BMW to go Front wheel drive!!!

[kabal]

well today, I "test drove" a mini cooper s, one of the best cars I have ever driven, so direct, was very fun :thumb:

 

[Mike1]

Whoop Whoop @ Kabal :clap:

Glad you had fun. :thumb:

 

[Coisman]

imp:
I wonder when mini is going to start building rear wheel drive cars?

 

[moranor@axis]

well today, I "test drove" a mini cooper s, one of the best cars I have ever driven, so direct, was very fun :thumb:

I still don't understand who would want a budget Fwd bmw over a mini you would have to have some sort of mental disorder...

 

[Sankekur]

BMW is a business and businesses will do what is need to make more money, if BMW wants to do this and think they can make more money by doing it, then they will, it is as simple as that really. Remember it is just a really small percentage of of people that really care about BMW's legacy and all that jazz, the rest of the people just want it out of badge snobbery, and they will like it if they get a cheap way to say "I drive a BMW" (just like an A class merc).

Don't worry the image and legacy of BMW is pretty damaged already, the fact that you can get 320's (any model for that matter) come from the factory adorned with M badges even though the car never even came close to the M division is kinda a killer for me, all this just so people can feel that they bought an M and say I have 320i M, when it is in fact as much an M as a toyota with an M badge on the back. They will be doing the same thing by doing a cheap FWD BMW, it just for the snob value, because that is what most people are interested in.

Sanekur,

I dont agree with 'much an M as a Toyota with a M badge'. I own a e90 320d M and I can tell you it looks, feels and performs a hell of a lot beter than a 'normal' 320d. Granted its not a 200+ kw monster (which I would love to own oneday) but it has subtle differences in looks, tweaked suspension, and definately in engine performance making it more responsive, may I dare say faster :mmm: than the normal 320d. Mine even has a number... 3 of 165. It makes it just as much an 'M' as any other 'M' out there...

About the front wheel drives... If you read the article, you will find that BMW has identified a gap in the market for a compact Luxury car, Thats all... Business is Business, and money makes Businesses better. What would you rather drive I say is the question... A Ford Fiesta/Focus, Toyota RunX, Golf VI or a German designed and engineered front wheel drive BMW...?? Mini's are succesfull for a reason, these guys must know what they are doing, otherwise it will not be feasable... And imagine, one of these days we might have a BMW 'Hot Hatch' other than the 135i.

I have to disagree, an M is not about the M badge on the back it is about the engine designation starting with an S, but BMW is moving away from this so that more people can own an "M". This is pretty much the same as guys sticking M badges on the back of a car that has never even seen the inside of the M division.

 

[Coisman]

imp:... or fitting M gearknobs when they dont have an M gearbox

 

[Sankekur]

imp:... or fitting M gearknobs when they dont have an M gearbox

I am still working on replacing all the stuff on my car that has M badges with stuff without M badges.

 

[JustNN]

I am still working on replacing all the stuff on my car that has M badges with stuff without M badges.

Can i ask Why:thinking:

 

[Sankekur]

Because my car is not the M

 

[JustNN]

Fair enough:thumbsup:

 

[Sankekur]

In the end it probably a personal thing, and I don't need a lot of M's on my car to make it feel special for me, or for me to brag to other people about, I like it for what is is an 330i, if you want an M buy a real one. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Sank, how about making your car into a non-M

 

[Sankekur]

imp:
Sank, how about making your car into a non-M

uhmm, my car isn't an M :mmm:

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Sank, I know someone that can make your car front wheel drive if your interested?? :mmm:

 

[Sankekur]

imp:
Sank, I know someone that can make your car front wheel drive if your interested?? :mmm:

Why would I want that (apart from the fact that it would be physically impossible)

 

[Coisman]

imp:
No it wont, take out that lovely 3.0l engine, and strap a opel corsa under the bonnet :dropjaw:

 

[Sankekur]

Nah, I had enough of opel corsas when had one

 

[Major]

imp:... or fitting M gearknobs when they dont have an M gearbox

 

[BMW M]

BMW is a business and businesses will do what is need to make more money, if BMW wants to do this and think they can make more money by doing it, then they will, it is as simple as that really. Remember it is just a really small percentage of of people that really care about BMW's legacy and all that jazz, the rest of the people just want it out of badge snobbery, and they will like it if they get a cheap way to say "I drive a BMW" (just like an A class merc).

Don't worry the image and legacy of BMW is pretty damaged already, the fact that you can get 320's (any model for that matter) come from the factory adorned with M badges even though the car never even came close to the M division is kinda a killer for me, all this just so people can feel that they bought an M and say I have 320i M, when it is in fact as much an M as a toyota with an M badge on the back. They will be doing the same thing by doing a cheap FWD BMW, it just for the snob value, because that is what most people are interested in.

Sanekur,

I dont agree with 'much an M as a Toyota with a M badge'. I own a e90 320d M and I can tell you it looks, feels and performs a hell of a lot beter than a 'normal' 320d. Granted its not a 200+ kw monster (which I would love to own oneday) but it has subtle differences in looks, tweaked suspension, and definately in engine performance making it more responsive, may I dare say faster :mmm: than the normal 320d. Mine even has a number... 3 of 165. It makes it just as much an 'M' as any other 'M' out there...

About the front wheel drives... If you read the article, you will find that BMW has identified a gap in the market for a compact Luxury car, Thats all... Business is Business, and money makes Businesses better. What would you rather drive I say is the question... A Ford Fiesta/Focus, Toyota RunX, Golf VI or a German designed and engineered front wheel drive BMW...?? Mini's are succesfull for a reason, these guys must know what they are doing, otherwise it will not be feasable... And imagine, one of these days we might have a BMW 'Hot Hatch' other than the 135i.

I have to disagree, an M is not about the M badge on the back it is about the engine designation starting with an S, but BMW is moving away from this so that more people can own an "M". This is pretty much the same as guys sticking M badges on the back of a car that has never even seen the inside of the M division.

Well, according to my Owners Manual, which also happen to have //M on the cover, it was developed by the 'M Division' and I quote '...to show that BMW can be efficient, powerfull and refined at the same time...' So yes, I have a 'M' in the true sense and spirit of it, and its a limited one by the looks of it too... I agree with you on people sticking a 'M' on the rear of the car, that definately doesn't make it a 'M'.

 

[Sankekur]

My point still is that BMW is cheapening the the M name and what it stands for, if I bought an e46 M3 there would be no other 3 series that would be able to come close unless it had some serious work done, its the same with the e36 M3 and the e30 M3 (also true for M5's), they were cars that we unmatched, but nowadays the M in general is just seems like something that was made to be a bit better, almost like they worked up to a point and then decided "that'll do" and this is not what M is about. But BMW has to pander to the customers and sell more stuff with M's just for the reason so that people can say they drive and M. The new 1 series M-coupe is a perfect example of this, it is basically just a 135i in a bodykit and a software reflash with performance that should be easily attainable by any good place that does software.

This is of course just my views and BMW M this is also not meant as an attack against you or your car, which you say it is awesome and I believe you, as BMW's are.