[grumpybear]

The writer of "the asphalt jungle" page at Motor Trend think so. Before you go screaming that MT is baised and hates BMW, the opposite is true since they have been accused of being BMW whores on more then one occasion. Here's the article from this month's issue of MT and although the first reaction from most of the people on this forum will be negative, there is a bit of truth throughout that's hard to ignore if you have an open mind....

The Asphalt Jungle: The Fable Guys - BMW: some great cars, and plenty of prop-aganda

We car journalists are suckers for BMWs. Every model the Bavarian brand produces is an engineering masterwork, manna for driving enthusiasts, an internal-combustion mallet for pummeling comparison-test rivals into humiliated awe. Why even bother to conduct such tests? We'll choose the machine with the blue-and-white propeller on the nose every time. Right?

That's the cliche. And, indeed, there are some on this staff (I won't Brian Vance mention any names) who believe BMW can do no wrong. But the reality is this: BMW supremacy is a myth, one based in part on some historical validity but sustained in recent years largely by a single model, the 3 Series (okay, the new 1 Series seems strong, too). As for the rest of the lineup...where are the superstars? M5 sedan? A thrilling drive, yes, but in its most recent comparo (February 2007) a second-place finisher to the sweeter, sleeker Audi S6.

Other recent comparisons tell a similar tale. In our August 2007 issue alone, "all-conquering" BMW lost three times (Z4, X3 3.0si, even the twin-turbo version of our beloved 3 Series). Last month, BMW came up short twice (550i, new X6). We've slammed the outgoing X5 for being a small, overpriced SUV pretender (April 2005); our long-term 2005 X3 2.5i eventually creaked and groaned so badly I had to ask our fleet guru whether it had been in an accident (it hadn't); and the last time we comparison-tested BMW's 7 Series flagship (September 2004), the car tied for fifth out of five.

Clearly, we're all on the BMW payroll.

Part of the problem, of course, is iDrive. A few contrarians out there will tell you they've mastered BMW's cursor-actuated, multi-screened interface; hey, you can also stand on your fingertips while spinning dinner plates on your toes if you're willing to sweat it out in your garage for five years. For the rest of us, the iDrive controller remains such a poster child of frustration and feature-glut (do you really need an electronic menu to adjust the airflow from individual vents?), we simply can't heartily endorse a car-no matter how surgical its steering or smooth its inline-six-blemished by that glaring chrome iDrive mole.

Another BMW hurdle: The competition has upped its game. Look at the recent stuff from Nissan-the fabulous G37 sedan and FX50 crossover, to name just two. Fast, lean, far more user-friendly, and way cheaper than their BMW counterparts. The new Jag XF has BMW-worthy moves and a sensuousness the 5 Series simply can't match. The competition's premium sedans -- Benz S-Class, Maserati Quattroporte, Lexus LS -- are so compelling, in our last comparo we didn't even invite the dated, HAL 9000-plagued BMW 7 to play.

Then there are...the utter disasters. What, please tell me, is an X6? Why did BMW dilute its engineering resources to create a vehicle with no objective reason for being other than "the driver sits up high"? True, the X6 is uniquely styled and, judging by all the breathless questions I fielded while driving around L.A., there are tons of people interested in it (then again, tons of people also buy Chuck Norris Total Gyms). Yet the X6 is also grotesquely heavy, too small to carry anything, compromised in back by that free-falling roofline, saddled with iDrive and a needlessly complicated shift lever, and absurdly expensive. Why would anyone with an IQ above "platypus" purchase an X6 over a 535xi Sport Wagon?

That BMW's engineers are gifted goes without saying. As German-born architect Mies van der Rohe once said, though, "Less is more." Also, "What is this big chrome mole here?"

[!Xoible]

yes. 335 > *.* wait, 335 is also bmw. i mean to say FORD RULES THE WORLD

[footie]

No more than any other manufacturer. Like the rest BMW also produce some shit and stupid cars in the quest for more sales and more profits.

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by footie

No more than any other manufacturer. Like the rest BMW also produce some shit and stupid cars in the quest for more sales and more profits.

true, but part of the myth of BMW is they don't produce shit and everything they build is best in class. In the past, it was easy to justify the cost difference between BMW and other cars because of different reasons. When I bought my 330i it was a couple thousand more then the TL or the G35 but it was clearly a better car at the time.

Now other carmakers have gotten close enough or passed BMW in some cases where you can't make that argument anymore and if the price difference of a BMW isn't justified anymore, why do people buy them when you can get almost as good or better a car for thousands less? Even the Roundel stated a month or two back in their comparo of the 535 and CTS that unless you had Bavarian blue blood in your veins, you can't say that the BMW was a $15K ($61K for the 535 vs. $46K for a better equipped CTS) better car then the CTS. The biggest issue for BMW right now is how to continue to sell cars at the current level when the gap between them and other cars is closing fast or has been closed.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Carnage

true, but part of the myth of BMW is they don't produce shit and everything they build is best in class. In the past, it was easy to justify the cost difference between BMW and other cars because of different reasons.

