Quote:
Originally Posted by m3alabama
I did like the recent interview on this website with the prior M head guy who now runs Canada and when asked what does a true m vehicle mean to him. And ultimately he said a practical car that can be used everyday and outperforms all the other competition in its class.
I think as long as M keeps cars that can be daily driven as well as track driven off the show room floor and they continue to lead performance numbers in their class of car than that is essentially a true M car.
I however like many others do not care if it is still a "true" m car which the next m3 will be and the f10 M5 certainly is, but rather I liked qualities of "older" m cars rather than saying "true"
I have said it before but will say it again. BMW M cars have always been the top performer in their respective class of car BUT they achieved that level of performance in a manner that NO other competitors offered. Meaning relatively high revving naturally aspirated horsepower with amazing hp/litre. Also great weight, balance and feel.
Even with the m3-the c63 is faster but the m3 achieves virtually comparable performance and better feel in a manner that nobody else offers except maybe the rs5 with its engine .
So while the new f10 M5 may be the best in the segment, at its core it is a FI v8. You can go get a merc, cadillac, audi, jaguar or almost anything and get a torquey big power v8. Nothing "special"
To me older me cars were "special" and modern m cars while certainly true m cars are not "special" to me
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It all has to do with the levels of present day hp as well as fuel economy. The last gen of BMW NA motors were tuned to the max to wring out all the relaible hp they could. Only way to get more is larger displacement. This is especially true with regards to torque. Do you really expect to see a Dodge Viper-like engine in the M5? The only way to get the big hp numbers of today and maintain a reasonable weight and even remotely liveable fuel economy is with forced induction, and with the exception of true exotics, everyone is doing it. Even the top end Americn muscle cars are straying from their long standing big displacement NA V8's in favor of forced induction.
Keep in mind, however, that for these top performers, at least, you are still starting with a V8 motor as a base. This doesn't suck.