Neutral

Special guest _DavidSmith joins us as we recount our experience at the 2-day BMW M Performance Driving School.

Special guest _DavidSmith joins us as we recount our experience at the 2-day BMW M Performance Driving School.

• Overview video.
• Casey's gardening adventure.
• Laura's hot lap.

Our BMW European Delivery experience, the M5, the autobahn, the Nürburgring, and German drivers.

In the final episode of Neutral:

• Casey and Marco drag John through the story of their European Delivery vacation picking up Marco's M5.
• BMW Welt, the BMW Museum, and the factory tour.
• Driving on the autobahn.
• Finding and driving the Nürburgring.
• German drivers, food, culture, and hospitality.

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Replacing expensive built-in options with Automatic, low expectations for built-in car software, Mini cars, and targeting young buyers.

In this episode:

• The upcoming Automatic smartphone app as a replacement for expensive built-in options.
• Why car makers' custom media and navigation systems are so clunky and why we have such low expectations for it.
• Software defines much of the experience of modern cars.
• What car maker will be first to make a truly major advance in software quality?
• What we think of Mini.
• Targeting young buyers.

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LaFerrari, hybrid supercars, modern car complexity, electric vehicles' future range, aspirational SUVs, and our dream cars.

In this episode:

• The LaFerrari and hybrid supercars.
• Cars' increasing complexity as technology gets applied.
• Becoming accustomed to the turbocharged feel.
• How much electric vehicles need to overcome gasoline's convenience.
• How quickly we can expect electric-vehicle range to increase.
• Aspirational SUVs.
• If we had infinite money, what car would we buy?
• Renting supercars.

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What optional equipment should you get or avoid? Navigation, sunroofs, parking assistance, premium stereos, and more. Follow-up on octane myths and the 3-series GT.

In this episode:

• Octane ratings and myths.
• What optional equipment should you get or avoid on a car?
• Parking-distance sensors vs. backup cameras.
• Mysteriously sized mechanics and car-wash drivers.
• Satellite radio, HD Radio, and premium sound systems.
• OEM navigation systems vs. aftermarket options.
• More on the BMW 3-series GT.

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Top Gear metaphors, why John likes Hondas so much, visibility, seating ergonomics, boring Ferrari stories, ancient Volvos, and LED DRL eyeliner.

In this episode:

• Top Gear presenter metaphors.
• Back-in parking FU.
• Why John likes Hondas so much.
• Visibility and a lower-back-friendly seating position.
• Our three most boring Ferrari stories.
• Fond memories of ancient and less-ancient Volvos.
• Designing for safety.
• LED daytime running lights as tacky "eyeliner", our modern Altezza-like design fad.
• Casey says "braaaands."
• How Audi, BMW, and Mercedes compete.
• Toyota and Scion.

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Owning vs. leasing, weirdest car repairs, keeping maintenance records, private sales, synthetic oil, and that first scratch.

In this episode:

• Three geeks try to define "hipster"
• The stress of owning vs. leasing
• The first scratch
• Weirdest car repairs
• Synthetic oil
• Keeping fuel and repair records
• Buying and selling cars privately

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Voice-recognition interfaces, driving etiquette (turn signals, merging, tailgating), the hand-wave and the finger, backing into parking spots, driver prediction and accident avoidance, and our past traffic violations.

In this episode:

• The safety of voice-recognition interfaces
• Driving etiquette: turn signals, merging, tailgating
• The hand-wave and the finger
• Backing into parking spots
• Driver prediction and accident avoidance
• Our past traffic violations

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Project cars, annoyances of having multiple cars, Marco's next car, crossovers, American avoidance of minivans and wagons, hybrid battery lifetimes, John Siracusa's Tesla Model S review, fake engine noises, and test-driving the BMW M5 vs. 550i xDrive back-to-back.

In this episode:

• Project cars.
• The many problems with having multiple cars.
• Marco's next-car decision.
• Ogling a showroom's Audi R8 from behind its velvet rope.
• Test-driving the BMW M5 back-to-back with a 550i xDrive.
• The odd new BMW 3-series GT (F34) compared to the Honda Crosstour and the Audi A7.
• Americans' incredible efforts to avoid buying minivans and wagons.
• Battery lifetimes and disposal for hybrids and electric vehicles.
• John Siracusa's review of the Tesla Model S after an extended test-ride.
• A proposal to require electric vehicles to emit fake engine sounds at low speeds for pedestrian safety.

And a bonus "secret track" after the episode's official end at 1:31:40.

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Good and bad navigation controls, on-screen controls vs. buttons, trying to get a fun rental car, personal value judgments, white cars in hot climates, and Casey's fame.

In this episode:

• Control interfaces for media and navigation systems, including BMW's iDrive knob (of course), touchscreens including the Tesla Model S's giant one, and Lexus' weird new "Remote Touch" control.
• Balancing on-screen controls and dedicated buttons.
• Our great (or horrible) future of dynamic, all-software dashboard dials.
• Gambling with the "Premium Sedan" rental-car category.
• Casey's newfound fame.
• Personal value judgments.
• FU on white cars in hot climates and DCT nitpicks.

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Car bras, best new- and used-car values today, buying used to get better options, lease specials, the boring NSX, AWD vs. RWD in the snow, and some unlicensed FU.

In this episode:

• Car bras as screen protectors.
• FU on Blowoff valves vs. wastegates, boxer engines, and the SSSC.
• What car available today, new or used, is the best value for general ownership?
• Getting a good deal on higher trim levels and optional luxury features.
• Lease basics, and the potential value of lease specials.
• The boring old Acura NSX.
• All-wheel drive (AWD) and rear-wheel drive (RWD) in the snow.

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Once again, please rate us on iTunes if you like the show. If you don't like the show, please email Casey.

Driveways, affording expensive cars, Zipcar's BMWs, "Tiptronic" modes, DCTs, and the future of manual transmissions.

In this episode:

• Confronting neighbors about driveway assaults
• The Siracusa retirement plan
• Affording expensive cars
• Prioritizing or deprioritizing cars in your budget
• How Zipcar got Marco addicted to BMWs
• "Tiptronic" manual modes in automatic transmissions
• Dual-clutch transmissions, rev-matching manuals, and the future of manual transmissions
• Turbo buttons on cars and computers

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Thank you for the great response to episode 1! Please rate us on iTunes if you like the show so more people will find us and tell us how wrong we are about everything. Thanks!

White cars, body styling, dealer quality, weight, Audi A3, Toyota MR2, Nissan Maxima, and C7 Corvette.

In this episode:

• White cars and people who buy them
• Car body styling
• Dealer quality by brand
• The Audi A3's one powered seat
• Fake Ferraris
• A scary test drive in a Toyota MR2
• Heavy cars
• The forgettable Accord vs. the marshmallow Camry
• The rise and fall of the Nissan Maxima
• The C7 Corvette

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