spwolf

i dont think BMW thought of it like that, as they see RWD as their positive (and not dangerous), but sure i know some people that did not want to buy certain car because it is RWD and harder to handle by not so experienced drivers.

I would say cost, emissions and packaging all had their go at it.

1 series is done mostly for European market. And Europeans are using it as family cars (and definitely not like weekend cars). As such, better packaging is very important here.

spwolf

btw. certainly Lexus CT200h got vindicated here? ;-)

gengar

Agreed - BMW selling out by going FI was the worst thing. FWD is not surprising to me at all... we all know BMW has been trending mass-market and moving away from performance and enthusiasts.

UDel

I think BMW having a lineup full of SUVs and CUVs now without offering a true sports car/super car is worse then them making a fwd model or offering FI engines.

I have no problem with BMW offering a few front wheel drive models, it is not like they are going strictly fwd and they are still going to have rwd cars. FWD cars can be good drivers and I am sure BMW can make a fwd car that handles very well. BMW FI engines have been very good performers although they have reliability issues.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Why, whats wrong with FI?!

gengar

Certainly a reasonable opinion; however, I just see lack of a supercar/true sportscar as another example of BMW trending mass-market and moving away from enthusiasts and performance as I stated above. FI was a much more damning indication of where BMW's headed.


Everything? The S54 was legendary, the S65 is still great, the S85 is a beast (just ask our neighbors over at m5board). Although I've never seriously considered buying a BMW outside of the M5, I used to maintain respect for the brand because I felt they were committed to enthusiasts and committed to performance. This was mostly due to two factors: Commitment to manual transmissions despite extremely low market share, and commitment to producing high-revving, naturally-aspirated engines in a low volume performance marque. Well, now with FI on all future M models, we can kiss that latter one goodbye. Anyway, don't want to take this too off-topic.

LexFather

Seriously when you think about it..
They dropped F1
Went from N/A to turbos when THEY SAID turbos are not their philosophy
M cars now mostly automatics(SMG) and now in AWD and in 5500 lbs monsters when they said SUVs are not M's philosophy
4 SUVs
The competition is getting sportier, encroaching on traditional BMW territory
6 series never came close to being best in class for a coupe
Lexus of all brands has a exotic supercar BMW has never made
Now a FWD BMW?

Quite a change we have seen!

spwolf

at the end, they all go after the money!

mmarshall

So have several other companies, especially in the U.S., where even though NASCAR has taken a hit from the bad economy, it is still killing F1.


When can you EVER believe what an auto excutive says? Joe Isuzu was probably the most honest one of the bunch.






True, but BMW, a few years ago, at the behest of American buyers, was forced into developing a traditional three-pedal manual for the latest M5, because a lot of potential buyers simply would not accept the car without one.

http://www.carnewssite.com/2007-bmw-...-transmission/


Agreed, but, IMO, there still is nothing like a genuine BMW-enginered steering/chassis for overall driving delight. A few companies (and vehicles) have come close (the new Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Track Coupe is of the best examples) but Bimmers are not called the Ultimate Driving Machines for nothing.

SLegacy99

I agree. And there are people out there who want simply don't want a RWD vehicle. I wouldn't want one as my DD given where I live and I certainly can't afford a second car either.....or a BMW for that matter.

mmarshall

Once you've experienced a Subaru (or any well-designed AWD vehicle) in the wintertime, it's hard to go back to RWD....or even FWD.

IS-SV

Agreed, AWD and 4WD is the only way to go in snow. That's why I have an extra vehicle with that setup for just that purpose. It's also extremely grimy and dirty with a higher incidence of accidents, so I really don't want to expose my other RWD vehicles to those adverse conditions.

mmarshall

I can understand not wanting to expose a nice, shiny sports car or luxury car to bad conditions, but your winter beater doesn't have to be dirty either. True, snow, wet roads, dirt, and salt do a number on a car, but that's what hoses, buckets, and sponges are for. I drive my Subie in some of worst winter roads possible (especially after what we got in D.C. this February), but I never fail to clean it up throughly....especially the undersides.

gengar

Not at all, it's about the tires more than anything else. I'd rather drive with Blizzaks and RWD than all-seasons on an AWD/4WD car. The point is that as a driver, predictability is what's valued and in that regard the tires make a much bigger difference than AWD does. I get ~140" average annual snowfall where my F is based and I've never had a problem with it in the snow - in fact, I'm usually going right around AWD cars that are having problems. My only concern is clearance... I don't worry about traction at all.


ONR is one of the greatest inventions for those of us in cold weather areas. 20 minutes to wash and dry my F, including wheels and tire sidewalls, using only about 2 gallons of water entirely in the warmth of my garage. Still need to take care cleaning the underbody elsewhere, but ONR is really an amazing product.

SLegacy99

Which really limits my selection of autos.