Drive Wire: October 15, 2015

BMW’s new M2, Toyota’s new Prius specs, a fight at Tesla’s Gigafactory, an automatic car camera, and an epic water slide.

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: October 15, 2015
Share

0

Transcript:

Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson, and this is Drive Wire for Thursday, October 15.

BMW has revealed the new M2 and it’s glorious. Check out the scowl in that cowl, much meaner than the 235i. The single-turbo engine is likewise more powerful, making 365 horses and up to 369 pound-feet of torque with the Overboost function. It’s lower and wider and lighter by about 60 pounds, and it’s basically been given the suspension from the M3. We loved the 1M coupe and this looks nearly as tasty. Is this a replacement for the old E46 M3 or something completely new gracing us in the BMW lineup?

Toyota has come out with info on the newest edition of the hybrid world’s heavy hitter, the Prius. The gas engine will have the same amount of power, 98 horses and 105 pound-feet of torque, all while getting an estimated 55 miles to the gallon. The electric motor will make 71 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque, which is actually less power than the previous model by about ten horses and 30 pound feet of torque, but Toyota assures us that’s enough to let the Prius get out of its own way.

Things have taken a violent turn in the world of automakers versus journalists. Tesla is claiming two trespassing employees of the Reno Gazette-Journal struck a Gigafactory employee with their Jeep. The employee suffered some bruises and cuts, the Sheriff was called, the driver of the Jeep was arrested, and now Tesla wants justice. The Gazette-Journal is refusing comment at this time, saying it won’t discuss either the current ongoing investigation or tell us whether they’re a Gazette… or a Journal.

If you’re thinking of recording your own adventures but don’t want the hassle of a full camera crew, consider the Waylens Automotive Camera System. It’s data-driven, meaning it monitors what your car is doing and records automatically when the numbers get interesting, then lets you review and post your footage from an app. It’s cool, it’s high quality, and you can still get in on the Kickstarter and snap up a Waylens for $249.

What do you get when you combine a bunch of friends, an assortment of scrapwood and a ton of tarps? Today’s ridiculous video. Shot on a private lake in France, these crafty daredevils made an 80 meter water slide that left us in awe. Thanks to a Renault-powered tow rope, this slide is capable of launching its riders 8 meters in the air and 40 meters out. We will chalk this up as a win for the French youth.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

stripe