BMW vs. The Final Thoughts

Once we finished our laps, the race car drivers had a go...with us in the car. I'll tell you this: the grab handles on the doors are very sturdy.

Also, the way the race car drivers explained what we were about to do on both tracks was perfect: one talked to the group of us as another was in a car demonstrating.

BMW vs. the 335i xDrive

I'll just get right out and say it: the car you see above is a monster.

If you have any troubles in life, some time behind the wheel of this will erase them from your memory. It summons the endorphins as it accelerates and accelerates and accelerates, then provoking a smile out of you as you notice that you can take a corner without slowing down at all.

But the best part is, this is not the car for oblivious guy.

BMW vs. the 328i xDrive

High expectations abound for someone who hosts an event. People expect that the TV show is worth watching, the party worth going to, or the food worth eating. The host takes this burden of expectation on their shoulders so that their guests leave satisfied – ideally not because they are leaving.

It gets even worse when someone is hosting a competition in which they themselves are participating. Not only is one expected to put on a good show, they are also expected to win.

So what happens when they don't?

BMW vs. Acura TL SH-AWD Tech

We all knew one of these: the bigger, older kid that was rejected by children his own age, and thus insisted on hanging out with younger kids to feel superior.

In some cases, it's since he couldn't keep up with his peers, mentally or physically. Other times, it's because he became too annoying and immature, so his age group didn't like him anymore.

Either way, the fact is he ran after a group in which he didn't belong. In this comparison, the Acura TL was that guy.

The 3-series was the last of the compact sedans that was actually compact. Now with its 2012 re-design, every new respectable compact car on sale is now officially the size of a bus.

But that doesn't mean that a five-meter-long Acura should play in the same sandbox.

BMW vs. Infiniti G37x

We are about to enter a mystical parallel dimension, one not known to the common man, which lies between modesty and materialism, between fantasy and supervision.

Here, badges symbolize nothing at all, yet many cars carry not one, but two. Firms make six different cars for one single market segment, and all of them find homes easily...

This is a place where the commercial vehicles and people-carriers of choice are barely big enough to use four wheels. Robots, instead of signs, show you the direction of travel. Police cars are black and white, but you'd never recognize them.

Here, emergency vehicles and race tracks have an enforceable speed limit. Here, used cars are more expensive than new cars. And yet, this place does exist – on this very earth.

BMW vs. Audi A4 quattro Premium Plus

Despite Audi's unbearably irritating salesman, I should technically be biased towards this car. I myself rely on a quick Volkswagen for regular transport, and find it to be the best choice out there. I also adore the B7 Audi RS4. By all logic, this should be my favorite.

Regardless, I was convinced that this would be an epic car before I even came: their interiors are second-to-none, quattro is second-to-none, their engines are second-to-none, and their value-for-money is second-to-none.

This one in particular has the S-line package as well, bringing good sport seats, 19" wheels, sport suspension, and some trim details to the boxing match.

BMW vs. Mercedes C300 4Matic

What else could possibly come to mind first when you think of the automobile?

Mercedes-Benz: the inventor of the automobile; the black-painted ambassador of dictators; synonym of quality, solidity, post-apocalyptic reliability, and badge prestige; the imported pride of Albania... The list goes on and on.

Vehicles with the three-pointed star are coveted by practically everyone, having verified their bank-vault-like reputation with a matching solid history. Nobody, ever, will laugh at you for showing up in a Mercedes. They'll laugh at you when they see the crocodile-skin shoes you're wearing.

But I digress. I'm here to talk about the Benz in a certain context, as BMW's historic rival from Stuttgart.

BMW vs. The Event

The idea behind this event was to spend the morning testing out all the players in the sport compact segment for yourself – it just so happened that the event was organized by BMW...

Indeed, laid-back and seemingly-independent race car drivers were our hosts. One did the compulsory (sales) presentation at the beginning, and the rest took us out to the tracks, demonstrated the courses, and oversaw our shenanigans.

BMW 3-Series Comparison Drive

The weather's been unusually good lately – so good that September and October have been, save for nights, better than summer itself! I'd rather have had summer weather when there was time to do summer things, but I can't complain too much, either: at least fall brought the vitamin D that could have been absent altogether.

Had the usual sky-borne motley crew made its traditional appearance, then perhaps the event I attended would not have been as pleasant.

I'm talking about the BMW 3-Series Comparison Drive, where we got to (attempt to) flog a group of 2012 328's and 335's, as well as some of their competition, on a closed section of Cypress Mountain.