Now other carmakers have gotten close enough or passed BMW in some cases where you can't make that argument anymore and if the price difference of a BMW isn't justified anymore, why do people buy them when you can get almost as good or better a car for thousands less? Even the Roundel stated a month or two back in their comparo of the 535 and CTS that unless you had Bavarian blue blood in your veins, you can't say that the BMW was a $15K ($61K for the 535 vs. $46K for a better equipped CTS) better car then the CTS. The biggest issue for BMW right now is how to continue to sell cars at the current level when the gap between them and other cars is closing fast or has been closed.

hi mini-post whore. u coulda broken that down into 8 posts

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

hi mini-post whore. u coulda broken that down into 8 posts

I started too but then I got bored. Stupid ADD...

[ages944]

Originally Posted by grumpybear

...
Fast, lean, far more user-friendly,
...

User friendly? They mean dumbed down design. Auto journalists are such sheep. iDrive is easy for anyone who's used a computer to understand.

[Dascamel]

Wonder what I'll think of the iDrive once it hits the garage... something to keep me busy while waiting for the wife?

[Year's_End]

Overrated - yes. Shitty - no.

[BayAreaE92]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

Overrated - yes. Shitty - no.

Agreed

Overrated - Yeah

Shitty - My 328i in it's current state...most definitely at a mere 6,500 Mi

[titaniume90]

Engineering.

Some people don't care how their car actually drives, they just want it to look good and have a popular name brand. I have driven audi, infiniti, cadillac, mercedes, they just don't feel the same. So I could care less what anyone says, I don't think they are overpriced or overrated everytime I get behind the wheel. When I make the payment I do not in any way shape or form feel like I am paying too much for what I am driving

WHO CARES. You can beat the topic to death, if you have worked on cars, or are familiar with them, you can see why they are more superior than many competitors.

[ZJP]

Originally Posted by titaniume90

Engineering.

Some people don't care how their car actually drives, they just want it to look good and have a popular name brand. I have driven audi, infiniti, cadillac, mercedes, they just don't feel the same. So I could care less what anyone says, I don't think they are overpriced or overrated everytime I get behind the wheel. When I make the payment I do not in any way shape or form feel like I am paying too much for what I am driving.

+1

[gbelton]

To answer the OP's question (Post), the answer is no.
Is there other alternatives? Yes.

Motor Trend like any or Rag/Mag must show differences (Stirr up things) or they will loose readership. They all have there places. This is why I read Roundel, Bimmer, and a few other Rag/Mags.

Thank you for your post OP but it is flawed in all it's content. Oh, and I am not a sheep, I just appreciate balance and the competition has not achieved this IMO but when they do, I will give them a fair and balanced look.

[gbelton]

Originally Posted by titaniume90

I don't think they are overpriced or overrated everytime I get behind the wheel. When I make the payment I do not in any way shape or form feel like I am paying too much for what I am driving

you can see why BMWs are more superior than many competitors.

I could not agree more...

Can't tell you how many people who own the competition (AUDI, Mercedes, Porsche and the others) ALL admire and want to be like BMW. And many of them want to buy one too but they have to get out of there lease first!

We all make our choices in life. I made mine when I dumped my FORD and Dodge and I've never looked back...

[BMW F22]

IMO all cars are overrated. No single car nowadays is not overrated. Everything has its moment of fame but the spotlight fades very quickly in this day and age. Examples include the Bugatti Veyron and the Zonda. When they first came out they pretty much stole the show. Then shortly after there were other cars that were cheaper and faster. Now even those cars are not getting the same attention they once did.

The simple fact is that people drive what they want/can afford and I couldn't care less what others think.

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by grumpybear

The writer of "the asphalt jungle" page at Motor Trend think so. Before you go screaming that MT is baised and hates BMW, the opposite is true since they have been accused of being BMW whores on more then one occasion.

Is that why they ran an early production 335 (i.e. w/o the oil cooler) against the G37 when the latter came out and proceeded to complain about the BMW overheating and going into limp mode? Note that this is well after it was known that the 335 should have an oil cooler. Personally, I don't put much stock in MT.

Then again, I actually like the X6. Finally saw one on the road the other day (in S. Barrington...go figure) and thought it looked great.

[x5love]

This guy pisses me off.

You can't taut the FX as being something great and then denounce the X6, that is just utter bullshit.

[phrozen06]

BMW would be overrated if no one wanted one. Regardless of I-Drive, Subframe and other issues that BMW has, I just look at the sales results.

[.:bHd:.]

This article is exactly why I only read British car magazines. Because no one in their right mind would take an FX50 over an X6. And he said G37 Sedan?? I thought only the coupe was a 37 and the sedan was a 35

[chuck92103]

The consumer decides what is good and what is bad, not a columnist or any magazine for that matter. This is because each consumer rates cars based on their individual criteria. For example, does fuel efficiency matter if the vehicle is not used much? Does being the most reliable matter if the car is also the most ugly and boring?

Based on these facts, what makes are expanding and innovating to meet customer needs, and which ones are shutting down plants?

[ianbiz]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

Overrated - yes. Shitty - no.

[ksfrogman]

Like anything else, with all the skewed reviews and silly commercials the consumer has to ultimately decide for himself.

What about the Saab commercials. Born from Jets? Come on, give me a break.