Has Anyone done the "Car and Driver" ride and drive event?

Just got an invite today.

Yes. Last summer for me it was BMW 5 series vs Cadillac Deville and Lexus ES 300 vs Cadillac CTS. They set up 2 autcross courses and you do some runs with an "instructor" and some other participants. I prefered the 5 series and the CTS (suprisingly). It was actually put on by a 3rd party. They pushed the Caddy's so I guess my negative impressions of the Deville must not have been appreciated. GM must have been funding it. Overall, it was a fun day and a nice experience.

How does one get invited?

Just did it about a month ago. They put on a very nice event. They had 2 courses at FedEx Field. The first course had a BMW 530XI and a cadilac STS. Got to take 2 laps with each car. The second course had the Cadilac SVX and Lexus RX 350. The biggest surprise was how well the Cadilac SVX handled. The biggest dissapointment was with the BMW. The evenet is well organized and will take less than 2 hours. Below is a write up I posted earlier: I had the chance to take part in the Road and track and Car and Driver Editor for a Day event. It was held a Fed Ex Field. It was a really good event and not only did I enjoy it but I learned a few things. We basicly got to test a few vars and then write up our thoughts. We drove a BMW 530 XI, Cadillac STS, Cadillac SRX and a Lexus RX 350 (all with less than 200 miles on the odo). There were 2 autocross courses set up, 1 for the sedans and 1 for the SUVs. We had an instructor in the car but they pretty much let us have at it as hard as we wanted. Fed Ex is an awesome lot. The courses were simple but had a standing start to full acceleration, threshold breaking, sweepers, slalom, and a decreasing radius turn. Having autocrossed I understand understeer; however, one of the instructors/writers really helped me to realize how I can reduce the effects from easing up on the wheel�it made a huge difference for me. These are my thoughts on the cars: BMW 530XI- This was the car that probably had the biggest disappointment for me. I don�t care much for the new exterior styling; however, the interior was nice and roomy. I expected the BMW to be solid, which it was. The car had a solid brake feel as well. I did not like the auto tranny, it really held between gears making the shift feel awkward. All 3 of the vehicles experienced a relay problem that we were told would not affect the safety of the cars that it has to do with a sensor in the steering wheel. The light on the dash for AWD and DSC caution stayed on�seems strange for 3 new vehicles to have the same problem. I expected the BMW to be more of a fun car to drive, it was not, and the excitement was not there. Don�t get me wrong, the BMW performed better than the Cadillac STS, it just did not live up to my expectations. Cadillac STS- This car drove like I thought it would�like a big car. I was impressed by the acceleration. Braking was good but lacked a feel and drive involvement. The interior is very small compared to the BMW, something I did not expect. The interior was pretty cheap, especially on a $54K car. It has a smooth and quiet ride though. Lexus RX350- Felt like any other SUV. I think the styling is old and the interior is a love it or hate it�it�s not for me. Very quiet and comfortable. I got this thing going on the course and scared my passengers when the roll over light and chime went off, no problems though. Cadillac SVX- This car was the biggest surprise. A V6 model that had very good acceleration and awesome handling for this type of vehicle. Very smooth through the slalom and felt solid in every aspect. I really like this car, its heavy but that is what you would expect. Again, acceleration, braking, and handling of a sedan with the roominess and functionality of an SUV. Believe it or not this is the one I would have chosen to drive again.

I did one perhaps two years ago. Compared a Subaru to BMW, Volvo, and something else. They told us at the beginning that a car manufacturer was sponsoring the event, but that they would would not tell us which one until the end. It was not very hard to figure out that the event was paid for by Subaru as you could find occasional bits in the supposed objective criteria where the Subaru was favored. And, of course, four wheel drive was talked up like it was stupid not to have it. It was fun, but not as fun as the similar BMW events. Most of the instructors were not as competent. One, for example, complained about left foot braking an automatic. I recommend it anyway. It was pretty well presented. I have no idea why I was invited. My guess is a combination of zip code and magazine subscriptions (but I do not subscribe to Car and Driver).

Did it last year in Charlotte. Cadillac vs BMW vs Lexus. Nice slalom course in a large parking lot, heavy braking and pedal-to-the-metal acceleration as instructed. Not enough seat time to really judge the cars for much other than body roll and braking. Not a bad day though.

Just a lucky subscriber is my guess. I assume someone monitors subscription zip codes, pulls a random list of names for people "in the area" of the event etc. Some folks were interviewed and their comments recorded. You will sometimes see the print ads in C&D or R&T (both owned by the same people). Mine wats an R&T invite, but when we got there it was evident it was also for C&D poeple as well as direct mail advertising for others.

My invite is for Seekonk speedway outside of Providence. I live in the Hartford area. It is scheduled for 10/14-10/15/06. Invite and online questionaire asked about my feelings on BMW, Lexus, and Caddilac.

I did the Rev it up thing a couple weeks ago. What a bore.