BMW XM Launch Cocktail Party

If you’re a regular follower, you know I frequently attend various car events.  Some of my favorites are those sponsored by automakers showcasing their latest performance and technology offerings, which often has a driving or interactive component.  I have to say, of all the manufacturer events I’ve been to thus far, this cocktail party absolutely wowed me the most.

BMW definitely knows how to run events, I can confidently say from experience after last Summer’s BMW Ultimate Driving Experience featuring an autocross component of their i4 M50.  Likewise, BMW definitely knows how to throw a party.

This wasn’t my first time at the Long View Gallery; in 2015 I attended McLaren’s unveiling of their new 570S, so I expected something like that; I was pleasantly proven wrong before I even got inside the gallery.  The music could be heard from out front, and the mood lighting was a spectacle capturing the attention of passers by.  Inside, guests were welcomed and invited to enjoy signature cocktails at one of the multiple open bars, sample the numerous hors d'oeuvre, (including sushi and ceviche served on a BMW branded ice sculpture), and mingle around the cloaked BMW XM.

Also, any event with a cigar roller is going to automatically win points from me.  This is exactly the second time I have seen this; the first was a wedding I photographed over a decade ago.  This cigar roller had cigars for every taste and experience level, with mild, medium, strong, and amaretto; I’m admittedly not knowledgeable about cigars, but I know enough to know I enjoy the extremely occasional one with an Old Fashioned or glass of single malt.  I grabbed a few for myself for a special occasion, and a few for some friends; although there were matches and cutter available, nobody in attendance indulged at the event.

There’s a bit of a joke that I can’t go anywhere without being recognized, and while that’s not entirely true, chance would have it that I got spotted by a fellow commercial photographer also attending the party, and we enjoyed chatting off and on throughout the evening.

Soon it was time for the big reveal.  A brand VP and engineer gave an introduction of the vehicle, and discussed the XM’s vision and performance as the performance crossover was unveiled.  A notable design point of the XM is that it is the first M series SUV to have its own fame design, not sharing its platform with any other model in the BMW lineup; the XM’s platform is entirely BMW M.

Inside, the XM is all performance, with large flappy-paddles, and dedicated M Performance buttons on the wheel.  Passengers are pampered with ventilated leather, and treated to moodlighting and geometric design cues.  In the boot is a custom leather BMW XM travel bag, with dedicated strap and hook to ensure it stays put during spirited drives.

In the alley behind the Long View Gallery sat the original BMW M1, which served as inspiration for the XM.  The mid-engined coupe sports a more traditionally enjoyable 5 speed manual transmission, and propelled 277HP to the rear wheels; only 453 examples exist.

Inside, artist David Garibaldi began live-painting a BMW-inspired piece combining the DC skyline with the BMW XM’s headlight design.  The canvas was also live-silent-auctioned while he was painting.  The entire process took around 30min, but seemed much faster.  It was fascinating seeing his mixed tool process, switching between brushes, blades, and his fingers between strokes.  By the end of his painting, his glasses were smeared, his suit was speckled, and his hands were completely covered in various colors of paint.

Although the main events were finished, the party was still going, with many still lingering to enjoy drinks and get their chance to explore the XM.  With the playlist spinning, I’m surprised an impromptu dance floor never broke out.

On my way out I captured a few photos of the gallery front since I didn’t get any on my way in; besides, it looked better at night with the lights from the party still bumping inside.  BMW had fed us well, but I knew I’d be hungry again a little later after getting home, so I grabbed a go bag from nearby Ghostburger to enjoy as a midnight snack later in the evening.  It’s a spot I’d like to go back to when they’re not about to close - it definitely rounded out the theme of the evening, which was pretty colored lights.

2023 Annapolis Irish Festival • Gaelic Storm

To kick off my birthday week, and give myself a well-needed break, I took myself to the Annapolis Irish Festival.  Having the whole day to myself with no expectations or responsibilities to others hanging over me for the day was such a refreshing sensation I can’t remember the last time I felt, and filling it by being surrounded with my own Irish heritage with a backdrop of Celtic music, my soul felt overwhelmingly unhindered happiness and freedom.

