RE: BMW M Car Revisions
Discussion
Munich said:
Although this might upset a number of customers, these changes are all about optimising the business case. Reducing parts complexity by applying the changes of the facelift (or Life Cycle Impulse in BMW speak) to all 3-series models (including the modelline with the smallest volume potential) reduces cost.
Therefore BMW either had to decide whether to do exactly what has been detailed in this story, or delay the M3 saloon until the LCI which would have lost volume and therefore worsen the business case.
interesting Therefore BMW either had to decide whether to do exactly what has been detailed in this story, or delay the M3 saloon until the LCI which would have lost volume and therefore worsen the business case.
As if to prove my point check out Oli S's half-hearted missive about the US-market WRX four-door.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
ultegra said:
As if to prove my point check out Oli S's half-hearted missive about the US-market WRX four-door.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
I sense a punch up!http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
Hang on while I get a beer.
If it's so important to facelift the M3 with the normal 3-series, why did the E46 M3 miss out on the coupe's 2003 frontal styling changes? Also, since the current M3s don't share their bumper with any other E90/E92/E93, why change them?
£32,999 by year end? By the time 58 plates are launched, I think...
£32,999 by year end? By the time 58 plates are launched, I think...
infradig said:
'part time alternator' This is nothing new,I had a piece of Italian sh.. I mean engineering that had four different 'part time alternators' in eight months! I,m pretty sure that in their spare time they were part of a cappucinno machine.
But seriously with the ever greater demands placed on batteries, is this a token green gesture too far?
No. If you run the alternator all the time, you're imposing an additional load on the engine all the time. Engaging it only when 'engine braking' means you can make use of some of the energy which would otherwise end up dissipated as heat in the engine/brakes to charge the battery. Common-sense stuff really.But seriously with the ever greater demands placed on batteries, is this a token green gesture too far?
A better solution altogether would be to lose the belts, starter motor and alternator, replacing the whole lot with a combined starter/alternator and 'beltless' electrically driven ancillaries (water, PAS, aircon etc). If the power steering pump works well at idle, it's almost certainly wasting a lot of power at 8000rpm.
308mate said:
Anyone who uses the term "through the twisties" shoud be shot at dawn.
Journalists that use it should be shot in non life-threatening body parts for consecutive dawns, until their life drains from them.
The interior is teutonically austere, though the shifter falls readily at hand. Journalists that use it should be shot in non life-threatening body parts for consecutive dawns, until their life drains from them.
Miguel
ultegra said:
As if to prove my point check out Oli S's half-hearted missive about the US-market WRX four-door.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
I think occasionally Oli suffers from the fact part of his job is recycling press releases for PH's "news" page.http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
There he makes a great play about its saloon style body only to dress the feature up with a front quarter photo that could equally be of the hatchback. This is the sort of schoolboy reporting to be expected in a 5th form project. I hope he doesn't have the temerity to be drawing a salary for this.
Because we dont know which ones are press releases with some of the words changed and which ones he's actually written in a journalistic capacity, its easy to criticise - and Ive been quite vocal about it in the past.
As far as the Subaru piece goes, its likely a press release - as we're not in the US. In which case, it should be referenced or credited as such, so that we as readers can benchmark it and add pinches of salt accordingly. This might save some of the criticism he comes in for.
Still no excuse for the "twisties" phrase though. Burn 'im!
SJobson said:
If it's so important to facelift the M3 with the normal 3-series, why did the E46 M3 miss out on the coupe's 2003 frontal styling changes? Also, since the current M3s don't share their bumper with any other E90/E92/E93, why change them?
£32,999 by year end? By the time 58 plates are launched, I think...
They didn't change the M3 caus the facelift would have made it look poo thats why - I hate the facelifted E46 with a passion, it looks far too feminine with it's upswept indicators - imagine how awful that would have looked like on an M3!!£32,999 by year end? By the time 58 plates are launched, I think...
As for the new models - they are depreciating fast and hard. I was only looking at some used examples on the BMW website and they were only just above £40k for nearly new models with 2k on the clock.
You my be right about them being lots cheaper by year end
Once they hit £25k I might consider buying one but the problem is they will still have far to fall before they reach an acceptable level where depreciation wont hurt you as much.Gulp - seems everyone has the Friday morning moanies. I think Oli's reportage is well worth reading! Keep it up and ask for a stay of execution!
To suggest that writing for the web is "lesser" than scribing for Autocar or the dinasaur monthlies is, I feel, not very fair. Web journalists and bloggers are getting real, frequent feedback which should, I hope, concentrate the mind particularly when re-drafting press verbiage?
Please avoid "twisties" though - they sound like the sort of school dinner fare that under-dressed Jamie O has been wittering about.
Running M cars will always be a costly business - if the depreciation is levelling off then service & maint. costs, tyres, etc. will keep your wallet busy! Look at the BMW extended warranty fees (which are insurance premiums) for 3+ year old M3s and M5s...
To suggest that writing for the web is "lesser" than scribing for Autocar or the dinasaur monthlies is, I feel, not very fair. Web journalists and bloggers are getting real, frequent feedback which should, I hope, concentrate the mind particularly when re-drafting press verbiage?
Please avoid "twisties" though - they sound like the sort of school dinner fare that under-dressed Jamie O has been wittering about.
Running M cars will always be a costly business - if the depreciation is levelling off then service & maint. costs, tyres, etc. will keep your wallet busy! Look at the BMW extended warranty fees (which are insurance premiums) for 3+ year old M3s and M5s...
DinoACS said:
They didn't change the M3 caus the facelift would have made it look poo thats why - I hate the facelifted E46 with a passion, it looks far too feminine with it's upswept indicators - imagine how awful that would have looked like on an M3!!
I think the wing panels and grille (maybe bonnet too) were different in the facelift, and of course they're different in the M3 from the normal 3 series. Hence it wasn't worth knocking up a load of new parts for a low-volume car. This time around, it seems to have happened the other way about.
carl_w said:
I think the wing panels and grille (maybe bonnet too) were different in the facelift, and of course they're different in the M3 from the normal 3 series. Hence it wasn't worth knocking up a load of new parts for a low-volume car.
This time around, it seems to have happened the other way about.
That's true in part -Aluminium bonnet for one, but the facelift headlights were too small for the M3's proportions. This time around, it seems to have happened the other way about.
Back to depreciation - it's not just E92's that are dropping fast, everything is. Most cars have dropped as much in the past 2 months as they usually would in half a year.
Edited by mwstewart on Friday 1st August 13:45
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