I think your a little off base here. The heart and soul of BMW is the way in which it blends ulimate luxury with ultimate performance. In order to be a true luxury car it has to have things like power rear tailgates along with all the other features we dont need put make life a little easier and nicer. But a true BMW absoutley has to have the performance and soul as you say to still remain a true BMW. I think the 4.8is was a great interpretation of that philsophy and im sure its replacement will have more of the things that make it a true BMW as well as things like power rear tailgate and leather seats and nav system and all the other stuff that make it a true luxury brand.
Ive owned almost every Mcar out there and currently have 2. Those models are the epitimy of BMWs soul. Extreme performance with uncomprmised luxury. So i dont agree with you. I actually think the new Bimmers are even closer to what a BMW really should be. Its the ultimate luxury driving machine imo. If you want perfance without luxury go buy a vette. Because you cant get performance without luxury in a bimmer.

:iagree:

BMW has stated over and over that they will never make a boring BMW or a diluted driving experience. And in my eyes they have always lived up to that promise.

Take the X5 for example. Luxury utes before it, handled like trucks (first gen ML & RR). The X5 ushered a new kind of thinking onto the SUV crowd - sacrifice offroad ability in favor of onroad performance. And because of it, we now have sporting vehicles like the Cayenne and a whole new segment of crossovers...

Whether or not BMW wants to load on X, Y & Z gismos onto their cars is fine as long as the driving experience is not diluted - something BMW still follows.

Some might argue that new technology like DSC intervenes with driving experience, yet BMW is one of the few manufacturers to give you the option to completely turn it off.

Bottom line - give me a power tailgate. As long as it performs like a BMW I will buy. BMW has always had cutting edge hardware - whether it happens to be in the engine department, the handling department or the electronic department. Regardless of the cutting edge stuff, it still drives like a BMW.

The Point I Pursued Is...
 

all of the wrangling over the superficial on this forum with respect to the e70's appearance. no-one but no-one raised any apprehensions about how the e70 would perform, which i assumed on a BMW forum would be the first order of business. i never stated in any way shape or form that the e70 should not be luxurious. in fact my main interest in the e70 is the potential for increased comfort. i am more likely to be driving 5-600 miles a week in all traffic conditions and weather than i am to be canyon carving. hence my interest in the e70 with increased wheelbase and other dimensions that should increase interior space and comfort. so bring on the luxury i am in all the way.


simmikie

Honestly i think no one talks about the performance because we pretty much know it will definately have a higher performance level than the e53. When has BMW not increased performance in a new model. Its that fact that we know it will be a performer no matter what is why we talk about the styling and luxury. Because those are 2 ares especially with styling that BMW lacks in.

Again, I agree 100% with DINANM3.

You make it seem like we don't care at all about how a BMW performs. We do, its just that we know it will perform well and so we have time to focus on other things.

+, what good is it to be talking about the performance or handling/comfort of the E70 if it is still in prototype stage and cleared for production. Its not like any of us have driven it or can comment on it. Or that our comments can make a difference in the final evolution of the E70 (much too late for that now).