BMW Compactive Tourer - spy pics & info

[Betty Swollocks]

Renault have a long history of making performance cars, Renault 5 Maxi & Turbo, Williams Clio, Renault Alpine GTA.........they've also been very successful in F1, so I'd say they have a sporting image.

A car enthusiast knows this. The average man on the street? No.

 

[KiwiRob]

Of course there's a market for a Z4M or an M3 Touring. It just doesn't make as much profit as a FWD 2 Series MPV or a two and a half tonne X5 M.

Bollocks there is, if there was BMW would be building them. It would require bugger all investment to build an M3 Touring, remember they built a E34 M5 Touring and it bombed, hence the reason why there hasn't been another. I'm pretty confident BMW know a hell of a lot more about what they can and can't sell and how there brand image is perceived than tiny number of annoyed owners on an internet form.

It was 1 Series models, and in the 80's and 90's BMW made RWD a huge part of their marketing campaigns. Now they talk about "joy". Coincidence? I think not.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I'm no longer interested in RWD cars, I live in an area with plenty of snow, a couple of years with a Mercedes C220 and a 318D taught me that RWD even with spiked winter tyres is vastly inferior to FWD. There are many people living all over the world who have the same issue as I do, Russia, Canada, the American snow belt states, prefer there BMW with X drive. I'd have no problem if BMW built FWD 3 series either, they'd still be some of the best cars in the class, and I'm sure AWD would work just as well for the M3.

 

[Rainer271]

A car enthusiast knows this. The average man on the street? No.

That´s correct. But the average man on the street don´t bother about so extreme like enthusiasts who the most of us are.

 

[KiwiRob]

A car enthusiast knows this. The average man on the street? No.

Just like the average man on the street isn't worried about BMW building FWD cars, he'll remember the motorsport models and still think of BMW as a sporting brand.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

The contrast between these two adverts says so much more than I could ever put into words.


From the early 1990's

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

BMW's are rear wheel drive. Period.



From 2011

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

41 seconds of pure marketing guff, featuring two good looking models that nobody has any connection with, one of which is wittering on about his twin brother and how he likes "skinny lattes", and the other is talking about his brother's love of rugby and that he's an architect? Sorry, is this a car advert or a dating TV show?

 

[KiwiRob]

The contrast between these two adverts says so much more than I could ever put into words.

From the early 1990's

BMW's are real wheel drive. Period.

From 2011

41 seconds of pure marketing guff, featuring two good looking models that nobody has any connection with, one of which is wittering on about his twin brother and how he likes "skinny lattes", and the other is talking about his brother's love of rugby and that he's an architect? Sorry, is this a car advert or a dating TV show?

Times change deal with it.

 

[Gianclaudio]

But it also brings some excitement into a relatively dull and ordinary segment where design is just one shape multiplied.

Really? I think the new C4 Picasso has this Beemer licked, when it comes to design "excitement". It looks way, way cooler.
Don't you agree, @martinbo ?

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Just like the average man on the street isn't worried about BMW building FWD cars, he'll remember the motorsport models and still think of BMW as a sporting brand.

Based on what exactly? Sadly I think BMW have the same belief. That they can live off a reputation whilst at the same time destroying the reason for that reputation and running it into the ground.

Your exactly the customer BMW is now hoping to attract KiwiRob. Buys a FWD MPV "because it's a BMW, and they're sporty, right? Right?"

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Times change deal with it.

And that's your response? You mentioned 80% of 1 Series drivers think their car is FWD? Is it any surprise when BMW put out crap adverts like that?

 

[KiwiRob]

Based on what exactly? Sadly I think BMW have the same belief. That they can live off a reputation whilst at the same time destroying the reason for that reputation and running it into the ground.

Your exactly the customer BMW is now hoping to attract KiwiRob. Buys a FWD MPV "because it's a BMW, and they're sporty, right? Right?"

Yup I am, deal with it, I got no problem owning a FWD BMW, just like I'd have now problem owning a FWD Mercedes, if Ferrari build a FWD MPV at a price I could afford I'd buy one of those two. I got kids I need the space, I don't want to buy a Ford, Opel, Fiat et al, I didn't really want the Touran either but not a lot of choice in the market place so I bought what I had to buy to suit the needs of my family, next time around it will most likely be a BMW, which will more likely than not be the best driving and most sporting MPV on the market.

