[i dunno]

i'd still contend that chinese people would buy a bmw regardless of tuning. theyre just as badge hungry if not more than people over here.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by i dunno

i'd still contend that chinese people would buy a bmw regardless of tuning. theyre just as badge hungry if not more than people over here.

I was there for work for awhile. What is good for us does not automatically work for them.

[i dunno]

i am chinese lol. but you are correct that what works for us doens't work for them. they love buicks!

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by i dunno

i am chinese lol. but you are correct that what works for us doens't work for them. they love buicks!

So true, going to mention Buick! lol.

[Kayani_1]

I guess to satisfy Chinese market now we are in wait for F60 3 series German Buick. That will surely make the F30 German Toyota Camry seem better in comparison.

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by LAwolverine

bmw is catering to the masses and lets face it, we're a small demographic

Exactly this.

If you think what's happening to BMW in the USA you should see what's happened to it in the UK.
It's almost embarrassing to be a BMW owner these days. It's quite scary to be in a UK dealer and look around at the type of people buying BMW's and to see why they are buying them.......if it's a rare occurance of a private buy that is, as most new BMW's in the UK are company cars which is why 4 cyl diesel 3/5 Series cars sell so well.

I was glad that I was able to be able to afford to buy a brand new small, sporty BMW the once, but given the lack of appeal of any prospective future BMW has to me, given the direction they are going I doubt I'll be buying another one.

[Never Convicted]

Originally Posted by GeeRam

Exactly this.

If you think what's happening to BMW in the USA you should see what's happened to it in the UK.
It's almost embarrassing to be a BMW owner these days. It's quite scary to be in a UK dealer and look around at the type of people buying BMW's and to see why they are buying them.......if it's a rare occurance of a private buy that is, as most new BMW's in the UK are company cars which is why 4 cyl diesel 3/5 Series cars sell so well.

I was glad that I was able to be able to afford to buy a brand new small, sporty BMW the once, but given the lack of appeal of any prospective future BMW has to me, given the direction they are going I doubt I'll be buying another one.

Yassssss. It's so embarrassing to have to endure these Plebeians who are now allowed to buy BMWs whilst I'm buying a BMW. Hopefully, you didn't catch any communicable diseases from that "type of people."

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by Never Convicted

Yassssss. It's so embarrassing to have to endure these Plebeians who are now allowed to buy BMWs whilst I'm buying a BMW. Hopefully, you didn't catch any communicable diseases from that "type of people."

I think it's the other way around, I've almost been hurried out of the dealership on occasion to stop any of the 'plebs' being infected with any unwanted 'gearhead' disease that they think I might pass on......

Mind you I know someone that works in a Porsche dealership, and he reckons most of his 'customers' are clueless about what they are buying and are purely interested in the image of the brand rather than the actual product, so it's not unique to BMW (or probably any number of other brands as well)

It's just a sign of the times, certainley here in the UK, where there is now a distinct lack of interest in cars among the younger generations compared to 30 years ago............largely as a result of the escalation in costs of car ownership here in the UK.

[Eddien123]

Turbos are efficient but they're not pure. The three series has a bogus four banger. All the M's now have turbos. I love the styling but they're just not pure anymore. M5 should've stayed a v10 and m3 should stay a v8 and please bring back the straight 6 to the 28i/xi's that four cylinder sounds like my old honda.

[davesaddiction]

Related:

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/dai...pes-1215892401

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

Turbos are efficient but they're not pure. The three series has a bogus four banger. All the M's now have turbos. I love the styling but they're just not pure anymore. M5 should've stayed a v10 and m3 should stay a v8 and please bring back the straight 6 to the 28i/xi's that four cylinder sounds like my old honda.

Lol

[Randy M]

I don't understand this 'pure' BS. A smaller engine is usually a lighter one. Turbos provide torque that a smaller engine wouldn't have without them. Everyone complains about weight. Well here is part of the solution.

Having torque that FI provides is addictive imo. You will also use it far more often than ringing out a NA engine to 8K+ rpms.

Embrace change, it'll be good...

[HighConcept]

You just can't satisfy everybody.

[davesaddiction]

New 4-series ad:

TROPHY CAR.
The new 4 Series is so striking, so dynamic, and with its 300-horsepower engine, so powerful, there's only one question you need to ask yourself. Where do you want to show it off first?


Ugh. What happened to "where do you want to drive it first?"