I explored the vendors for some time, mainly in search of a Claddagh ring to hold me over until I settle on options for a bespoke piece; unfortunately, shopping for rings for myself is akin to shopping for pants, because I’m between sizes, and half sizes simply aren’t stocked at such a craft fair.  After browsing, and finally getting something to eat, I settled in to enjoy some of the music more purposefully.

Bastard Bearded Irishmen

Bastard Bearded Irishmen were in the later portions of their set once I finished eating, and I took some pictures of them playing a few of their last songs of the afternoon.

They finished their set with a cover of Sweet Child o’ Mine.

Gaelic Storm

The star act of the Festival was Gaelic Storm; a Celtic band headlined by Patrick Murphy on lead vocals, accordion, and spoons, and English guitarist Steve Twigger, the two remaining original members of the band that shot to fame after being featured performing in 1997’s Titanic.  They are joined by percussionist Ryan Lacey, Peter Purvis on bagpipes and flutes, and the group’s newest member, Natalya Kay, a talented fiddler who joined the ensemble last Summer.

I admit, I’d never heard of Gaelic Storm until a few months ago when a friend in another state saw them perform at an earlier stop on this same tour, and raved to me about them.  (I also have still somehow never seen Titanic in its entirety.)  Coincidentally, the Annapolis Irish Festival had already been on my radar for several months, so between the rave review by a friend, and a sense of reclaiming a tarnished St. Patrick’s Day, I was absolutely going to make sure to see Gaelic Storm play, whether at the Annapolis Irish Festival, or the night before at Leesburg’s Tally Ho.  In the end I’m glad my festival plan ultimately came to fruition.

Suffice to say, Gaelic Storm has a new “storm chaser” (what their fans are known as). I’m not new to Celtic music; I’m a lifelong fan of The Corrs, and was lucky enough to see The Chieftains perform a few years ago, but having already previewed and enjoyed some of Gaelic Storm’s music in the weeks before their concert, I was excited to finally see them live.  As the sun set, Gaelic Storm took to the stage, and I think the pictures will do the rest.

Video

I did take some video, but wasn’t intending on focusing on video, so the audio is trash using the internal mic.  This served me well, however, because it gave me a great set of files to learn on - I’ve been teaching myself Final Cut Pro, as Adobe Premiere Pro still doesn’t have a proper DolbyVision / HDR workflow (come on Adobe, get it together; it’s been 3 years, fix your Rec. 2100 support!).

Rubin and Madonna: The Proposal

If you’ve ever met Rubin, you know he always has something funny to share. One of my earliest memories with Rubin is from while I was covering Ethiopian’s 787 Dreamliner being introduced into service at Washington Dulles International Airport; Rubin said, “I honestly don't know what David looks like. I think his face might look like a camera.” Some say he may not be wrong.

When Rubin told me he was planning to propose to Madonna at the Dulles airport gate where they first met, I of course was excited to help capture the moment. Rubin spent several weeks planning the proposal, coordinating with the airport and IT to make his idea of the gate display boards play clips of all the travels and memories they’ve compiled over the years of their relationship, culminating with a special flight information display for the next chapter of their relationship to take off.

To-date I’ve photographed three prior proposals, two of which were also airport proposals, but like everything in 2020, this proposal presented new challenges to solve - namely, for me, how do I blend in with a crowd that isn’t there? 2020’s coronavirus pandemic has heavily impacted the aviation industry, and during a planning walkthrough a week prior to the proposal, it became apparent my usual tactic of hiding in plain sight may prove more difficult given that gate A25 was completely abandoned. Fortunately, given the video Rubin assembled to play on the FIDS, I wouldn’t need to hide much for very long, as the jig would pretty much be up as soon as Madonna saw the video - a marked difference from other proposals I’ve captured, and I’m happy to say it worked out exactly as Rubin planned.

