Bangle was the beginning of the end. This is the end of the end. It’s all over for BMW as an enthusiast brand.

BMW has one of the most recognizable features of any brand and they want to go away from it? Everyone else is looking to stand out like the BMW grill. Acura wanted a trademark look so bad they stuck with the ridiculous beak for years.

As a BMW guy, I’m not on board with this. I noticed they’ve started erasing the Hofmeister Kink on some models too. These are the kinds of touchstones that give a brand a solid visual identity, and a premium feel. They are partly what separates a “premium” brand from a mainstream one.

They could pull a Porsche and charge more for the “classic” look.

Yeah, sharing space with a bunch of strangers, on something that follow’s someone else’s timetable and route.

Riding in a filthy smelly box with other filthy smelly people is awful. I’ll take my car thank you.

The only form of mass transit I found reasonable was the Shinkansen and local rail. I’ve ridden everything from chicken busses to trolley cars and most the major Metros.

“They” are looking at putting in a roundabout not 2 miles from my home. It’s sure to be a disaster, as people will be coming at it doing 50 mph or better. The alternative is a light, apparently. The other unfortunate part is even if they put it in, it’ll be about a quarter-mile from a sheriffs’ substation, so hooning…

Nope, I still hate roundabouts. Every one of them in Virginia is in a high traffic area, so one direction gets going and then the other road has to sit there and yield for 10 minutes because there’s no light to force them to alternate. And god forbid you have to go through a roundabout with more than one lane. It’s…

I absolutely hate roundabouts. I will drive 5 miles out of my way to avoid a busy one.

I would never use this technology and have no need for it. Most rural regions will never need this. I often think about how many cars will be scrapped like an old iPhone when the tech installed becomes outdated or more expensive to repair than what the owner is willing to spend on their aging vehicle.

3rd/N

Only 10 percent of cars on the roads in Japan have [internet-connected apps], compared to 49 percent in the U.S., 31 percent in Europe and 20 percent in China...

Neutral: The true innovation in in-car technology is not the technology itself, but convincing American car buyers that they actually want the technology. If Japan wants to catch up, what they need to do is invent some silly new thing for cars to do, then convince the world that any car that doesn’t do that is not…

Neutral: What’s Your Take On Ordering Coffee From Your Car?

Neutral: It’s not so much the infotainment screen I have a problem with, I just don’t really like drive-thru’s. Or more generally, having food in my car. Amazingly I can actually plan my route, whether it’s a quick business-run or a longer leisure trip, in a way that I can afford a little bit of time out of my car to…

Neutral: I work with technology every day (seriously, that’s what I fix) and am solidly middle-aged, so get off my lawn.

3rd Gear: Chances are most of us when driving just want to listen to the radio (AM, FM, Sat, etc), or stream music through our phones (Bluetooth, aux jack, USB, phone apps, etc). Some of may want Navigation even. But half the things in the touchscreens now a days, I’m not sure actually get used all that much.

Except most I-devices don’t have headphone jacks anymore.

I don’t see the point of many of those app features in vehicles today. Maybe when there is level 4 or 5 of autonomous cars and a lot of them, then we can look into that. For now, that stuff is just another unnecessary distraction.

I’m not going to disagree with the warranty benefits, Although Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonatas are available in the $10k ballpark CPO With a 10 year 100k warranty... and $17k in interest can really pay for a lot of car repairs...

But ultimately if he knows what he’s getting into and he’s happy, its fine... and if he…