[Johnfr]

RE: Trophy Car. Agree with davesaddiction. As a young man I would drool over the 2002, the 320i, and the E46. So unique for their time. I could never afford them but now I have an e92 and was really looking forward to liking the 4 series and especially the M4. Their new add slogan (quoted by Dave) and the "Buick" pose of the car in that add says it all. Makes me sick. Wake up BMW fans its over. What, exactly, is unique about the new 4 series? Based on looks it could be a Ford, Buick, Chrysler, Mercedes, Lincoln, Hyundai, Audi,.....(yawn) A new BMW should shout "buy me" not "I'll grow on you - keep hoping"

[josephr25]

I am hoping the new M3/M4 will reverse my disappointment with the direction BMW has been heading recently.

[TheBlackGT]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

Turbos are efficient but they're not pure. The three series has a bogus four banger. All the M's now have turbos. I love the styling but they're just not pure anymore. M5 should've stayed a v10 and m3 should stay a v8 and please bring back the straight 6 to the 28i/xi's that four cylinder sounds like my old honda.

Agreed, however the reason is the stupid "emission's ratings" tests are getting harder to pass, the reason they benced the 5.0L V10 was because it failed recent emission tests apparently.'

Sure, I wouldn't mind going back to NA, but turbos are very efficent and are more economical then NAs, so BMW has started to use them. Blame the environmentalists

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by DINAN_GT

Agreed, however the reason is the stupid "emission's ratings" tests are getting harder to pass, the reason they benced the 5.0L V10 was because it failed recent emission tests apparently.'

Sure, I wouldn't mind going back to NA, but turbos are very efficent and are more economical then NAs, so BMW has started to use them. Blame the environmentalists

I can respect the crazy torque output from a turbo but that V10 sounded so damn good

[davesaddiction]

Originally Posted by Johnfr

RE: Trophy Car. Agree with davesaddiction. As a young man I would drool over the 2002, the 320i, and the E46. So unique for their time. I could never afford them but now I have an e92 and was really looking forward to liking the 4 series and especially the M4. Their new add slogan (quoted by Dave) and the "Buick" pose of the car in that add says it all. Makes me sick. Wake up BMW fans its over. What, exactly, is unique about the new 4 series? Based on looks it could be a Ford, Buick, Chrysler, Mercedes, Lincoln, Hyundai, Audi,.....(yawn) A new BMW should shout "buy me" not "I'll grow on you - keep hoping"

Not to mention that the 3-series has been beaten by a LEXUS in a couple recent comparisons...

Interesting article recently (forget what mag) about the suspension setup of the E90 vs. the F30. It was clear that they're going for a softer, more luxurious ride. Ugh.

*edit

C&D October '13

"All of it adds up to a softer, tamer 3-series that's more about luxury than fun."

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

Interesting article recently (forget what mag) about the suspension setup of the E90 vs. the F30. It was clear that they're going for a softer, more luxurious ride. Ugh.

I'd be okay with this if the 2 Grand Coupe were available concurrently. I'm not a fan of the size of the F30, so a smaller, lighter, sportier sedan would be welcome. But without the 2 GC, there's really no reason to go all soft on the F30 like they did, unless they're just banking on all enthusiasts buying F80's, which is a bit of a stretch.

[funkle]

Originally Posted by Johnfr

A new BMW should shout "buy me" not "I'll grow on you - keep hoping"

I recall not liking the e90s at all when they came out. It took me a few years to appreciate the lines, but now I think it is the best looking 3 series. The styling really pushed the limits. Not sure if the F30 is that cutting edge. It looks a lot like other cars like the Ford Fusion and hyundai genesis to me.

I haven't driven an F30 yet, but what I've heard about the quality & handling really turn me off. A salesman at my local dealership actually told me that the e90 is better. Pretty sad.

[Never Convicted]

Originally Posted by funkle

I recall not liking the e90s at all when they came out. It took me a few years to appreciate the lines, but now I think it is the best looking 3 series. The styling really pushed the limits. Not sure if the F30 is that cutting edge. It looks a lot like other cars like the Ford Fusion and hyundai genesis to me.

I haven't driven an F30 yet, but what I've heard about the quality & handling really turn me off. A salesman at my local dealership actually told me that the e90 is better. Pretty sad.

Was that the salesman at the Mini dealership or the VW dealership?