[Phizzzle]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

Yep. The "M Lite" vehicles represent a middle ground – better performance, etc. than the non-M models, but without the higher performance and/or trade-offs of a "full" M model.

It's glaringly obvious to anyone who knows anything about BMWs which is which. No one who cares is mistaking an M340i for an M3. They're just not. And nobody else in the world gives two shits to begin with, and that's assuming they even know what in the world we're even talking about, which they don't.

Why this whole thing bothers people, outside of ego and puffery, is absolutely beyond me. If you know, you know. If you don't, you don't want to know.

Really, if we're being honest, the whole kerfuffle is more about gatekeeping, ego, and cliques than maintaining some imagined "purity" of the M designation. M is, always has been, and always will be a marketing brand whose definition is entirely determined by BMW.

Well said.