Funnily enough, the day-of, gate A25 wasn’t abandoned! It was populated with passengers social-distancing in groups before their flight departing from an adjacent gate, so my gambit to “look like a passenger” paid off, and happened to come in handy much earlier than I’d planned - as it would happen, Rubin and Madonna were on the same AeroTrain as me when heading over to the gate to set up, while Rubin took Madonna to his office to pretend file some paperwork in order to throw Madonna off his plans and give everyone at A25 time to get in position. When I got off the AeroTrain, I spotted the couple getting off two cars ahead of me and hopping on the escalator - I decided to stick to my plan, and follow suit with everyone else moving through the station, and I walked my rolling camera luggage and backpack onto the escalator adjacent and a few steps behind them - don’t mind me; I’m just a passenger! Later on, Rubin told me he’d spotted me, but played it cool-as-a-cucumber the same as me. I was even able to grab a few photos of them before I paid them no mind speed-walking past with my rolling bag on the way to my “flight.”

Once the time came, Rubin walked Madonna to gate A25, the gate they first met each other as airport employees, and Rubin’s video played on the FIDS with music filling the gate area. And Rubin’s plan worked, because Madonna was taken with emotion immediately. The pictures tell the rest of the story - when the “Will you marry me?” flight card showed at the end of the video, Rubin dropped to one knee to pop the question, and the rest is history!

Just being around Rubin and Madonna you can feel their energy, and seeing how happy they make each other it’s impossible not to feel happy yourself. After passengers and fellow employees and friends alike had congratulated the newly engaged couple, we took some photos to formally commemorate the occasion. As Rubin and Madonna are both longtime airport employees, and to further celebrate the place where they met, we captured portraits on the ramp with Dulles’ historic ATCT in the background as onlookers watched from passing mobile lounges and taxiing aircraft, before heading back to the Main Terminal to meet with friends and family who had gathered to congratulate the pair.

It’s 2020; you have to social-distance and wear your mask:

Also because it’s 2020, it must be said: masks were only off for photos, socially distanced from non-family members.

With the help of a mutual friend of Rubin and I, video of Rubin and Madonna’s engagement was captured from several angles, which I’ve combined to show exactly how it went down.

Dulles’ tagline is “Your Journey Begins with Us,” and for Rubin and Madonna it truly did at Gate A25.

Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event

Last Saturday I attended the Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event, which is a hands-on driving demonstration that showcased much of the Lexus lineup and its technology, similar to performance driving events I’ve attended for Jaguar numerous times, and Kia featuring the Stinger head-to-head with direct performance competitors from Porsche, BMW, and Audi.

I’ll be first to admit that, until this weekend, the only hands-on experience I’ve had with any of Lexus’ marque has been briefly sitting in each Lexus on display at the Washington Auto Show each year (including the new (as of 2017) LC 500). So, although this was my first time driving or even riding in a Lexus, it was not my first time sitting in and playing with Lexus’ top-of-the-line car. Nobody I know owns a Lexus; I simply have more experience with their direct competitors such as Jaguar, BMW, Audi, and Infiniti, as these are the brands I and my closest friends own and drive. The day started off with a presentation about Lexus’ history and the emphasis on craftsmanship, and some factoids about the LC 500 flagship sports coupe.

Immediately following the introductory presentation, the group was led outside the tent to a series of ES 300h and LS 500h sedans for a ~2mi suburban circuit test-drive of each model. Driving the cars themselves was fantastic; each vehicle handled sharply but comfortably and predictably, and the interior craftsmanship (with the exception of the UX, which I’ll get to later on) was top notch. Truly refined, with comfortable leather in pleasing colors that coordinated with the dark wood tones found elsewhere in the cabin. The ride was quiet, even with A/C blowing, and the hybrids had the only Start-Stop system I’ve found completely unobtrusive - in fact, it was so quiet and gentle I didn’t know it was equipped with one for the first half of the drive until I started paying attention for it specifically (Start-Stop is a major pet-peeve of mine, but I can happily report that Lexus’ is the only Start-Stop I don’t hate). The only negative about a vehicle I can even mention from this demo isn’t really a negative; it’s a nit-pick. The ES 300h is slow. Even in Sport, it’s slow; in fact, I could not tell a difference between Normal and Sport. Even in “manual” (quotes because Lexus does not offer a single manual gearbox) in Sport, my passenger didn’t believe me when I told them I had the accelerator floored; its 8.1s 0-60 felt like my car at half throttle. But let’s be real here; nobody is buying the ES 300h for performance, with its 215hp drivetrain - it is a fuel-sensible luxury appointed mid-size family car, and a great one at that, eating the miles up at 44MPG. The LS 500h, with its 354hp, was impressively fast for its size and hybrid drivetrain, reportedly clocking a 5.1s 0-60 time.

