edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Nah. The customers might think. That is the point.
What happened to BMW and its designs?
- Thread starter mosaud1998
- Start date
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2026
Correct. My 2001 540 M-Sport does not have a M badge on the trunk, but has M's on the steering wheel, wheels, dead pedal and all four door sills.
My 2018 M550ix? Never counted, but they are plastered all over too..."M-lite" I think these cars are nicknamed...I should get a 2020-2023, they put an electronic controlled M differential on those.
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2026
Yes! My friend Artem is restoring it...I have not seen it in a few years....probably done by now.
My wife's 2015 X1 M Sport has about as many M badges as your 540i. At least it has the M Sport suspension (rare on BMW SUVs of that vintage) so it is at least has a bit of added ability.
You my friend, have arrived in the future. Welcome to the future....
The market has changed and BMW has had to adapt. Do I prefer the E39 pictured above to the new 5? Absolutely. But if BMW simply catered to those of us who believe this they likely would have ceased being an independent car company several decades ago. BMW has done a respectable job meeting the demands of the mass market while still offering niche models that us fans of the older cars (I still own and drive a 94 740 - 200k or so on it) like while offering the models the mass market demands. They are offering an M5 wagon right now, they have the M2 and sporty 2 series models, all very nice, and the 3 series is still the best car in its class, as are the X3 and X5, in my opinion.
There was a time when BMW could build a car that made a “10 Best” list. Very subjective sure, but most people considered the 3 series such. It was on the list for consecutive years almost totaling the number of times the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. It was nothing short of astounding when the F30 came out. Lexus like electric power steering where a pinkie could turn the wheel lock to lock. I guess some were dumbfounded but in retrospect BMW gave buyers what they wanted. And they still do today. People don’t want 3rd pedals and they don’t want to have to keep their hands on a steering wheel. The funniest comments I’ve heard about those two activities? They are a “waste of my time.” 
Look at the gas flagship car. It’s downright ugly. It resembles a Ford Taurus. Odd proportions.
This is a car company who retrofitted steering racks when the steering was deemed too light by many 3 buyers around 2001. Strived for near 50/50 weight distribution. A company who never did anything fake. Fake dual exhaust? Never. Well until maybe 2012. The turn signal and wiper stalks didn’t have a detent. The cruise control was always on. They’d throw in an external engine oil cooler and not even mention such in any brochure or spec sheet.
Do they even make a car with a clutch today? I’m thinking M2 and maybe Z4? There are cars driving around today with M mirrors from the factory, and they’re not M cars!
At any rate it’s a car co that exudes prestige and people love the products. Just remember they are no longer about driving.
Look at the gas flagship car. It’s downright ugly. It resembles a Ford Taurus. Odd proportions.
This is a car company who retrofitted steering racks when the steering was deemed too light by many 3 buyers around 2001. Strived for near 50/50 weight distribution. A company who never did anything fake. Fake dual exhaust? Never. Well until maybe 2012. The turn signal and wiper stalks didn’t have a detent. The cruise control was always on. They’d throw in an external engine oil cooler and not even mention such in any brochure or spec sheet.
Do they even make a car with a clutch today? I’m thinking M2 and maybe Z4? There are cars driving around today with M mirrors from the factory, and they’re not M cars!
At any rate it’s a car co that exudes prestige and people love the products. Just remember they are no longer about driving.
They are an SUV company that happens to sell some cars too
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2023
- Messages
- 96
They are most certainly still about driving. If you zoom out, they still best their competitors in their respective categories at driving dynamics, sans Porsche. Have you driven a comparable Mercedes, Audi or Lexus? Bloated, couch on wheels, numb steering with an iPad. BMW shockingly feels more analog than them, even in these modern times in comparison to the competition. The entire industry as a whole has gotten heavier, bigger, more tech, etc but BMW is always the last one resisting trying not to mess up the driving dynamics too much.There was a time when BMW could build a car that made a “10 Best” list. Very subjective sure, but most people considered the 3 series such. It was on the list for consecutive years almost totaling the number of times the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. It was nothing short of astounding when the F30 came out. Lexus like electric power steering where a pinkie could turn the wheel lock to lock. I guess some were dumbfounded but in retrospect BMW gave buyers what they wanted. And they still do today. People don’t want 3rd pedals and they don’t want to have to keep their hands on a steering wheel. The funniest comments I’ve heard about those two activities? They are a “waste of my time.”
Look at the gas flagship car. It’s downright ugly. It resembles a Ford Taurus. Odd proportions.
This is a car company who retrofitted steering racks when the steering was deemed too light by many 3 buyers around 2001. Strived for near 50/50 weight distribution. A company who never did anything fake. Fake dual exhaust? Never. Well until maybe 2012. The turn signal and wiper stalks didn’t have a detent. The cruise control was always on. They’d throw in an external engine oil cooler and not even mention such in any brochure or spec sheet.
Do they even make a car with a clutch today? I’m thinking M2 and maybe Z4? There are cars driving around today with M mirrors from the factory, and they’re not M cars!
At any rate it’s a car co that exudes prestige and people love the products. Just remember they are no longer about driving.
Which is why the new BMW M5 has caused such an uproar. It's too heavy, hybrid system, ugly, etc. BMW had to switch over to a hybrid system to wiggle their way out of regulations. Then you pit it against their competitors (AMG, RS, even some Porsche) and they get either absolutely destroyed or bested by the M5.
Everyone wants to go back to manual, RWD, N/A, light cars but that door has closed and unless something disruptive happens in the world, there's no going back.
I’ve owned bimmers since 1974 when I bought a used 1971 2002. Needed rotors, natch. I love bimmers, despite their flaws. Why? They handle better than anything else on the road.
I was on Rt110 near the pentagon recently. Someone in a Tesla comes roaring up. Hung with him until we came up on the turn just west of the pentagon. He had to hit his brakes. Me? I dropped it a gear (my car has a 6 speed manual) and punched it. Around the curve, smooth as silk!
I was on Rt110 near the pentagon recently. Someone in a Tesla comes roaring up. Hung with him until we came up on the turn just west of the pentagon. He had to hit his brakes. Me? I dropped it a gear (my car has a 6 speed manual) and punched it. Around the curve, smooth as silk!
