Turning into an ///M Snob!!

[ciaranob]

Man - have the M4 in for oil service and multi-point check-up (also getting the software update to address minor wheel alignment issue which there is an actual service bulletin for - another story in another thread).

So got a nice loaner - a brand new (ca. 200 miles on odometer) 430 Coupe in mineral grey metallic with all the electronic bells and whistles, an automatic with paddle shifters etc., etc. After driving to and from work messing with all drive modes (yes there is a Sport + in this thing! ) I came away with a totally underwhelmed experience in respect the neutral to numb engine feedback and general driving experience. Realize not a fair comparison to anything M but is it me or has the latest lineup of more standard line Bimmers just blended in with every other commuter car - seems to be little here that discriminates this car other than the badge - or, more than likely, I'm just being an M snob!

PS: Our last 2011 3 series sport wagon was far more fun to drive - was a manual 6-speed so there is that - perhaps its just the automatic that has me thrown for a loop but even the sound of the 2011 motor was more engaging than this 430.

[seis-speed]

New (base) BMW's have gotten quicker and more sophisticated, but they are less involving to drive than in the past. M has more allure than ever IMO.

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by ciaranob

Man - have the M4 in for oil service and multi-point check-up (also getting the software update to address minor wheel alignment issue which there is an actual service bulletin for - another story in another thread).

So got a nice loaner - a brand new (ca. 200 miles on odometer) 430 Coupe in mineral grey metallic with all the electronic bells and whistles, an automatic with paddle shifters etc., etc. After driving to and from work messing with all drive modes (yes there is a Sport + in this thing! ) I came away with a totally underwhelmed experience in respect the neutral to numb engine feedback and general driving experience. Realize not a fair comparison to anything M but is it me or has the latest lineup of more standard line Bimmers just blended in with every other commuter car - seems to be little here that discriminates this car other than the badge - or, more than likely, I'm just being an M snob!

PS: Our last 2011 3 series sport wagon was far more fun to drive - was a manual 6-speed so there is that - perhaps its just the automatic that has me thrown for a loop but even the sound of the 2011 motor was more engaging than this 430.

BMW is the new German Toyota. Sad but true. The ultimate driving machine is gone from all but REAL ///M cars. For example, my wife's 340 is a good car but it could have an infiniti or Lexus badge on the front just the same. I can't wait to get back in the M4 when I drive her car. It's all about sales and market share for BMW these days. Lame cars with a "prestigious" badge is what sells nowadays :

[Racer20]

Yup, any non-M after the E90 generation is just not that interesting. I own a 228i and it's a great car objectively, but not really engaging or fun. My ZHP is much more fun. Same for my parent's 440xi.

I would take an M2/3/4 over any of its competitors, but a non-M 2/3/4 is pretty low on my list.

[F83]

Originally Posted by Racer20

Yup, any non-M after the E90 generation is just not that interesting. I own a 228i and it's a great car objectively, but not really engaging or fun. My ZHP is much more fun. Same for my parent's 440xi.

I would take an M2/3/4 over any of its competitors, but a non-M 2/3/4 is pretty low on my list.

Sad but true. I had an E90 335xi before my M4. THAT was a great car. When I tuned it up it really moved and the driving dynamics were exceptional.

Those days of non-M BMWs being "special" driving cars are completely gone I'm afraid.

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by F83

Sad but true. I had an E90 335xi before my M4. THAT was a great car. When I tuned it up it really moved and the driving dynamics were exceptional.

Those days of non-M BMWs being "special" driving cars are completely gone I'm afraid.

Same here. My last ride was an 2011 e92 335is with DCT flash Cobb pro-tuned. The car was great. Loved it. If it wasn't totaled I would still have it.

Unfortunately the only way to get a proper BMW nowadays is to pony up some cashola and get an ///M

[ciaranob]

Well shoot you are all confirming my reaction which indeed is a real shame - part of this I suspect is simply that the ever tightening competitor market allows for less and less discrimination between line ups and within line-ups between high and low performance cars - at least in respect aesthetics and accessories - thankfully the engine and drivetrain dynamics are still fully separable between M's and std line cars and in respect similar differentiating competitor line-ups. With increased electrification even this could change given for example the instant torque available with the the former and quite how we evolve sport car performance as a differentiator in the next 2 decades remains to be seen. Bottom line - enjoy the //Moment!!

Originally Posted by seis-speed

New (base) BMW's have gotten quicker and more sophisticated, but they are less involving to drive than in the past. M has more allure than ever IMO.

Originally Posted by ///M4ster Yoda

BMW is the new German Toyota. Sad but true. The ultimate driving machine is gone from all but REAL ///M cars.

Originally Posted by Racer20

Yup, any non-M after the E90 generation is just not that interesting.
I would take an M2/3/4 over any of its competitors, but a non-M 2/3/4 is pretty low on my list.

Originally Posted by F83

Sad but true. I had an E90 335xi before my M4. THAT was a great car. When I tuned it up it really moved and the driving dynamics were exceptional.

Those days of non-M BMWs being "special" driving cars are completely gone I'm afraid.

Originally Posted by ///M4ster Yoda

Same here.

