bagwell

here's the autoblog review

http://www.autoblog.com/2017/05/03/2...-drive-review/

ragingf80

I can't, for the life of me, figure out why BMW went the direction it did with the F30/F80 electric steering. I agree, it's not the greatest steering feel, although aftermarket suspension has helped a bit on my M3, and it is still better than my 340i and 328. I really miss that connected feeling and I hope the next gen M3 will return to form. Otherwise I'll have to look elsewhere in 2 years when time comes to replace it.

Toys4RJill

Take a look at the current sales numbers and what they were for the last 5, 10, 20 years and you should have your answer of why the changed steering.

mmarshall

Although sales are, in fact, up, the steering-system change had little to do with it. Most automakers converted from hydraulic to electrical systems for two major reasons.....mechanical simplicity and (slightly) better fuel-economy....though minor at best, maybe 1 MPG or less. The flip-side, of course, is less of a telepathic steering-feel for enthusiasts.

SW17LS

I don't think the change in steering had anything to do with sales or a choice of direction, nothing negative at all about the old steering systems, as Mike said its just a change in technology and the drawback is what we've described.

Och

iTrader: (3)

There are other factors as well, such as more control for vehicle stability systems and of course for the autonomous driving features.

Fizzboy7

The only problem with BMW is whichever one you buy, the name will change a year or two later- effectively making what you have another lame duck (with possible lower resale). One of my biggest pet peeves is a brand that has A.D.D. with their model names. Can't build much brand equity if you can't retain model recognition with the public.

ragingf80

The only thing that comes to mind that went from one name to another was the 3 series coupe being renamed the 4 series and ditto for the M3 coupe to the M4. Or are you talking about the 328i turning into a 330i and the 335i to the 340i? They've been doing that since the E21 in the 70's.

Johnhav430

It seems that all makes are diluting the brand. Look at the generous use of the "M" logo, maybe they call it "M" sport. But AMG has done the same, wth is a C430 AMG? It's not an AMG car from what I understand.

I bought 2 items imho at the right time, or I would have been SOL like you describe, not because I knew, because I happened to buy at that time. In Oct. 2006, I ordered a 335i coupe. I cannot imagine what it would have felt like buying a 330i less than a year prior--the replacement came as a surprise to the automobile community (twin turbo, BMW does not turbocharge cars, wtf is going on?) From memory, it had to be at least a 70 ft. lb. bump and available at 1700 rpm. The other product I got was the infamous iPad 4, it came out dunno 7 or 8 mos after the iPad 3, smoking the 3 buyers....

And to your point, numbers once correlated with displacement. imho Infiniti is one of the worst, assigning large numbers to the same paltry V6....my .02

Sulu

Yes, the model name may change but the latest marketing strategies seem to be to emphasize the luxury brand (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, etc.) while de-emphasizing the individual model names (hence the change to meaningless alphanumeric names, and the emphasis on common design language including the identifiable grilles).

RNM GS3

Car enthusiasts know what is a real ///M or F or AMG and what is Msport/Fsport etc.

Even base ///M is not good enough, you need CompetitionPack then new CS or top dog GTS. Lol

I drove a regular 440i, non Msport coupe a few weeks back, that car is so fast and capable.
For 99.99% people will never explore its limits.

At the end of the day - its all about Marketing and being able to say I have the superior car.

ragingf80

It's a never-ending struggle to keep up. I had a 340i M Sport with the Track Handling Package and it was quite capable. It wasn't until I took it to it's absolute limit did I realize that it wasn't raw enough for me, hence the move to a F80. Then the ZCP came out afterwards... damnit! I've learned to enjoy what I have in the meantime and see what happens next.

Johnhav430

I think we should get what we can reasonably afford, and place weight on substance. Actually, that's an opinion, some folks may like nice floormats, mirrors that dim, streaming music and bright high resolution screens, etc. When it's just ourselves and the car, and nobody there to see us, we'll know what we like....

I mean I could beat myself up. A 16 y.o. in some cases would be humiliated driving a 2007 BMW 335i to school, this is a 11 y.o. car and an obvious sign that the parents do not love this child, or are broke. But for me, the car is very pleasurable to drive, so I don't care! I mean really, imagine only have 300 HP in 2017, that's pretty sad indeed...

RNM GS3

Lesson learned for me is to wait for Comp Pack lol.
Thinking of ordering 2018 M3 with CompPack and keep it for 5-6yrs. Exhaust sound is really my only dislike of the F80 and the CompPack sport exhaust fixes that. Due to kids, will need rear seats for forseeable future.

ragingf80

If it's anything like the MPE than it's worth it. The MPE was the deciding factor for me.