Competitors to the coupe/cabrio?

[spudw]

It doesn't surprise me that you have that relationship with your Cooper S. I've driven them and the experience has always been surreal. There are more powerful cars, more refined cars etc. But the Mini hits a sweetspot. It wants you to drive it...

My '95 Miata was the same way. I loved the gearbox, expecially, but the overall experience was always so satisfying. Again, there are cars with more power, etc. But that car was just "right". Don't know how else to describe it.

For me, the Cooper S, GTI and Miata fall into the category of being just "right" and affordable at the same time. I am anticipating that the 1er coupe will add another dimension to that category of cars that is just "right".

The Eos is a nice package on paper, but the exterior styling is a bit awkward, I suspect in an effort to get the roof to fit in the trunk. With Eos being the "Greek Goddess of the Dawn", I'm sure the name is hardly inspiring to even the most refined gearheads and it would be the ultimate tuner challenge to make that thing look convincingly aggressive. It'll be very popular with aerobics instructors and flight attendants...

[LonghornTX]

Originally Posted by eMINI

You're right. Driving dynamics is everything. OK, not everything, but it's the first thing. I don't want a cheap-feeling all-plastic interior either, but first and foremeost the car has to be rewarding to drive.

Go drive the cars you have listed above. One will stand out. Buy it. All the cars you have listed are good choices. It all depends what you're looking for in a car.

The bad thing is I have already driven them all (except the coupe of course). So, the car I really want the most, is one I am stuck waiting for. I cannot wait too long and I will NOT buy a car sight unseen, so hopefully BMW NA gets their ass in gear :mad: . I have been waiting for this car for 3 years now ......

[eMINI]

Originally Posted by LonghornTX

The bad thing is I have already driven them all (except the coupe of course). So, the car I really want the most, is one I am stuck waiting for. I cannot wait too long and I will NOT buy a car sight unseen, so hopefully BMW NA gets their ass in gear :mad: . I have been waiting for this car for 3 years now ......

That's a year longer than I've been waiting, but we're only a year away. I'm completely in agreement about buying the car w/o driving it yourself. As for whether you can wait long enough, just ask yourself if you will be happy with car X once the 135i is available. Heck, you've waited this long.

[Galligan]

How much does the VW EOS cost? That's the only other smallish convertible 4 seater I can think of.

[Brookside]

Originally Posted by Galligan

How much does the VW EOS cost? That's the only other smallish convertible 4 seater I can think of.

Eos is pricey....I saw one msrp'd @$37,000 full loaded.

What I anticipate is that the 1-er is going to blow right into "3" territory
easily once options start adding on.
Also, I'll bet that the list of options, once everything is up to speed will be
numerous with special limited editions coming down the pike to keep everything interesting.
The good thing is that BMW dealers have wiggle room in negotiations and sale and lease deals are plentiful after the intitial introduction.
I suspect tho, that demand is going to strip supply in N/A from the get-go, especially at first,
because I think it will have broad appeal, beyond the niche category that the Audi A3 and GTI find themselves in.

[WolfsburgerMitFries]

Originally Posted by Brookside

Eos is pricey....I saw one msrp'd @$37,000 full loaded.

Actually a $37K is for a fully loaded 2.0L 4 cylinder turbo Eos. A fully loaded 3.2L 6 cylinder is $42,460.

There was just a 4 cabrio comparison from Autobild in Germany that compared the BMW 335i, Audi A4, 3.2L Eos, and Volvo C70...and the Eos was the winner of the face off. In traditional German detail oriented fashion, there is an extensive scorecard at the end of the article. Its easy to look at the VW badge and start off with a dismissive bias against the car (think VW's Phaeton too) but I've looked into the Eos extensively, and its truly a brilliant piece of work. Trust me, the Eos is not a joke, its not a toy, and its not to be dismissed simply because its wearing a "VW" badge.

Here's a translated version of the autobild article.
http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...26as_qdr%3Dall

[BForbes]

Check out the latest CarandDriver. The 328i conv. dusted off the Eos, A4 Cabrio, and the Volvo. And there was also a score card. The others werent even close. I find it hard to believe a VW would be more fulfilling than a 335i, badge aside. BS.

