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Yesterday I took a test drive in a 2007 BMW 335i. On paper this car checked all of my boxes: RWD, 6-speed manual, 300 horsepower turbocharged engine. As a self-proclaimed 'enthusiast' driver, I was growing bored of my FWD, 150 hp Honda Accord. While looking at the car online, and doing hours of research, I had all but decided I was ready for 'The Ultimate Driving Machine'.
Then I drove it. I did not like the heavy steering. I did not like the incredibly powerful brakes. I did not like the clunky shifter or heavy clutch. I did not like the way the engine seemed to first rev slowly and then thrust power instantly, and then immediately cut power as soon as I let off the throttle.
I did not like the way the turn signals activate/deactivate. I did not like seeing such a small instrument cluster behind the wheel. I did not like the tiny LED strip of the stereo unit.
After the test drive, my heart told me not to buy this car. Yet, my brain told me otherwise. "You're SUPPOSED to like this car. All of those things you didn't like are what make it the Ultimate Driving Machine. You just don't know..."
I know WHY this car drives the way it does. I just don't know WHY I didn't like it. I left the lot wondering if I could truly call myself an 'enthusiast'. I made a right-turn in my Honda: using only one hand to make a complete rotation of the wheel, slamming the clutch completely to the floor, flicking the shifter with two fingers, and then effortlessly feathering on the throttle. Easy and effortless. Is a car that is harder to drive supposed to be more fun to drive? I just don't get it.
Anyone else have this let-down experience with a BMW?
It seems like it drives like a sports sedan should and you just don't like sport oriented cars. I personally prefer heavier steering, assertive brakes, some weight in a clutch (although if that BMW had a factory clutch, it wasn't all that heavy) and a build up of power. The vehicle should cut power when you let off the gas, that's how a throttle works so a vehicle only moves at its momentum. Stick to the basic commuter car or maybe give the newer generation 3 series a try as they have softened the car fairly drastically (to the disappointment of many enthusiasts).
Automaker BMW is Germany's most admired employer and a pioneer in profit sharing. So it came as a shock Sept. 30 when an investigative television documentary exposed the Nazi-era misdeeds of BMW's controlling shareholder family, the Quandts. The Silence of the Quandt Family highlighted how patriarch Günther Quandt, grandfather to the generation now controlling BMW (BMWG.DE), built a blood-stained wartime fortune on the back of slave labor and how he sidestepped postwar recrimination.
FWIW I also wouldn't consider a Mitsubishi, just doesn't sit right in relation to the Zero.
I've owned two BMW 530i (2001 and 2006) but I switched to an Audi A6 late last year.
The 2001 version drove much better than the 2006. The steering in the 2006 was heavier and it just wasn't as much fun to drive.
What you've said confirms my own experience. On the continuum between luxury and sport, BMW has moved more toward boring luxury and away from exciting sport. I don't know why.
The 335i is around 3600lbs. It's going to feel a little different than certain other sporty cars.
For instance I was raised on and preferred lighter cars, sub-3000lbs. Even though the 335i is a great car, they do have a certain weight and feeling that can be off putting if you're not expecting it.
Also an E46, E90, and F30 are all pretty different. It sounds like you'd like an E46's power delivery a bit more.
Automaker BMW is Germany's most admired employer and a pioneer in profit sharing. So it came as a shock Sept. 30 when an investigative television documentary exposed the Nazi-era misdeeds of BMW's controlling shareholder family, the Quandts. The Silence of the Quandt Family highlighted how patriarch Günther Quandt, grandfather to the generation now controlling BMW (BMWG.DE), built a blood-stained wartime fortune on the back of slave labor and how he sidestepped postwar recrimination.
FWIW I also wouldn't consider a Mitsubishi, just doesn't sit right in relation to the Zero.
If you owned a business in any part of Nazi controlled territory and you wanted to keep that business, you were involved in some unsavory behavior. It was an unfortunate reality at the time. I initially shared your reaction upon learning of the news but the realities aren't so simple. I believe Porsche, VW, Audi, MBZ and many others were similarly affected.
If you owned a business in any part of Nazi controlled territory and you wanted to keep that business, you were involved in some unsavory behavior. It was an unfortunate reality at the time. I initially shared your reaction upon learning of the news but the realities aren't so simple.
I agree and am aware of that however the Quandt family only started coming to terms with their history after being exposed.
Yesterday I took a test drive in a 2007 BMW 335i. I was growing bored of my FWD, 150 hp Honda Accord.
Your second sentence is the problem. You are used to a Honda Accord, it's familiar to you. It's not sporty, it's not fun... but it's easy. Easy to drive around town, easy to get in and out of, easy to shift, everything's easy.
If that's been your only car for a while, then it's going to take more than just a simple, quick test drive to feel appreciative towards what the BMW (or any sporty car for that matter) has to offer.
Case in point, we have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, with the high output engine. It's got good power, it's the top of the line luxury Jeep, loaded with features, etc. Driving it around town or on the highway is easy. Brake pedal doesn't take any effort, nor does the soft steering. The suspension is bouncy but well damped, going over bumps doesn't jar you, it sways you back and forth.
Then I get into our Porsche Cayenne. The brakes are hyper sensitive compared to the Jeep, very difficult to modulate smoothly as slow speeds. The suspension is MUCH firmer. The steering is communicative and there's no play in it like the Jeep has. It goes around corners flat, the Jeep sways and doesn't impart the feeling of g forces as much. It's much faster, it sounds better, and on the highway or at cruising speeds, you are reminded of why it's a much better SUV than the Jeep. It does everything better than the Jeep, EXCEPT for the slow speed grocery getting/30mph road driving. 45 mph and up, it's a vastly better car.
An automotive enthusiast knows that it's very difficult to make 1 vehicle be the best at every situation out there. It usually involves lots of compromises in some areas. That's why cars like the latest Porsche 911 Turbo get such praise. It's one of the fastest cars on the planet, but you can drive it every day if you want, doing mundane things, and take it to the track on the weekend and kick ass, while having such easy drivability in all situations.
My guess is that you sort of forgot this. A sporty car is not going to be able to compare to your Accord in doing the mundane stuff. It's not designed to. Use the car as its intended however, to be driven briskly, and I think you'll appreciate it for the right reasons, without focusing on its faults.
You don't buy a spot s intended car to compare to a family sedan; plain and simple. BMW actually has model intended to compete on same level as the Honda accord which is why you see more of those cheaper models on the streets compared to higher cost sports type models .Kind of like comparing a heavy duty truck to say a 1500 chevy. Completely different design to appeal to different wants and needs.
The "ultimate driving machine " is a misnomer you actually have to drive them yourself, they do not automatically drive great just because you jumped behind the wheel.
I find them to be a great driver if you are already a pretty good driver yourself. You went from a 150 HP front driver to a 300hp rwd and it did not feel right to you because you did not give yourself enough time to become acclimated to the car.
You have to forget about the great feel of grandmas car and get used to the feel of a real sporty car.
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