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Car and Driver
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
1977 BMW 320i Test: Never Dull
From the December 1976 issue of Car and Driver. To begin with, it's a splendid little car. The new 320i is not just a successor to the great 1600/2002 legend; it's a whole new level of sophistication and style in the 20-year evolution of BMW from bankrupt-builder-of-kitschy-sedans to personal and public darling of the West German Economic Miracle. You might be a little stunned by the price (about $8000) at first, but the car's undeniable charm makes it seem more reasonable every time you fire it up. Our test car was a glorious sort of restrained dayglo red. Maybe the reddest red on the road. A color you would prefer to be if lost at sea or marooned on the wrong side of Annapurna. At first, it also seemed like a color guaranteed to get you arrested, but in these days of radar and Vascar, old-fashioned visual observation isn't so much a part of the policeman's portfolio. The wheels were good-looking, argent-painted steel cosmetic racers with a lot of offset; there was some discreet black-and-chrome trim laid on the here and there; and the whole thing reeked of understated wedge-shaped go-fast. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver Open the door, and the vinyl interior is just about perfect. Ours was what the British used to call "biscuit," and the seats were—like the first exterior impression—an open invitation to drive somewhere very nice very quickly. Our test car had a sunroof mit crank that worked very smoothly and seemed quieter than most at speed. The white-on-black instruments were neatly clustered in a semicircle framed by the top half of the steering wheel, right where the driver can see them, and at night they're indirectly illuminated by a red glow that reminds you of war movies shot in submarines. The wheel itself is a thing of beauty—small in diameter, slightly dished, and raked at exactly the correct angle for serious pleasure. Lights, turn signals, windshield wipers and washers are all controlled by wands on either side of the steering column, and the shift lever for the four-speed transmission is on the floor, exactly where you'd have put it yourself. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The front seats are firm and very German in the way they position you relative to the business at hand. The rake adjustment is controlled by a handy lever that you push to release, and the range of adjustment goes anywhere from puritan vertical to profligate horizontal. The front seat backs are folded forward by means of a release lever on either side of each seat—making it possible tor the driver to fold the passenger's seat forward without either getting out or lying down across the compartment. Fore and aft adjustment is both smooth and vast—you can even get too far away from the wheel. The rear seats are roomy and comfortable. Real people really can ride there, largely because the rear wheels are set so far back on the chassis. Our first drive in the 320i was a little more than 500 miles from New York City to New Pittsburgh, Ohio. We drove through some awful rain squalls in Eastern Ohio, averaged just about 55 mph for the trip (including a stop for lunch) and achieved a not-to-be-sneezed-at 22.7 mpg for the trip, cruising at 75 most of the time. The car was superb. It ran like a train, hour after hour, and the absence of features like a radio or air-conditioning or power steering was never noticed. It's surprising how inconsequential such things become when you're in a car that works. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver Our photographer, Humphrey Sutton, drove the BMW back from Detroit a few days later after photographing the new Ford Thunderbird. His reaction was like ours. "It's a wonderful car, that," he said. "It's very comfortable, quite nippy, really perfect for that sort of long drive. It gives you the feeling that people who really cared actually sat down and thought seriously about all the things that went into the design. Everything works the way you'd want it to. I'd swear that it's bigger inside than the Thunderbird and it goes faster. It'd be hard to come up with a reason for buying anything else." Once we got going, we tried to catalog our initial impressions. First, it's a much more sophisticated car than the 2002, the design of which was getting a little long in the tooth, no matter how much we loved it. Second, the smoothness and quiet in no way detract from the car's overall sportiness. Third, it's a long-legged car-while waiting to pass somebody at 55 or 60, you can preselect third and cruise along indefinitely without any feeling that the engine is straining or that the noise level is becoming intolerable. All the frequencies seem to be tuned for blissful cruising somewhere between 60 and 80 mph. It isn't one of those Europeans that simply rebels at the 55-mph limit, but it does feel best going a little faster. It's possible that the car would settle down at 55 a little more enthusiastically if you ordered it with the optional ZF three-speed automatic transmission (our test car had the standard four-speed). View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The heater/fresh-air system has been improved and will now move 89 percent more fresh outside air or 42 percent more heated air through the passenger compartment than its predecessor. We tried both. For the first 400 miles of our westward journey, we ran with the sunroof open, the heater controls in the maximum fresh-air "Vent" mode and the swing-out rear windows open, because it was hot and muggy. We never felt too warm, and neither the fan nor the sunroof noise was in any way obtrusive. We could still talk without shouting. Near Youngstown, Ohio, the temperature had dropped considerably and the rain reached cloudburst proportions. With the BMW all buttoned up, the windshield suddenly fogged over at about 70 and we needed defrosting fast. Slam the vents closed, open the defrost lever, push the