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      04-03-2013, 05:12 AM   #33
Cozy
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Drives: E82 135i
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Surrey, England

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Quote:
Originally Posted by simianspeedster View Post
I truly appreciate the brutal honesty of this article. In the current era of media coziness with their subjects and constant advertising revenue pressures, I'm pleasantly surprised to see R&T drop BMW to the mat in this fashion. It's direct but completely fair.

I am profoundly disappointed with the F30 and I can't reasonably be accused of slagging the latest 3 Series just because it's new and I have an old one. I still have my E92 and my wife has an F30. We both regret getting the F30 (long story) but it only has two more years left on the lease and, while it's no fun at all, it's not exactly waterboarding either so what's done is done.

This article really nails all the issues: the F30 is soft, floppy, dull, lifeless, overwhelmed with technology and eco-garbage and, perhaps most importantly, it no longer differentiates itself from the many cars that have been gunning for the 3 Series for years on end.

When I bought my current 335i, I test drove an A4 and A5 among other cars. They felt like slightly upscale Accords to me -- toy-like steering feel, no "spark" in the chassis, nothing that reminded me that I was in a supposed German sports sedan or coupe. I think we can all see how Audi has been chasing BMW and making great strides -- many people think the A6 is a better overall car than the 5 Series -- but as much as Audi deserves some credit, BMW deserves even more blame. I would have never guessed that the F30 would drive more like the now ancient A4 than the E9X, but that's my experience. It feels like regression and it came as a total surprise to me.

I was talking this over with my wife and she asked the obvious question: "If people like you no longer like new BMWs, aren't they worried about losing their base?" As much as I wish BMW really cared about enthusiasts first, I'm not dumb and I do understand the new "luxury for every niche" business model. BMW built their brand around people like me, but now it's so much bigger than people like me. BMW has the badge and they can sell it attached to just about anything no matter how it drives.

Consider: just 10 years ago, BMW's U.S. line-up (sans M cars) consisted solely of the 3, 5, 7, the recently introduced X5 and the Z3 -- unless I missed something, I believe that was it! Today, there's the 1, 3, 3GT (coming soon), 5, 5GT, 6, 6 Gran Coupe, 7, X1, X3, X5 and Z4. And there's talk of several more variants that will split hairs further, plus the "i" line of eco-cars in the pipeline. But will they leave room for a relatively light, simple car like the current 1 that prioritizes driving pleasure above gadgets and fuel economy? Unlikely.

Die hard last model year E82/E88 buyers like us (my 128i is on order) are a blip on the map, but at least we still have the opportunity to take one last ride into the BMW sunset. I'm excited for the new car, but I'm almost equally bummed that BMW is no longer making new cars that appeal to me because they were the last hold-out in their respective market. 5 years from now, I may be looking for a car again, and it will probably be a struggle to find a car that I like better than the current 1 -- that was never a concern before BMW's current direction.

I'm sure BMW will continue to thrive economically, but subjectively -- especially from an enthusiast's point of view -- I believe they're losing the plot. I can't say whether that will eventually dilute the mighty BMW brand and cause them to become reflective about their change in direction, but if so, I hope someone back at HQ digs up this article and reads it over and over until it sinks in.
Very well written but also saddening because:

A) It's true
B) I've only just started my love affair with the brand which now seems like it's over.

I'm in my mid-20's now and it all started with love for the E46 330Ci (ZHP) back in around 2005 when I was old enough to start caring about driving. I was still in school, just passed my test and was driving a run-around...well an old Euro hot hatch to be exact but I always aspired to own that 330 which my little beater couldn't compete with, financially of course it was just not possible. A work colleague bought a 2002 330Ci (pre-LCI) in around 2006 and I was jealous beyond belief, he was of course receiving all kinds of underhand remarks regarding his young age and such a car but in truth he was earning well and paying for it on his own (paying a lot). It sounded beautiful, drove and handled fantastically and really reminded me of my Dad's old business owned E36 328i (although a little dumbed down in comparison to) which I remember having a lot of fun in as a passenger; the ultimate driving machine it was, aside from the M3 of that period which I also hear was a dumbed down successor to the E30 (which is perhaps a bit before me).

It was a kick up the butt for me and I knuckled down at studies/work and passed my time car-wise up until 2011 through the tuner scene (yes, I did the Honda thing) and VW scene where after a period of working until my knuckles bled I decided to assess financially the viability of dropping so much cash on a car. I loved my old cars but every time a stock 3er would drive by I couldn't shake wanting one.
I worked damn hard to get to my goal and I made it, proudly, and although a brand new car was still perhaps a little out of reach, 2-3yr old models were within in budget which was good enough for me, especially weighing up that fact that I didn't take the initial hit on depreciation.

At this point the E46 had gone out of production and initially I had hated the E90/E92, the E46 had my heart but as things do they take time to grow on you. I rearched a little into the 'new age' engines and found the little gem which was the N54; coming from a tuner background I knew I'd find it hard to resist the urge and needed something tuneable, I felt like I would grow tired of thr E46 too quickly so the N54 quickly became top dog and I purchased a 335i M-Sport which looked fantastic, drew looks and nasty comments also but in all honestly I felt disappointed, disappointed in the step down in driver enjoyment in comparison to that E46 I had a chance to drive and fall in love with, it was plainly just a cruiser which needed some work to bring to life. I lived with it for a while and had many a modification planned as many of the E90 guys over here have done but I was talking serious money to get the car where I felt it needed to be brake, suspension and power wise.

The old ZHP crept back into my head, it still looked fresh (still does today) so I started sniffing sround when this odd little car called a 135i popped up. I naturally assume that the 35i badge meant it included an epic engine and indeed it did as well as including the brakes and handling characterics I wanted from the E90 but out of the box. So here I am, a 135i owner which is a close as I have been to that old E36 328i and here is where I'll stay. I feel that the next step 'forward' will be the 1M or V8 M3 but I don't anticipate much after; I hold hope for the M4 but price wise it'll take a few more years of blood and sweat to justify that expense.

So, kids like I was, maybe they're working today towards owning their E82 some day and they won't regret it one bit but in the future? I just don't think that a BMW is going to appeal to the 'driver's' of this world for much longer, and that's sad.

Last edited by Cozy; 04-03-2013 at 05:20 AM..
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