BMW is having the best decade of its life

[-]

Ok_Vegetable58@reddit

man the kidney grilles are getting wild but that m2 is still pure sex on wheels. i'd take one over most other sports cars in that price range any day of week

[-]

Intel_Oil@reddit

Theres a G-Series M2 in our Garage from the neighbour and i'm never sure if he parked forward and backwards, because it looks the same.

[-]

coffeeshopslut@reddit

The current 2 series looks like a 80s Chevrolet Lumina but pimped out by will.i.am

[-]

PanadaTM@reddit

Which m2 are you referring to because the m2 went from the best looking bmw to the worst looking with that dumb facelift imo

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

Eeh subjective.

Every time I see a new bmw it looks weird. By the third time am seeing it, it looks nice

[-]

cubs223425@reddit

So your standard of being good is "a bad thing I got used to?"

[-]

Unspec7@reddit

E60 and E90's were pretty universally criticized for being ugly. Now, enthusiasts go "wow what a timeless design, BMW really knew what they were doing back then"

So....

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

God people absolutely hated Chris Bangle back in the day.

[-]

Bortjort@reddit

at the time, chris bangle was the only designer I knew by name and flame surfacing was the only design language, both because they were so controversial

[-]

callyfit@reddit

Better then Audi and Benz where every model they have looks identical and more conservative then the last gen.

[-]

aamgdp@reddit

Nah something like XM will forever be ugly AF

[-]

orangebikini@reddit

There's a saying in my country, "you get used to everything apart an icicle in your ass".

Getting used to something doesn't mean it's good.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

Why wouldn’t you get used to an icicle in your ass?

[-]

Simon_787@reddit

Car guys told me the G26 was hideous and people like it now, so whatever.

I think the i3 looks quite good and the iX3 looked on in photos, but actually really good in person.

[-]

Ok_Combination_4482@reddit

Yea i thought the guy was being sarcastic

[-]

ZeGermanHam@reddit

They really are ugly. The middle section is fine, just needs different front and rear fascias.

[-]

xdmds@reddit

I bought a g87M2 and regret it. Rarely have any desire to drive it instead of my miata or brz.

I think bmw has lost the plot as to why enthusiasts liked bmws in the past and/or we aren't the target market anymore.

[-]

Bortjort@reddit

I miss my ND1 because it was a great car but I love my F87 for what I need right now and don't have any plans to change soon

[-]

audi27tt@reddit

It’s your last point. Targeting the cars and coffee enthusiasts over the driving enthusiasts.

[-]

xlb250@reddit

New generation always gets hate. I recall when the F80 M3 came out, MotorTrend said it was as fun from the driver’s seat as it was from the passenger’s seat.

[-]

audi27tt@reddit

I hear you, but I actually do think this time is different. F80 weighed less than the E90, and looks as good or better. Main complaint was steering feel going to electric.

G80 is a fat ugly pig and I’m not sure what actual improvements are from a driving enthusiast perspective. More comfortable? Worse transmission?

[-]

blabus@reddit

Build quality was definitely improved; there was an absurd amount of creaking and rattling plastic in the interior of the F80.

[-]

audi27tt@reddit

Better daily for sure. Not sure any improvements from driving enthusiast perspective. I just don’t think the driving enthusiast is the target market for M performance anymore.

[-]

clyde_frog_@reddit

I have a 1st gen BRZ and prefer the M2; but I'm mostly doing highway driving now and would definitely prefer the brz up a twisty road.

Every time I think about selling it cause I don't drive it enough, I drive it again and remember why I want to keep it.

Each fits a different need of mine but I can see why you would prefer a newer brz/miata

[-]

strongmanass@reddit

and/or we aren't the target market anymore.

Generally speaking, a whole brand of BMW's size can't cater exclusively or even primarily to enthusiasts and stay profitable in the current market. And once a volume brand opens the door to lifestyle products, that's the inevitable direction of the entire brand. Porsche are well on their way to that themselves.

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

Miata is the final boss for driver enjoyment for sure

[-]

cookingboy@reddit

Looking at this thread it’s quite clear how removed from reality armchair enthusiasts are.

OP is right, BMW is having the most successful decade and their cars are selling far better than they have ever been. They are now dominating their German rivals.

People here may not like their strategy, but people here are also broke and don’t buy cars anyway so their opinions are irrelevant.

[-]

Bonerchill@reddit

Isn’t this literally the problem in the world?

The businesses dominating are completely devoid of soul. PE is buying up brands we used to love and squeezing them. Wild lands are being paved with solar and wind farms.

Success means fuck all if we don’t feel anything.

[-]

JournalistExpress292@reddit

Open up any social media platform and you see BMWs everywhere, and no it’s not the algorithm because others get it too. It’s just that popular, name any BMW model and I can probably see them on I regular

Don’t get my started on the M cars, G80s are as hyped as the sneakers by hypebeasts in the late 2010s.