temperature-control lever about a half-inch toward the red and, voila, a clear windshield again. Not many European cars could have done so well under those circumstances. Our second set of impressions were more those of the traditional road-tester and a bit less those of the blown-away car fancier. The gear spacing in the transmission was a little hard to get used to. First is a fairly short starting gear, with a longish gap between it and second. Then second, third, and fourth ratios are spaced logically and predictably. Unless we wound the engine pretty tight, the first-second upshift never sounded or felt quite the way we wanted it to. Also, we found the engine a little rough and hesitant below 3000 rpm. It never actually balked or spit back at you, but it did seem to vibrate and stumble a little when trying to cruise at lower rpm. We avoided this by simply changing down to a lower gear whenever the revs dropped below 2800, but less-keen drivers might find the phenomenon disquieting. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver As our experience with the car grew, we came to appreciate how large and commodious the luggage compartment turned out to be. Initially, we threw in a rather heavy load of luggage, which was no problem. Then there was a side-trip in Ohio for a little antique shopping and several more parcels disappeared into the well-appointed cavity. Then two framed prints we'd promised to pick up for Bruce McCall and, finally, a framed painting—a wedding gift—that measured about 30 by 40 inches and simply slid into place on top of everything else without any danger of compression or damage from the hinges. And as a sort of luggage-compartment tour de force, we peered under the open deck lid and discovered a neat little fitted tool kit, offering exactly those six or eight implements without which one should never leave one's driveway. In the cold hard light of testing, the brakes are a delight, pulling this new BMW down straight and sure from 70 in 218 feet. The 2002's arrangement of a power-assisted front disc/rear drum system has been carried over, but front brakes are now ventilated. On the skidpad, the adhesion is impressive at 0.71 g, but the combination of slow steering (4.0 turns lock-to-lock), softened ride and rather upright body is tough to keep track of. At the limit, the semi-trailing arm rear suspension occasionally kicks wide, and retrieving it takes great flinging of elbows. However, none of these aberrations occurred on the road, under any circumstance, so we're inclined to ignore them. It would appear, however, based upon this road test and on conversations with BMW personnel here in the States, that the new 500-series and 300-series products do represent a deliberate move away from the racer-you-can-drive-to-work concept and toward a sophisticated road machine. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The 300-series BMWs have a great deal to live up to. The 1600/2000 series enjoyed amazing success over a decade or so, and were in many ways the cornerstone of BMW's new-found preeminence in the upper atmosphere of enthusiast automobiles. The new cars seem to be worthy successors to that critical responsibility. They are undeniably better and more contemporary cars in every way. All of the basic pieces are recognizable to anyone familiar with the older car, but they've all been reshaped, honed and upgraded, then assembled in more sophisticated ways. Brakes are bigger, cooling capacity is greater, the structure has become far more crashworthy, noise and vibration are sharply reduced, the heater/ventilation system is a paragon of thermal virtue, and the car looks right for the next 10 years. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The BMW 320i stands as eloquent rebuttal to all those who'd have us believe that small economical cars that conform to the U.S. safety and emissions standards must be, by definition, slow and dull, or that automotive performance for the late 1970s is best achieved with decals and trick names. This car is good-looking, sublimely comfortable, fast, safe, economical, and exciting. It is also expensive, but then what isn't? To drive through any major city in North America and check its inventory of Mercedes, Jags, BMWs, Porsches, Cadillacs, and Lincolns is to come face to face with the fact that there is apparently no top on the market for truly expensive cars anymore. The BMW 320i is real value-for-money, no matter how much it costs, because it's beautifully engineered and it's not boring. If that isn't reason enough to buy a car, then we'll transfer our allegiance to mass transit. Specifications Specifications 1977 BMW 320i Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door sedan PRICE As Tested: N/A ENGINE SOHCinline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection Displacement: 121 in3, 1990 cm3 Power: 110 hp @ 5800 rpm Torque: 112 lb-ft @ 3750 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/trailing arms Brakes, F/R: 10.0-in vented disc/9.8-in drum Tires: Continental TS771 185/70HR-13 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 100.9 in Length: 177.5 in Width: 63.4 in Height: 54.3 in Curb Weight: 2606 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 10.5 sec 1/4-Mile: 17.3 sec @ 77 mph 90 mph: 29.8 sec Top Speed (observed): 108 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 218 ft Roadholding: 0.75 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY City/Highway: 21/24 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Wall Street Journal
17-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
How I Learned About Homemaking From a Couple of Birds
'About Face' is a column about how someone changed their mind. I've never had much of a sense of home. Before the age of 21, I'd moved house roughly 20 times, from the army base in West Germany where I was born to YMCA housing in southern England in my late teens. My itinerant childhood gave me itchy feet as an adult. Wherever I landed, I'd soon feel pulled toward the next place, and then the next.
