Due Around Thanksgiving Of This Year

The sixth generation of BMW鈥檚 flagship sedan has arrived! A claimed 285 pounds thinner than the previous generation鈥檚 base car, the new 7 uses a mix of high-strength steel, magnesium, aluminum, plastic and of course, carbon fiber. This is what BMW refers to as carbon core unibody construction, and it adds stiffness to the body structure while reducing weight. Pushing this reduced weight around is a choice of six, eight and twelve cylinder engines, all mated to an excellent eight-speed transmission from the folks at ZF. There will be a hybrid version coming along as well, although the standard gasoline engines are all more miserly than their previous counterparts. Other fun tech includes the i-Drive infotainment controller with 鈥済esture control鈥? Changing the volume, answering or ignoring a call and more are all possible with a simple hand gesture, courtesy of an infrared camera in the headliner. 3D View is another trick, allowing the driver to spin the surround-view camera image 360 degrees around the car to view every nook and cranny near the vehicle.

A slice of tech that is getting a lot of attention is the key fob, complete with an LCD touchscreen. Check your fuel levels, service reminders, door locks, window and sunroof status鈥?and in countries outside of the U.S. 鈥?or back it out of the garage..! I could go on about the tech, but let get back to basics. The interior design and quality is a definite upgrade from the previous generation. BMW realized they had to step up their game to keep pace with Audi and Mercedes-Benz in this area, and their efforts are paying dividends. As for the exterior I will call it good, but not great. The car does have better presence in person than in pictures, so all-in-all a decent update. And what most BMW enthusiasts are concerned about: How does this thing drive? The previous generation was thought to move a bit too far from the sporting feel bred into most BMW models in the concern of luxury. The F11 should be a step back onto the sporting course, keeping those bimmerphiles happy! Due around Thanksgiving of this year, the seven looks like a winner. 81,300 and the online configurator is available, so build your car and place your order now..! More tech, less weight鈥?better car..!

At no point did the Carrera T ever blow me away with any one particular attribute, but it proved to be a faithful companion in my four days with it. Of course, the Carrera T, like every 991, feels different than any 911 that preceded it. That's just physics. To improve the 911, Porsche had to kill off the delicate little thing we grew to love over the years. Rear-wheel steering can help make the 991 seem a little smaller than it is in reality, but it can't work magic. And don't take 'different' to mean bad. Bigger though it may be, the 911 is still a benchmark sports car and an absolute pleasure to drive. It just doesn't drive exactly like an old 911. But, it did make me think of older 911s, though not the ones I was expecting. I thought of a 1987 Carrera 3.2, the first 911 I ever drove. A great example of what a normal 911 felt like in those days.

It鈥檚 far from being the raciest thing in the world, but a wonderfully harmonious car. The grip, the brakes, the power and the usability are all perfectly in proportion. Then I thought about the 1967 2.0-liter Targa I drove last year鈥攁gain, a lovely sports car, but one that felt totally daily drivable. The Carrera T offers something similar. It's tempting to accuse Porsche of selling out with the 991 and abandoning the enthusiasts that carried the 911 forward over the last 55 years. I'll admit that I wish Porsche still made a truly small rear-engine sports car; a brief drive in an air-cooled 911 reminds you that there was something there that has been lost. In reality, Porsche probably had to make the 911 bigger. It was really the only way to improve handling, and if you look at the entire history of the 911, Porsche has always tried to improve handling through various means, engineering around the inherent flaws of a rear-engine car. A rear-engine car that has remained in production far longer than it probably had any right to. The 991 never quite got its fair shake. It couldn't have. Cars with a cult following are forever haunted by their pasts, and the 911 is no exception. And with time spent in the Carrera T, it's hard to be mad at Porsche. It's a lovely sports car, and a welcome reminder that there are people at Porsche who care about enthusiasts.