BMW has totally lost their way. The “Marketing Bullshit”comment from that E66 is spot on.

They built the brand on the back of making good drivers' cars, and now they are just wringing that brand equity to capture all the business they can by pitching their new vapid products as lifestyle consumer products for the mass affluent and those who aspire to be. It may be profitable, but short-sighted, since they will blend with the rest, lose their soul, and eventually (already?) become Lexus. Even their M cars are drifting away.

At least Porsches still drive well. And their GT line is great. There is some merit to their performance/motorsport/driver's car claims when they sell a vanilla 911.

Frankly, on the mass market/budget car end, Mazda is doing a strong job of hewing to the drivers' car ideal--except, maybe, for the CX-9.

I think we'll see a split among most manufacturers (we already have/are) between the pablum lines and a few edgier, performance models to keep the engineers, marketers, and press happy.

:lol: welcome to 2012 :)

We tested the CX-9 a couple years ago -- and liked it :dunno:

Its still a big 3-row SUV, but for what it is, its hews to the driver's car ideal about as much as it can... We ended up not looking at it since we really don't need the 3rd row. Too bad that Mazda has a gap in the lineup -- especially since between the CX-3, CX-30 and CX-5, they have 3 similar sized CUVs. The CX-5 should be a 2-row version of the CX-9... and they need to consolidate the CX-3 and CX-30 (and I'm really surprised the 30 didn't just replace the 3...)

Agreed. Also, they need another engine variant. I might have considered a 5-seater CX-9, if it had had a bigger engine...But the reality is the CX-5 is really a fine size for me, and fits nicely in my garage.

Awesome.

My only quibble with the 5 is the lack of back seat leg room. Not an issue in the 9...

Totally get that. Mostly, it’s my tall kid in the front passenger seat and two dogs in the cargo area. So, back seat space was a lower concern. And it’s still easier to get into the back seat of the 5 than it is in my 2-door convertible.