Quote:
Originally Posted by marcva
If I wanted a car that big, I could buy an e39 5 series.
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You could, and you'd have a 20 year old car, with 20 year old tech. If you want something RWD in that size today, you can get a Cadillac ATS, and... that's about it. But you better get it fast, because it's being discontinued due to poor sales, partly because the car was so much less practical (i.e. "smaller") than all its competitors, even though it was strong dynamically. The same thing happened with the original X1, which if it existed today in that form side by side with the current X1 would get HAMMERED sales-wise not only by the current X1 but by the Q3, XC40, etc., because they're so much more practical. Like it or not, practicality is important in small sedans, hatches, and SUV's, or people would just buy coupes (which BMW does, in fact, still make in RWD).
If the 2GC or 1-Series sedan was RWD, the cars would cost more to build, and would maybe win some enthusiast magazine comparison tests, and maybe even a handful of you nostalgic keyboard warriors would actually put your money where your mouths are and buy it, but in the grand scheme it would lose where it mattered - in overall sales to the A-class, A3, etc., which would all be less expensive, and more roomy and practical. There aren't enough of you to build the car your way anymore, or that's how everyone would be building it. They're not, for a reason. That's a simple fact.
In a world where Porsche, Lamborghini, and soon even Ferrari are all making SUV's and practical cars, it's amazing to me how people can sit here complaining that BMW doesn't only make the same handful of cars they made 20 years ago. If they did, they'd be out of business. Because that's what this is - a business. BMW is in the business of selling cars and making money, and right now BMW is ceding about 50k sales/yr to the CLA/A-class and A3. Their lack of a presence in that segment essentially cost them the overall luxury sales crown to Benz the last two years. They need to build a car in that segment that more than a handful of vocal forum enthusiasts will actually buy. And I have no reason to believe they can't make it fun and dynamic, even in FWD/AWD form.
There are plenty of capable FWD or FWD-based vehicles on the market, from the Civic Type R to the GTI to the UKL/FAAR vehicles in BMW's own stable that would serve as the basis for this one. Reviews of the 1-Series sedan have been positive (here's one, for anyone who cares and bothered to read this far:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review...on-2017-review), there's no reason to think an updated 2GC wouldn't be even better.