A Message to BMW: WTF

"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213)
12/27/2013 at 13:08 • Filed to: BMW, WTF

This is a short rant and for once it isn't about the drivers. It is about the company. What the hell are you doing?

BMW appears to be working on a 4 series Gran Coupe (shown below). Now this is where I become very confused.

The 4 series was the replacement for the 3 series coupe. So, if you wanted a four door you bought the 3 series and if you wanted a two door you got the 4 series. Now, BMW decided that the 4 series needed more doors. So they designed the 4 series Gran Coupe. But, here is where my confusion sets in. Isn't the 4 Series Gran Coupe just a 3 series?

Look at the similarities. I don't want to start the whole 2015 Mustang thing again but look:

All this will do is hurt themselves... I do not see the point.

Maybe someone on here can prove me wrong.

Rendered pics from Autoweek... others from Google

DISCUSSION (37)

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:16

If BMW was releasing today the Yugo, people would buy it. So don't ask about the 4GT.

Brian Silvestro > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:18

Just wanted to let you know this exists, they just don't sell it in the US (A5 4 door)

Kinja'd!!!

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:20

A lot fo BMW are bought by dumb people that only like the logo and what it brings. Because they are dumb for them bigger price tag means exclusivity. A 4 Series GC will cost more then a 3 Series, so in their mind it must be better. BMW are kings of selling things that, we(enthusisast), think nobody wants but they are selling. A lot of models that are almost the same means that economy of scale can work very well also.

And lets look it at another standpoint. The 6 Series GC maybe bought by a buyer that wants more sporty looking sedan then a 5 Series or the outright executive 7 Series.

With the 4 Series GC things are the same, somebody wants a more sporty sedan then the 3 Series, but don't want the 5 Series and don't have the money for a 6 Series GC.

This is my explanation about the Gran Coupe lineup. But if you ask me about the GT line I just don't have any idea why and what they are doing.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:22

How can you say they're the same? Are you blind? Can't you see the roof of the 4 series GT is slightly, almost unnoticeably lower than the roof of the 3 series? That, my friend, makes all the difference and it's because of the attention to these tiny, almost insignificant details that BMW is what it is today!

Wow. My rabid fanboy impression was spot on wasn't it? :]

Party-vi > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
12/27/2013 at 13:23

Not gonna lie - I love the 6er GC. It looks sexy.

Kinja'd!!!

Completely a knock-out in person.

RW53104 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:27

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

scoob > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 13:28

WHAT.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 13:29

And it sells like hot cakes.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Party-vi
12/27/2013 at 13:31

Yes, it is the best looking current BMW, I don't have problems with the 6 Series GC. I would actually pick one over a regular 6 Series if I had the chance.

Brian Silvestro > scoob
12/27/2013 at 13:32

Just found out about it about a month ago. Had no idea it existed. Have an S5 Sportback!

Kinja'd!!!

Brian Silvestro > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/27/2013 at 13:33

.....why

Party-vi > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
12/27/2013 at 13:35

It's very expensive though - along the lines of the CLS and Audi A7/S7. $89,000 gets you a nice body and 445hp.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Party-vi
12/27/2013 at 13:39

In the USA, yes. Here in Yurop you must give around 90k Euro($ 123k).

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 13:41

Don't ask me. I wouldn't be found dead in an Audi, let alone one which has no purpose.

Brian Silvestro > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/27/2013 at 13:41

I'll tell you one thing, it looks a million times better then the A4, god that thing is boring on wheels.

Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 13:47

If people buy them do they really hurt themselves?

It is like the X1; a completely useless automobile that is ugly as all get up but people buy them. I don't get it either. BMW seems dead set on watering down the brand with new nameplates and an expanded offering of autos but people (wealthy people) keep buying them. On top of that we middle class people still keep buying the pre-owned versions that the elite toss away every year, so really is BMW hurting their name?

I sold Bimmers for a time. When I first took the job I took it because I was a BMW geek and I just loved the brand. I quickly found out why they do what they do. It is because the wealthy of the world are typically the kind of people who want the next best thing so they can show it off at the country club or office parking lot. These are the people that never really left college (or high school) in their mind and they feel it is necessary to have the newest and best in order to show their neighbor just how well they are doing in life.

I don't begrudge these people because if I were stupid rich I would probably be doing the same thing, only with Porsches and Hummer H1's. The smart people that run BMW have taken note of the tendency of the typical new BMW buyer and have reacted in such a way that they can not fail. This is why they are running a mega car company and we are on a forum bitching about their current product line.

Shit I am a failure. haha.

Party-vi > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
12/27/2013 at 13:47

O_O

Yeah fuck that. I can get an Aston Martin Vantage or Audi R8 for that price.

Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? > Party-vi
12/27/2013 at 13:49

You would be correct in your observation. I saw a frozen grey M6 GC in a parking lot in Chicago a few weeks ago and almost ripped the seam in my pants.

So hot. It made me wish I was filthy rich all over again.

Atomic Buffalo > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/27/2013 at 14:03

Well, see, the 3-series is nice but a little pedestrian.

The 5-series? That's what the boss drives, and we can't show up the boss.

A coupe is too obviously antisocial and boy-racer.

