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      09-01-2008, 10:14 AM   #26
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by synclastica_86 View Post
To me, I don't care. The M3 is a great car, and I love it. That's all it matters to me. As long as they make a single car that performs like a pure bred sports car and within the price range that I could afford, I cool.
I am mostly with you on that, but I do think that BMW should at least offer the parts that they were developing for the CSL. In fact, I would probably actually prefer that over a factory CSL to begin with, if I were in the market for a track car.

Quote:
Yes, some people might say that //M will be tarnished by not having a CSL and producing SUVs, but why do you care? I would like to think that most M3 drivers are like me; they are in it for the driving experience and not the braging rights of owning the //M badge in the back of their trunk. That's my take.
Its more about the focus of the M Division than it is the badge. For one thing, the M lineup uses their own engines which are built specifically with performance in mind. But the new X5 and X6 models will (almost surely) use a retuned N64 which is a turbo V8 with a 7k RPM redline and thus not really what M is all about. Sure, the old M5 used a lower revving V8 which was based on the N62 but all current cars use high-revving M specific motors. If the X5 and X6 do arrive as M models this progress will be lost, IMHO. It could very well open the door to an N64 powered F10 M5, which I personally will see as a big step backward. The next step after that would be a N54 powered F30 M3. Do you see the concern? I am not against turbocharging but I think M needs to develop their own forced induction system tailored to the S65 and/or S85 to preserve the brand.

Aside from that, these models will probably not get a wider body with wider track like M models are know for also (if spy shots are accurate). Again, more brand dilution. Just because it is an SUV does not mean it should be ok to get away without the full M treatment. Now having said all that, I am personally not convinced these SUVs will be badged Ms anyway (and have a bet to that effect). But, if it turns out they are then, I believe there is reason for concern as I have outlined above.
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