[loxxrider]

  Agreed, it kind of demeans the "M" if it's not a true "M" engine! I would love an M2 Variant, have been seriously thinking about an Golf R Variant if we can get one here stateside

 
Don't we already get the Golf R here? It's definitely a great car. I'm an inline 6/RWD kinda guy though, so BMW is the natural choice for me.
 

  If it only comes with DCT BMW is really dead to me. I still cant believe I cant get a NA I6 anymore. E46 for life yo.

 
It will have a 6 speed manual, and the rumors are that it is the same box as in the M3/M4. I am in the same camp. I will not EVER buy another modern BMW if they do not continue to offer manual transmissions. I think Porsche, Ford, and Chevy are going to be some of the last holdouts for manul trans junkies like you and I. You just don't have the control with a dual clutch transmission that you do with a manual. Even in the 458 Italia which is one of the best automated manuals in the world, the control of having a clutch just isn't there, not to mention the joy to be had from manually rowing your own. 
 

  The idea of synthesized engine noises bother me, but I believe BMW has said that its an actual amplification of the engine noise, not a prerecorded soundtrack like the system in the F10.  Also about the size...I think it's perfect!  You're right, a lot of people have been calling the f80 m3 the spiritual successor to the e39 m5.  All fantastic cars.  
 
The BMW M2 seems like an incredibly exciting car. E46 size (unfortunately not weight 

) with a DCT should be great fun.  I think BMW knew they couldn't stuff an S55 engine in it because it would cannibalize too many m4 sales LOL!

 
I agree that this size car is about perfect if you have a family. I just wish BMW made something a bit more sporty for the bachelor (and bacheloretts!) out there who want something more communicative and intimate to drive. Luckily BMW now has the largest carbon fiber production facility in the world and we will soon see the full lineup of cars with varying degrees of CFRP construction. The next M2 will be the car to have, but I'm worried that BMW will put a turbo 4 cylinder in it. I'm sure it would be great fun, but I'd just much rather the sound and torque of a nice inline 6. The E30 M3 is plenty enough high-strung 4 banger for me

 

[Podster]

Golf R yes, Golf R Variant no

 
I have the second problem you have with the manual tranny as the current Golf Country Wagon only has a manual tranny in the entry level car so you can't get any of the up-trim features unless you go auto/tiptronic

 
Here I thought the Z4 was a bachelor/bachelorette's car

I mean if you are one do you really need more than one other occupant

I just wish I had bought the '99 M-Coupe when I had the chance and before I was no longer a bachelor

 
second shelf down in the middle

 

 

[thelurker]

   
Don't we already get the Golf R here? It's definitely a great car. I'm an inline 6/RWD kinda guy though, so BMW is the natural choice for me.
 
 
It will have a 6 speed manual, and the rumors are that it is the same box as in the M3/M4. I am in the same camp. I will not EVER buy another modern BMW if they do not continue to offer manual transmissions. I think Porsche, Ford, and Chevy are going to be some of the last holdouts for manul trans junkies like you and I. You just don't have the control with a dual clutch transmission that you do with a manual. Even in the 458 Italia which is one of the best automated manuals in the world, the control of having a clutch just isn't there, not to mention the joy to be had from manually rowing your own. 
 
 
I agree that this size car is about perfect if you have a family. I just wish BMW made something a bit more sporty for the bachelor (and bacheloretts!) out there who want something more communicative and intimate to drive. Luckily BMW now has the largest carbon fiber production facility in the world and we will soon see the full lineup of cars with varying degrees of CFRP construction. The next M2 will be the car to have, but I'm worried that BMW will put a turbo 4 cylinder in it. I'm sure it would be great fun, but I'd just much rather the sound and torque of a nice inline 6. The E30 M3 is plenty enough high-strung 4 banger for me

I think BMW has said that they are putting a modified version of the N55 engine it, so no, it won't have a 4 cylinder. It also seems to not sound too bad from the spy videos.  As for the DCT, I for one, am glad we still have  a choice between auto vs. manual.  The manual does have the engagement, but BMW is also about going fast, and the DCT has the upper hand there. There is a reason that the GT3 and GT3RS are only offered in DCT (although I'm disappointed that porsche would not give consumers the choice for a gt model).  

 

[Pingupenguins]

Does anyone know any good car speakers? Been driving around and listening to the stock stereo and it drives me nuts sometimes when I have headphones at home. I know that just doing speakers isn't the whole thing. I'll need to use some dynamat to dampen the baffles and door skins. But I was wondering if anyone has looked into high fidelity audio for your car!!
 
It's hard to find that sort of stuff because most car guys aren't audio guys as well. I wish I knew of more resources for quality car audio rather than just who has the most bass and loudness. Love to hear what you guys know!
 
PS. been looking at JL audio's C and TR series. Also Helix Esprit series. Anyone attest to the quality of these speakers?

 

[Planar_head]

I have very little experience in car audio, but I know that Dynaudio makes drivers. I've never heard them, but they're expensive!
 
I suggest fitting extended range tweeters on the dash. It'll image like you won't believe. Get a good headunit or amp that can time-align the sound for an optimal listening position (known as DSP). A lot of the new cars have this as an option; I know a 2009 Mustang GT with no special audio options (that I know of) has a setting to optimize the sound to the driver's seat, which provides an immense improvement to the balance of the sound.

 

[Pingupenguins]

I'm not looking to spend more on in-car sound vs my headphones. So $1k on speakers is not an option as my main choice is headphones, obviously.
 
I have been reading dampening and angling the speakers is more important than speakers, but the stock ones just look so bad. Magnet doesn't even attract any metal.... So thinking about spending maybe $300 on speakers and the rest (maybe $300) on dampening. Only issue is I can't really fulfill angling requirement as I'd probably have to get custom mounts made. I would make them myself, but I don't know much about car audio, or have the equipment.
 