Next was the main event; a hot lap in the LC 500. Lexus’ flagship grand touring luxury sports coupe is equipped with a 5.0 liter V8 producing 471hp mated to a 10 speed automatic transmission produced by Aisin - note, it is not a DCT. The LC 500 goes 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of 168MPH. A 354hp hybrid model is also available, but I won’t be discussing it as it wasn’t present at this event, nor would it interest me unless it were being placed head-to-head against a BMW i8 much like the Kia Stinger was pitted against a Porsche Panamera 4. Sitting in the handsomely appointed interior, the first thing you notice is how incredibly quiet the car makes the world around you; the interior is a truly serene place - quiet, and engulfs occupants in the finest upholstery offered in Lexus’ sophisticated modern design language. The immediate attenuation of the outside world was the first thing I noticed when I sat in the LC 500 at an auto show two years ago, and that incredible soundproofing is still present in the production version. All that quiet allows the driver to enjoy the symphony, be that from the Mark Levinson audio system (which I did not test in any of Lexus’ cars), or more importantly, the LC’s throaty, exotic exhaust note. And it’s quite important to point out that in an age of electronic sound symposers from the likes of BMW, the LC 500 has clear influences from Lexus’ LFA halo car, in that the exhaust note you hear is 100% generated by the car itself, and not faked through the speakers. Surely the LC has undergone some form of sound optimization just like the LFA’s exhaust was tuned by Yamaha to create its unmistakably distinct note. The LC 500’s sound is more Aston Martin than the LFA’s F1 exhaust note, but with a base price of $93,000, you can buy four LC 500s for the MSRP of one LFA (or more, considering the LFA has only gone up in value, and as of this writing, only five of the 178 LFAs in the US are currently for resale), making the LC a bargain exotic.

One of many ways the LC 500 demo event could have been improved is by pitting the LC 500 head-to-head against their RC F, which was on static display, but not even a standard RC 300 was available for test driving and comparison the entire event. The two cars are indeed in slightly different classes, with the RC standing as a direct competitor to the M4, Q60, and C63, and the LC 500 is pitted against the 840i, SL 550, and F-Type, and even the i8, NSX, and R8, but in a large way the comparison isn’t far off at all. A head-to-head comparison would have easily solved several event shortcomings with one fell swoop - course familiarization, which was totally absent, would be taken care of, especially with a mandatory “slow” lap, which could be marketed as a lap to try out normal driving dynamics before switching into Sport+ for subsequent performance laps, the RC would actually be represented in Lexus’ lineup, and participants would get more wheel time than a single lap and 5 VERY slow MPH through a chicane.

PS: Lexus, if you’re reading this, pretty, pretty please give the RC F a 6 or 7 speed manual transmission option - you’re losing every manual-loving potential customer to BMW, Audi, and Porsche!

