I recently got the opportunity to thrash around a BMW 135i and I found that there were some immediate ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. Since I was on a closed course with a sea of pylons to weave around, I flipped the car into sport mode (it was an automatic transmission) and let er rip (much to the delight of the young owner seated beside me). I found out quite quickly though that the Dynamic Stability Control was slowing me down so I turned it off. I couldn’t find a way to turn off the traction control (perhaps it can’t be). Without the DSC on, I was able to drive the car harder and faster but the traction control system was still holding me back, which I quickly became frustrated with. I completed a few very spirited runs around the course with my passenger giggling and finished off with the powerful smell of tire rubber and cooked brakes filling the car. Ahhh….lovely!

I was really impressed with the fit and feel of the interior. The seats fit well and all the controls were nicely within reach. Holy controls though! I certainly wasn’t impressed with the amount of gadgets and gizmos available to the driver. It was like the command centre of a shuttle and none of them had anything to do with the actual ‘driving’ of the car. FAR too many distractions and using them would mean long periods of your eyes not being on the road. The car is basically a full entertainment and connectivity centre! You can even browse the internet (hopefully not while the car is in motion but I didn’t take the time to find out).

When will auto companies realize that the more in-car distractions they install in their vehicles…the more likely their clients will actually need DSC, TC and ABS to try and save them from a crash.