Is there still Stigma around BMW (and Audi ) drivers?
Discussion
Been pondering on this a while-ever since I bought my first BMW. It's an E39 M5 a year ago.
I know there has always been the indicators are optional and not standard comments, chances of getting undertaken/cut up/tail gating at speed etc as experienced from years of driving on the roads. Some prejudices and stereotypes are based in reality, I guess. But are they still the go to for t
ttish driving standards?
My thoughts since owning the BMW - I use my indicators a lot more when in the M5 than when I am in the Civic. I sometimes feel like a knob when I tickle the throttle when pulling away. And I generally let people pass me who are in a hurry-usually in a German car 2 inches from my rear bumper...but recently it's been mostly electric cars who do that....
But the driving standards Tesla owners has to be the worse thing now...? What are your thoughts?
I know there has always been the indicators are optional and not standard comments, chances of getting undertaken/cut up/tail gating at speed etc as experienced from years of driving on the roads. Some prejudices and stereotypes are based in reality, I guess. But are they still the go to for t
ttish driving standards? My thoughts since owning the BMW - I use my indicators a lot more when in the M5 than when I am in the Civic. I sometimes feel like a knob when I tickle the throttle when pulling away. And I generally let people pass me who are in a hurry-usually in a German car 2 inches from my rear bumper...but recently it's been mostly electric cars who do that....
But the driving standards Tesla owners has to be the worse thing now...? What are your thoughts?
Edited by supacool1 on Tuesday 14th May 09:26
supacool1 said:
Been pondering on this a while-ever since I bought my first BMW. It's an E39 M5 a year ago.
I know there has always been the indicators are optional and not standard comments, chances of getting undertaken/cut up/tail gating at speed etc as experienced from years of driving on the roads. Some prejudices and stereotypes are based in reality, I guess. But are they still the go to for tttish driving standards?
My thoughts since owning the BMW - I use my indicators a lot more when in the M5 than when I am in the Civic. I sometimes feel like a knob when I tickle the throttle when pulling away. And I generally let people pass me who are in a hurry-usually in a German car 2 inches from my rear bumper...but recently it's been mostly electric cars who do that....
But the driving standards Tesla owners has to be the worse thing now...? What are your thoughts?
Short answer is yes, the stigma remains and is well earned but this is almost wholly negated today by the fact that almost all other marques have caught up so in relative terms the stigma has gone. I know there has always been the indicators are optional and not standard comments, chances of getting undertaken/cut up/tail gating at speed etc as experienced from years of driving on the roads. Some prejudices and stereotypes are based in reality, I guess. But are they still the go to for t
ttish driving standards? My thoughts since owning the BMW - I use my indicators a lot more when in the M5 than when I am in the Civic. I sometimes feel like a knob when I tickle the throttle when pulling away. And I generally let people pass me who are in a hurry-usually in a German car 2 inches from my rear bumper...but recently it's been mostly electric cars who do that....
But the driving standards Tesla owners has to be the worse thing now...? What are your thoughts?
Edited by supacool1 on Tuesday 14th May 09:26
I think there are tts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again.
ts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again. Red9zero said:
I think there are tts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again.
They just paid £30k for a £2 Chinese shambles so are you sure they aren't just retarded rather than delighted?ts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again. The whole BMW driver thing still seems to be running on its own inertia long after it ceased to be relevant. People still bang on about BMW drivers not using indicators like they're the first person that ever mentioned it and expect thunderous applause for their incisive observational wit.
Based on my actual observations SUV drivers, regardless of age, gender, or make of vehicle, are far worse than BMW/Audi/etc. drivers.
Based on my actual observations SUV drivers, regardless of age, gender, or make of vehicle, are far worse than BMW/Audi/etc. drivers.
Red9zero said:
I think there are tts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again.
Really?? It makes the Mazda Bongo Friendee sound like a sensible name!ts driving every make of car. A neighbour of ours has an Ora Funky Cat and seems to delight in racing off silently from a standing start across our shared car park, seemingly oblivious to any children or dogs in the vicinity. She just narrowly missed me and my dog yet again. It depends on the type of "bad driving".
A lot of the impatient Sales Rep stuff such as tailgating and unnecessary overtaking has moved on to Tesla (and Polestar) as their employers have gone "Net Zero".
However, every car I've seen doing a completely excessive speed in the past two years has either been an Audi or BMW, and usually one of the big SUV ones. It may not be fair to tar all BMW and Audi drivers with that brush though as there's a good chance at least some of those will have been stolen and carrying drug dealers or gangsters about.
