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Old 12-12-2017, 03:03 PM   #11
robg
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Originally Posted by John V View Post
I keep coming back to this article.

https://thegarage.jalopnik.com/bmw-e...hit-1784684330
Ha -yeah I saw that a while ago. Funny and true. But that's why I'd only lease a BMW (or any German car for that matter). Wouldnt trust a VW/Audi or MB engine to perform flawlessly over the long-term either.
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Old 12-12-2017, 03:11 PM   #12
John V
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Ha -yeah I saw that a while ago. Funny and true. But that's why I'd only lease a BMW (or any German car for that matter). Wouldnt trust a VW/Audi or MB engine to perform flawlessly over the long-term either.
Certainly not. One of the main reasons I never had much interest in the Audi S4s with the DOHC V8 was the insanely high maintenance costs.
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Old 12-12-2017, 03:50 PM   #13
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I've really come around on that article recently.


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Old 12-12-2017, 08:42 PM   #14
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I had one as a loaner when I brought my sons 340i in for service ... great car, great engine though the steering was a little weird, I’ve noticed it on the 328 as well when turning the wheel it wraps itself right back to center very quickly and feels strange.

I drove my sons 340 after and it doesn’t do this, also drove my friends 435 convertible and it doesn’t do it either. No idea if they say the steering is the same on all 3 series but it isn’t.
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Old 12-12-2017, 10:10 PM   #15
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I had one as a loaner when I brought my sons 340i in for service ... great car, great engine though the steering was a little weird
I HATED the steering in the F30 340xi that I drove. It was like someone was tugging on the wheel randomly while you were trying to turn. Really bizarre.

I found the 240i better, and the M2 best.

Well, the Cayman was best. But the M2 was as good as it got for a modern BMW.
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Old 12-13-2017, 03:57 AM   #16
Alan
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I HATED the steering in the F30 340xi that I drove. It was like someone was tugging on the wheel randomly while you were trying to turn. Really bizarre.
That describes it really well ... it is the same feeling I had but for some reason in my sons 340xi and my friends 435xi conv it does not have that feeling though every loaner I’ve had with the smaller engine does

Btw I just realized the last loaner was a 430 not a 330 but still it had that weird tugging on the wheel thing.
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Old 12-13-2017, 08:28 AM   #17
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I left baffled how they could screw it up so badly. I know there are things that sell cars even though enthusiastic don't like them - light steering, high seating position, etc. But does anyone on the planet actually like what BMW is doing with the steering or is BMW just completely incompetent at this point?
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Old 12-13-2017, 09:01 AM   #18
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But does anyone on the planet actually like what BMW is doing with the steering
Sure. I'll bet that a lot of people complained about how comparatively heavy the steering was on older BMWs (because they grew up driving american cars). They probably don't care about what the car feels like, anywhere near as much as they care about what logo is on the trunklid.

BMW wants to sell more cars. Lighter steering probably helps them do that.
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Old 12-13-2017, 10:53 AM   #19
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My theory is BMW sees Lexus selling a ton of cars and thinks, hey, let's make beige, boring, inoffensive vehicles like Lexus. We'll make a fortune not having to care about things like steering feel and throttle response and lateral grip.

The problem is people don't buy lexuses because they're hiring. They buy then because they're reliable. Bmws aren't.
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Old 12-13-2017, 11:08 AM   #20
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Sure. I'll bet that a lot of people complained about how comparatively heavy the steering was on older BMWs (because they grew up driving american cars). They probably don't care about what the car feels like, anywhere near as much as they care about what logo is on the trunklid.

BMW wants to sell more cars. Lighter steering probably helps them do that.

No no no no no. It's not just lighter steering. It's light-but-jerky steering. It's seriously messed up.

I'm sure that many people just don't notice it or don't give a shit. But I can't imagine anyone actually *likes* it.
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