The LC 500 itself is fantastic. In addition to the interior you’ll never want to get out of, and the exhaust note you’ll never tire of hearing, it handles beautifully, with safe and predictable understeer rather than erratic or temperamental oversteer, and the brakes stably guide the car into corners quickly and evenly. Even the trunk is surprisingly large, and could easily stow luggage for a weekend getaway, or a couple’s golf trip. The back seats are predictably low on headroom, but this is the only comfort gripe, and on a car like this it’s not an actual problem; the prospective buyers who actually care about rear headroom (all zero of you) can wait for the upcoming convertible model of the LC 500. In fact, the only negative about the LC I can even write about is its throttle response, and this seems to be more a symptom of the 10 speed transmission than the engine itself. Even in Sport+ there is noticeable throttle lag when pinning the accelerator, especially coming out of corners; it seems that the transmission, despite its 0.12 second shifts, can’t choose a gear and rev-match quickly enough to match demand. The engine itself revs quite freely, so lag seems to come from the drivetrain. It’s possible Lexus chose to forgo a DCT in order to avoid gear hunting lag they can also sometimes suffer from; shifting “manually” via paddles alleviates some of this throttle lag. At the end of the day, it’s a nit-pick issue, as it’s just a quirk of this car that owners will get used to as they become familiar with driving it, plus this is a GT car - it is a car meant to eat up miles on the highway, turn heads in the city, and drop with the valet. It’s not a track queen; it’s a luxury cruiser with performance capabilities refined beyond most of its competitors. And for the drivers who somehow need even more excitement than the already exquisite LC 500 offers, “an unnamed performance model” is in the pipeline - expect an LC F Sport model to be formally announced in the next year or so with a twin-turbocharged V8 supplying over 600hp.

Next up was an agility demo of the new UX 200h. This course was tight, meant to simulate parking lot maneuverability. Participants were allowed to drive any of the available standard and hybrid UX models through the course as many times as they desired, which meant this demo provided the most wheel-time of any of the models demoed.

To be fully transparent, I didn’t even know the UX existed until arriving to the Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event; I’d simply never heard of it or ever seen one. Naturally, I knew nothing about it, and while test driving it one of my friends was reading the sticker, and asked me to guess the list price - I was a full $9k over its $34,000 starting price for the hybrid model. At $32,000 for the standard model, I think the UX 200 is extremely competitively priced for what it offers, which is style and comfort in an affordable upscale CUV package, and there’s even AWD available on the higher trim UX 250 with either standard or hybrid drivetrains - that’s a huge deal! The UX is Lexus’ newest and more affordably priced crossover offering, seemingly geared toward the millennial yuppie; it offers a hybrid model, and seems to be the replacement for the CT 200h wagon, which I always admired. Undoubtedly to cut costs, the UX features abundant plastic in lieu of the wood and leather appointed interiors of the rest of Lexus’ lineup, but the supple, supportive seating NuLuxe surfaces feel identical to the leather in Lexus’ higher models, as is the optional premium infotainment and driver’s technology. And let’s just take a second to appreciate how beautiful the Nori Green Pearl paint job is paired with Glazed Caramel seating surfaces; my group couldn’t stop talking about it, because it’s nice to see a luxury marquee with paint offerings beyond monochrome variations. Unfortunately for you readers, since this was the least restrictive portion of the drive event, I spent my time demoing the UX rather than photographing it; you’ll have to check out Nori Green Pearl on Lexus’ website.

The final demonstration, on a 3rd course, was of the NX and RX’s agility and driver assistance and safety technologies. The course was, again, meant to simulate neighborhood and parking lot maneuvering, which is where these models thrive, as stereotypical soccer-mommy-mobile family-grocery-getters. These mid-size SUVs are ubiquitous in the parking lots of Whole Foods, World Market, Pottery Barn, and the like, and for good reason, as Lexus has made an exceptional family SUV product - after driving and riding in them, I now see why they are so popular. The RX is SO. COMFY. Although I was expecting the RXL to have a reclining rear seat, I was pleasantly surprised it also adjusted fore and aft, which meant that my already plentiful legroom expanded to an even larger expanse of flat floor surface area - and this RXL didn’t even have the optional rear captains chairs. The NX offered a sportier road feel through the steering wheel, and the RX was more plush, but both were equally pleasant to either drive or be driven in.

