[shanecarmaster1]

I haven't posted in a long time, but after this reveal, the reveal of the "M Sport" guise, and my new knowledge that they're revealing a full blown minivan, which will be front wheel drive none the less, I must voice my disgust. I'm actually not against many of the new models, for I think that they all make for a unique design and fulfill certain wants for the driver, but not addressing the elephant in the room is absurd with their floating suspensions and now FWD. How can the executives at BMW not be horridly embarrassed for even thinking of minivan and FWD ideas, none the less produce it? (Don't try to start defending the FWD by referencing the Mini because that's its heritage and it's expected in that car.) I remember a little over a decade ago when BMWs were cool as shit - James Bond drove many of them, seeing one on the road was an experience to behold its beauty, to drive one was a privilege (and modestly rare), and to mistake a BMW for another car was unheard of. BMWs, in every aspect, where cars to admire. Now, any soccermom can get into a lease, there's is basically nothing special about how it drives, and it looks like any other Plain Jane cost-cutting vehicle on the road. I even have the fortune of comparing my flawless and maintained e38 740i M Sport (back when the Sport option actually gave you an entire list of performance upgrades on top of the already-great-from-the-factory cars) and my F02 750Li. One might mistake the new 750 as a hard-riding Lexus. It's simply a highway glider with a twin turbo with a good stereo and that's it. The e38 has such character and such personality, and the past three years' service bills have more than equaled $10k, but I don't care. The lack of care is enhanced when I pull up somewhere with fulfillment of driving such a great machine, only to receive many looks and compliments from pedestrians. There is an aura about "real" BMWs that have been missing, and I bet if we stepped back a decade or two with the knowledge that we have now, we'd be completely stunned at how bad they've gotten these days. We would remember the small and fun Z3, the Z3M, or that bonkers wagon Z3 thing that was really cool, especially with its high-revving and raw inline-6, the perfect e39 with its choice of either NA inline-6 or a nice V8, or the fully insane M5. Then there was the e38: perfection. The X5, although a little disconcerting at its reveal, was great and drove like a BMW. The 3 series was so raw and made great sounds, and then one wonders where we would be today without the insane e46 M3. This whole era still looks new today in the right condition and the right trims, and is still a group of cars that are coveted by their owners. I fully doubt this same passion will stem from the owners of today's BMWs.

I, for one, will probably keep my e38 M Sport until its wheels fall off, and as for a newer car, I will NOT be buying another BMW. They're complete lack of driving dynamics, their lack of concern for their own loyal customers, and the greed is appalling - and I won't tolerate it. And as for the excuse that we use on the boards to defend the driving dynamics: "oh, we're a minority because most people don't know or don't care", I know "normal" people personally who have been turned off by the new model BMW because of how it drove. Their loyal customers are leaving, while wanna-be know-nothings are swarming in to buy their own status symbol.

It's almost weird to veer into other communities, Audi or Mercedes comes to mind, where they're constantly improving their products for the better of their customers. Does everyone know that the new Audi S3 actually likes to break its tail on a track? Do you know who STILL USES HIGH REVVING V8 ENGINES? Do you know who isn't cheapening their interiors? Do you know who actually invests some time and effort into their designs? Do you know who actually tries to be innovative and move forward in a positive way? Not BMW.