Our Interview with BMWNA M Manager on 1M, M3, Lightweight M3, M5, AWD, Individual

[IancoleTX]

Originally Posted by nachob

I'm glad he says he likes MTs like I do and he says to vote with your wallets BUT I have not seen a manual M3 in years at a dealership. Only special order,no chance to test drive unless they happen to have a used one on hand. I also believe people have to vote with their wallets and MTs are way more fun overall, BUT they make it so difficult to get one. Also, the dealers try to push you what is on-hand, which is always an Auto, then they tell you resale value, traffic, the liberal media, democrats....blah blah against the MT. You have to REALLY want a manual badly to get through the whole process and you can't compare side by side to see how much more fun MT is.

Amen!!!!

The fact is that the majority of the cars sold are being bought off dealer lots and they care only for sales volume. Autos are an easier sale so load up the showroom with them. I am a die hard manual purist and had to order new to get the MT I wanted in my '11 335. Any brand, BMW included, that stops offering manual trans, will lose my business.

And also, BMW making MT owners subsidize AT by including the cost in the base price and then saying "vote with your wallets" isn't very fair at all, is it?

That said, nice interview and I'm glad BMWNA has such a good dude in the lead M spot.

[Jblack4083]

Originally Posted by nachob

Also, he says they are commited to weight....why do they build folding mirrors, heated seats, power seats, bluetooth, nav and heavier 19" wheels into M cars? If they really cared about weight, they wouldn't even offer that in an M car. If you want a Cadillac buy one. M cars shouldn't have all this fluffy crap on them. Save that for the other models IMO.

It's 2011 and an M car at the end of the day is a street car that can be adapted for the track, not a track car. If you want a car with nothing inside of it buy one of the "RS" Porsches.

[MikeyBMWM]

M5 F1X is amazing... but without this V8 bi-turbo 4.4l 578HP. I hate this engine in that car! BMW has V10 5.5l 550HP without any turbo, but those green assholes from EU... This way it's ///Marketting, not ///Motorsport

M3 F3X - R6 bi-turbo? It's sad...

Let watch this short show by Clarckson:

[Diver]

North America is the last holdout for manual transmissions in premium cars because we like to live in the past. Same reason we have imperial measurements, pennies, and $1 bills instead of coins. I would prefer a DCT any day. Besides, BMW' pricing makes it difficult to order a 6MT when a steptronic is free and DCT is just a few hundred dollars.

[aajami]

And not a single question about turbos was asked...

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by Diver

North America is the last holdout for manual transmissions in premium cars because we like to live in the past. Same reason we have imperial measurements, pennies, and $1 bills instead of coins. I would prefer a DCT any day. Besides, BMW' pricing makes it difficult to order a 6MT when a steptronic is free and DCT is just a few hundred dollars.

Not all North America is behind the times. In Canada we have had the metric system in place since the 70s, $1 and $2 are coins, and the penny is apparently on the way out.

[SCOTT26]

The reason why so many BMW dealers will be reluctant to order "Individual" cars is because if the customer rejects the car then the dealer has to purchase the car outright from BMW.

[OC3]

Originally Posted by aajami

And not a single question about turbos was asked...

Yeah, was wondering about that the most... plus, whether I6 or V6.

[drvai]

Originally Posted by nachob

Also, he says they are commited to weight....why do they build folding mirrors, heated seats, power seats, bluetooth, nav and heavier 19" wheels into M cars? If they really cared about weight, they wouldn't even offer that in an M car. If you want a Cadillac buy one. M cars shouldn't have all this fluffy crap on them. Save that for the other models IMO.
IB

Because most drivers won't buy a car with that price tag and no nav/power stuff/etc... Ideally, there should be a really stripped "purist" version, but even though the have done it ( a la E46 CSL), it's usually very restricted and more exclusive.

I think that at the end of the day, most people want a "sporty car" with all the gizmos. Most, won't really explore the full capability of the car. If you think, most 3-series competitors have even more accessories (specially the Japanese).

[Jason]

Originally Posted by aajami

And not a single question about turbos was asked...

Originally Posted by OC3

Yeah, was wondering about that the most... plus, whether I6 or V6.

The F30/F32 M3 is really too far away for them to give any kind of useful answer regarding specific technological aspects of the car (if it's even been decided on).

Think about it - BMW barely gives up any technical info about the F10 M5 and that's already out in concept form.

[PKL]

6MT FTW!!!

[aajami]

Originally Posted by Jason

The F30/F32 M3 is really too far away for them to give any kind of useful answer regarding specific technological aspects of the car (if it's even been decided on).

Think about it - BMW barely gives up any technical info about the F10 M5 and that's already out in concept form.

I was referring more about BMW's strategy to adopt turbos and ditch naturally aspirated engines (and how shitty that is).

[Jdebitjr]

Originally Posted by MojorisinM3

Great to hear there may be another M3 sedan. I hate to leave BMW, but will be forced to if there's no M3 sedan when I'm in the market in a few years.

+1

Also, thanks for doing the interview!