The key demo for this portion of the Experience was the Pre-Collision System, which will automatically fully deploy the brakes in the event that front or rear sensors detect an object or pedestrian in the vehicle’s path, even if your foot is completely off the brake. To demonstrate this, participants back into a parking spot containing an obstruction, and are instructed to leave the vehicle to brake on its own (touching the brake will override the system, indicating that the driver is in control, and will allow objects to be struck). My group tried this several times, from a stop, at a single car-length from the obstruction, which meant vehicle speed was low enough that the Pre-Collision System emergency-stopped the SUV before striking the barrier - this can be seen in the video at the end of this blog. Next, someone tried testing the system at a slight angle to the flat barrier - the Pre-Collision System did stop as intended, but struck the barrier, knocking it over, before stopping in time. Finally, I chose to test the system at idle speed (the RX won’t reach idle on its own in a single vehicle distance), simulating the inevitable idiot driver who will buy one of these and think this system means they don’t need to use the brake while parking anymore; the Pre-Collision System again, predictably, stopped on its own, but not before striking and knocking over the barrier. Some of the event staff didn’t believe us when we said we were completely off the brakes when it hit the barriers, but to be clear, the Pre-Collision System worked completely as intended (and advertised on Lexus’ website), and this behavior isn’t entirely unexpected; the laws of physics always apply - greater kinetic energy requires greater stopping distance. While one staffer seemed annoyed and disbelieving, another who was much more helpful and informative was genuinely curious how we got the system to actually hit the barrier, and it sounded like they were going to try stress-testing it out more themselves after participants had left - we were all happy to describe the different things we had tried and the results for them to try it for themselves.

That was it in terms of driving opportunities, but static displays of the UX, RC F, LC, ES, and LS were open to explore, but not powered on for tech demonstration like at a convention center auto show - a simple generator running power to all the cars could have solved this. The static displays provided the opportunity to try out the rear seats of the ES and LS, and the back seat is where you want to live in the LS. I have to say, I’m not a sedan person, and personally, in terms of the Lexus lineup, am most realistically interested in the RC F, but the LS 500h made the biggest impression on me. I have always and will always love grand touring coupes, so while the LC 500 was my favorite car of the day, it was exactly as great as I expected; the LS, however, is the one that really surprised me shaped my impression of Lexus. As someone unfamiliar with Lexus, but more familiar with most of its competitors, I’ve always thought of Lexuses as “fancy Toyotas.” I’ve been wrong this whole time. Very wrong. Pitted against the Jaguar XJ, the Lexus LS holds its own, and really just leaves buyers with a choice - do you prefer shiny British style, or modern Japanese aesthetic? The LS 500’s executive rear seats have adjustable recline, headrests, bolsters, lumbar, and the standard climate controls expected in an executive luxury sedan, all controlled through a touchscreen monitor in the armrest.

I have a deep love of Jaguar’s emphasis on performance, but for an executive saloon, it’s hard to say no to that 354hp hybrid V6 that gets 28MPG. If you like the XJ’s Supercharged V8 470 ponies, Lexus offers the LS 500 F Sport with 416hp and still manages 21MPG for the AWD model; the XJ only offers AWD on the 340hp Supercharged V6 that only manages 21MPG, not the RWD-only 5.0L V8 that averages 18MPG. This comes down to a fundamental difference in direction the two manufacturers have taken - both are competing against German luxury frontrunners BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but have taken on the fuel economy problem in different ways. Jaguar has focused their efforts on all-electric vehicles, with the introduction of the I-Pace, and instead offer more economical Diesel engines on select models. Lexus fights the gas pump through its hybrids, and Toyota has always been the king of hybrid technology. Hybrids are the immediate future of cars, and the fact that Lexus has so finely mated luxury, build quality, and performance out of a hybrid drivetrain - it’s impossible to ignore that.

I’m looking forward to Lexus returning to DC next year for another installment of the Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event, hopefully with an RC F, and eventually the LC F, which is rumored to be on sale for the 2022 model year. And next time I’m behind a Lexus in traffic, I’m sure to pay a lot more attention.

DCA Planespotting - May 16th, 2019

Last week after a photoshoot at DCA, I dropped by Gravelly Point for a few minutes since I was feeling up to it (I am recovering from a shoulder injury). I didn’t stay long, but couldn’t resist the beautiful weather. I snapped some photos, but really wanted to try the EOS R shooting 4K through a 400mm lens, which equates to 700mm with the EOS R’s 4K crop. In short, 700mm handheld makes for great photos, but is really hard for video (duh).