Question: Given the fact a few people in here are not impressed by the newer 3 series... Why the hell do C & D and other auto mags keep saying how great the BMW is year after year after year? Is the editor banging somebody in BMW corporate?? I don't get it. Are their reviews really that biased? And if the BMW really is, according to some of you.. A bit lifeless..Then what car(s) didn't take that route and are still fun to drive?
I''m wondering because I planned to test drive a 2012 335i and Audi A5 and possibly S4 (all 2012s).
The current 3-series is in dire need of a refresh. Currently it makes significantly more sense to get a M-Sport 328 than it does a 335. Once they threw a turbo on the 328 bringing it up to 240hp vs. the 300hp 335, and then added the 8-speed transmission.. realistically speaking the difference in feel between a M-sport 328i and M-sport 335i is marginal at best. Kind of a catch-22, because if you give a significant boost to the 335i bring it back in line with being worth the additional price without first doing the dramatic refresh of the M3 they're currently doing, they shoot themselves in the foot.
Just strange to watch how they're staggering their refreshes on the same series lines.
Disclaimer: I've owned more luxury cars than I can shake a stick at and have a very open preference towards BMW as an optimal all-around vehicle. I drove a dealer-loaned IS-F for a few weeks when working with a Lexus dealership and they ended up selling it at to another dealer because it sat in their lot too long - it was just a mess of a car. Mercedes is finally starting to catch up, but still nowhere near worth my money. I had a decked out CTS-V and feel it was just trying too hard to look different (see: too angular and their signature chrome is out of style), and all the models simply made too much noise for my taste as I'm an adult and don't really care to hear boy racer exhaust tones. Admittedly I miss my old S4, regardless very few cars I've driven in this price range ($50,000-$120,000) have anything on BMW in the US.