Yet Mercedes still manges to be seen as a luxury brand despite building vans, trucks and buses. BWM will still be seen as a sporting brand by joe bloggs, BMW don't care about you (one of the minuscule minority posting on websites) they care about what the majority of customers think.

 

[KiwiRob]

And that's your response? You mentioned 80% of 1 Series drivers think their car is FWD? Is it any surprise when BMW put out crap adverts like that?

Yup that's my response, get over it, buy something else.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Yup I am, deal with it, I got no problem owning a FWD BMW, just like I'd have now problem owning a FWD Mercedes, if Ferrari build a FWD MPV at a price I could afford I'd buy one of those two. I got kids I need the space

Then you will never ever understand the point I'm making.

BWM will still be seen as a sporting brand by joe bloggs, BMW don't care about you (one of the minuscule minority posting on websites) they care about what the majority of customers think.

HOW, pray tell, do you think BMW got that sporting image in the first place? By making cars with RWD, that sacrificed certain desirable features like more rear space, in order to make the car the most satisfying drive. And when they'd finished making the car they'd tell people in an advert, focusing heavily and often solely, on the satisfying drive. They didn't make adverts featuring two models drinking lattes, whilst at the same time not mentioning the car at all.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Yup that's my response, get over it, buy something else.

I've clearly touched a nerve KiwiRob. I hate to break it to you, but you're buying a BMW MPV because of the image.

 

[KiwiRob]

Then you will never ever understand the point I'm making.




HOW, pray tell, do you think BMW got that sporting image in the first place? By making cars with RWD, that sacrificed certain desirable features like more rear space, in order to make the car the most satisfying drive. And when they'd finished making the car they'd tell people in an advert, focusing heavily and often solely, on the satisfying drive. They didn't make adverts featuring two models drinking lattes, whilst at the same time not mentioning the car at all.

When BMW got it's sporting image (70's) most cars were RWD. Times change, markets change, BMW still make cars for people who want sporting vehicles, people now want different cars, legislation has also changed the kind of cars we drive, BMW has to adapt to these changes or they die, pretty simple isn't it. So long as they still build cars like the M3 and M5 and remain active in motorsport I don't think they'll have an image problem, except amongst a few insignificant die hards ranting in forums.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

When BMW got it's sporting image (70's) most cars were RWD. Times change, markets change, BMW still make cars for people who want sporting vehicles, people now want different cars, legislation has also changed the kind of cars we drive, BMW has to adapt to these changes or they die,

Which regulations stop BMW from producing RWD cars?

 

[KiwiRob]

I've clearly touched a nerve KiwiRob. I hate to break it to you, but you're buying a BMW MPV because of the image.

I know, you must have missed the post where I said I'd rather drive a BMW MPV than a Ford or VW. You own an A1, isn't that about image when you could own a Polo or Fabia, which are essentially the same thing.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

You own an A1, isn't that about image when you could own a Polo or Fabia

No. And this argument I just never understand. Just because a Polo and an A1 share certain aspects, they're still different. The interiors are different. They look different. The same goes for a Golf and A3.

I don't need to buy any car for its image when I own an R8 V10. What exactly would I be trying to prove?

 

[KiwiRob]

Which regulations stop BMW from producing RWD cars?

None, I never said they did, what I said was regulations change the type of cars we drive. For example in Norway electric cars are favoured by the govt so people are flocking to them in huge numbers, the Teslar Model S was the biggest selling car in November, the Leaf is overall the biggest selling vehicle in Norway this year, all due to legislation. Prior to the this diesels made up over 90% of vehicle sales, as I said legislation changes what we drive.

 

[klier]

remember they built a E34 M5 Touring and it bombed, hence the reason why there hasn't been another

E61 says hi

But that one bombed too with a measly 1000 sales plus a couple. And investments were significant with a completely redesigned rear axle and stuff. Pretty sure they lost money on that project…..so now they're going to try a 3er GT M, which will bomb even harder.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

None, I never said they did, what I said was regulations change the type of cars we drive. For example in Norway electric cars are favoured by the govt so people are flocking to them in huge numbers, the Teslar Model S was the biggest selling car in November, the Leaf is overall the biggest selling vehicle in Norway this year, all due to legislation. Prior to the this diesels made up over 90% of vehicle sales, as I said legislation changes what we drive.

This is completely irrelevant. BMW focusing on FWD MPVs has nothing to do with legislation changing. It's to do with them focusing purely on trying to fulfil every possible segment possibly to the detriment of their image.