Quote:
Originally Posted by nlaak
They offer better performance across the board, shifting time is better in a good conventional automatic than a manual and a dual clutch crushes what a driver can do for shift times. In today's performance cars people mostly start looking at cars for the numbers and when you get to the point that a car is 0-60 in 3 seconds the difference between a manual and automatic is going to be at least 0.5 and probably the same in the quarter.
|
I believe I stated on several occasions that it isn't all about 'fastest' - whether that be in the 1/4 mile or around the ring. It's about feel, soul, emotion. A new Fiat(a) 124 Spider has more soul than nearly any BMW today. The manual transmission connects the driver in a way that an automatic cannot. Heck - even f1 transmissions out of Modena, while fantastic, still don't match the connection a true manual can give the driver.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nlaak
By what definition do you not call an M5 a "sports car"? Is a C8 Corvette not a sports car? Ford GT? 911? How about a Ferrari 812 Superfast? That's a dual clutch too.
|
No, the M5 is certainly not a sports car. A grand tourer? A German Muscle car? Perhaps, but no - certainly not a sports car. The rest you mention, with exception of the 812 (it's a grand tourer as well, according to Ferrari), can certainly be argued to be sports cars - with or without a manual transmission. Although, once again, the manual options certainly makes the car more fun - even if not as fast on paper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nlaak
And the reality is BMW is making vehicles people want to buy, hence the big push for SUV/SAVs This isn't going to change, manuals are going away, cars certainly look to be going away, or at least we're going to see a lot less models than we used to, ICE engines are going away (though that will take a lot of years yet).
|
You are right, and proving my point, BMW is building less and less 'drivers cars' and more of what those in the market want....fancy refrigerators on wheels. They are doing what is right with respect to the P&L, but they should start reducing marketing as the Ultimate Driving Machine, because they aren't really that anymore. Not a bad thing, from a shareholder point of view, but they have changed. To say otherwise, is disingenuous.