G82 and E46 side by side

[TexaZ3]

Lol this has nothing to do with progressive ideology- albert biermann himself has stated that the move to turbo was driven mostly by (im paraphrasing here) lazy engineering. Bmw was done with M spending so much money on bespoke engines that on paper were less powerful than what the competition was putting out. I believe they call this the free market. It has countlessly been proven that turbo engines arent any more economical or environmentally friendly than their NA counterparts. They are, however, a cheap way to make power and cut R&D costs- especially in a market when people are buying cars basically off spec sheets.

the real culprit here is that many cars nowadays are designed by focus groups rather than engineers. So were ending up now with dozens of flavors of the same generic formula that does just about everything but nothing well. This is a profit motive. The reality is that many manufacturers have realized this is a more profitable strategy than to cater to the apparently small demographic that cares about driver engagment or whatever we want to call it

Hit the nail on the head. SO sad.

[CachacoE46]

Tell me again, what's stopping BMW from building a 162k sports car? They were charging well over 100k for the last M4 comp. and even the base 911's and the Cayenne/Macan hand BMW their ass. Porsche is proof there is a market (you even said "if anyone will even sell it to you"). It's not a price problem, it's not demand, its not about being green, its about a company that just chooses to go in a completely different direction from where they came from because the marketing geniuses said so. GM did it for the better, BMW for the worse. Not to mention a nicer design won't cost them more, they did this design because that is the market they want, they want the obnoxious look at me buyer.

I don't have a big problem with "look at me cars" if they are well designed. I mean, even a $30k Lotus calls attention but for the right reasons. Or a McLaren/Ferrari/equivalent. But I struggle with this "in your face" design philosophy.

[Icecream]

This thing starts at 162k +20k ADM if anyone will even sell it to you. Isn't really in the same universe

Tell me again, what's stopping BMW from building a 162k sports car? They were charging well over 100k for the last M4 comp. and even the base 911's and the Cayenne/Macan hand BMW their ass. Porsche is proof there is a market (you even said "if anyone will even sell it to you"). It's not a price problem, it's not demand, its not about being green, its about a company that just chooses to go in a completely different direction from where they came from because the marketing geniuses said so. GM did it for the better, BMW for the worse. Not to mention a nicer design won't cost them more, they did this design because that is the market they want, they want the obnoxious look at me buyer.

[chapmans]

Meanwhile Porsche is doing this:

This thing starts at 162k +20k ADM if anyone will even sell it to you. Isn't really in the same universe

[Icecream]

Lol this has nothing to do with progressive ideology- albert biermann himself has stated that the move to turbo was driven mostly by (im paraphrasing here) lazy engineering. Bmw was done with M spending so much money on bespoke engines that on paper were less powerful than what the competition was putting out. I believe they call this the free market.

The design is progressive. It's what "everyone else" is doing and is in "fashion". No one is saying BMW isn't free to do what they want and make as much money as they want but we don't have to like it or care for the brand anymore, They are clearly catering to clientele that is after the flashiest, most obnoxious look at me fuck off personality with their design and marketing, a full 180 from where they were when the e46 came out (the initial 5 series of that generation didn't even have a visible exhaust tip) and the current 911 is proof they didn't need to go in that direction. They will sell well (especially with the same idiots that think loud = good sound) but not with this group. I enjoy new designs and like many of the new cars out today but ffs BMW you can do it with some class .

[lemoose]

What drove the decision was to kill tradition. Literally. It's this "progressive" crap all these companies are all doing. They aren't ran by people know or care about cars. BMW is just another luxury brand that sources half the parts from Taiwan and China. That's why there's a major shortage of new cars. The seats are super comfortable at least.

Lol this has nothing to do with progressive ideology- albert biermann himself has stated that the move to turbo was driven mostly by (im paraphrasing here) lazy engineering. Bmw was done with M spending so much money on bespoke engines that on paper were less powerful than what the competition was putting out. I believe they call this the free market. It has countlessly been proven that turbo engines arent any more economical or environmentally friendly than their NA counterparts. They are, however, a cheap way to make power and cut R&D costs- especially in a market when people are buying cars basically off spec sheets.

the real culprit here is that many cars nowadays are designed by focus groups rather than engineers. So were ending up now with dozens of flavors of the same generic formula that does just about everything but nothing well. This is a profit motive. The reality is that many manufacturers have realized this is a more profitable strategy than to cater to the apparently small demographic that cares about driver engagment or whatever we want to call it

[Jimbo's M]

Literally. It's this "progressive" crap all these companies are all doing.

Simple, If you ain't "woke", you're canceled.

[Arith2]

What drove the decision was to kill tradition. Literally. It's this "progressive" crap all these companies are all doing. They aren't ran by people know or care about cars. BMW is just another luxury brand that sources half the parts from Taiwan and China. That's why there's a major shortage of new cars. The seats are super comfortable at least.

[lemoose]

to jump back in on beating a dead horse- its not just the size of the grills. its the geometry of them too. theyre too angular. It looks like a huge grill with a split down the middle (it very well may be actually). they couldve definitely sculpted them better- even given the preposterous surface area. and no hoffmeister kink anymore (m4)? what the hell drove that decision? the design language is generic all around- it looks like a hyundai genesis coupe. I'm tired of people saying it looks better in person. They look just as horrible as you'd expect unless you have no spatial visualization ability. You know what car never looked bad in any angle?

[02_lsb]

Aesthetics aside, This car is just illogical to me. Manual transmission was on the chopping block for the g80 platform, steering is electric, so if most buyers are opting for an automatic... get an Alfa Romeo Quadrofoglio if your heart desires internal combustion and questionable quality or consider a Tesla Model S which is better in every way. This car makes no sense in 2021.

[yhp2009]

This has been kinda true since the E90.

It makes me wonder what the point of the 5 series is. Are there people out there who look at a G80 and think "nope, not big enough" ?!

BMW should go one step further and launch the 6 series to really dial it in

[01SG]

I thought it looked even worse in person. They could have made it work as a homage to the classics, if they kept the grille narrow. As is, it's simply obscene looking in its breadth.

I stopped caring when they ditched the naturally aspirated motor anyway. Looks like the weight savings of the f80 went out the window as well.

[kaiv]

I still don't get why the 3 series became the 5 series.

This has been kinda true since the E90.

It makes me wonder what the point of the 5 series is. Are there people out there who look at a G80 and think "nope, not big enough" ?!

[jbfrancis3]

E39 M5
Wheelbase: 111.4 in
Length: 188.3 in
Width: 70.9 in
Height 55.6 in
Weight: 3,957 lbs

[oceansize]

E46 M3
Wheelbase: 107 in
Length: 177 in
Width: 70 in
Height 54 in
Weight: 3300 lbs to 3450 lbs

G82 M4
Wheel Base: 112.5 in
Length: 188.7 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 54.8 in
Weight: 3913 lbs