bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i do for the target group (gen y). i think there's more aspiration to own a bmw (as that shows), but for mercedes, i expect the aspiring begins a little older right now. but i think mb is trying harder with some of their edgier ads of the c class flinging around deserts, etc.

lexus is trying 'younger' with the CT, but i think the vehicle is just too dull. even a stripped bmw 328 is just WAY more fun to drive and better looking. and since gen y'ers are up to their necks in debt, purchase price doesn't matter much because they lease.

if your profile is right, then you're not gen y. (neither am i).

spwolf

every day new survey pops up... i bet if we round them all up, every single manufacturer will be a winner!

mmarshall

BMW, despite sometimes questionable reliability, does have a lot going for it. They have, IMO, among mainline auto manufacturers, simply unmatched steering/suspension/chassis engineering, and an almost magical tactile-feel to the steering and front tires, even with significant power-assist. I don't know of another main-line auto manufacturer that combines steering feel, ride, and handling so well. Though they (for several reasons) are not the cars for me I almost always look forward to BMW reviews and test-drives, knowing that it will almost certainly be an enjoyable experience. Mercedes, Porsche, and, increasingly, Audi, come close in some areas, but BMW is not known as the "Ultmate Driving Machine" for nothing.....IMO, they have earned the title.

But, since your post compared BMW to Lambo, Ferrari, AM, and Bentley, I have to agree with you that they, unlike BMW, are not mainstream/mainline auto manufacturers. They do esentially niche-products for those who want to spend at least several hundered thousand dollars....or, in AM's case, well over 100K.

CDNROCKIES

Porsche has a better handling, better driving option for every single category that BMW makes except for the entry level small sedan. Porsche goes further with high performance models that BMW has never had the cohones to even try to produce.

BMW's are only known as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" because they have an outstanding marketing department.

That title surely should belong to Porsche as they can produce vehicles that are luxurious, handle/perform and are reliable.

IS-SV

Agreed, drivers that actually place steering and handling precision as top priorities are well aware of Porsche being at the top today.

BMW obviously has the Ultimate Marketing Machine in getting it's message out, and that's a good thing from a business standpoint. But the reality is a majority of North American sales are 328/528/SUVs and are very capable cars but far from ultimate driving machines. Of course they are very capable and suitable cars for the targeted premium vehicle buyers.

dunnojack

truth .

LexFather

Can't really argue with this. Though I am in this group and think differently.

J.P.

I was waiting for that post

I8ABMR

intersting to see , but arent the Germans always at the top of the list for these types of comparisons

TwiBlueG35

More fun to drive? May be. Better looking? I don't think so. And all BMW's interiors are shockingly ugly. Design are much more important than fit and finish and materials used. BMW's dashboard and center console are worse than Mazda.

mmarshall

I base my views of BMWs not on their marketing, but on what they actually deliver. Yes, Porsches are, in some ways, better sports-cars in the pure-sense of the term (if you want something harder-edged), but when it comes to the actual joy of a driving-feel, nobody, IMO, does it better than BMW.....and BMW, unlike Porsche, does more than just sports-cars and SUVs. BMWs are not the cars for me, for a number of reasons (build-quality is one of them), but I don't know of another mainline auto-manufacturer that can do a chassis like BMW does (the new Buick Lacrosse and Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Track Coupe, though, come close). Every time I test-drive one of BMW's products, the driving-feel simply amazes me.

My opinion is not alone, either. Though some other brands have been catching up recently, a number of auto-magazine articles and comparisons, for years, have also picked BMWs, especially the 3 and 5-series, as winners or near-winners in many of their write-ups.

mmarshall

I wouldn't call them ugly, but I agree that BMW's interiors could be better (except, maybe, for the superb interior of the 550GT)....they are clearly not up to the level of BMW chassis-engineering. The flimsy, plastic, hard-to-use electronic shifter, IMO, is especially annoying, and I've never been a fan of BMW's I-Drive. They also need to dump the Dakota leather and get some nicer-feeling upholstery.

IS-SV

Instead of justifications of older people believing in marketing slogans, I would to read some feedback from actual gen Y members regarding the survey.

RXSF

This 21 year old got in my Mercedes and said that she wanted a bmw. When she asked me whether or not I thought the 3 series was a nice car, I said yes, but I decided to buy a C class instead of the 3er. She then proceeded to ask whether Mercedes was a non luxury brand like a Toyota...I was stunned.

JessePS

No Bugatti or Koenigsegg? For shame.