For the incompetent type of bad driving (not being able to drive through a huge gap, being unable to park, comfort braking at every roadside etc) on average I'd say there are proportionately fewer Audis and BMWs doing this than other makes. That type of bad driving tends to be reserved for either small Japanese or Korean hatchbacks in anonymous grey or other fairly common cars in a really horrid colour - minty green Skodas and metallic brown Peugeots seem particularly bad for this round where I live.
A lot of the impatient Sales Rep stuff such as tailgating and unnecessary overtaking has moved on to Tesla (and Polestar) as their employers have gone "Net Zero".
However, every car I've seen doing a completely excessive speed in the past two years has either been an Audi or BMW, and usually one of the big SUV ones. It may not be fair to tar all BMW and Audi drivers with that brush though as there's a good chance at least some of those will have been stolen and carrying drug dealers or gangsters about.
For the incompetent type of bad driving (not being able to drive through a huge gap, being unable to park, comfort braking at every roadside etc) on average I'd say there are proportionately fewer Audis and BMWs doing this than other makes. That type of bad driving tends to be reserved for either small Japanese or Korean hatchbacks in anonymous grey or other fairly common cars in a really horrid colour - minty green Skodas and metallic brown Peugeots seem particularly bad for this round where I live.
Yes, but since they're not the exclusive brands they were 25 years ago, the associations are weaker.
And the "thrusting young w@n£er with some money" stereotype, epitomised by the Frank Budgen "yeah not my style" Audi ad (a barb aimed at BMW, but parodying exactly the sort of people Audi was absolutely gagging to have a slice of) is still represented by a lot of real people, but it's not the ubiquitous British trope it was through the late-80s and 90s.
And the "thrusting young w@n£er with some money" stereotype, epitomised by the Frank Budgen "yeah not my style" Audi ad (a barb aimed at BMW, but parodying exactly the sort of people Audi was absolutely gagging to have a slice of) is still represented by a lot of real people, but it's not the ubiquitous British trope it was through the late-80s and 90s.
don't actually see as many bmw drivers tailgating on the motorway these days... teslas generally seem to be quite badly driven these days, and cars most likely to be tailgating are either big range rovers, or double cab pick ups. or white vans, being white vans, but nothing has changed there.
occasionally you'll get a throbber in a brand new BMW M product or Audi RS product, but not too many on the M40, at least...
occasionally you'll get a throbber in a brand new BMW M product or Audi RS product, but not too many on the M40, at least...
Riley Blue said:
Is there still Stigma around BMW (and Audi ) drivers?
Only on PistonHeads, never in the real world.
Right ok? Not sure where you get that from when half the people who hold a negative view of BMW/Audi drivers won't ever even have heard of 'Pistonheads'. There's no smoke without fire as they say, I wouldn't let the perception of BMWs/Audis being badly driven put me off buying one, fortunately BMW's styling department are doing a good enough job of that on their own at the moment. Only on PistonHeads, never in the real world.
Congrats OP on your E39 M5, lovely cars - enjoy.
DaveyBoyWonder said:
Cars you rarely see being driven in a non-tttish manner:
newer Range Rovers
old Ranger Rover Sports
Golf Rs
S3s
Teslas
I had to re-read that a couple of times to understand it but the cars you've listed made it easy to understand. I first thought that the cars weren't being driven in a tttish manner:newer Range Rovers
old Ranger Rover Sports
Golf Rs
S3s
Teslas
ttish manner but you're saying the opposite.My experience is similar to yours.
Case in point when a friend and I were very nearly knocked over on a pedestrian crossing. Car was a black Audi, being driven by a young guy who was too busy hiding his mobile 'phone on his knee to look out of the windscreen.
Friend turned to me and said "It's always an Audi, isn't it?"
Friend turned to me and said "It's always an Audi, isn't it?"
I think it’s less prominent now than it used to be due to BMW/Audi/Mercedes becoming more accessible as someone else mentioned.
In my own experience in terms of a hierarchy of bad drivers I would say:
Aggression/Speed/Incompetence
- Amazon delivery vans
- Highway maintenance vehicles
- white German cars or older German cars
- chav mobiles with pop and bang remaps
Aggression/Incompetence
- mums in SUVs
- taxis
- commuters in poverty spec German cars
Incompetence
- any small granny mobile
- moped riders
Apart from a tendency to exceed speed limits I find performance cars are generally driven quite well.
In my own experience in terms of a hierarchy of bad drivers I would say:
Aggression/Speed/Incompetence
- Amazon delivery vans
- Highway maintenance vehicles
- white German cars or older German cars
- chav mobiles with pop and bang remaps
Aggression/Incompetence
- mums in SUVs
- taxis
- commuters in poverty spec German cars
Incompetence
- any small granny mobile
- moped riders
Apart from a tendency to exceed speed limits I find performance cars are generally driven quite well.
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