"Driver's Ed taught you the ABC's. Now it's time for Graduate School."
The BMW Performance Center is in Greenville, SC. It concentrates on making you a better driver while showing off the abilities of your new BMW. Anyone can take delivery here, at no extra charge. BMW even puts you up for a night at the Marriot with dinner and breakfast, plus lunch at the Performance Center.
There are several activities involved, after which you receive your car:
ABS Course | Panic stops from 40mph, 45mph, and 50mph, demonstrating how you can steer while stopping with ABS. Also, the important lesson of looking where you WANT to go, not at what you are avoiding |
Slalom/Autocross | Not pictured, but a slalom course was set up, along with a few turns to teach how to find the apex and brake/accelerate properly. |
Skidpad | Polished concrete, and sprinklers make for an almost-ice-like condition. With the traction control off, the car could easily be spun out, but once re-activated, the computers kept the track, adjusting braking and throttle, ignoring driver input when necessary |
X5 Offroad | Showing off the AWD system, what type of steep angles it can handle, and how they can traverse 22 inches of water |
Factory Tour | See the X5, X6, and Z4 being made, including some amazing automation/robotics |
BMW Zentrum | A small BMW museum |
M5 "hot lap" | A lap in a 500hp M5 with a professional driver (20 years experience). I particularly loved how at nearly 50mph without traction control, he kept the car on the line in the skidpad. And then threw us through a full 360, recovering the car to continue driving on course. What a rush! |
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