BMW should make a 450i and A 660i

"Bill"TheStig"Murray" (stigy-murray) 04/27/2015 at 09:56 • Filed to: None

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To preface, I am a lover of BMW. The E46 M3 was the first car I truly lusted after (and still do) and since then I have come to appreciate all that the M division has accomplished since its inception. But in the last few years, I have seen many criticisms come toward BMW and their decisions on where to take their line-up especially the M-division and it’s increase in model numbers (we’re now at 1-7 series and x3-6, not mention all the smaller subsets.)

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A lot of people have complained that: there isn’t enough differentiation between the 3 and 4 series, why do they have a 6 series gran-coupe and a 5 series (much less an M version) and that the M cars have become Ultimate Touring Machines instead of Ultimate Driving Machines (looking at you !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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And there is the problem; the vast majority of people who see an M badged BMW simply know it as the most expensive version. A fair portion of people who buy M badged cars do so because of their price and their heritage. But these folks don’t want a race car for the road and could care less about curb weight, skidpad g’s and perfect 50:50 weight distribution, they want a nice comfortable car that is expensive and powerful, special bonus if you can make it look different from the standard model too.

M cars were never supposed to be the most comfortable, or luxurious models nor were they supposed to have the biggest, most powerful engines. They were supposed to be the white-knuckled, in-your-face models showcased by an aggressive racing inspired engine and sublimely balanced chassis. They were supposed to be faster around a race track than similar cars with much larger engines.

Give the people what they want!

If you were to take the 4.4L twin-turbo V8 from the 5,6&7 series and shoehorn it into the 4 series, not only would you create a car that could be sold for the same price as an M4 but it would be more powerful. We know BMW V8’s fit in 3 and 4 series cars, BMW would just load it up full of standard options and suddenly there is a car to distract the non-petrolsexuals from the M division. The M lovers get to keep their cars in racetrack ready shape, knowing that their car is lighter and more nimble than their 450i grand tourer brethren.

Would the 760i’s V12 fit in a 6 series? It’s been done a hundred times by enthusiasts, and once again we have a more powerful touring car version of the 6 series to allow the M6 to keep its Hi-Po, smaller engine and allow it to be quicker in the corners. This also allows the 4 and 6 series to begin truly evolving on their own by offering engines that their 3 and 5 counter parts do not.

What does BMW get out of this? It gets a way to sell two brand new models that are merely parts-bin factory mods at a high exclusive price which keeps our beloved M-cars funded without tarnishing their reputation and knife-edge abilities. BMW can even use M inspired body panels to help further differentiate these apex models from the standard series to help justify price.

The best part though is that one company has already done this method to great success and they’re known for the highest profit margins of any auto manufacturer: Porsche

Example:

911 Carrera = 428i = 640i

911 Carrera S = 435i = 650i

911 GT3 = M4 =M6

911 Turbo = 450i = 660i

Thoughts? My only hold-up is badging. There would have to be a logo of some sort to let everyone know that this is the most powerful and expensive version of the series. Sadly, they have burned the GT badge on Frankenstein-cars. They could call them ///MGT models or perhaps even bring back the old “s” at the end of the number.

MultiplaOrgasms > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 10:05

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If they make a V12 6-series, they have to call it the 8-series. Anything else would be inadequate.

Wobbles the Mind > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 10:38

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I think what is more likely to happen is that we will go past M instead of slotting between M and M-Sport. Much like AMG having S and Black Series.

#AMG, AMG #(45, 55, 63 or 65), AMG #S, AMG #Black Series.
I think Mercedes will end up going with a line up like: C400, C500, C45 AMG, C55 AMG, AMG C63, AMG C63 S, AMG C63 Black Series

V-Sport, V, VR (whatevs)
F-Sport, F, FS (whatevs)
M#i, M#, M##.

Honestly Mercedes is so ahead of the game with performance designations and now a Maybach and Maybach-Pullman Comfort line that they are going to have complete market saturation by 2020

Flat Six > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 10:42

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I agree that sometimes you want speed and comfort more than track performance, but I think your conclusions are a bit wrong.

Going with your Porsche analogy, the 4 series is like the Cayman. If you want a bigger engine touring car you need to move up to the 6 series which is like the 911. The base level 640i costs more than the M4, so offering a cheaper 6 series engine in 4 series body wouldn’t help their profit margin.

