, the first few shifts could barely be felt, with changes into the remaining gears being imperceptible. This outshone the 8-speed automatic in larger Toyotas that I have driven a time or two and which featured excellent shifting. At this point, virtually all foreign manufacturers, and especially the premium ones, are adept at making automatic transmissions. We’re not talking about Smart cars and Opels from right around the New Millennium. There is no doubt that this small BMW is an attractive vehicle. For being a small sedan, it’s billed as a Gran Coupe and the looks are svelte enough. The rapport between the exterior volumes is pleasing to the eye and any sculpting and character lines work well, including the ones carved into the front fascia and the rear taillamp assembly and bumper. One thing that was unexpected and make for a good chuckle is the frameless doors. I haven’t seen that in decades. Hello, GM colonnade coupes of yesteryear. I don’t know if I liked it or not. However, it probably helps give the car a sleeker look. The cabin was comfortable and there is suitable room for the front passengers. The seats are defined with bolsters and adjustable supports for the lumbar and the front edge of the cushion. The only other car with aggressive bolstering in its seats I’ve ever driven is the last Pontiac Grand Prix where the price point didn’t allow for them to spend enough money to thoughtfully design them. It appeared that this small BMW’s rear seat room was decent, though not ample, but the trunk was surprisingly roomy. I’m not giving this car a score of 100 or anything like that. It made for a few annoyances. I’ve already mentioned the slight difficulty with setting up and getting used to the controls. To that, add infotainment and climate controls graphics and operation which weren’t pleasing to the eye or user friendly. Graphics at night have orange/amber backlighting and Pontiac proves that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It, too, leaned toward this color for illumination, not to mention an often similar “twin kidney” grille up front. Unlike other cars, and less expensive cars, the infotainment center Bluetooth did not display my music collection with the additional graphics about the artist as less expensive cars readily have. The adjacent red and blue stripes often seen on the grilles of BMWs make their way into the lower part of the dashboard and extend onto the front door panel. This effect can be seen at dusk. The most irritating thing to me was the automatic transmission lever. It’s a standard lever. It’s not a push button or a round dial that some cars have gone to. It was easy to put it into drive and reverse, but there was a button at the back of the lever that parked the car, or so it seemed. This could lead someone to push the button and think they were free to go. If the lever was not returned to P, the car was not parked and would still be running. The build quality of the console and the levers and buttons appeared to be excellent, but operating it caused some head scratching at times. This BMW 2 series coupe/sedan is expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain, especially for the incomes and purchasing power in some of its markets. As time marches on, major repairs or replacing parts is expected to be expensive. That would require weighing how much one wants to own one of the “ultimate driving machines” vis a vis weighing the costs of ownership. As for one of its costs – fuel – that was surprisingly favorable, with consumption being sparse and diesel fuel being less costly in Europe. This was a serendipitous experience and a pleasant surprise. It was a lot of fun to drive this BMW and sample the confidence it inspired, be it on major highways or on challenging two-lane roads. I also find it humorous that with all the cars I’ve rented and upgrades I’ve been given stateside, I’ve yet to turn the key on a Cadillac and put one in gear. However, I got to drive a car and brand I would have never expected to. The price of the rental for those 4 days was reasonable (read: one helluva upgrade) and presumable priced in line for the anticipated Toyota Corolla Hybrid. I don’t know if I’d want to own a BMW 2 Gran Coupe overseas as its owner would have to contend with a lot of rambunctious drivers in “beaters” and on more challenging roads. However, if money is no object and one can afford the repairs down the line, or is leasing one, this could be a great way to go about motoring. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING