melimel

the audi's steering is alot looser.. my A6 ,4.2 was like that.. i had it for 39 months before the bmw..when we first tested the 550 i thought the steering was so tight.. loved it, but was not used to it as well.. loved that car.. heard they had electrical problems, but i cant complain.. i had none.. my husband broke the screen once when we had a fight, that cost us upward of 1500$, but that was the worst problem.. its fast, handles awesome, especially in the rain.. and the new LED'S on the 2008's are sick! i think thats a big seller for them.. i see them eveywhere now.. one came up behind me the other day in a snowstorm (the A5)with those sick lights that caught my eyes AND he wanted to pass me.. i was being a snail cause my rear end would have slipped all over..lol.. but i have a new love now.. that would be my baby girl 550.. so im in love with a new one now... my audi was great while it lasted, but i had to move on..

swajames

Sadly, I don't think this is really true anymore. BMW and others stopped making cars for enthusiasts a while back. The characteristics that once defined a car for the enthusiast (light weight, smaller engine that needed to be pushed to show its best) aren't uppermost in BMW's mind any more. There's close to nothing of the soul of a 2002 or the older generations of the 3 series in almost any modern BMW. The current cars are great, no question, but they are a) too heavy and b) too clinical in their execution.

My advice to BMW would be simple. Stop pissing about with the engines (which are already excellent), and focus on getting weight out of cars that have no business weighing what they do.

BetterMakeWay

that's why we have....pfhmmm ...correction had CSL

LW78

You've wonderfully put that in words...... The e30 f.i. was really superior in it's class (and still is fun to drive, even today!).
With that in mind, I think I meant that an Audi is even more clinical to drive, compared to a BMW

Regarding the weight of BMW's, I'm not entirely with you on that.
A 1 Series f.e. is lighter as a VW Golf, despite it's RWD (which should make him heavier). A friend of mine has an Alfa Brera (for my US friends: Google!) and it's almost as heavy as a 5 Series!
What I'm saying is, compared to the competition, BMW's are generally less heavy.

pinguhk

all the old audi are no good at all, too many things go wrong

LW78

M3 CSL.....those were the good times

But I do understand that in these times, it will cost too much to develop a CSL version

pinguhk

BMW are planning a 1.8tt engine so they will have small engine in about 2 to 3 years time.

BetterMakeWay

Yes but does it trully costs less than to develop an X6 M and X5 M?

If you think about it, it may very well cost less since those are going to be only the series versions with some upped powerplants, unlike a CSL that would drill a hole in the R&D with carbon fiber parts, plastic windows, and other weight saving issues.

On the X6 and X5 weight saving is cut out form the R&D of the M versions.

swajames

I think that's a fair point, I think you're right that the Audi and MB competitors are more clinical than their BMW equivalent. I guess most manufacturers have gone down that route, sadly. I know there are a lot of Porsche owners who feel the same about the current generation 911, when compared to the 964 and 993 variants. No question that the 997 is the most competent 911 they've ever made, but the 993 holds a special place in the hearts of many enthusiasts.

BetterMakeWay

Case in which i can't quite put my finger on the weight gain.

I mean take for example the M3 E46 vs E92, and then the 5 series and other examples; so if the engine is not the one that tilts the scale so much, in some cases not tilting it at all, then what is? Technology? Like the idrive systems and other stuff?