Jalopnik Article: BMW 435i "stinks"
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They wrote one paragraph on the car.
Haha, agreed but I've been seeing reviews and what not pop up all over on the 435i it seems that it's a "let down" or much less of a drivers car at least.
People on the bmw forums are meh on it I guess. I'm interested to see one in person though
From C&D "BMW’s engineers are, however, proclaiming that the reduction in steering feel is both inescapable and intentional and that, in line with customer demand, they’ve removed only the “bad” feedback. They seem to believe it when they say they’ve developed the best electric power steering on the market. When we mentioned the Cayman, which offers superb electric steering, we were told that wasn’t fair because the F32 is not a sports car. Fine then, we’ll wait for the M4."
Wut.
People on the bmw forums are meh on it I guess. I'm interested to see one in person though
From C&D "BMW’s engineers are, however, proclaiming that the reduction in steering feel is both inescapable and intentional and that, in line with customer demand, they’ve removed only the “bad” feedback. They seem to believe it when they say they’ve developed the best electric power steering on the market. When we mentioned the Cayman, which offers superb electric steering, we were told that wasn’t fair because the F32 is not a sports car. Fine then, we’ll wait for the M4."
Wut.
I'll reserve judgement until I drive one but this shouldn't really come as any surprise to anyone. The whole reason I'm sitting in a last gen 5 series is because it weighs 3600lbs and the current 535 weighs something like 4400lbs.
They're really Audi-ing the hell out of their lineup. Heavier cars, nicer interiors and amazing technology but they're dialing back the driving dynamics or at least they seem to be.
It's disappointing to get into a 2011 sport package 550i with 110hp more than my car in stock form and it's just as fast as my car is stock. It feels no faster and I think the 0-60 time is .10 of a second different than my car. 110 more hp and a 1/10th 0-60 gain. Fawk.
As far as comfort, interior/ exterior design goes though they're hitting a homerun with their latest cars and for most people that's all that matters. If your only goal is to move more units their approach is hard to argue.
They're really Audi-ing the hell out of their lineup. Heavier cars, nicer interiors and amazing technology but they're dialing back the driving dynamics or at least they seem to be.
It's disappointing to get into a 2011 sport package 550i with 110hp more than my car in stock form and it's just as fast as my car is stock. It feels no faster and I think the 0-60 time is .10 of a second different than my car. 110 more hp and a 1/10th 0-60 gain. Fawk.
As far as comfort, interior/ exterior design goes though they're hitting a homerun with their latest cars and for most people that's all that matters. If your only goal is to move more units their approach is hard to argue.
Amen. That's why I INSIST on driving an old Lexus with 140k miles on it........:coold:
I loooooooooove the cock so my choice in cars is golden.
I saw a blurb today that said the new M3/ 4 is supposed to be amazing.
Here's another thing to take into consideration. Jalopnik kind of stinks if you're after legitimate driving feedback. Most of their writers are young kids with limited experience. There's little consistency from review to review and a few of the authors appear to drive straight up junkers and I'm not talking classic awesome junkers like a SHO. I'm talking about 1989 Honda Accord EX junk. I realize not everyone has the money for a new and awesome car but really, you're an automotive journalist and you're not even sporting something remotely engaging? That and there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of the fundamentals of driving by a few guys there.
They all talk as if they're writers that were hired to talk about cars, not car enthusiasts that were hired to write about cars. There's a big difference there. I'm convinced two of their writers could drive the same car and one would tell you it handles like crap while the other told you it was the best thing he's ever driven. They're somewhat funny in their articles but I wouldn't rely much on their opinion of how anything drives, good or bad.
I saw a blurb today that said the new M3/ 4 is supposed to be amazing.
Here's another thing to take into consideration. Jalopnik kind of stinks if you're after legitimate driving feedback. Most of their writers are young kids with limited experience. There's little consistency from review to review and a few of the authors appear to drive straight up junkers and I'm not talking classic awesome junkers like a SHO. I'm talking about 1989 Honda Accord EX junk. I realize not everyone has the money for a new and awesome car but really, you're an automotive journalist and you're not even sporting something remotely engaging? That and there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of the fundamentals of driving by a few guys there.
