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BMW.
Your rant today perfectly describes why I used to be a BMW owner. My E46 3 series was the ultimate driving machine, perfectly sized, perfectly weighted feel to all the controls; and that glorious in-line six wail and balance.
Then the current generation 3 came out, lighter steering (some say to quell complaints that the steering was too heavy at parking lot speeds), derivative almost Japanese styling (try picking out the current gen in a crowded mall parking lot), and an interior that in my estimation lacked the driver centric theme of its predecessor almost to a fault. In summary it lost almost all (at least it still has the glorious in-line six) the unique character that made all prior 3 series a true BMW.
I believe, as you stated, that the above is the work of trying to be all things to all people, and in the process abandoning what got you the top of the enthusiast heap to begin with.
That is why the car that replaced my E46 was the new generation Infiniti G35S…it seems that through diligence and relentless pursuit of BMW, Infiniti became the “Japanese BMW” at the same moment that BMW became just another car company by chasing volume and wanting to be all things to all people.
Until BMW reacquires its former self, and gets their mojo back on track (kill the 5 series GT, X6, and quit dreaming up answers to questions no one is asking) by focusing on being a drivers car; and not just a people mover, they will have to compete for my business against brands like Infiniti and Audi that happily march to their own beat and are secure with their place in the market.
KB
Sparta, NJ
Formula 1.
Got up at my usual Sunday 7am to watch the season opening Bahrain GP. Fell asleep several times during the race. Barely remember who won. Woke up Monday thinking, "dang, that was a really boring race. Nothing happened. At all."
Read several blogs, web sites, and news sites, and found out I was not alone. Seems EVERYONE had the exact same opinion. (Not even the return of the golden boy Schumi made even a ripple of an impact.) Drivers saving tires, saving fuel, no passing, no attempted passing, riding around CONTENT with their position, a complete lack of competition.
Way to go, Bernie et al. You have managed to turn the investment of millions upon millions of dollars in the highest of automotive technology into absolutely no detectable excitement whatsoever.
Incredible.
JPM
Atlanta, Georgia
F1.
Is it just me, or do they manage to make F1 cars more and more grotesque looking with each new season?
Brian Fowler
Hernando, Florida
Audi, etc.
You are spot-on about Audi, and I have to give them credit for keeping their eye on the ball even while in the throes of the problems they experienced. Not only should the design team on the C7 Corvette check out the A8 but management at GM might take a few clues from Audi as well.
BTW, one other item: Freescale Semiconductor is the old Motorola Semicaonductor Division, which Motorola spun off a number of years ago. As you well know, Motorola has been involved with the automotive industry since the 1930s, and the Semiconductor Division was one of the first electronic companies to get involved with the auto industry in other than radios (alternators & electronic ignition systems and ECM microprocessors). There are probably more Motorola / Freescale microprocessors in cars around the world than all the other manufacturers combined.
Bill Bowen
Sacramento, CA
BMW's still got it.
I agree with your comments about BMW and Audi, however Audi does have the flexibility to not chase every niche because they have VW (and in Europe Seat and Skoda) to cover minivans, etc. Also Audi has made just as many SUV's as BMW - Q5 and Q7 vs X3 and X5. X6 is just a big mistake and very low volume.
BMW is still true to its roots since the 3 and 5 series ranges are great and account for the majority of sales and profit and BMW knows that.
Guy A.
Duram North Carolina
Trading Brand for Experience.
Ol' Greasy Bernie has really done it.
Wrong kind of people? Screw him.
We've got options. Not "branded." Not "sanitized." Hell, probably not even "sanitary."
Just an example...I can see much better racing at any half-mile dirt bullring on any given fair-weather Saturday night in any of several of these United States.
Bristling with technology? No, a wingless sprint car is pretty much the same now as fifty years ago.
But the experience? Stand back, brother. I'm a convert to the belief that it ain't real racing unless you got dirt in your drink...
Keep the F1 "brand" on the video game tracks.
It's no match for the "experience" of 10 high-strung small block V8s rattling your very own ribcage trying to defy Newton by occupying the same space at the same time in Turn One.
Didn't see much of that in Bahrain...
CC
Decatur, Georgia
From the "You're Seriously Full of Shit" File.
