BMW Going FWD

[Chucky]

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=946181

According to Autocar, BMW reportedly has plans for a model portfolio of 30 rear wheel drive and 15 front wheel drive cars. The 15 FWD cars include Mini models, but at least five will be purportedly wear a BMW badge.

The first of these (and only one committed to production thus far) is the 2 Series Active Tourer, which we've revealed to you recently by way of spy photos. A seven seat model is expected to arrive later in the year.

BMW's 3-cylinder turbocharged engine is expected to power most of the Active Tourer models, with a more powerful 4-cylinder 235i Active Tourer model also speculated.

While Europe is expected to take the bulk of orders for the 2-series Active Tourer, interest in the model is also reportedly strong in Asia and the US.Diess also revealed that BMW was shifting to a twin-architecture future, in which the company will use single, very flexible rear-drive components set alongside the UKL1 front-drive platform. The majority of the future engine line-up is also based on the same layout of 500cc per cylinder.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO:thumbdo:

 

[RAArmstrong]

:nonono::nonono::nonono::nonono::nonono:

BMW WTF are you doing WHY WHY WHY :argh::bangdesk:

 

[ChefDJ]

:nonono:

 

[Divio]

Remember these from back in the day...

 

[ChefDJ]

:roflol::roflol::roflol:

 

[MariusH]

:fencelook::fencelook:

 

[sunnyj]

It is sad that BMW is going this route for their new entry level segment vehicles :nonono:. I always admired their philosophy of rear wheel drive and NA petrol engines.

 

[OppositeLockMT]

Just BMW trying to be as profitable is possible. I'm annoyed, but I can't say I blame them. BMW is no longer an enthusiast-centred brand, and it hasn't been for quite a while.

 

[MariusH]

Well fwd cars are cheaper to make so as long as they put the value back either by making the car cheaper or adding better features to the car then its understandebile i suppose.. :fencelook:

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

No :nonono:

 

[moranor@axis]

how much cheaper is it to eliminate the prop shaft? if you look at overall development cost

I really dont think its worth selling your soul over

I for one would never even consider buying a Fwd BMW when there are sooo many other options out there if you going to mess with the DNA that much why not look at other badges?

 

[lecluel]

how much cheaper is it to eliminate the prop shaft? if you look at overall development cost

I really dont think its worth selling your soul over

I for one would never even consider buying a Fwd BMW when there are sooo many other options out there if you going to mess with the DNA that much why not look at other badges?

+1

 

[Loom]

I'm going to get flamed for this but under normal driving conditions, would one even notice the difference between a modern FWD and RWD vehicles, all other things being the same?

 

[Rayzor]

:nonono: FWD and BMW should not be mentioned in the same sentence. Just doesnt fell right

 

[moranor@axis]

let me put it this way

Audi have been doing 2l Turbo Fwd forever and they do a better interior :fencelook:

only reason to choose a BMW over their rivals is because the cars are very well balanced and deliver a better driving experience than the others... Rwd is a very big part of this

Take this away and what does BMW have to offer?

 

[Nick]

BMW has to provide for the "less talented" drivers among us to, the RWD is to much for some people :rollsmile:

 

[RAArmstrong]

BMW has to provide for the "less talented" drivers among us to, the RWD is to much for some people :rollsmile:

VW exists for a reason :idea:

 

[Loom]

let me put it this way

Audi have been doing 2l Turbo Fwd forever and they do a better interior :fencelook:

only reason to choose a BMW over their rivals is because the cars are very well balanced and deliver a better driving experience than the others... Rwd is a very big part of this

Take this away and what does BMW have to offer?

No spare wheel well? :fencelook:

Just kidding, so a 50/50 weight distribution is one advantage. I'm just curious if the average person (so probably not you guys :=) would notice the difference. Merc is also RWD and I guess most BMW drivers would say BMW handles better. What if BMW can produce a FWD vehicle that the average person could not distinguish from a RWD one? I recall someone on this forum expressing surprise to learn that his 1-series is RWD.

 

[moranor@axis]

I think even someone who does not push their car will feel the difference even if they dont know what it is...

if driven normally Rwd offers way more grip under all conditions this translates into smoother driving characteristics because loss if traction is a compete non issue...

 

[rayven_king]

started reading I was

when I was done I was