That's because, for the most part, it IS no longer the Ultimate Driving Machine it once was.

 

No that is not it nor why.

 

Wife is not expecting yet, but the desire is for that to happen in the upcoming year. Although she has the RX350 which will come in handy then. I would also like to know my car can handle some baby duties so we don't have to drive her car all the time. Maybe I am over-thinking but this would be my first and only child so I am just being proactive.

I too like Alex Auto, his reviews are very informative unlike the stuff that the car magazines are putting out these days which are very misleading. Those editors seem to have an agenda to only promote certain brands and decry others. They focus too much on 0-60 times without looking at the big picture. Daily comfort, fuel efficiency, transmission smoothness and operation, cabin noise etc, the things that we encounter and appreciate on our daily commute.

The only advantage the 3.3T has over the M sport 330i from my test drive is that the Genesis is faster. The G20 feels stiffer in the M Sport guise, has better steering, better brakes etc from my experience. However, the 330I M Sport is fast enough for me and again, the fuel efficiency of the BMW is astounding and thus a win. My daily commute is not on a private road course so a faster car than the 330i M Sport has little bearing to me. I have not ordered the 330I M Sport yet though, still getting quotes on a build. There's also a small chance i might get the M340i just to have the inline 6 motor. I have owned two 3 Series with straight sixes in the past so a little part of my brain is saying, "go big, you only live once". I am still fighting the urge to succumb lol.

 

Having higher sales numbers do not prove anything you just said, or make the 3-Series better. All it proves is that the 3-Series sells more cars.

 

While this may be true, it's a chicken/egg proposition. BMW is purposely widening its customer base, particularly with the F30 3-Series. The driving dynamics are agreed across the board to be subpar to previous generations. But that hasn't hurt BMW's sales of the F30; BMW wants more non-enthusiast customers. Which is more likely the reason they dropped that slogan.

 

Is it not irony for BMW to make their 3 Series less sporty to broaden their customer base for more sales?
While Lexus is making their vehicles like 4GS and 5LS more sporty to narrow its customer base for less sales?

I suppose the midlife refreshed 4.5GS did a back flip to become more comfortable and quieter, but its too late now at 7 years on...
.

 

They changed the slogan to “Ultimate Driving Experience”. The driving dynamics of the older gen models are overrated, the new customer is not looking for 15 year old themes and experiences. Those clamouring about past dynamics are just stuck in the past.

 

That's not true.
The 2003-10 E60 5 Series and 2005-12 E90 3 Series were the very best handling of the 5 and 3 Series - for any who have ever driven them.

Why shouldn't posters aim for top dynamics?
Isn't that what Toyota Motor Corporation's "No more boring cars" is targeting???

 

BMW isn't sitting still, they have heard the complaints and have addressed them. You can get the new 330i in sport line, luxury, m sport, and you can even add track handling package. Or you can upgrade to m340i with adaptive suspension. Then are are more variants of the new m3 on the way.

The dynamics of the old e90 were allright (I actually had a 335i coupe until it was destroyed by sandy), but its performance was static and not adoptable. The new model comes in a lot more flavors, and appeals to a much wider base.

 

I had a couple of V8 E60s, I bought an E60 545i upon launch and then traded it in for an E60 550i.

In 2007, my 550i had an MSRP of $58,500, which would equate to around $72,500 in 2019 dollars (roughly 23% inflation in the intervening period). You needed to add the Sport pack to get Active Roll Stabilization etc which was what really made the handling on the E60 special. It was indeed a great car.

The MSRP for the M550i xDrive is $78.5K, and it's much more car for roughly equivalent money. The Dynamic Handling Package bring Integral Active Steering. Active Roll Stabilization and Adaptive M Suspension Professional. The M550i brings way more power, is hugely quicker, is no less agile and to my mind is easily worth the 6K or so constant dollar difference.

 

I would have to spend more time with a 330i likely when I get a loaner for my annual inspection. But I don't doubt that it places 3rd. When you take the latest greatest iPhone, and you compare it to other brands' flagships, what do you find? Actually, it doesn't beat at anything at all (how does a Xr go to 720p when a iPhone 6 was 1080p). It's all about the logo, and sadly, BMW has become that to a great extent. I mean floating caliper rears on M5 and Alpina B7, c'mon now. Does Maserati or Alfa or Porsche do that? No.

 

buddy had a 6 man 550i 2009--the cars were still fun back then.

When his wife drove it, she had to text him with a pic that it was parked safely. hahahaha I have hipster doofus friends. Rich, at that, he graduated to a 991.

 

One reason the 3-series still sells in large numbers is that some folks, who have not bought a new BMW in a number of years (and have not done much research) haven't caught on to the fact that the new ones simply aren't like the 10-15-year old Ultimate Driving Machines any more. They aren't bad vehicles, mind you (in fact, some of them are quite good in other areas)...but I suspect that some folks don't pay close attention to the new driving dynamics on the test-drive (if they, in fact, take a test-drive). You'd be surprised at the number of people that plunk down tens of thousands and don't even take a test-drive.

 

Most 3 series buyers are mainstream and not enthusiasts. I bet most 3 series sold don't include the M Sport pack. I bet most don't even get the 340 variant. BMW handling in the F30 was pretty mediocre. Not bad but certainly not as good as its competition. Case in point, they say the new Supra that is tuned by Toyota is better than anything BMW has put out including the M series (go see the Savage Geese review of the new Supra). BMW gave up its class leading handling for a more mainstream appeal. Nothing wrong with that but realize, there are sportier options now.

 

Like others have said. You can still get a BMW that handles very well. The new 3 outperforms the G70 in every performance category according to this thread.