One Size Fits All - 2015 BMW M235i Convertible Long-Term Road Test

2015 BMW M235i: One Size Fits All

May 18, 2015

I am height-challenged in the sense that my gawky, 6-foot 4-inch frame makes it difficult to fit perfectly in many compacts and sports cars. Imagine my delight when I climbed into our 2015 BMW M235i for the first time to find that the small convertible offered plenty of room to stretch my legs. Even better is the ample head room afforded by a tall roof and adjustable seat bottom.

I'm not the only one surprised by the M235is unexpected amount of driver space.

That's Senior Editor of Retail Experience, Matt Jones, sitting shotgun in the above photo. Matt's built like a 9/10-scale version of actor Vinnie Jones and is good-natured enough to have once squeezed himself into an Alfa Romeo 4C for my amusement. Hoping to witness more gymnastic futility, I invited him to examine the BMW soon after it arrived at our office. To my shock, he climbed in without any sort of bodily contortion. Even the prominent side bolsters in the standard M Sport seat presented no problem for Matt.

We know from our time in the 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo that BMW's seats are highly adjustable and the bottoms can drop considerably. Combined with the soft top's high ceiling, the M235i has plenty of room for people my size and possibly a few inches taller. It is spacious enough that I wouldn't even have to consider a 4 Series.

Cameron Rogers, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 1,280 miles

Read more »

Hank the Autodog takes a ride in the long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee

Hank the Autodog takes a ride in the long-term 2014 Jeep CherokeeGood Boy Has Great DayErin Marquis

Autoblog readers, meet Hank, my 40-pound, six-year-old Shar Pei and Staffordshire Terrier mix, a combination also known as a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls and car enthusiasts have a lot in common. They're a little intimidating to your average man on the street, but at the end of the day all they want to do is feel the breeze in their ears.

Dogs who love car rides are the ultimate enthusiasts, and Hank especially is a canine connoisseur of cars. There is nothing Hank likes more than to hop in and go for a ride. With an owner like me, he has developed refined tastes when it comes to cars. As our long-term Jeep Cherokee is about to leave the Autoblog Garage, and since the weather is warming back up, it's the perfect time to give our Autodog one last spin in his favorite Jeep.

We wanted to see what a car ride looks like from a dog's perspective. Luckily, we have a cache of GoPros and plenty of cars on hand to give Hank one last chance to go for a window-down ride. After many pets, treats, and drives around town, we put together this video montage of Hank's best day ever.

Read more »

2014 Toyota Highlander Long-Term Road Test - Wrap-Up

Read the 2014 Toyota Highlander's introduction of this vehicle to our long-term fleet.

See all of the 2014 Toyota Highlander's long-term updates.

Read more »

Broken Rear Seat Release - 2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test

2015 Ford F-150: Broken Rear Seat Release

May 11, 2015

There's no real way around this. We broke the rear seat release on our 2015 Ford F-150. More specifically, I broke it. But it does come with some explanation.

Look carefully at this photo. Notice that it's a close-up of the top photo. Then notice what's going on here. The seatbelt, which is still fastened to the buckle in the vertically folded seat, is caught in the seat release mechanism at the hinge. That bit about it being buckled while it's folded? That's not me. I have no idea who left it that way or why.

I come later, in a rush, and grab the release handle which is built into the seat bottom. And it snaps. Fairly easily, I might add. Still, this one is on me.

Fortunately, the release can still be triggered manually by moving the piece at the hinge where the trouble started.

Josh Jacquot, Senior Editor

Read more »

These Gauges Are Great at Night - 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-Term Road Test

2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI: These Gauges Are Great at Night

May 11, 2015

Ed already told you how great the gauges are in our long-term 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI. I'd like to add that they are particularly stunning at night. I noticed them on the way home from the grocery store this week.

If I was making a list of the top 10 instrument panels in vehicles of any price, our GTI's dials would definitely make the cut.

Erin Riches, Deputy Editor @ 9,621 miles

Read more »

Do Golf Clubs Fit? - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

2014 BMW i3: Do Golf Clubs Fit?

May 11, 2015

You are retired. Perhaps you live in a place where the sun frequently shines. Perhaps your home, as a result, has a roof-mounted solar power system. Perhaps, therefore, a plug-in car like the BMW i3 makes an immense amount of sense. Perhaps, let's also say you golf (did I mention you're retired and live in a sunny place?). Perhaps you're even my parents. Will your golf clubs fit in the 2014 BMW i3?

As the photo above clearly shows (spoiler alert), yes they do. It requires lowering one of the 50/50-split rear seats, but that's easy enough.

Now, would buying a regular car and a golf cart be a much cheaper proposition, especially since you can't exactly cruise down the 14th fairway in the i3? Well, sure, but I still contend that the i3 is a pretty perfect vehicle for retirees. It's just fine for golfers of any age as well, perhaps even for those who have to sit in 45 minutes of LA traffic for some Tuesday night twilight golf.

James Riswick, Golden Years Lifestyle Editor @ 4,684 miles

Read more »