this is C&D’s first drive of the SRT8 Challenger!!!
hey gang
Road and Track has their version of this diesel they show/talk about the Legacy along with engine specs which include 150 bhp at 3600 rpm and 258 lb.-ft. at just 1800 rpm. and it will also be a 2.0
“…Of course, one of the biggest benefits to a diesel is excellent fuel economy — Subaru says its diesel uses one-third the fuel of the 2.0-liter gasoline Legacy. The Legacy Turbodiesel gets 34 mpg city/49 mpg highway in the European testing cycles; of note, their city testing is run at a slower pace than ours, though their highway cycle is run at a higher speed than here. Regardless, this car is thrifty on fuel. Subaru says it is working on an automatic transmission for the European market, which would come in handy if Subie decides to bring the car to the States…”
-Road and Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=6424
Threads merged.
god i want diesel to become bigger in the states soooo bad
im right there with you
esp while we are working on alternatives!!!
here ya go you Euro-lovin car people (incl myself):
First Drive of the BMW 128i:
You really have to hand it to the folks at BMW. When they set out to build the 1 Series, they had a clean slate. In an age where each manufacturer has a Camry-fighter or its own version of the CRV, BMW made a rare stand and decided not to enter a market, but create one.
And they could have done it on the cheap – after all, the opportunity to break new ground is not only rare, it’s risky and expensive.
But they didn’t pinch pennies – this much is clear from the moment you sit inside the all-new entry-level BMW 1 series, the 128i Coupe. Eight-way power-adjustable seats offer a customized fit with familiar BMW flair, down to my favorite seat feature, the adjustable thigh support. At your fingertips is a tilt and telescoping steering wheel and a center console canted toward you, the driver.
Could they have justified dropping the thigh support and offering only a six- or four-way manually adjustable seat and tilt-only wheel, on the basis that this is indeed the entry-level BMW and should therefore lack a few creature comforts? Absolutely – I would’ve bought that story.
I don’t know whether that conversation even occurred between bean counter and product manager, but I do know BMW claims to have designed the 1 Series to be a driver’s car, and the customizable seating position is only small evidence this commitment.
The big deal is that the 128i is a rear-drive small car in age of front-drivers. Longitudinally positioned under the hood is BMW’s popular 3.0-liter inline-six making 230-horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque.
At roughly 3300 pounds, the 128i is reasonably light by modern standards and has more than enough oomph to walk a bit a sideways as I lay down a fat stripe of burnt rubber through first gear. Shift, and the momentary break lets the tires bite down and away we go.
Throws of the six-speed manual transmission are longish, but precise. Videographer Jim Gleason, who’s along for the drive, thinks the gearbox is better than the M3’s because it’s smoother and less notchy. Perhaps, but then again, the 128i only has to deal with 230 ripsnortin’ ponies, which are more than enough to send us hurtling over the bumpy asphalt along Monterey’s Carmel Valley Road.
On some stretches, the pavement is terrible, but there’s also a combination of long damper travel and the 1 Series short wheelbase that makes the 128i a bit nervous and jouncy. Of course, we’re also going kind of fast – confident in the 128’s accurate steering and positively excellent brakes. Over some of the bigger potholes and truck track depressions, the suspension’s aggressive rebound sends the rear wheels hopping and the Dynamic Traction Control light blinking. Lunatic fun at first, but a little tiresome when the throttle gets cut as well.
In and out of Carmel Valley Road’s smooth and cambered corners, the 128i is thrilling and proof that you don’t need a ton of power to have a lot of fun, you just need to keep up the momentum. Near perfect 50:50 weight distribution helps accomplish this as do the 128i’s forged aluminum front suspension pieces and lightweight steel multilink rear suspension. When fully compressed at the corner apex, there’s a feeling of massive tire grip at all four wheels, a wonderful sensation when these corners pile up one after the other as they do out here.
And when the conditions go bad in a hurry – in, say, a surprising off-camber decreasing-radius turn with pebbles flung across the roadway – there are always the impressive four-wheel disc brakes (with six-piston calipers in front) to reel you back in. Honestly, so confidence-inspiring are the action and feel of the 128i’s brakes – they could be the very best thing about the car.
And the worst? I’d have to say interior space. Though it has great outward visibility and sunroof – the car feels pretty small inside, most noticeably in the shoulder distance between the two front passengers. When you’re the driver, the car is cozy and involving. Passengers, especially those in the rear, will be a bit less pleased.
The small theme extends to the side mirrors, which offer a comically small slice of the view behind. They don’t appear to be of the new variety of shaped mirrors that widen the rear view to include blind spots, either. Small detail, but important when you’re in a small foreign car on big American highways.
The 128i is a great-driving, feature-rich, rear-drive sport coupe that can be had for $29,375, including destination. The 128i and 135i go on sale March 22, with convertible models arriving by May 1. We like it, and hope it becomes the model that entices other makers into this segment
and the specs:
2009 BMW 128i Coupe
Base Price: $29,375
Vehicle Layout: Front engine, RWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe
Engine: 3.0L/230-hp/200-lb-ft/ DOHC 24-valve I-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual/6-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3329 lb
Wheelbase: 104.7 in
Length x Width x Height: 171.7 x 76.1 x 56.0 in
0-60 mph: 6.1 sec(mfr est)
EPA City/Hwy Econ: 18/28 mpg (est)
CO2 Emissions: 0.90 lb/mile (est)
AND FINALLY:
On Sale In U.S. March 2008
-motortrend.com
fuckin sweet i want
yeah screw that i heard that they are only going to be making it in a hatch because some people found the original body style as a sedan to “street racer” as an image… a 4 door hatch doesnt look good to me personally
actually only europe is getting the hatch, and we’re only getting the coupe
oh wait, wer eyou talking about the sti or the 1 series?
sti
k