Straits Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Germany eye return to women's football summit at Euro 2025
BERLIN – Ambitious and hungry, Germany's women head into Euro 2025 in Switzerland feeling they are on the cusp of another era of dominance. By far the most successful side in the history of the competition, eight-time winners Germany have not lifted the trophy since 2013. But with a core of young players eager to honour the achievements of past generations, Germany are hopeful of a return to the summit this summer. Germany open their campaign against newcomers Poland on July 4 in St Gallen, followed by matches against Denmark in Basel, which will host the final, and Sweden in Zurich. Two-time World Cup winners, a run spanning more than 20 years as the dominant team in the women's game in Europe shaped Germany's history and identity as the continent's top side. Since winning their first European crown as West Germany in 1989, the Germans have hoovered up seven more titles. Norway, the next best, have won two titles while Sweden, England and the Netherlands have one apiece. In recent years however, the Germans have been inconsistent at major tournaments as other nations have started to catch up. After going out in the quarter-finals in 2017, Germany finished runners-up at Euro 2022 after losing 2-1 in extra time to England. At the 2023 World Cup, Germany suffered a shock group stage elimination for the first time in their history. A year later however, they rebounded at the Paris Olympics to finish third. Captain Giulia Gwinn scored the only goal as Germany beat world champions Spain to win bronze, finishing as the highest-placed European team. Coach Christian Wueck's side are young – only two of the 23 squad members are over 30 – but many have several years experience in the Germany set-up. Speaking last month in Berlin, striker Laura Freigang said her team was ripe for a shot at a record ninth European Championship. 'We believe in the title... We know we can do it. That's the motivation,' Freigang said, adding her side had 'absolute conviction' they could go all the way. Her strike partner Lea Schueller mirrored those sentiments. 'We're Germany. We definitely want to win a title,' she said in an interview with last month. 'We're not just taking part in the tournament for the sake of it.' Forward Alexandra Popp's retirement last year could have hampered Germany's preparations, but the Germans are well stocked up front, with Schueller, Freigang and Klara Buehl posing a consistent threat. Germany boast impressive depth, but have also been hit by injuries. Midfield enforcer Lena Oberdorf failed to return from a cruciate injury in time, while Eintracht Frankfurt striker Nicole Anyomi also misses out. Wueck, who led Germany to the Under-17 boys' World Cup title in 2023, has been in the hot seat for less than a year but has the side in terrific form. Germany have five wins and a draw from six Nations League matches heading into the tournament, with their recent 4-0 win over the Netherlands and a 6-0 thumping of Austria particularly impressive. 'It was important for us to have two games in which we delivered our full performance for 90 minutes,' Freigang said. 'We've learned a lot in the past few months about ourselves as a team. We know what we need... it's time to put it into practice.' When announcing the squad, Wueck said Germany were 'good and balanced' and that their recent form would 'boost' their self-confidence. 'We want to play with a mix of joy, enthusiasm, desire and conviction. That's what the team stands for,' he said. 'If we manage to do that, we'll go very far.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
France 24
01-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Germany eye return to women's football summit at Euro 2025
By far the most successful side in the history of the competition, eight-time winners Germany have not lifted the trophy since 2013. But with a core of young players eager to honour the achievements of past generations, Germany are hopeful of a return to the summit this summer. Germany open their campaign against newcomers Poland on July 4 in St Gallen, followed by matches against Denmark in Basel, which will host the final, and Sweden in Zurich. 