Quote:
Originally Posted by Neusser
I was watching an old Savagegeese review the other day on the E39 M5 and the reviewer was shocked by how soft the M5 felt and how much body roll it had. It was a pretty nice example, too.
IIRC, he rattled off that saying about never meeting one's heroes.
Good memories are often better than the actual experiences were.
And, yes, that applies to pretty much everything.
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Most things… but not BMW’s, lol. Also, yeah, the body roll of a 25 year old car probably will be worse than today. It’s about the bmw brand vs competitors, not the e39 being objectively or subjectively better than a F90.
Look at something like Car and Driver 10 best. The 3 series and sometimes 5 series were a mainstay for literally decades. Left with F30 and never came back. These cars were nearly all heralded for being incredible even when new. Now, the only bmw with that designation is maybe the X5?
BMW back then was like Porsche. Expensive, but truly a step above competitors. I have more respect for Porsche as a brand now sticking with their commitment to enthusiasts than I did even 10 years ago. As brands like BMW become mass market, they’re less desirable and lose what made them special.
I can’t think of a better example than the E90 M3. Car and Driver did an article comparing it and 911 and didn’t pick a favorite, but effectively said they’re both incredible and that many things (steering feel, rode/handling, engine) were interchangeable. I’m laughing just typing that out now - imagine a G80 vs any new 911, it wouldn’t even be CLOSE. Literally not even the same sentence.
As an aside, I think the Macan is more fun (better steering, more rotation, better ride) than an M340i. I would also take my e90 335 over any bmw made since except a f8x.
OP is right. BMW is still a good manufacturer but not at all special like they once were - that specialness was from the feeling, not from numbers.