Cars We Drive!

[Thrift Vader]

?

 

[Dino944]

OMG **** this company. Literally everything they do now is a big **** YOU to its customers.

They already tried this with Apple CarPlay and got so much hate that they rolled it back. So now they think it’s a good idea to do it again? What different reaction are they expecting this time? Are they going to have a lower MSRP for people in FL who don’t need heated seats?

Terrible idea. I hate subscriptions to things. I hate getting emails and paper mail with advertisements and offers for things I don't want or care about, particularly if a let a subscription lapse. Take a hint, I let it lapse because it sucked and I didn't need it or use it.

When I buy a car I want it to have certain options, I pay for the car with its options and that's it. The only people these subscription options might be useful for are buyers of used cars. Maybe the car you want started life at a dealer in FL, and didn't need heated seats. Well, buy the subscription and you now have them. Still, I'd rather just hunt for a car that has everything I want permanently installed and not deal with subscription BS.

 

[Big A]

BMW is the most overrated car company at this point. Possibly worse than Tesla. I don't think there's been much to get excited about in BMW-land since the E34 M5

 

[clee1982]

you sure it wasn't E30

 

[Texasmade]

you sure it wasn't E30

Or dat ZHP.

 

[Thrift Vader]

Isetta

 

[Jmm722]

BMW is the most overrated car company at this point. Possibly worse than Tesla. I don't think there's been much to get excited about in BMW-land since the E34 M5

I think the M2, M5, and X3M are all the best in their class. M340 is probably the best in its class as well.

Mercedes doesn’t really make anything that can compete with BMW in the same classes other than the E63S and AMG GT.

Audi has an RS3 and R8, but nothing else competitive.

Porsche has great cars, but the prices are somewhat excessive in terms of pure driving performance and you’re buying the badge in part.

You can’t compare modern cars to nostalgia models. There’s too many requirements in terms of safety and emissions to make the cars like the older models.

 

[clee1982]

on SUV, BMW probably win everything in its class, at ~ same price range. Agree on M340, wish they made 5 series "harder" but then my wife would have complained and I would have to buy MB, so I suppose they got the customer requirement "correct"...

 

[gomestar]

I hate the design of the new 4 and 8 series. Also, the interiors all look the same now from $40k to $180k

I don't mind the BMW interior, BMW has always been pretty spartan, though if one can spec 5 series to be same as 7 (seats and other small stuff) then I see almost no reason to buy 7 if you're not been driven...

i noticed this with Volvo SUV models. 40, 60, and 90 are all really similar, and while there are some features limited to more expensive models - I'd be curious what makes up the price gap from the 3 models and what % of that comes down to the costs associated with vehicle size.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

Here’s one thing I can’t overlook, and it’s as much of a plague in the automotive community as piano gloss black trim and fake exhaust noise. Now it’s not only the Germans that are advocates of this ridiculous trend, but they seem to be the ruling class.

I’m talking about fake exhaust tips, it’s just tacky and sort of embarrassing for the dollar value they are worth.

Like I said it’s not only German luxury cars

However these can not be ignored. All of these were taken within 30 minutes. Speaking of the M340

And for the most embarrassing, the Bentley. No excuses for this one.

The Italians don’t seem to be apart of this trend for the most part, not saying there aren’t examples, but they pale in comparison.

 

[Thrift Vader]

Not gonna lie, the new Volvo's look good to me.

 

[HRoi]

Terrible idea. I hate subscriptions to things. I hate getting emails and paper mail with advertisements and offers for things I don't want or care about, particularly if a let a subscription lapse. Take a hint, I let it lapse because it sucked and I didn't need it or use it.

When I buy a car I want it to have certain options, I pay for the car with its options and that's it. The only people these subscription options might be useful for are buyers of used cars. Maybe the car you want started life at a dealer in FL, and didn't need heated seats. Well, buy the subscription and you now have them. Still, I'd rather just hunt for a car that has everything I want permanently installed and not deal with subscription BS.

I guess that the smart thing would be to offer the permanent option at point of sale too, just like they do today and differently priced. But that’s not what they did with CarPlay - you were going to be locked into a subscription plan. And i agree with you - i hate the notion of paying for something for the entire life of the car.

I don’t know if BMW actually talked about heated seats, or it’s just a clickbaity scenario dreamed up by the author, but it does illustrate what’s particularly irritating about this approach. As he points out, BMW would have to install heating elements in every single car that rolls off the assembly line. And then what - it will just be a complete waste for everyone who doesn’t subscribe? What a waste of resources.

A different issue arises with something like active suspension. So the so-called builder of the Ultimate Driving Machine deliberately makes their cars shittier out of the box, so they can hold you hostage to unlocking its full performance capability?

 

[clee1982]

i noticed this with Volvo SUV models. 40, 60, and 90 are all really similar, and while there are some features limited to more expensive models - I'd be curious what makes up the price gap from the 3 models and what % of that comes down to the costs associated with vehicle size.

well, we all know they make more money at higher value item (edit: not sure how much in relative term though), so yes, the higher model you buy the bigger s*cker you're but we already know that...

 

[clee1982]

Here’s one thing I can’t overlook, and it’s as much of a plague in the automotive community as piano gloss black trim and fake exhaust noise. Now it’s not only the Germans that are advocates of this ridiculous trend, but they seem to be the ruling class.

I’m talking about fake exhaust tips, it’s just tacky and sort of embarrassing for the dollar value they are worth.

Like I said it’s not only German luxury cars

View attachment 1416833

View attachment 1416834

However these can not be ignored. All of these were taken within 30 minutes. Speaking of the M340

View attachment 1416835

View attachment 1416836

View attachment 1416837

View attachment 1416838

And for the most embarrassing, the Bentley. No excuses for this one.

View attachment 1416840

The Italians don’t seem to be apart of this trend for the most part, not saying there aren’t examples, but they pale in comparison.

what do you mean by fake exhaust tip? the picture you show are mostly "real" exhaust but with a tip fit over it

 

[clee1982]

Not gonna lie, the new Volvo's look good to me.

yup, I was really tempted with V90 (and wife doesn't like wagon), though in the US it only come in LWB, and I thought that's just too big... interior wise you either like it or think it's a up leveled IKEA...