Unfortunately the only way to get a proper BMW nowadays is to pony up some cashola and get an ///M

[Ian1973]

Well the old die hards say the driving dynamics died with the E39 and E46. They didn't like the E9x generation base cars or M cars, and they certainly don't like the F8x generation M's.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

Well the old die hards say the driving dynamics died with the E39 and E46. They didn't like the E9x generation base cars or M cars, and they certainly don't like the F8x generation M's.

I am an old die hard and I love my M4

[marvinp]

This isn't related to driving, but while waiting at the dealer, I sat in a 440i Grand Coupe and I was really underwhelmed by the interior. The leather wasn't as nice and the dash and doors felt cheaper. Needless to say I was happy to go back to my M3.

[ciaranob]

Indeed - you'd need to pony up a lot more cash to get the sort of interior as advertised here:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1435458

Originally Posted by marvinp

This isn't related to driving, but while waiting at the dealer, I sat in a 440i Grand Coupe and I was really underwhelmed by the interior. The leather wasn't as nice and the dash and doors felt cheaper. Needless to say I was happy to go back to my M3.

[Wills2]

When I was young back in the day in the 70's and 80's any BMW was a step up and a treat compared to the run of the mill Fords/Vauxhalls (GM) most people drove in the UK.

These days I think the market and consumer has moved on and only the M cars and higher end non M BMWs are seen as a step up as the 1/2/3/4/5 are pretty much the norm.

[IDBGOD]

Originally Posted by marvinp

This isn't related to driving, but while waiting at the dealer, I sat in a 440i Grand Coupe and I was really underwhelmed by the interior. The leather wasn't as nice and the dash and doors felt cheaper. Needless to say I was happy to go back to my M3.

It's pretty much the same interior, doors, etc. M3/4 leather is a little nicer but the dash etc...really just depends on if you opted for full extended leather or not.

Plenty of M3/4's around that look the same as pretty much a standard 3 or 4 series interior wise. It's the same platform afterall
3's and 4's are not that luxurious.

I personally could care less about the interior. Luxury is not the reason I bought an //M.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Wills2

When I was young back in the day in the 70's and 80's any BMW was a step up and a treat compared to the run of the mill Fords/Vauxhalls (GM) most people drove in the UK.

These days I think the market and consumer has moved on and only the M cars and higher end non M BMWs are seen as a step up as the 1/2/3/4/5 are pretty much the norm.

Isn't f3x the best selling generation out of all the 3 series?

Whatever we may think, we are the minority so pony up the $ for those f8x or keep looking at the classifieds for old m cars of yesteryear

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by IDBGOD

It's pretty much the same interior, doors, etc. M3/4 leather is a little nicer but the dash etc...really just depends on if you opted for full extended leather or not.

Plenty of M3/4's around that look the same as pretty much a standard 3 or 4 series interior wise. It's the same platform afterall
3's and 4's are not that luxurious.

I personally could care less about the interior. Luxury is not the reason I bought an //M.

This. Sometimes I wonder why people that care so much about interiors buy an ///M car. Maybe they should consider a 7 series or Merc S class instead. I drive the ///M for the Performance/Fun Factor. Couldn't care less about LED highlights/tail lights blah blah blah

[IDBGOD]

Originally Posted by ///M4ster Yoda

This. Sometimes I wonder why people that care so much about interiors buy an ///M car. Maybe they should consider a 7 series or Merc S class instead. I drive the ///M for the Performance/Fun Factor. Couldn't care less about LED highlights/tail lights blah blah blah

My thoughts exactly. Issue I think is when people spend $70K+ on a car they just expect to have more. Then they find out it still costs $1400 for leather lol.

Technology and luxury is great and all...but that's not the reason you buy an //M. All I need is the S55 and that fantastic DCT transmission/suspension and I'm happy. The rest is just a bonus.

I suppose if you have to have the luxury...the best medium for luxury/performance would be the M5. Fantastic car and the luxury of the new 5 is leagues above any M3/4. Then again, for the price point of $100K+ that opens the door to a lot of vehicles.

I've always said if you are a luxury person stick with the Merc. If you are a performance enthusiast...BMW all the way

[empowered_one]

Agree 100% on a numb engine feel and general driving experience...I have a 2015 F30 328i x-drive that I decided to lease for a daily driver. At first, I thought the car was OK to drive, definitely not "fun" by any means, but over the past 2 years, it has grown even more boring to drive. So much in fact that I just ordered an F80 as the "lease replacement" a year before my lease is up on the F30 because I can't take it anymore..lol. The F80 will become my new daily and I will drive the doors off it.

[ciaranob]

Good for you - mine has been my daily since return from ED in Nov 2014 and still get a blast driving this thing - can honestly say I look forward to my commute every time!

Originally Posted by empowered_one

Agree 100% on a numb engine feel and general driving experience...I have a 2015 F30 328i x-drive that I decided to lease for a daily driver. At first, I thought the car was OK to drive, definitely not "fun" by any means, but over the past 2 years, it has grown even more boring to drive. So much in fact that I just ordered an F80 as the "lease replacement" a year before my lease is up on the F30 because I can't take it anymore..lol. The F80 will become my new daily and I will drive the doors off it.