Quote:
Originally Posted by AIRPOWER
I wasn't really talking about your GF! Thanks for not taking it personal as it wasn't meant to be.  |
OK then, I'll respond ;-).
Watered down is subjective of course in view of the HP war happening now, by the way, with the Americans leading. Watered down is always compared to the competition. For example in what I consider the glory days of the M Division (not long ago), BMW was producing amazing cars such as the e46 M3 whose performance was pretty close to the 911, IMO the standard of sports cars. They were making amazing engines such as the V10 of the e60 M5 or even the V8 of the e92 (which is not heavier than the biturbo I6 of the F30)...
Now, the distance between the M3/4 and 911 has never been so great. They are using shortcuts in their engineering and can't seem to produce great engines anymore. For exemple, if they were smart like Ferrari, they could have done the 488GTB trick and combine the best of normally aspirated and turbocharged engines by lowering torque output in lower gears (and reduce lag) and allowing the engine to rev at higher RPM's (to give more power and excitement). They have gone the electric power steering way for negligible gas mileage savings (just think about it, the M Division considering gas mileage!!!!) but without providing proper feel (like Porsche, or even the Toyota GT86 have managed to do). And the M3/M4 have not been setup properly until the arrival of the Competition Package... For me, the M Division has now become a marketing tool (look at these M Performance models) and does not mean Motorsport anymore, it does not mean innovation anymore...
That's what I mean by watered down.