Rico > Wobbles the Mind 04/27/2015 at 11:32

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Mercedes C class line up as it stands is

C300 (4 cylinder bi tubo)

C450 AMG Sport (replaces C400, 6 cylinder biturbo)

AMG C63

AMG C63 S

Wobbles the Mind > Rico 04/27/2015 at 11:39

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Give it time. There won’t be a need for a C300 because we all know the next CLA will be longer, more upscale, and “more like a real Mercedes.”

Welcome to ‘Whose Mercedes Is It Anyway?!’: The company where every designation is made up and the displacement doesn’t matter.

Rico > Wobbles the Mind 04/27/2015 at 11:48

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Lol now that you mention it there is talk of a CLE, a mini CLS/correctly proportioned CLA.

nermal > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 11:50

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I didn’t understand the point of the Gran Coupe versions either, until I actually saw a 6-series version in person.

Then everything made sense. It’s nothing like a 5- or 7- other than the fact that it has 4 drs and looks like a BMW.

I don’t know that they really need a V8 in them either. The turbo I6 is plenty of power for their intended purpose.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Wobbles the Mind 04/27/2015 at 11:59

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I think the M4 GTS is in testing, and odds are there will be an M2 GTS as well.

Bill"TheStig"Murray > Flat Six 04/27/2015 at 12:42

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I had considered that too, but now that you point that out, a 450i would be similar to a cayman turbo. Would a cayman turbo sell? They may sell a few but I agree that it would be defeating the purpose of the cayman.

Bill"TheStig"Murray > MultiplaOrgasms 04/27/2015 at 12:46

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True, but the 6 series is so big anymore, I honestly can’t imagine them coming out with the 8 series again. Plus pricing-wise, the 6 is damn close to the 7 unless you get the v12.

Bill"TheStig"Murray > Wobbles the Mind 04/27/2015 at 12:49

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I agree, Mercedes has it together.

TTercel > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 14:49

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TL;DR BMW should make a new 8 series.

dr861 > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/27/2015 at 21:44

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Bmw would never net an M car accelerate slower than a normal model. I’m totally down and think that would be awesome to have the v8 in the 3/4 series, but it’s just not gonna happen. It’s the equivalent of the Porsche Cayman/911 dilemma.

Bill"TheStig"Murray > dr861 04/28/2015 at 23:08

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The 911 turbo is much quicker to 60 than a GT3 but that doesn’t hurt the GT3 sales; which is a more accurate analogy. Making a 4 or 6 series with an engine bigger than the ///M version wouldn’t hurt the sales, the ///M would still be the aggressive track day special one.

Heck, ///M cars may even be able to return to natural aspiration if a luxury touring model is at a similar price point...

Bill"TheStig"Murray > nermal 04/28/2015 at 23:12

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I agree! That turbo I-6 is a peach! But BMW knows that a V8 will sell like mad, people always want to brag about having the big engine lol

dr861 > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/28/2015 at 23:19

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I see and understand your comparison, but maybe porsche isn’t really a good analogy for bmw. I think Porsche actually has less boundary’s than BMW, especially when it comes to the 911. They could make 5 million different versions of the 911 and no one would be bothered at porsche, because its just another 911, the only one it’s really competing with is the base model and if it’s better, it’s justified. While I would love a 450i, Bmw just wouldn’t let M’s toes get stepped on like that, unless you’re Alpina.

Bill"TheStig"Murray > dr861 04/28/2015 at 23:39

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True, but think of how many different BMW models are in a single series now. Plus, there has always been a slew of engine choices for each model. ///M engines were always the most powerful but not necessarily the biggest, but I feel like that is now considered a must. I just think that a model slotted next to the M4 and M6 in price with a bigger (but more or less equal in power) engine would appeal to all the douche bags that buy M cars just because it’s got the big engine.

Oh, and then they could potentially get rid of the M-convertibles! (yeah now I’m really dreaming...)

dr861 > Bill"TheStig"Murray 04/29/2015 at 00:23

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Ahhhhh. I would agree then. A bigger but less powerful engine, but possibly even more torque, would be a great idea and I think much less of a stretch for BMW. I thought we were talking hp.