Soon to be reviewed: 2011 BMW 328i and VW jetta

In the near future I will have a review and road test of the 2011 jetta and 328i X.

2009 Jeep Commander Long-Term Update

For the last couple days I have been fighting off a could. My head feels stuffy, my mind seems to be running on diesel, I feel all cold and achy, and I just want to get rid of the cold. That's kind of how I feel about the jeep Jeep Commander. It's not any fun to drive day-in and day-out. Unless if you off-road on the weekends there is really no need to have a Commander. Sure it's big and safe feeling, and it seats seven. The truth is, it only seats seven if your passengers who sit in the back row are amputees. Also, when the back rows are flipped up, the driver can no longer see out of the back window. Driving this tank on the road is tiring. Your constantly fighting to keep it on the road. The suspension is way too soft and springy. I just came to a stop in the garage got out and started typing this blog, and the jeep is still swaying on it's suspension. The four wheel drive system in this Commander is a peach. Snow can't stop it. When it rains, the jeep drives like it's dry out. Another positive about this jeep is the monster that lives under the hood, the 5.7L Hemi V8. Fuel mileage is not the greatest, but the optional V6 is not much better. I got about 13-14mpg in the city and 16-17mpg on the highway. That's still not too bad for this 5,000 pound 4x4 SUV I suppose.  There was really only one mechanical problem with this jeep. One day the key decided to lose it's anti-theft coding while I was pumping gas. The jeep did not start, because it didn't think there was a key in the ignition. So the jeep had to be flat-bedded to the dealership. Other than that little incident, the jeep has been fault free. 

Just as I'm tired of having a cold, I'm tired of driving this jeep. The interior is cheap, it's hard to see out of, and it handles like a 1920's John Deer tractor. I won't miss it a whole lot when it goes back to Chrysler. 

2011 BMW 328i X-Drive Quick Review

There has been some complaints about the new 3-series interior. You won't be hearing any from me though. Before we get into that, lets start with the outside. The 3-series has recently been refreshed with new headlights and such. Whatever BMW did, this car is gorgeous. The front end looks mean, and the lines that run along the car are perfect. If you get it in black, the 3-series will look classy and sinister at the same time. Let's move into the interior, it's a nice place to be. The materials seem of good quality for the most part and it's all screwed together nicely. The seats are a little firm, but from past experiences they will be very comfortable on those long drives. People have been saying that the layout of the dashboard and controls are no good on this be-emm. I say they are just fine. No, the controls are not great, but there not bad either. I have no complaints about the interior, so Bah! Humgug! to the naysayers.

I do wish rear folding seats came standard though. The trunk is plenty big for a smaller car like the Beemer, but it would be nice to have folding seats to give you some flexibility.

Let talk about the ride. Yes the Be-Emm comes with run-flat tires. Yes those tires are stiff and results in a little more jiggle in the cabin. They are no deal breaker though. The BMW still ride VERY nicely. It's smooth over bumps, yet stiff in the corners. If your a car enthusiast you'll probably by two new sets of tires for this car. Summer tires and winter tires. That way you'll get the most out of the car. If you just want to drive, the run flats will be fine.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review if the 328i. This B-em will also be added to the long-term test fleet.

New Blog

I just started up a new blog, The Crumpler Review. I am attempting to keep this blog Camera and Car oriented, and I realized that I have way too many Crumpler bags to leave unreviewed. Messenger bags don't really fit under the Car or Camera category. I figured it's best to create an entire blog dedicated to Crumpler products. I put a couple old reviews from this blog up on The Crumpler Review. I have a couple bag reviews already in the works.

If ya like Crumpler bags, or don't even know what they are, check out my new blog.

Volkswagen Beetle News: 2012 VW New Beetle Renderings – Car and Driver

The folks over at Car and Driver fired up their photoshop once more. I was hopping for a more drastic change to the upcoming beetle's look. This seems more like a facelift of the old-new beetle, even though it not true. The beetle will have all new underpinnings, which is long overdo. I do like the looks, it more macho.

Link....

Volkswagen Beetle News: 2012 VW New Beetle Renderings – Car and Driver

2011 Dodge Durango Sneak Peek

Dodge has recently released a few teaser shots of the upcoming Durango crossover on their website...

2011 Dodge Durango

From the photos it seems like Chrysler is continuing it's trend of upscaling the quality of their vehicles. The '11 Durango looks a little bit minivan-ish, but it still looks very good. We won't be able to see what it really looks like until Chrysler releases more photos.

Sigma 50-500mm now with optical stabilization

Sigma has finally released an OS version of the famous 50-500mm telephoto zoom lens. I have the non-OS version of this lens and I can tell you this lens needs it. I can get get sharp photos no problem, it's just when the light starts to fade or if there is a lot of panning, things can get a little shaky. This is a heaver lens, so for some people the lens might cause their arm to be fatigued.

The only problem I had with my lens is my HSM motor squeaks if it focuses fast. It gets really bad in the cold. It hasn't hurt the performance of the lens yet. It's been squeaking for a couple years now. Other than OS the new 50-500mm is basically the same lens as mine. So I can speek for the lens, it will be a great lens.