Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfinwolfsclothing
Nothing wrong with M making a V8...it was a great engine and certainly the best one along with a couple others short of a Porsche/Ferrari engine.
|
Never said there was one, just remembering the sentiment from the "die hards" who thought that nothing other than an N/A high revving straight 6 belonged in an M3.
Quote:
|
The problem with the new M cars is that they are the antithesis of what M once stood for which is why in comparos of best driver's car they are placing near the bottom. They used to follow the same formula as Porsche and Ferrari...more about the sum of the parts and more about the overall experience. Now, M cars are quick but the feel and precision has faded, especially in the case of the M5/6 which are numb, boring sleighs. The M3/4 arent quite there completely, but they are generally smaller versions of the M5/6 which isnt a good thing.
|
I agree with the M5 and M6, but I disagree with the M3 and M4. While it would take all of 2 seconds to find less than favorable reviews of the M5 and M6, I challenge you to find something less than overwhelmingly positive about the F80 and F82. Overall, the reviews have been extremely positive.
Quote:
|
M SUVs and AMG SUVs actually dont sell very well though. BMW tried to enter a market (late) that Porsche already had total control over and still does when it comes to performance SUVs (now more so with the Macan).
|
You don't see them on every street corner like you commonly do with the Cayenne (at least those things are everywhere here, I can walk out to my office parking lot and find at least 3 of them there...and someone in this office had the lack of sense to actually buy a red X4 but I digress), but the M variants do sell well.
http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/02/02/bm...-2-percent-up/
It's a little old but BMW thinks the demand is still there today. It's why the F15 X5 M is slated for release next year sometime. BMW figures it squandered potential sales by being so late in releases the previous gen E70 X5 M.
Then there's the M2 in the pipeline too...
My point is that whenever people cry that a company is losing it's way, they just fail to realize that not everything can stay the same forever and companies have to evolve for the sake of innovation and safety and emissions regulations.
If BMW listened to die hards, the M3 would still have an N/A I6, could barely keep up with a standard 335i, and would have no creature comforts what so ever (since those things are merely distractions that add weight). It's as if they expect BMW to have their M cars target Mazda Miata shoppers who want a little more power.
Given the growth in sales year over year for BMW, they have little reason to change course now.