'We can do it' Two-time World Cup winners, a run spanning more than 20 years as the dominant team in the women's game in Europe shaped Germany's history and identity as the continent's top side. Since winning their first European crown as West Germany in 1989, the Germans have hoovered up seven more titles. Norway, the next best, have won two titles while Sweden, England and the Netherlands have one apiece. In recent years however, the Germans have been inconsistent at major tournaments as other nations have started to catch up. After going out in the quarter-finals in 2017, Germany finished runners-up at Euro 2022 after losing 2-1 in extra time to England. At the 2023 World Cup, Germany suffered a shock group stage elimination for the first time in their history. A year later however, they rebounded at the Paris Olympics to finish third. Captain Giulia Gwinn scored the only goal as Germany beat world champions Spain to win bronze, finishing as the highest-placed European team. Coach Christian Wueck's side are young -- only two of the 23 squad members are over 30 -- but many have several years experience in the Germany set-up. Speaking last month in Berlin, striker Laura Freigang said her team was ripe for a shot at a record ninth European Championship. "We believe in the title... We know we can do it. That's the motivation," Freigang said, adding her side had "absolute conviction" they could go all the way. Her strike partner Lea Schueller mirrored those sentiments. "We're Germany. We definitely want to win a title," she said in an interview with last month. "We're not just taking part in the tournament for the sake of it." Red-hot form Forward Alexandra Popp's retirement last year could have hampered Germany's preparations, but the Germans are well stocked up front, with Schueller, Freigang and Klara Buehl posing a consistent threat. Germany boast impressive depth, but have also been hit by injuries. Midfield enforcer Lena Oberdorf failed to return from a cruciate injury in time, while Eintracht Frankfurt striker Nicole Anyomi also misses out. Wueck, who led Germany to the Under-17 boys' World Cup title in 2023, has been in the hot seat for less than a year but has the side in terrific form. Germany have five wins and a draw from six Nations League matches heading into the tournament, with their recent 4-0 win over the Netherlands and a 6-0 thumping of Austria particularly impressive. "It was important for us to have two games in which we delivered our full performance for 90 minutes," Freigang said. "We've learned a lot in the past few months about ourselves as a team. We know what we need... it's time to put it into practice." When announcing the squad, Wueck said Germany were "good and balanced" and that their recent form would "boost" their self-confidence. "We want to play with a mix of joy, enthusiasm, desire and conviction. That's what the team stands for," he said. "If we manage to do that, we'll go very far." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Medvedev beats Zverev again to reach Halle final
Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts during his Men's singles semi-final tennis match against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the Terra Wortmann Open. David Inderlied/dpa Daniil Medvedev continued his impressive record against Alexander Zverev on Saturday to deny the German on home grass and reach the Halle final. The third seed prevailed 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (1-7), 6-4 over the second seed in the semi-final of the Wimbledon warm-up in the west of Germany. Advertisement Medvedev had the only break point of the first set but failed to take it, only to fly through the tie-break and seize the initiative. The Russian, who now bosses the head-to-heads over the German 13-7, went 2-0 up in the second set but saw the home favourite hit back. Medvedev steadied himself but Zverev, who had been sick again in his quarter-final, then dominated the second set tie-break. The 29-year-old Medvedev then broke for 2-1 in the decider and wrapped up a meeting with Alexander Bublik or Karen Khachanov in Sunday's showpiece. Zverev has again flattered to deceive this year with Munich his only tournament victory. He lost the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner and went out in the last eight at the French Open. Advertisement The world number three heads to Wimbledon - the third grand slam of the season - in mixed form as he seeks a first major singles title. Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, has twice reached the semi-finals at the All England Club and is again looking strong on grass. Wimbledon begins on June 30. Germany's Alexander Zverev plays a forehand return against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their Men's singles semi-final tennis match during the Terra Wortmann Open. David Inderlied/dpa
