Re: BMW: Real-world performance failure (long) (archive)

The complete automotive resource for buyers, sellers, and owners like you.

: I recently got flamed for a post which demonstrated how every model of BMW had a cheaper and quicker competitor. [... stuff deleted ...]

: All of which raises a second observation: "Why do you care?" I care because I work in advertising, and I'm fascinated by how marketing skews consumers' perception of fact and truth. BMW has gone to great lengths to portray their cars as real driver's cars. In commercials, most models are shown screeming through tight turns in a mountainous country side. I can't imagine that BMW owners get such an opportunity more than a few times a year.

I don't think it much matters how often one gets to utilize the potential of their car. It's cheaper to buy one car that can do both the "normal" duties and the "fun" duties than to get two cars; which is what you'd need to have fun and to haul the family. So, I don't think you have a very important point. It is their dual nature of "normal" and "fun" where BMW's excel.

: A lot of people have bought into the BMW "mystique." And they've paid significantly for it--these are expensive cars. The majority of them will barely explore the road-course abilities of their vehicles. For them, their BMW is a fashion accessory. They could have bought a less expensive vehicle, but they instead chose a car which enhances their image (yes, BMWs are safe, luxurious, and well-built, but the Japanese meet them in all three categories and for less money, so it's image which tips the scales for these owners).

Interestingly, BMW's slogan is "Ultimate Driving Machine", not "Ultimate Performance Machine". You seem to be challanging the latter; which is incorrect. No spec sheet will tell you if a car is a great driving machine. You have to drive it to see if meets your personal metrics.

: That said, from the replies to my original post, I can see that most participants in this forum have a well-grounded appreciation for their BMW. I think the majority of BMW owners here would like to distance themselves from the popular image of the BMW owner, and for that I support them.

: Where I differ from other participants here is in their view that their BMW is a superior performance machine because of its road-course manners. I think I've made clear that most of what makes a BMW special and unique is put to no good use on American roads. For that reason, I use my C5 as my daily driver and use my 540i for the occasional times I need 4 doors.

If, by your argument, the M3's abilities are wasted on American roads, and you say the C5 is a better performance car, then why would anyone buy a C5 over an M3 since by your logic the C5 would be even more of a waste on American roads? You would have been better off getting an M3 4 door and you would saved about $50K and you would have a car that we better utilized than your C5 + 540 combo.

: I hope you understand that your BMW (with very few exceptions) is not a real-world performance car. Enjoy your BMW for what it is: a very well-built, refined, and balanced road car whose qualities are largely wasted in American driving conditions.

Again, I'd say the M3 is more of a real-world performance car than the C5 because you can enjoy it as much as you can a C5 on public roads. And, given that most owners of both cars will never go to a track, the C5's higher performance capabilities are completely wasted.

Questions, comments, or problems, please visit the Roadfly help desk.