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      01-17-2013, 12:32 AM   #36
Ti335
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Drives: E90 335i
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto

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Quote:
Originally Posted by buildbright View Post
We will both take up for our brands we drive now. I could have bought anything from a S4, S6, C63 or so on. The 3 series is a special car but more importantly BMW is more of a lifestyle. BMW is more focused on the drivers experience. BMW has Dinan, and there own performance parts. BMW has an amazing facility the performance center. Audi not so much. Also if I want I can make my 335i fast and still keep my Warrenty with Audi I can't.
How do you plan on making your car fast and keeping the warranty? Dinan voids the factory warranty and replaces with its own limited warranty. You get the same thing with Audi and Stasis. I guess you could get a PPK but that gets you what, an extra 20 hp? Still below what Audi makes stock.

The difference in acceleration between the S4 and 335i is 0.5 seconds according to Edmunds (same driver, cars tested back to back on the same day). That's not insignificant. Actually, that's more than the difference between 328i and 335i.

As for the BMW "lifestyle", I feel like it's becoming a thing of the past. BMW does not really care about the enthusiast driver anymore. They seem to be more interested in selling cars to women and status seekers these days. What bugs me about BMW is that it appears to be a company in decline, even if the sales numbers do not yet reflect it. BMW has tossed aside their core strengths and are focusing on generic luxury. They are diluting brand equity by putting the M badge on everything, from SUVs to diesel powered family cars. The M cars don't even have unique engines anymore...just reinforced versions of the standard I6 and V8 blocks with more boost. In fact, I'm pretty sure that "M" stands for Marketing these days. The 3 and 5 series, BMW's core product lines, have become too soft and isolating. You can't even get a real sport suspension on the 5 series anymore (and on the 3 series, it's only available on the Sport Line in conjunction with a bunch of unnecessary and overpriced cosmetic stuff). And don't get me started on the upcoming FWD cars like the Z2...
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