Meanwhile I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen a C63? Or even the E63! I had to literally search it up to see if it was in production

I see a TON of S Classes and G wagons though so they have that going for them.

Audi has gone MIA other than for their SUVs.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

It’s a shame with Audi. At least Mercedes is trying to course correct with better looking EVs and dumping the four banger in the AMG line up.

Audi just looks lost.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

What do you mean removed from reality? When they said that the Kia Stinger would be a smash hit and how they were going to buy them used where’s the disconnect in that?

/s

[-]

TheReaperSovereign@reddit

One of BMWs higher ups acknowledged that they were aware of a lot of negative comments online but it didnt impact sales so they ignored it. I also listed to a podcast with Tom Plucinsky and he flat out said something like "BMWs priority is serving the needs of customer who buy or lease our vehicles new or even certified pre owned. We dont care about future 4th owners of our vehicles"

[-]

Bonerchill@reddit

Boring engines (yes, the B58 and S58 are fucking boring), heavy cars, less steering feel, low tactility.

People who haven’t experienced the earlier cars are like omg the moderns are so good and they’re just not. They’re dull and fast and grippy and emotionless.

[-]

ghostogresnowrabbit@reddit

Are they though? The biggest EV market in the world China BMW is nonexistent in EV.

They are constantly discounting their cars in China to compete. Recently they had to downgrade the suspension on the 3 series in the Chinese market because they can no longer afford to compete.

[-]

U-Kunkel@reddit

BMW is dead to me. Barely any manuals left and their blobulous new vehicles have lost the plot when it comes to driving dynamics in favor of bells and whistles. The class is gone and they are no longer the ultimate driving machine.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

I’m sure BMW is upset that someone who’s likely never bought a new BMW feels that way.

[-]

U-Kunkel@reddit

Check yourself fool. I ordered a brand new 2011 328i 6 speed, no idrive, m-sport package car and kept it for 8 years. My wife still has a 135 she bought new. BMW sucks now and I struggle to find one worth buying new. M2 maybe, but they are $80,000 and you can get a way more fun car for half of that.

[-]

Users5252@reddit

BMW made some of their best cars in the 90s, and some of the most innovative designs in the 00s.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

The latest gen of BMWs are just as controversial as the “innovative” designs of the 00s.

[-]

Users5252@reddit

Bangle era BMWs were well balanced in the visual aspect and a decade ahead of its time. People who hated them were conservatives who like to throw tantrums at anything new. Last gen of BMW designs were made with a good intention but there were absolutely zero innovation design wise and the transition from concept into production completely ruined the design, same can be said with Neue Klasse. New ones are just status quo, boring, recycled designs.

[-]

rkartzinel@reddit

Lol. No.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

Very insightful thank you.

[-]

Reterence@reddit

BMW are having a very good era mechanically. Styling hasn't been that well received recently, and there is also the whole subscription model. Even the M2s new styling has gotten pretty lukewarm reception. They have an impressive history, and are having a good decade, but best in its life? Many BMW fans would probably say the 90s into early 2000s. Great sports cars and good entries into the burgeoning SUV space.

The B engines are a highlight.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

Are you in the US? BMW never rolled out the weird subscription model here.

[-]

xkmackx@reddit

I have a 2023 M240i. Love the B58 and the ZF 8-speed. The steering is just numb, though, especially on center, nothing like the old BMWs. Build quality is meh compared to my IS350. I haven't driven an M2, but would hope it isn't as numb.

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

If it’s like the M3, M4, and M5, it’s marginally less numb but still numb.

[-]

RelevantJackWhite@reddit

For the same price as an M2, you can get a 718 Cayman which weighs like 800 pounds less

[-]

guy_incognito784@reddit

I test drove the new M5 expecting to hate it.

The car was a blast to drive. I figured it’d be like my i4 in that you can feel the weight when driven very hard….you can but it’s not as obvious.

I felt more comfortable driving that hard than I do my i4 which was wild to me.

Granted my frame of reference is quite different than someone coming from a 911 or hell a BRZ.

I could see it being great as a highway cruise missile while holding its own, surprisingly, on a fun backroad.

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

If you can get a cayman

[-]

iamheero@reddit

Getting the cayman isn’t hard, getting one at the same price as an M2 is though. The m2 and m240i depreciates like crazy in comparison and that’s despite the fact that they hold their value fairly well for a BMW.

[-]

BrownGhost10@reddit

Every bmw doomer buries there head in the sand when you tell them bmw is the best selling luxury brand in America.

[-]

cubs223425@reddit

Their exterior design is not good. Their powertrains are. Their interior screens are hideous. They tried to rent us heated seats.

If this is the "best" decade for them, I'm terrified of what the future holds.

