BMW TV Guide December 23 - Januaray 9 | Previous News, Links & Notes

News Briefs:

The Dakar is the world’s longest & most dangerous rally. This year it will follow a 9273-km route from Lisbon to Dakar January 5th through 20th. This year, competetors will include Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) & Tina Thörner (SWE) in Team X-Raid BMW X3 CC #305; Guerlain Chicherit (FRA) & Matthieu Baumel (FRA) in Team X-Raid BMW X3 #308; Bruno Saby (FRA) & Alain Guehennec (FRA) in Team X-Raid BMW X3 CC #313; Paulo Nobre (BRA) & Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) in Team X-Raid BMW X3 CC #315; Miguel Barbosa (PRT) & Miguel Ramalho (PRT) Team X-Raid BMW X5 CC #318; Juan Francisco Lardon-Olmeda (ESP) & Antonio Moreno-Sanchez (ESP) in Team Epsilon BMW #477. Power is from BMW’s engine plant in Steyr. Expect 30-minute reports on Versus TV network @ 330pm & 630pm daily starting January 6. http://www.dakar.com/ and http://www.x-raid.de/

U.S. News & World Report ranks 2008 BMW 3-Series as Best Upscale Midsize Car. “The 3-Series offers world-class performance & luxury in a midsize sedan. PROs: Unparalleled balance & handling; sports-car power in a sedan; outstanding active safety systems & excellent crash test performance; better than average long-term cost of ownership, even in an expensive class. CONs: Some confusing electronic controls. The 2008 BMW 3-Series offers 1 of the most exhilarating driving experiences available, combined with excellent safety & reliability. Any perceived shortcomings the car might have are generally overlooked in favor of the 3-Series’ engaging driving experience, elegant cabin, & class prestige. The Washington Post sums it up well when it says the 3-Series offers ‘ride & handling so smooth, so wonderfully responsive, you wind up driving the car for the sheer joy of driving it. Destination becomes a secondary concern.’” http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/2008-BMW-3-Series/

Replicarz has a dynamite closeout sale on 1:43 scale Minichamps diecast 2001 BMW M3 GTR "Jarama ELMS" European LeMans Series Winners Eckblom/Muller (Item # P014393; $11.00). http://www.replicarz.com/products.asp?dept=360

Misc Christmas trivia: The 12 days of Christmas are not the last shopping days before the holiday: They are December 25 through January 5, followed by Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night commemorates arrival of the Magi. Although scripture records that the Magi brought 3 gifts, it does not specify how many Wise Men brought them. http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html We have heard that the Wise Men were Southern firefighters, based on the Bible verse that notes that they were “comin’ from afar.”

Looks as if BMW Sauber F1 Team will acquire a major new sponsor momentarily: Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecommunications company & parent organization of T-Mobile. The team has been without a telecommunications sponsor since 2006. It is logical to expect an official announcement January 14 when the team unveils its 2008 car, the F1.08. http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/071221102336.shtml

U.S. News & World Report ranks 2008 BMW 5-Series as Best Luxury Large Car, delivering “a class-leading combination of performance, comfort and technology. . . . With Kelley Blue Book calling it ‘a living legend’ & the New York Times declaring it ‘the best all-round car in the world,’ it’s clear that the 2008 BMW 5-Series is a reviewer favorite & a class leader. ‘It has everything,’ says the Washington Post, ‘maximum active safety to help avoid a crash; maximum passive safety to increase chances of survival should a crash occur. It is plush, the motorized equivalent of an exclusive condominium.’ Edmunds says that the 2008 BMW 5-Series ‘remains one of our favorite midsize luxury cars.’ . . . Kelley Blue Book writes, ‘Though some competitive models, like the Volvo S80 & Jaguar S-Type, may cost less, the BMW 5-Series is widely regarded as the best value in its class.’ . . . Reviewers agree that the BMW 5-Series offers excellent performance for its class, & Kelley Blue Book sums up the majority view: "The BMW 5-Series earned its deserved reputation as the supreme midsize sport sedan almost on driving dynamics alone.’ . . . The 5-Series has a ‘near-perfect weight balance & a rock solid body that’s free of creaks, rattles or unpleasant vibration, & this BMW is exactly what we’d like a luxury sedan to be: smooth & comfortable regardless of the speed, nimble & reassuring when it’s appropriate to travel at a good clip,’ reports New Car Test Drive.” http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/2008-BMW-5-Series/

U.S. News & World Report: “Because BMW is offering iDrive on its entire 2008 model lineup, it must believe that some buyers will like the system. Unfortunately, almost no reviewer does.” Cars.com says, “Much has been said about how hard it is to figure out. That's not the problem. I’m geeky enough that I figured it out without training or a manual. The problem is that even when you do know how to use it, it’s a colossal drag to do so -- every single time.“ According to the Chicago Tribune, iDrive is “designed by a psychiatrist trying to drum up more business by driving motorists mad.” http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/2008-BMW-3-Series/Interior/

Consensus busters: More than 400 prominent scientists have recently taken exception to claims of man-made global warming. A new US Senate report chronicles the scientists by name, country of residence, & academic/institutional affiliation. http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=f80a6386-802a-23ad-40c8-3c63dc2d02cb

This weekly publication normally hits the streets between noon Wednesday & noon Friday. It always starts with the previous Sunday’s shows so that you may see details of programs such as Autoline Detroit which often do not release details before broadcast dates. Accessing BMW TV through the BMW Car Club of America national or Peachtree web site may sometimes yield an obsolete edition when webmasters vacation. Find most recent plain text & Microsoft Word updates (& back issues) @ www.knology.net/bmwtv . With multiple photos in News Briefs & at least 1 photo per page in the schedule, the Microsoft Word version exceeds 3 MB some weeks. Contact us @ bmwtv@knology.net .