[Dackelone]

Nice interview Jason.

I really hope BMW is waking up and smelling the //M-coffee. They really need to get back to basics (less luxo crap options and weight!) with the new M models. The 1M is a nice first step. But it would be really nice to see some more "basic" hard core CSL-styled models coming out for us purists in the future.

[Park2670]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

The reason why so many BMW dealers will be reluctant to order "Individual" cars is because if the customer rejects the car then the dealer has to purchase the car outright from BMW.

I'm surprised that nobody noticed this comment. This is EXACTLY why Individual is such a long process that many dealers dont want to do. What happens when somebody backs out of a car? They are stuck with it.


Great work on your interview Jason. Thanks for your work, and this great forum.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by aajami

I was referring more about BMW's strategy to adopt turbos and ditch naturally aspirated engines (and how shitty that is).

Drive one of the turbos actually before you complain. And recognize that the 2002 tii is a legendary BMW. Not to mention Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru are all using turbos in their sports cars as well.

[GreasyGinzo]

The dumbest fucking thing they could do would be to drop the manual tranny from the 1er, 3er including M's and the M5. The DCT may out sell manual but what about all the people the wouldn't even consider one of these cars since they can't have a 3rd pedal. I am one of them and I know there are more out there. I love stick always have and always will. I owned a DSG for 2 years and it was the most boring 2 years of my life. I really don't like they way consumers are going and in turn forcing the auto industry that same way. The M3 DCT is so popular because of the huge amount of rich yuppies with maybe a small interest in cars running out and ordering an M3 because they think it is a status symbol. They order automatic because that's all they know how to drive.

Sorry I don't want to make this a debate about DCT vs MT but that article really got me pissed. There is nothing better (to me) than rowing gears and feathering the clutch to get a perfect launch from a dig. How any body can say pushing a few buttons then hold and release the brake pedal is beyond me. That takes some skill let me tell you. Or maybe I feel like laying down a patch while the car is already rolling at 10 or 15mph. Try that in your automatic...or maybe you are stuck in some snow and you need to rock the car out of the snow hole you are stuck in. Try that in an auto.

Sorry

[Master Deep]

I thought the M5 is coming in a stick for the US market only?

And they better not get rid of the manual tranny from the 1,3, and M cars. If the M5 only has DCT, fine. But the M3 needs a 6MT option. I'm sure a lot of people liked other manufacturers' cars but didn't consider them because they came in auto/DCT only.

But every year, the number of 6MT models sold in the US by all brands is dropping.

[MonteCarloM3]

AWD M3 = bi-winning! lovely. now how the heck are they gonna figure out how to make an AWD M3 driftable and have great balance? if anyone has the means to do this, bmw sure can. The R8 is driftable in the right hands and it has quattro but also mid-engine. Most of the torque would have to be going to the rears.

[MonteCarloM3]

Originally Posted by GreasyGinzo

The dumbest fucking thing they could do would be to drop the manual tranny from the 1er, 3er including M's and the M5. The DCT may out sell manual but what about all the people the wouldn't even consider one of these cars since they can't have a 3rd pedal. I am one of them and I know there are more out there. I love stick always have and always will. I owned a DSG for 2 years and it was the most boring 2 years of my life. I really don't like they way consumers are going and in turn forcing the auto industry that same way. The M3 DCT is so popular because of the huge amount of rich yuppies with maybe a small interest in cars running out and ordering an M3 because they think it is a status symbol. They order automatic because that's all they know how to drive.

Sorry I don't want to make this a debate about DCT vs MT but that article really got me pissed. There is nothing better (to me) than rowing gears and feathering the clutch to get a perfect launch from a dig. How any body can say pushing a few buttons then hold and release the brake pedal is beyond me. That takes some skill let me tell you. Or maybe I feel like laying down a patch while the car is already rolling at 10 or 15mph. Try that in your automatic...or maybe you are stuck in some snow and you need to rock the car out of the snow hole you are stuck in. Try that in an auto.

Sorry

haha, great post! i love DCT but i also love da Manual as well. each does things the other can't. for DCT i love that i can focus on apex, braking...driving without having to row gears when i want to go for a spirited mountain drive. keeping both hands on the wheel and concentrating on the driving is fabulous at high speeds. Manual is great for those exact situations you mentioned and normal every day driving too. there is NO perfect solution alas.

[cncmastr]

I had the pleasure of meeting Matt today. Very nice guy, easy to talk to. Seems like he is genuinely passionate about M cars.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

Drive one of the turbos actually before you complain. And recognize that the 2002 tii is a legendary BMW. Not to mention Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru are all using turbos in their sports cars as well.

I've driven a 135i, E90 335i, and Z4 35i. Am I allowed to complain now?

I'm well aware that car manufacturers are moving to turbos in droves, but they're doing so to adhere to CAFE and EU air and fuel economy standards, not because it's what the enthusiasts are calling for. And of the brands you mention above, the cars worth a damn are all NA (GT3, M159-equipped AMGs, RS5, etc).