[-]

hi_im_bored13@reddit

BMW could probably do nothing & still win at this point w/ the other three (mercedes, audi, porsche) repeatedly fucking themselves over for absolutely no reason

I mean thats basically what they did, they have money to spend vs. VW still hurting from dieselgate, Mercedes & Porsche betting the house on electrification, Mercedes on top of that betting their strategy on the ugliest cars of all time

[-]

MembershipNo2077@reddit

Mercedes on top of that betting their strategy on the ugliest cars of all time

While I do mostly agree, I'd say the AMG CLE is still giving BMW a run for its money on coupe styling. Though that's really a competition for which manufacturer can make an uglier car.

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

VW does not have a cohesive strategy across its entire brand. Audi is shitting the bed killing models left and right, porsche cannot decide if it wants to be an EV company.

Meanwhile, Mercedes execs are spending waaay to much time in stripper malls looking at mood lighting for "research"

[-]

hi_im_bored13@reddit

I can't really comment much on the design outside the eqs, I trust that they know their customers well enough & its worth noting Mercedes basically matched BMW in income this past year so its mostly working out for them

Likewise the rest of this thread inevitably shitting on BMW design. It sells really well for a reason, catering to used buyer isn't really much of a market for new car designs

[-]

audi27tt@reddit

I think most enthusiasts would take the last gen over current gen. I’m obviously biased as an F80 owner but a 4000 lb M3 is just too much

[-]

dissss0@reddit

I think most enthusiasts would take the last gen over current gen.

This has been a uniquely BMW thing for years though - I remember people saying exactly the same thing all the way back to the E90/E60 generation

[-]

aponderingpanda@reddit

It's not just BMW's though, this happens with a lot of enthusiast models. Supra, Evo, Impreza, NSX, AP1 S2000 vs AP2, not to mention all the Porsche air-cooled purists.

[-]

iqstick@reddit

Most people that I've talked to that upgraded from F80/82 to G80/82 prefer the new gen to the old gen. Really the only thing missing is the DCT for the auto's but with the CS flash it gets it to shift much more aggressive. I have had a few test drives in F80's before I bought my G80 and honestly what really sold me on the G80 was the carbon bucket seats make the car feel special. No regrets with the G80, I don't think there's a better all around car for the money.

[-]

TheReaperSovereign@reddit

I think the g42 m240i was a massive jump in interior quality over the f22. Not to mention an lsd, and adaptive dampers as standard. Plus the gen 2 b58 addressed a huge problem with the gen 1 (the oil pump)

It wasn't a hard choice at all and I like how it looks too.

[-]

ZeGermanHam@reddit

Agree with all of this.

[-]

hundredjono@reddit

Look up the BMW lineup in 2001 then get back to me.

[-]

BionicLycanthrope@reddit

The fuck are you talking about lol? They made some of their most iconic cars during those periods.

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

And in a decade, the G series will be looked back on as iconic

[-]

Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit

lol at this being downvoted, they 100% will be “the last true BMWs” in approximately 1.5 model generations, as was the case with every other 3 series since the E30

lol shitty USDM inline 6, not a real M car, not even worth $5k

lol shitty subframe, shitty cooling, SMG is cancer, fat, unreliable

lol v8, not even a real i6, no torque, fat

lol bad steering, fat, fake engine noise, not n/a

Etc and yet all of those are beloved classics now

[-]

purz@reddit

Heavily disagree besides maybe sales numbers. They’re mostly hideous, the sports cars sound like shit (never much of a strength for bmw though) and they have an even worse driver base now with the popularity of the m340i lol.

Solid main engine but they’ve had that from time to time. But bummed too cause I’ve been able to afford an M3 since the launch of the new one and always wanted one but I need up getting other cars instead. Might get a 3rd or 4th gen though when I sell something off.

[-]

SnowDucks1985@reddit

Ngl I used to be a BMW hater, but after what’s been happening with other Luxury automakers I’ve become a fan. BMW is pretty much on the top of my list for my next car in a couple years

[-]

jrileyy229@reddit

"best" in what way??? BMW always made great cars. The m3 and m5 of the 2000s were bangers. The v10 m5 was a banger.

I'd argue the opposite, they lost their way. The m2 is a freaking pig.... A 2 series... That weighs 4k pounds?!?! Are you kidding me. And it costs the same as a c8 corvette.... A mid engine car that slaughters it in every metric.

[-]

BillyJohnsFinds@reddit

Me, I wouldn’t buy a G87. I can easily afford one but F87 is so much more appealing. If I were to spend G87 type money on a car I’d buy a F87 M2CS used.

[-]

Fiveby21@reddit

What the heck is this slop. Have you SEEN how they've gutted the interiors in their new generation?

[-]

raverick_87@reddit

Ugly, hideous cars, even for Chris Bangle era. Toster cars not included. No new tech, no new engines, subscription heated seats... Plus the new 7 series is U-G-L-Y even for blind man. Plus the weight of new cars are hideous too... M5 with almost tones... That's not the car, that's a truck. XD

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

Yeap. N54, N55, S63.

[-]

vulkanspecter@reddit (OP)

It's Friday. I can neither confirm nor deny