Alex On Autos back at it again!!

[Fergalis]

Okay, it's not just me then! Someone recently described their handling characteristics as being in "crisis" (AKA Dumbing down the driving experience for the average Joe that just wants the BMW badge), and indeed, the body styles are stale and interiors are very plane and drab. It's never really conveyed "luxury" to me, but they and Audi do convey German stubborn and stodgy, and slow to change (stubborn again) quite well...

I think it's a characteristic peculiar to German culture, called 'Teutonic Austerian Pedantry'.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Okay, it's not just me then! Someone recently described their handling characteristics as being in "crisis" (AKA Dumbing down the driving experience for the average Joe that just wants the BMW badge), and indeed, the body styles are stale and interiors are very plane and drab. It's never really conveyed "luxury" to me, but they and Audi do convey German stubborn and stodgy, and slow to change (stubborn again) quite well...

BMW softened up their cars for the mainstream - and are probably selling more as a result. The "M" performance cars are for the driving enthusiasts...

 

[ralzod]

The "M" performance cars are for the driving enthusiasts...

...but excessively out of reach ($$$) for regular buyers.

 

[MarkyMark]

...but excessively out of reach ($$$) for regular buyers.

Exactly. The BMW 3 and 5 series were once quite sports-tuned. Now they've been dumbed down to a soft commuter ride, and now one must pay a lot more to get a performance BMW and M series. Such it is that BMW's success allows for this. Sigh...

 

[Kia Stinger]

All true, but what about the M-Sport packages? Don't they stiffen the suspension well enough for the common driving enthusiast?

 

[kevin simard]

For an owner of both regular and the m package vehicles, 3 series, x4, x5.. I’m really interested to see how the Kia stacks up. Yes I do feel BMW has let the competition catch up and in some cases pass them buy.. people want more there dollar now and can’t justify some of the prices bmw, and Audi and mercedes(the worst in my opinion) command . I do a lot of web shopping and I think I have been on every car manufacturer build and price website there is.. and I am so tired of overpaying for performance and luxury(to a point). I understand luxury can have its perks, but with genesis now also shaking up the luxury segment the next few years could be very interesting.l

My first 3 series had the brand new 3L v6 churning out 300hp and 300lbs.ft .. which in 2007 was unheard for that size of car.. now 300hp is the base model for a GMC Acadia. !

I really think bmw needs to a big change..there m series cars are unattainable for the avg joe. And there interiors are basically the same albeit with motion controls. Whoa..useless in my opinion. And charging a monthly fee for Apple CarPlay?? Are you kidding me lol. I’m sorry but that was the breaking point for me..lol

Oops I’m ranting.. sorry for going off topic.. but you can see my point .

 

[MarkyMark]

For an owner of both regular and the m package vehicles, 3 series, x4, x5.. I’m really interested to see how the Kia stacks up. Yes I do feel BMW has let the competition catch up and in some cases pass them buy.. people want more there dollar now and can’t justify some of the prices bmw, and Audi and mercedes(the worst in my opinion) command . I do a lot of web shopping and I think I have been on every car manufacturer build and price website there is.. and I am so tired of overpaying for performance and luxury(to a point). I understand luxury can have its perks, but with genesis now also shaking up the luxury segment the next few years could be very interesting.l

My first 3 series had the brand new 3L v6 churning out 300hp and 300lbs.ft .. which in 2007 was unheard for that size of car.. now 300hp is the base model for a GMC Acadia. !

I really think bmw needs to a big change..there m series cars are unattainable for the avg joe. And there interiors are basically the same albeit with motion controls. Whoa..useless in my opinion. And charging a monthly fee for Apple CarPlay?? Are you kidding me lol. I’m sorry but that was the breaking point for me..lol

Oops I’m ranting.. sorry for going off topic.. but you can see my point .

I hear you with just about all of this! Charging a monthly fee for CarPlay is outrageous!!! How stupid, and to claim "with 'subscriptions we can tell who's using it and who isn't" is laughable. Hey German's (I'm German so I can make fun, right?!), just ask someone if they have an iPhone. If they do, they'll use CarPlay. If not, they'll use Android Auto. Sorry, not rocket science! Sheesh, charging a monthly fee.

I already emailed BMW and told them they are off my list just for that stupid move. Also ripped the Cadillac CEO a new one saying they don't like CarPlay and such, and can do better. Uh, how can you seamlessly do better with my iPhone? Hello...

Let's face it. These car makers hate the fact they saw an area they believed they could charge thousands for, and then the tech companies come in and take that value proposition away. So now they get bitter about things. They've better watch it. Apple, Google and Amazon will probably just tell the industry "Okay, enough. We'll just make cars now."

 

[kevin simard]

I know people will say “hey idiot you just spent $60k on a car and your whining about $90/year.” Or what ever there charging for it.. but that’s not the point .. if a luxury car brand can charge for standard options that a basic Kia has then where does it end.? And a dollar is still a dollar whether you made it picking garbage or on Wall Street..
Im Sorry but BMW will change this by the years end .. the negative publicity alone will cost them millions....were not all 70 years old and have only come to grips with seats that get warm ooh ahh.. lol. The luxury buyer appreciates luxury AND to have the same options as Kia Rio at the light next to him/her.. lol.. wow I’m really on a rant to day..
BMW should setting the standard not reducing it.. ok I swear I’m done..lol

 

[ralzod]

All true, but what about the M-Sport packages? Don't they stiffen the suspension well enough for the common driving enthusiast?

From what I've seen, the M-Sport packages are just aesthetic, unless you also get the sport suspension sub-package.

 

[kevin simard]

The m performance package in my x5 actually adds about 30hp.. But it was just a retune... Took about 0.1s off 0-50 time

 

[Kia Stinger]

From what I've seen, the M-Sport packages are just aesthetic, unless you also get the sport suspension sub-package.

I didn't realize you could get the M-Sport package without a performance upgrade. But that would pretty much give the driving enthusiast what they wanted. It's not an all-out "M3" or whatever - but that's not what mainstream BMWs were before hand anyway.

I think BMW actually made a good decision for their business. They've softened up to suck up all the customers from other brands - or at least open BMW as an option for discussion (where they may not have been beforehand) - and for a small'ish price increase, driving enthusiasts can get what they used to. And people can still get "M" branded cars for all-out performance...

 

[kevin simard]

Oh for sure.. They cashed grabbed a cheap Marketing tool.. The 'M' badge is worth $2000 if it changed the seat color to some People.. Lol