Car currently has tweeters in the dash, so that's good. Also, Pioneer Avic-850bt head. Not a lot of power, but better than stock. Might get an amp later down the road. I'll try to look into the head and see if there's options but I doubt there are any to optimize for the driver.

 

[loxxrider]

I think BMW has said that they are putting a modified version of the N55 engine it, so no, it won't have a 4 cylinder. It also seems to not sound too bad from the spy videos.  As for the DCT, I for one, am glad we still have  a choice between auto vs. manual.  The manual does have the engagement, but BMW is also about going fast, and the DCT has the upper hand there. There is a reason that the GT3 and GT3RS are only offered in DCT (although I'm disappointed that porsche would not give consumers the choice for a gt model).  

Indeed, it will not be a 4 cylinder, but that was an option at one point until BMWs marketing did a feeler and determined the buyer wanted an inline 6. Unfortunately, we didn't want a non M inline 6, but that is what we're getting now. I agree it does sound good like all N5x engines do. Much better than the M3/M4.

Who cares whether the car is a half second quicker around the track or a quarter second quicker 0-60 with dct? Are you Mario Andretti racing for the F1 title? No. Lap times don't matter on a daily basis. Driver engagement does. Not everyone cares about that, but in my opinion those people are better off in a non-M car (no offense). You're missing the point if you don't take they manual honestly.

Does anyone know any good car speakers? Been driving around and listening to the stock stereo and it drives me nuts sometimes when I have headphones at home. I know that just doing speakers isn't the whole thing. I'll need to use some dynamat to dampen the baffles and door skins. But I was wondering if anyone has looked into high fidelity audio for your car!!

It's hard to find that sort of stuff because most car guys aren't audio guys as well. I wish I knew of more resources for quality car audio rather than just who has the most bass and loudness. Love to hear what you guys know!

PS. been looking at JL audio's C and TR series. Also Helix Esprit series. Anyone attest to the quality of these speakers?

Car speakers are just like headphones. There are different levels to the quality and some research will be helpful in determining what will suit your needs. The problem is that with car audio, the end result will be about 80% install, and 20% the quality of your gear,and that's not on a cost basis... That's more on an effort basis. So you can definitely get great sound within your budget, but the diy effort required will be pretty high. Check out diy mobile audio.com

I have the jl c5 speakers in the back of my car and I'm not all that impressed to be honest.
They're just ok. Nothing to spend a ton of money on. Where jl really shines are their higher end subwoofers. I just bought a whole setup for an 8w7 in my new wagon.

If you ever do become interested in the higher end of car audio speakers, you'll want to look at the likes of morel, rainbow audio, Canton, etc. Focal also makes some very nice gear, and is on the pricier side. It's probably the most mainstream high end brand, and tends to be on the brighter side, but I've always thought they sounded pretty great. I have some of their mid grade 4" and tweeters in the dash of my wagon and I'm very satisfied with them. I'd take a look at their stuff if you like it on the brighter side. Even their universal series sounds quite good to my ears.

As a final note, a dsp can make a huge difference in soundstage and imaging in a car. Take a look at the jbl ms8 dsp if you ever get to that point. It's the best price and easiest to set up dsp on the market and many swear by it for its automatic equalization and time alignment capabilities. I may try one once I've set the cornerstone for my setup a bit better in the wagon (avant). However, if you're coming from the headphone world rather than the loudspeaker world, soundstage may not matter much to you

 

[loxxrider]

And here's the new wagon I'm using for work instead of the cayenne now I'm not solely a BMW guy! Audi made some cool stuff in the 90s. Turbocharged, awd, dual overhead cam 5 cylinder screamer capable of 4-500 hp with a simple turbo upgrade, fender flares,only available in a manual transmission, and only around 133 ever brought into the US for its one year production run. And it's a wagon to boot! What more could you want for a daily driver?



I'll try to post some pictures of the audio install as it comes along.

Here's the 5 1/4 jl C5 I have been using in the rear doors.







They're made in Germany which is cool, but they don't sound a whole lot different than what they replaced.

I'm probably going to be doing some 6.5" components custom built into the front doors. These cars only came with 5.25 in the rear doors and 4" in the dash. It's pathetic!

 

[Pingupenguins]

So what would I be looking at in terms of install? I know you need to dampen the doors, but to what degree. I am thinking of making custom angled housings but don't know where to start. I'm more of a mid centric listener. I like easy going highs and punchy bass. I will be using an EQ liberally but with my current setup, even an eq can't save the speakers. Should I dynamat the car doors and see if I'm ok with factory speakers. Or should i get new speakers and dynamat the car after.

 

[DanPerezSax]

 

 

 

Me, too!
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

[NiHaoMike]

2011 Prius. Managed 77 MPG on one trip once, a personal record that I won't be able to beat anytime soon. I generally average high 50s to low 60s.

The nice part about hybrids and EVs is that they're near silent when stopped or moving very slowly. Great for those who enjoy listening to music while driving in the city.

 

[sgl54]

Me, too!











Nicely done, looks good in the black.

 

[DanPerezSax]

Thanks!  She moves, too... 320whp/wtq, Bilstein coilovers.  Spare motor slooooooowly getting built with forged internals and better fasteners for a big turbo down the road.

 

[sgl54]

Thanks!  She moves, too... 320whp/wtq, Bilstein coilovers.  Spare motor slooooooowly getting built with forged internals and better fasteners for a big turbo down the road.

I haven't found anything that works like the bilsteins. Spare motor is a great idea and easier to do a bit at a time. But from the pictures the project is very clean and well thought out, nice to see.

 

[bigx5murf]

Turbo mx-5, daily driven
 

And the mighty KK