I seriously think your description is quite wrong in my estimation. Audi, like the other German big 3 (BMW and MB) are all lemmings falling off the same cliff with overly heavy vehicles full of technology for technology's sake. There are more acromyns for gadgets and widgets in these cars everyday it seems. BMW came out with the 5 series GT. What does Audi do? Release the A5 sportback or whatever the hell they call it. They followed BMW with the Q5 and Q7 and have MMI which is just a repackaged BMW IDrive. The A8L bristles with useless and even outdated electronics like that stupid touch pad from old outdated PDAs. Plus it looks like a stretched version of the previous generation Sonota. Whats so different about them? BMW and MB had their 15 so now its Audis turn until the next big thing hits; people are fickle thats all there is to it. Hell if Alfa were in the game here it very well could have been them.
JFA
Aubrey, Texas
Why I keep reading.
"...nothing like the sound of an unruly V8 attached to your right foot threatening all kinds of bad behavior."
Even though I've been retired from the "biz" for nearly three years, it's writing like this that will forever keep me reading and enjoying Autoextremist.
anthony ardolino
Torrance, Calif.
He doesn't care.
In my perception, BMW and Audi have a very similar problem: Irrespecitve of their styling and their performance, they are both fussy, high-maintenance, and unreliable in the long term. When I buy a vehicle, I keep it for a long time. I don't feel like spending $100-300 at every minor maintanence interval. I also don't like having to put premium gas into my car--I have a long commute. The Camaro RS and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe are tops on my short list. There are no German cars on my list at all.
Eric S.
Washougal, WAashington
On BMW.
With the confirmation of BMW's decision to pursue front wheel drive platforms for the core brand, I am reminded of the pointlessness with which BMW has been operating for the past decade or so. I'm nearing 20 and I've never been a BMW fan, in fact I chose a used Audi over a BMW for my first car, yet I still have great respect for the cars that built their reputation in the last century.
Why would anyone go to such lengths to build and perfect such an image only to toss it aside by diluting the brand? Who says BMW can't have a SUV or less performance oriented brand under the umbrella?
With regards to another e-mail currently up, Audi was never synonymous with sport nor have they really tried to be. They're pursuing a comfortable middle-ground in the luxury segment with regards to handling and power, but no compromises for aesthetics inside or out.
Justin Willcocks
Toronto, Canada
BMW, Porsche, and the Corvette.
Nobody builds a car that drives like a BMW, including BMW. I took a spin in a 2002tii recently and that thing was just a wild hare, bouncing, yes, joyously from turn to turn. On the other hand my recently acquired 550 daily commuter is essentially a Caddy for the 21st, solid fast and luxurious but not much different to drive than anything else in its cohort.
Sadly, much the same can be said for almost all current mass market vehicles. I may keep buying new ones, but contemporary 911's just can't compete with their air-cooled ancestors of decades past on the all important FTD (fun to drive) meter. As with we humans, putting on the pounds exacts a heavy toll in sprightliness.
The rare exception is the Corvette. Our only true domestic sportster is practically un-American in its failure to gain weight. True, Corvettes have always been wide and ungainly on the road, notwithstanding the drool-worthy bodywork. But unlike Beemers, at least they haven't gone downhill.
GW
San Francisco, California
BMW.
Upon hearing that BMW has affirmed its intention to pursue front wheel drive as a core technology, I just want to say that I will NEVER own a front wheel drive BMW ever! All that bullshit about balance and handling with rear drive was apparently just marketing. To hell with them.
We have two elderly E39 wagons in the driveway but I suspect my next car may well be a Benz. There's nowhere else to go.
Larry Stimely
Danville, California
Progress.
I have to agree with GW from San Francisco. The new BMW 5 series is like, what, 200 lbs heavier than the model it replaces? And they brag in the industry rags about how much commonization there is with the 7 series. Seriously? You're happy that you've grown your "performance" sedan to almost the same size as a 4,200+ lb. touring car? Now they want to go to FWD? That sounds like a steaming pile of not good, as you like to say.
With regards to his comments about Corvettes - my '99 is approximately 2 - 3" longer and wider than my '86. However, it has an 8" longer wheelbase, has 110 MORE HP and weighs 35 lbs. LESS. And that's just the base car, not a Z06 or ZR1. Now that's progress!
MS
Farmington Hills, MI