Enter the 4-series Gran Coupe. A 3-series that costs more and shows it, without breaking the Sr Executive Size rule.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 14:07

I guess your right... it just seems silly to spend all these costs making so many models...

theloudmouth > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 14:14

The M6 GC is drop dead gorgeous in person, and it has the effect of, oh I don't know, looking NOTHING like a 5-series. Like the original CLS looked nothing like the E-class, same sort of thing. This, however, legitimately the exact same as a 3-series.... Funny enough, whether the non-ridiculous 4-coupe or this damn 4GC thing, they look more like the 3-series that they're based on than my E92 which is called a 3-series.... Ahhh, BMW, how you've lost your way.

Rico > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 14:23

So A5 or A6? Which would you get?

Kinja'd!!!

Brian Silvestro > Rico
12/27/2013 at 14:24

A6! The A5 sportback is just a two-door A4 with two more doors.

Rico > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 14:31

I feel the same way. Though, the raked window on the A5 is sexy, it kind of reminds me of the A7 a bit, which is amazing in person.

Brian Silvestro > Rico
12/27/2013 at 14:33

The A7 is beautiful. What they need to do is drop the A4 all together and just market the A5 Sportback.

Rico > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 14:34

I know what you mean. Frozen Grey is a fucking tough ass color too. Everytime I see a 6 GC I immediately want to run up to the driver and hug them while yelling "Dad! Dad!" even though I am not their kid hoping that they'll adopt me anyway.

Manuél Ferrari > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/27/2013 at 14:34

They already did. And you're right. It does sell like hot cakes. It's called the MINI

(flame suit on)

Manuél Ferrari > Manuél Ferrari
12/27/2013 at 14:35

for the record i don't dislike MINIs. i just think some of the bigger ones are silly. and i've heard they aren't built to last.

Rico > Atomic Buffalo
12/27/2013 at 14:37

The boss can keep his 5 Series. Man I just don't like that car. The only good one is the M5.

Manuél Ferrari > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 14:37

I kinda like the X1. I know it's not an off roader. But it's not a half bad city car. You can get the X1 with the engine from the 328i for less than the 328i. And you can get it in RWD. It fits the bill for those people that prefer getting in and out of taller cars but are OK with a small and light car.

I don't own one. Just saying I don't hate it...

Rico > Brian Silvestro
12/27/2013 at 14:38

Got to agree with you there, the back of the A4 is pretty cramped so an A5 would be a much sexier version if it'll be just as cramped.

Textured Soy Protein > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 14:53

I bought a 135is because I'm a car geek and liked the car. I would prefer not to be associated with the negative BMW stereotypes. The finance manager at the dealership tried really hard to sell me on window tint. He was all like "you've got the carbon black paint with the blacked out window trim and grille, there's NO WAY you should leave here without tinted windows, it makes the car look SO MUCH BETTER." I didn't have the heart to tell him I was buying the car in spite of the fact that it'd make me look like a prick, and that adding tinted windows would only make me look like more of a prick. But I still didn't get the tinted windows.

I actually test drove the X1 as well. It was pretty alright, especially in 35i M Sport trim. Really its only downfall is that its back seat isn't big enough. For me, the whole point of a crossover is to be roomy, so why drive one if the back seat's not really that big?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Manuél Ferrari
12/27/2013 at 15:33

Way too exaggerate, dude. Also, contrary to popular opinion, plenty of German cars aren't built to last.

Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? > Textured Soy Protein
12/27/2013 at 16:02

The 135is is a case in which BMW did everything right. That car is what a BMW should be in the essence of the brand. It is fun to drive, has balance and feel and it is functional as a daily.

If I didn't have two car seats I would drive one. Fact of the matter is that it's just not big enough for this stage in my life. Maybe in a few years.

Manuél Ferrari > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/27/2013 at 16:04

I know I know. I was being snarky cause it's Friday.

I am not qualified to give an opinion on MINIs. Never done any serious research on them. Everything I've heard was second hand. My aunt has a clubman that's been problematic. But I know that doesn't mean all of them are...

Textured Soy Protein > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?
12/27/2013 at 16:15

Personally if I needed to get one car to check as many automotive boxes as possible, it would be the 335i GT M Sport. But instead I have an old '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee to cover the practical bases (road trips where my gf takes too much stuff, Wisconsin winter) and the 135is handles the rest.

There's something to be said for "one car to rule them all" but now that I've got the 2, I don't think I can go back to just one, as long as I live somewhere with the requisite parking.

Michael Flatter > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/28/2013 at 00:21

Why is this still so hard for people to understand?

Want to know why it is called a coupe? Because the new 4 gran coupe just like the 6 gran coupe has frameless doors and a sloping roofline, both features identified with coupes. Not that hard to explain.

Want to know why people would buy the car? This is even simpler. Go to the right part of town in the right cities in the US and you will see they are covered up in new 3 series sedans. There are so many of them that plenty of the people who would otherwise buy them (my own father for one,) won't get them because they don't want to look like the thousands of people who have a leased 328i.

What a car like the 4 series Gran Coupe accomplishes is to have a model that has four doors but is more unconventional and exciting than a normal 3 series sedan. Just like the 6 gran coupe, the 4 gran coupe is supposed to come with a higher level of standard equipment (and the attend net price tag) than its sedan equivalent.