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      12-29-2012, 08:03 PM   #109
Ti335
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Drives: E90 335i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cgm9999 View Post
There was once a time where every car that BMW offered was the undeniable standard for its class, especially when it came to chassis dynamics, weight, steering feel and brake feel. So dominant was BMWs performance on a road and track that no one even dared debate it; one only bought a Mercedes or Audi simply because they preferred less BMW-like traits such as a quieter or softer ride. But no one bought a competitor's car because it performed better, that much is certain.

Today, this isn't the case. Not by a long shot.
I agree with this. 10-15 years ago, BMW was pretty much the only company making cars that one could call "sport sedans" with a straight face. How much things have changed! The competition has made huge leaps forward while BMW is moving in the opposite direction.

The fact that the A4/A6 are considered dynamically superior to the 3/5 by magazine publications that, at one time, were so pro-BMW that they were accused of being on BMW's payroll is really quite telling. A decade ago, this would have been unthinkable. Audi used to be a car for people who wanted a low key Mercedes. And Cadillac, a traditionally geriatric brand that used to depend on a captive market of WWII vets who refused to buy anything German or Japanese, is now making a better compact sports sedan than the company responsible for inventing that market segment.

In the meanwhile, BMW has been busy trying to figure out how to make their cars more like Mercedes and less like what they used to be. Sad..
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