Sep 19, 2014

Ultimate Test Drive with BMW

bmwusa-ude-test-drive-1 bmwusa-ude-test-drive-2Not too long ago I was able to partake in an event hosted by BMW. I signed up ahead of time for a free autocross course in a new BMW 2 Series. I wasn’t sure what the event details were or what it would be like but was excited anyway. On the day of, I arrived at the location, parked, and checked in.

bmwusa-ude-test-drive-3 bmwusa-ude-test-drive-4They had a couple of fun setups to demonstrate the capabilities of their cars, one being a skidpad and another a mountain of sorts. The skidpad was essentially a giant piece of plastic covered in water and soap, but fun to slide around on. The driver demonstrated the difference between having traction control on and off. The other setup demonstrated how their SAV’s handle uneven terrain, putting power to the wheels that need it most, and how the SAV can assist the driver in coming down a hill at a safe and steady speed.

bmwusa-ude-test-drive-5For the autocross course, we all sat in the Harmon Kardon theater for a class on driving. We learned about common driving mistakes, how to fix them, and other great principles for driving a car. I feel like I learned a lot, even to use in my day-to-day driving.

We were shuttled out to the track, first riding around a couple of laps slow with the driver as he gave us some pointers and helpful information, then he demonstrated the track at full speed. It was exhilarating, to say the least. I had a lot of doubts about whether or not I could drive a car like that, or if I’d know what to do when it came time. After a couple of practice rounds and knocking a few cones out of my way, it was my turn…

It turns out that I can drive the track (with helpful guidance from a professional driver). After we all had a chance to make our video we had a fun relay race and said our goodbyes. I have to admit that the drive home was not as exciting as the few hours I spent with BMW, and I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to do this. It was one of the best times I’ve had behind the wheel of a car.

bmwusa-ude-test-drive-6

Both videos copyright BMW USA. To find an event in your area and experience your ultimate test drive, please visit their website.

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[…] and a short chalk talk we were able to get into the fun stuff. Since I’ve previously done autocross with BMW, I wasn’t nervous. We started with timed autocross laps to warm up, driving the M3 model. I […]

This looks like a blast!! I can’t remember what car company it was.. but I went to something similar back in college. It actually might have been BMW or maybe Audi. Test driving was so fun!

This looks like so much fun! I

That looks super scary. The rollercoaster car I mean. But fun to watch… probably. 😉 I don’t see myself owning a car any time soon – I can’t even drive – but sometimes I’ll look at gmaps and be like gosh, I could be in central London in 10 minutes if I had a car, and then I want one. But then I think about parking fees and gas and how I don’t go anywhere to save on transport to begin with soooo yeah.

My brothers would all love this. Is it something you can just go to or you sign up? How does it work?

You have to sign up for it in certain cities/dates. My course was 2 hours long. They seemed to allow people to come back and do it again if they wanted but I wouldn’t risk just showing up. Plus they don’t give out the location on the website, so they send over info. The link is: http://www.bmwusa.com/ude Just click on ” *No ID Code “.

This looks really fun! Although, I should probably get a driving licence first!

Katie <3

man, that dark gray BMW is sweet – how fun you got to do that!!!

That looks like so much fun!! Love that you get a video to remember the experience!

Omgosh that sounds like so much fun!! I used to work at a BMW and I loved when I got to go on the test drives 🙂

So fun! I love that they put the video together for you! What a cool keepsake. I would have just slid right off the course…
xoxo
The Accidental Mama
http://theaccidentalmama.com

Oh my gosh.. I can only imagine owning this car. It’s stunning!

This test drive event looks like it was a lot of fun! BMWs look like such fun cars!

How fun!!! The i8 looks amazing. Hope you got to drive it.

Ha, I think everyone there wished they could drive it! 🙂

Sounds like a fun way to spend the day!

This looks like so much fun! My mom has a BMW and I love to drive around in it whether I’m the driver or just the passenger.

This is so cool! That car is awesome!

Oh how I wish I had a BMW!

I love the look of those cars, so sleek looking.

This is AWESOME, I’ve always wanted to test drive a car on one of those tracks! Such beautiful cars <3

Umm… test drive a BMW… YES PLEASE! 🙂 How fun!

What a blast! I got to drive a Maserati earlier this year, and I was so afraid I was going to crash, but the instructor kept saying go faster! So glad you had fun!

Wow, that looks like fun!
Can you believe that I haven’t driven in almost 3 years! Not since I arrive in America. I’m a little freaked out by everything being on the opposite side of the road (and opposite side of the car!) to what I’m used to. I should really get over that and just hop in a Zipcar and go for a drive – or maybe a BMW on a super fun track 😉

Whoa, now those are some nice cars! I would have been a little scared to do that lol!

I wanted to cry when I hit the cones. I just apologized over and over. The instructor was laughing and telling me to just keep driving, haha.

What a cool event! I would have to check my insurance coverage before driving a BMW lol.

Very fun, and a bit scary!

That sounds like an awesome experience! How did you find out about it?

They extended an invitation to me via e-mail, but you can signup without an ID code. 🙂 I shared the invite with a few friends that I thought might be interested as well.

You drove it like a boss! I would love to drive on a course. I’ll have to look that up on the site.

You should, it was SO much fun.

Hi Jessica! Wow, that sounds like fun. I have to admit, I don’t drive much in the City, so I’d really enjoy going through a course like this. Pretty sweet ride. By the way, it was awesome meeting you last night at the POPSUGAR event. I hope to see you again soon.

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