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      05-03-2013, 10:12 AM   #29
paradoxical3
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Drives: BMW
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davesaddiction View Post
My letter to the editor on that one actually made it into print:

"The ATS, which 'recalibrated your scale' for handling, lost to the 328i based on styling, trunk and rear-seat space? Is this Car and Driver or Couch and Passenger?!"

Winning on points, but losing on what matters, is no win that I'd be proud of...
+ infinity.

Not sure why people don't get this. If you bought a BMW for trunk space, electronic features, etc, YOU GOT SCREWED. There are numerous brands, including Japanese and Korean, that outperform BMW on those metrics.

It used to be that you bought BMW for the steering feel and performance, which was their strong point.

But really, this is very simple to illustrate. In 2007, the BMW 335 had 300 horsepower, the exact same engine that they still use today (335is), with all of the fit and finish and gizmos that they currently have. With minimal LCI improvements, BMW was selling the EXACT same cars that are still in their lineup today that haven't been replaced by the F30 yet.

My point is, BMW was so incredibly far ahead of their competition that it took the competition SIX YEARS to catch up, and those same BMW's are still sold today (coupes have not been F30'd yet).

Today, BMW can't even decisively win a comparo with their brand new F30. Can you imagine how bad this platform is going to be in six years? There is zero chance of BMW following the same tactic that they did with the e90's of selling the same car with minimal LCI improvements. If they do that, they will just get completely obliterated by the competition.

For example, Cadillac's new 420hp V6. That's not even the top of the line "V" engine and it makes more power than the M3.
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