|
|
07-18-2007, 10:18 PM | #1 |
Lieutenant General
609
Rep 10,407
Posts |
Official BMW retort to recent "reviews" and rankings
Let me first say that this is clearly an oxymoronic thread by its nature.
I have just been pondering how we all feel here about low quality reviews and reviews which seem to sing all the praise to the M3 but award the "title" to the RS4. Think about how all of the poor passionaite professionals at BMW and BMW M are feeling right now. What has there "response" been? Not even any of our friendly insiders have posted a single word about these "tests" and "verdicts". I think in addition to being really disappointed they probably have a strict, perhaps even official, lock down on any comments primarily to not look weak and defensive. Sure I agree there is much more important things to consider in a car than it's "magazine rank" yet at the same time there is an enormous amout of pride and ego at stake here. Heck it is not a war, but it is business and that gets about as serious as war sometimes. BMW certainly wants to make a pretty penny on the M3 and use it to drive sales of other vehicles. Probably the latter effect is way more important to their revenue. However, I think most BMW employees, be them in engineering, product management, sales, marketing, management, etc. are resting quite confidently in their creation and achievement. Sure the car may not be blowing the competition (be it Audi or Porsche) out of the water but in the end and already it is pretty clear which car is the better performer and better "all arounder" if you lean in the pure performance direction. I'll never myself be able to submit to the old addage that "silence is golden" but it is an interested idea, no? |
07-18-2007, 10:32 PM | #2 | |
Major General
374
Rep 8,033
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-18-2007, 10:32 PM | #3 |
Major General
531
Rep 5,498
Posts |
I agree with you BUT...
I think we are all getting waaaay ahead of ourselves here with these first reviews. I would say less than half of them are truly bad. The rest are positive with negative remarks about steering and brakes which every M3 has had to deal with. I am holding real judgement until some real reviews are done. Jason
__________________
Instagram: jellismotorwerks |
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 12:02 AM | #4 | |
Lieutenant General
609
Rep 10,407
Posts |
But
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 12:07 AM | #5 |
Captain
193
Rep 657
Posts |
What disturbing for me are the complaints on the steering. All other stuff they complain about I dont care about but the steering, thats not what I wanted to hear people diss.
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 12:21 AM | #6 | |
Conspicuous consumption
97
Rep 1,183
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 12:25 AM | #7 | |
Brigadier General
478
Rep 3,044
Posts
Drives: 2011 Dakar Yellow M3, 2018 M5
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Orange County, California
|
Quote:
I tend to agree with this. What's more is that the poor reviews haven't exactly been written by top echelon publications. I find it interesting that the most reputable publications have had more favorable reactions. Nonetheless, these reviews aren't real reviews in my book. For all intents and purposes this was a press junket, each publisher only having a limited amount of time to spend with the car. As such, i take these things all with a grain of salt, and await the reviews which await us when the car is officially released or on the verge of being released. The complaints about steering have been pervasive however, and hope that bmw takes heed of them prior to release to correct for their misgivings. That many publications can't be wrong.
__________________
[ESS VT2-625] [Akrapovic Evolution Exhaust] [KW Clubsports] [OSS Angel Eyes] [Revinora r-CRT Lip] [Vorsteiner Boot] [Challenge Race Diffuser] [See the Build Thread HERE] |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 01:33 AM | #8 |
Private First Class
7
Rep 172
Posts |
Mainstream publications cater to mainstream crowd. If somebody who drives an Escalade is put into an M3 he would think the magazine was nuts to tell him steering was poor or brakes faded. He would think that the car was perfection itself.
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 06:45 AM | #10 |
For the love of ///M3
19
Rep 660
Posts |
Agreed.
It's the M guys I feel sorry for, because they've had their hands tied somewhat by the volumes BMW are hoping for and seemingly the development guys for the 335i were allowed to go all out and make that car what it is, but the M guys had to hold back.
__________________
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 06:59 AM | #11 |
I'm takin' the day off.
109
Rep 339
Posts |
BMW expected nothing but rave reviews from this pre launch review session. They would never have allowed any reviewing of this nature if they themselves weren’t 100% satisfied. I think they are all recovering from a blood nose and have their tails between their legs in boardroom meetings.
I am also looking forward to better more detailed articles.
__________________
If I were to agree with you we would both be wrong.
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 07:05 AM | #12 |
Private
0
Rep 66
Posts |
There are NO real reviews only real first drives.
To my knowledge only Car and Driver posted actual test numbers using actual test equipment. Steved reported, (check his posts) to us after his first drive. What he reported was more inline with what C&D and Top Gear had to say. There will be an all out head to head with all the numbers and mark my words. "The KING Lives". |
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 07:16 AM | #13 |
Banned
23
Rep 1,356
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 07:26 AM | #14 |
Reincarnated
245
Rep 4,227
Posts |
That has been discussed as well and it is not clear whether BMW tweaks cars after press introductions. Steved said they generally do not unless something is seriously wrong.
__________________
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 08:55 AM | #15 |
Lieutenant
26
Rep 580
Posts |
If BMW is confident in its product, they are probably taken aback somewhat by the tome of the initial reviews, but sure that reviews based on real testing will show the true merits of the car.
BMW would never publicly respond to the lame-ass "comparison" tests published so far. It would not surprise me, though, if BMW had people posting to forums like this one as a form of guerrilla marketing. |
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 09:02 AM | #16 |
Lieutenant Colonel
20
Rep 1,504
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 09:17 AM | #18 | |
Major General
374
Rep 8,033
Posts |
Quote:
You've taken "some" of these initial impressions way too seriously. These people are trying to sell magazines, and drama does that. Pick up the NYT and read the art critics. They always find fault in anything; that's their job. Most auto critics are not any different. Think about it: are M engineers really that STUPID? If there was a steering problem, wouldn't their test drivers have pointed out the issue to them a long time ago? And why would they not fix it? In other words, at this early point in the game, in the absence of any hardcore data and personal experience, I would trust the M engineers more than the the sensational magazine writers. That doesn't mean that there is no problem with the steering. There is a chance M engineers got the steering wrong, but I'm saying that is much lower than the chance some of these initial reviews are onto something significant. And, only time will tell. I haven't put a deposit on anything, and if I like what I see and hear when the 08 comes out, I'll put in an order for an 09. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 09:17 AM | #19 |
Expert Road Racer
59
Rep 1,329
Posts |
I had a 330i when they "softened" the steering rack mid-production run for more "luxury". BMW made it right by offering free old steering rack retrofits for anyone that asked.
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 09:48 AM | #20 |
Private
0
Rep 66
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 02:38 PM | #21 | |
First Lieutenant
7
Rep 319
Posts |
Quote:
I'm not going to assume to know what they're thinking. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-19-2007, 03:43 PM | #22 | |
Lieutenant General
609
Rep 10,407
Posts |
I don't, OBVIOUSLY
Quote:
However, given the overwhelmingly passionaite discussions we have here as enthusiasts, I think it is totally fair to say that the dedicated BMW folks who poured their souls into this car over the last couple of years are overflowing with emotion about these preliminary reviews/comparisons. Each probably has a different mixture of emotions but for sure I know they are STRONG. To believe any less is to be totally deluded or even inhuman. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|