They all talk as if they're writers that were hired to talk about cars, not car enthusiasts that were hired to write about cars. There's a big difference there. I'm convinced two of their writers could drive the same car and one would tell you it handles like crap while the other told you it was the best thing he's ever driven. They're somewhat funny in their articles but I wouldn't rely much on their opinion of how anything drives, good or bad.
Do you read Jalopnik? It's pretty bad when you're dealing with the technical stuff. Maybe Bru will chime in. Then again, maybe it's just me. Car and Driver tends to be pretty good.
That approximately 4 people will buy... 3 of which have never heard of Tesla and the other who just wants the logo.
wurt?
not even out yet, but the i8 will certainly be sportier.
the i8 can be powered by gas, so you can "recharge" instantly and drive anywhere you want any time without limitations.
tesla has made a good car, but they have also benefit from having little real competition thus far. i'd also argue they have benefit from the wealth effects created across their demographic by the federal reserve's quantitative easing program.
In my opinion the i8 by it's very nature is going to be compared to the Tesla and when you compare it to the Tesla you find that the Tesla gets better all electric range, is faster, is cheaper by tens of thousands of dollars, is already a completely competent handling car and has exponentially more utility (though admittedly this particular demographic might not care).
But let's say you're just buying it because it's an exotic sports car and you don't care at all that it's electric. If you compare the i8 to other exotic cars it still comes up short. BMW makes all gas cars that blow this out of the water performance wise and other cars like the R8 similarly beat it out quite handily. So then what market is this car competing in or is it answering the question nobody asked? I tend to think the latter. It's either a poorly performing exotic or a poorly performing electric car.
I also think you're over-estimating people's desire for range, especially for a car like this. Even if it was range limited it's not as if most people are going to buy it as a road trip car so range really won't become an issue.
Sorry, mark my words and I'll gladly eat them in the future should I be wrong but they are going to sell almost none of these...
This car is nothing more than a proof of concept, only the concept is technology from 2009 and the market already shot by them.
well of course it is, tesla really proved out the model of a luxury "green" car that works. all your points are pretty debatable, as i've pointed out the real range is limited in the tesla and you have potential charging time challenges as well - two things the bmw simply offers with no compromise. the base i8 is 0-60 in 4.5 and your range is not going to suffer for it as much as playing around in the tesla would. the tesla signature package is faster but i'm sure bmw will have some more options too. both are expensive but how many shoppers of either car are someone like me, looking at numbers for one car as a daily? the brunt of these owners are wealthy people in both cases and it's car number x in the stable. and i have doubts the tesla will handle like the bmw. you mention buyers doing so for the logo, but that does a disservice to the people behind the bmw one, as it ain't just marketers. it is bmw engineers.
it is still a "green" car and one without some painful limitations. hey it's still real fast and look i'm getting 95 mpg too.
tesla wants you to focus on range when charge time is the more common issue, although range can be one too. have you ever said "range x will be good enough for you to commute to work and back so it's no problem"? because i certainly never have. with gas range is never a problem. i always have enough to make an unexpected trip to pick someone up, or drive to mexico, and i never have to wait to get it. my focus is less on range anxiety and note you posted the "all electric range" - something i think people would care about even less - vs. "how do i have to change my plans or life?" the answer to the latter, when you have a gas hybrid, is you don't have to change anything.
plenty of things could make or break it, personally i'd like to see the looks of the final version, not the biggest fan of the proof of concept version. i'm also interested in how the i3 turns out, but the pics i saw of it last were pretty fugly to me. i don't know how you can say the market shot by them as the tech has not stood still and it is not as if some people will not cross-shop both the i8 and the teslas. i am not so bold as to predict success or failure but do not think the i8 should simply be dismissed offhand. the only thing i know for sure is shit is pricey and i'll be driving around a brz.
You're spot on. Many auto journalists are writers masquerading as car guys, not the other way around. I was on the Corvette C7 drive partnered with a dude from a popular car blog who never went full throttle, drove like a grandma and then left before track time. I read his review about brake fade and how there was none. No shit you're not going to get brake fade driving like a pussy.
My background as an auto tech student and hobbyist with journalism degree is rare in the industry outside of Hot Rod, Edmunds and a sprinkling of people at the major mags. Most have no auto experience outside of writing about the industry after graduating with an advertising degree. Few have ever turned a wrench. For some publications like ours it's not as important with a consumer minded focus, but for an enthusiast site it's imperative and often lacking. I haven't visited Jalopnik or Autoblog in months.
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