[WolfsburgerMitFries]

Originally Posted by onehots2k

Check out the latest CarandDriver. The 328i conv. dusted off the Eos, A4 Cabrio, and the Volvo. And there was also a score card. The others werent even close. I find it hard to believe a VW would be more fulfilling than a 335i, badge aside. BS.

I couldn't find the article you're talking about online, must be too new. It would be interesting to know if the comparison was against the 2.0T Eos in the C/D article? That would make for quite a different and unfair comparison. Mainly because the higher spec 3.2L Eos fully loaded finishes up about $1000 less than where the 328i convertible starts. I will admit that even I found it surprising Autobild outrated a 335i. I would have expected that result with the 328i though.

My point though is pretty basic. Every time the Eos has been brought up in this thread you see comments like "The VW Eos may be in a similar price segment, but it's really reaching to call that competition." Or "
"Sweet 16th Birthday Present for Daddy's 'Little Girl.' I don't think BMW should be concerned." But the fact of the matter is that the Eos is a serious and focused product, and its legitimate competition for the 3 series convertible (and by some Teutonic measures wins out), which makes it more than legitimate competition for the 1 series, there's no "reaching" about that comparison. And if daddy has bought his little girl an Eos with a 250hp 3.2, there's a good chance she can leave you're ass behind at a red light if you're in a 328i convertible, and she won't have to fumble around with a silly idrive while doing it.

[BForbes]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

I couldn't find the article you're talking about online, must be too new. It would be interesting to know if the comparison was against the 2.0T Eos in the C/D article? That would make for quite a different and unfair comparison. Mainly because the higher spec 3.2L Eos fully loaded finishes up about $1000 less than where the 328i convertible starts. I will admit that even I found it surprising Autobild outrated a 335i. I would have expected that result with the 328i though.

My point though is pretty basic. Every time the Eos has been brought up in this thread you see comments like "The VW Eos may be in a similar price segment, but it's really reaching to call that competition." Or "
"Sweet 16th Birthday Present for Daddy's 'Little Girl.' I don't think BMW should be concerned." But the fact of the matter is that the Eos is a serious and focused product, and its legitimate competition for the 3 series convertible (and by some Teutonic measures wins out), which makes it more than legitimate competition for the 1 series, there's no "reaching" about that comparison. And if daddy has bought his little girl an Eos with a 250hp 3.2, there's a good chance she can leave you're ass behind at a red light if you're in a 328i convertible, and she won't have to fumble around with a silly idrive while doing it.

I see where your coming from. I believe it is a direct competitor for the 1. My neighbor got the Caranddriver in the mail today so it must be May's. I dont recall which Eos but i believe it came in 3rd. It was interesting b/c the 328i conv weighs about 3800lbs and had 230hp and 200lbs of torque. It still whipped to 60mph in 6.6seconds. I was really impressed. I'll have to pick it up tommorow....

[larry lawless]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

Actually a $37K is for a fully loaded 2.0L 4 cylinder turbo Eos. A fully loaded 3.2L 6 cylinder is $42,460.

There was just a 4 cabrio comparison from Autobild in Germany that compared the BMW 335i, Audi A4, 3.2L Eos, and Volvo C70...and the Eos was the winner of the face off. In traditional German detail oriented fashion, there is an extensive scorecard at the end of the article. Its easy to look at the VW badge and start off with a dismissive bias against the car (think VW's Phaeton too) but I've looked into the Eos extensively, and its truly a brilliant piece of work. Trust me, the Eos is not a joke, its not a toy, and its not to be dismissed simply because its wearing a "VW" badge.

Here's a translated version of the autobild article.
http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...26as_qdr%3Dall

Yes the eos won the comparison test in the autobild mag but in that comparison the e93 335 beat all the cars in the BODY, DRIVE, CHASSIS sections of the comparison and the eos only won because of the cost section. But i don't doubt the eos is a good car, i just don't think it belongs in this class of car with the e93, a4, c70. Really because its so much smaller than all the rest of the cars in the class and its just in the shadows of them . If anything it should be closer to the 1-er, but i think the 1-er will be a whole lot better anyway and just kill the eos. :respekt: