Industry News: BMW Takes the Luxury Crown For 2015 in the U.S.

[surreal1272]

 

 

 

Lost amid all the hype and the hoopla is that GM's combined sales (Cadillac and Buick) total roughly 400,000 units.

Which makes GM the car company that leads the way in both luxury vehicles and pickup trucks.

Now THAT is what you call versatility.

 

400,000 units combined from two brands isn't all that impressive, sorry. And that's not even questioning how many vehicles among those could properly be considered 'luxury'. I mean just earlier, another poster was ripping on the CLA. Last time I checked, you can buy a Buick Verano with the lame duck 2.4, a Regal with a virtually spartan interior, so on and so forth. 

 

 

 

and truly U can buy a BMW 320i, with its 0-60 in 6.7, and get seriously surprised by a 2016 Chevy Volt 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. Not to mention.. have U been in a BMW 320i??? LMFAO. A Lady friend of mine was duped into buying one.. talk about buyer's remorse and a constant phone call of "how can I break the lease without losing too much." Weak sauce interior... no real options. Eff BMW. 

 

 

A BMW 320i is a far, far better car than a 2.5 ATS. It's the same old vitriol from you as always.

 

No offense Frisky but how is his support of Cadillac any different from your support of BMW? That last remark was simply uncalled for.

[Cmicasa the Great]

^^^ That

[Frisky Dingo]

 

 

 

 

Not one with the 8AT, but a 6AT'er. It was a boring dog. Take away the guts of the higher trim levels, and you're left with is that cramped interior and maddening CUE. Hard pass. At least you can get a Track Pkg and 6MT with the 320i. And with a tune, it makes near 328i power levels. It does have smaller brakes and a more restrictive exhaust though. There are also a few other components that prevent it from being able to pick up power as well as the 328.

 

 

 

 

First U come at me in a way that was unnecessary... especially since I was talking about the car.. not U.

 

Second.. and here is the most important part if U can ever get past the BS.. WE AGREE ON A BUNCH ON STUFF 90% of the time. 

 

A Tune??? If U are gonna get a tune on the 320i U might as well get the 328i. The difference in price is about $5K.. and that is a very small amount in terms of Financing or Leasing. Furthermore HOW MUCH IS THAT TUNE??? Because it would have to be a bargain basement price in order to justify all the other things one has to upgrade to get to the 328i they could have just bought for $5K more.

 

As to the 2.5L. Boring dog... I would characteristic any car in this class as that after hopping out of the VSeries model.. or in my case, the day I drive the new 2.5L 8Speed.. my Vette. Its all about perspective, in both brands. No one such as U or me are gonna normally walk into a BMW or Cadillac dealer and buy a 2.5L as a DD expecting it to pull off daredevil tricks like Evel Knievil, but I'll be the first to tell U that the 8speed tends to wake that lil bitch up.. just enough to be noticed. And despite the humble engine, the tuning of the chassis is quite up to snuff to make most feel satisfied. AGAIN.. I personally would opt for the 3.6L or 3.6LTT, no different than I would opt for the 335i or M3. 

 

Lastly.. if CUE is maddening to anyone then that person must be ready or a strait-jacket just dealing with their daily use of the IPhone or Android. The biggest gripe I've ever heard about CUE was that it lacks buttons. That's it. That's all. Nothing else. My solution.. use the effin Voice Control or BUTTONS on the steering wheel

 

 

Idk about 90%, but I DO agree with you on a lot of things. My biggest problem is in your delivery. The 320i may not be anything to write home about, but it's a much better car than it's similarly priced competition- 2.5 ATS, CLA, Acura ILX, Buick Regal. Certainly no justification for saying "F^&* BMW." The ATS is laughable in 2.5 spec, but I still wouldn't use that to dismiss the brand as a whole.

 

I am personally unimpressed with the 8AT in any sporting application thus far. I haven't driven an ATS-V or new Camaro, but in the C7, I just don't feel it is sharp enough and responsive to inputs using the shift paddles. It's great hooked up to trucks and other vehicles, but the best DCT units out there still shame it in sport options. Just my .02. Its a moot point for me anyway, because anything I'd buy that offers the 8AT I would take in manual. And GM's manuals are, by and large, very good. Sometimes they're a little on the notchy, laborous side, but I like that.

 

CUE has improved over the last few years, I'll give it that. The setup I used in an Escalade was decent. Definitely no longer a deal breaker like it would have been in the past. I still don't like it a great deal, and I think it needs to utilize at least a few more buttons than it does. Even as a BMW fan, I have no issue admitting Cadillac is just a few steps away from having a fully cohesive product that surpasses, or at least matches, BMW in every facet. And I hope they do. Competition improves the breed, after all. The question is whether Cadillac will commit to it. These on-paper winners and niche tweeners like the CT6 aren't going to carry the brand. At some point, they HAVE to build the El Miraj's, Ciels, Sixteens, etc they show off every now and again.

[Frisky Dingo]

 

 

 

 

A BMW 320i is a far, far better car than a 2.5 ATS. It's the same old vitriol from you as always.

 

No offense Frisky but how is his support of Cadillac any different from your support of BMW? That last remark was simply uncalled for.

 

 

 

While I may support BMW, I have no problem openly criticizing them where it is due. I also have no problem with Cadillac or someone liking Cadillac. But mocking products from a competitor when Cadillac's own is even worse strikes me as rather hypocritical. I do not blindly proclaim BMW to be superior to other vehicles just because of my preference.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Frisky Dingo

[surreal1272]

 

 

 

 

 

A BMW 320i is a far, far better car than a 2.5 ATS. It's the same old vitriol from you as always.

 

No offense Frisky but how is his support of Cadillac any different from your support of BMW? That last remark was simply uncalled for.

 

 

 

While I may support BMW, I have no problem openly criticizing them where it is due. I also have no problem with Cadillac or someone liking Cadillac. But mocking products from a competitor when Cadillac's own is even worse strikes me as rather hypocritical. I do not blindly proclaim BMW to be superior to other vehicles just because of my preference.

 

Again, you do the EXACT same thing where BMW is concerned that Casa does where Cadillac is concerned. That is all I'm saying. BTW, saying Cadillacs is worse is pure opinion on your part and partially proves what I am saying here. 

 

Carry on folks.

[Frisky Dingo]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BMW 320i is a far, far better car than a 2.5 ATS. It's the same old vitriol from you as always.

 

No offense Frisky but how is his support of Cadillac any different from your support of BMW? That last remark was simply uncalled for.

 

 

 

While I may support BMW, I have no problem openly criticizing them where it is due. I also have no problem with Cadillac or someone liking Cadillac. But mocking products from a competitor when Cadillac's own is even worse strikes me as rather hypocritical. I do not blindly proclaim BMW to be superior to other vehicles just because of my preference.

 

Again, you do the EXACT same thing where BMW is concerned that Casa does where Cadillac is concerned. That is all I'm saying. BTW, saying Cadillacs is worse is pure opinion on your part and partially proves what I am saying here. 

 

Carry on folks.

 

 

No, I don't. Provide me one instance where I have said that a brand- in particular, Cadillac- sucked, or remarked "F%*# them." in reference to them. You won't. You can't. Him and I are noth the same.

 

And there is absolutely NO third party source that would dispute the 320i as being better than the ATS 2.5. It's like saying Scarlett Johansson is hotter than Roseann. It may be opinion, but it's unanimously agreed upon by any reasonable person.

[surreal1272]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BMW 320i is a far, far better car than a 2.5 ATS. It's the same old vitriol from you as always.

 

No offense Frisky but how is his support of Cadillac any different from your support of BMW? That last remark was simply uncalled for.

 

 

 

While I may support BMW, I have no problem openly criticizing them where it is due. I also have no problem with Cadillac or someone liking Cadillac. But mocking products from a competitor when Cadillac's own is even worse strikes me as rather hypocritical. I do not blindly proclaim BMW to be superior to other vehicles just because of my preference.

 

Again, you do the EXACT same thing where BMW is concerned that Casa does where Cadillac is concerned. That is all I'm saying. BTW, saying Cadillacs is worse is pure opinion on your part and partially proves what I am saying here. 

 

Carry on folks.

 

 

No, I don't. Provide me one instance where I have said that a brand- in particular, Cadillac- sucked, or remarked "F%*# them." in reference to them. You won't. You can't. Him and I are noth the same.

 

And there is absolutely NO third party source that would dispute the 320i as being better than the ATS 2.5. It's like saying Scarlett Johansson is hotter than Roseann. It may be opinion, but it's unanimously agreed upon by any reasonable person.

 

I have seen you demean others over their criticisms of BMW (myself included) more than once here and on other sites so I really don't have to rehash it to prove anything to you. No offense. 

[Frisky Dingo]

Not sure when disagreeing with became 'demeaning', but sure. 

[Cmicasa the Great]

 

 

 

 

 

Not one with the 8AT, but a 6AT'er. It was a boring dog. Take away the guts of the higher trim levels, and you're left with is that cramped interior and maddening CUE. Hard pass. At least you can get a Track Pkg and 6MT with the 320i. And with a tune, it makes near 328i power levels. It does have smaller brakes and a more restrictive exhaust though. There are also a few other components that prevent it from being able to pick up power as well as the 328.

 

 

 

 

First U come at me in a way that was unnecessary... especially since I was talking about the car.. not U.

 

Second.. and here is the most important part if U can ever get past the BS.. WE AGREE ON A BUNCH ON STUFF 90% of the time. 

 

A Tune??? If U are gonna get a tune on the 320i U might as well get the 328i. The difference in price is about $5K.. and that is a very small amount in terms of Financing or Leasing. Furthermore HOW MUCH IS THAT TUNE??? Because it would have to be a bargain basement price in order to justify all the other things one has to upgrade to get to the 328i they could have just bought for $5K more.

 

As to the 2.5L. Boring dog... I would characteristic any car in this class as that after hopping out of the VSeries model.. or in my case, the day I drive the new 2.5L 8Speed.. my Vette. Its all about perspective, in both brands. No one such as U or me are gonna normally walk into a BMW or Cadillac dealer and buy a 2.5L as a DD expecting it to pull off daredevil tricks like Evel Knievil, but I'll be the first to tell U that the 8speed tends to wake that lil bitch up.. just enough to be noticed. And despite the humble engine, the tuning of the chassis is quite up to snuff to make most feel satisfied. AGAIN.. I personally would opt for the 3.6L or 3.6LTT, no different than I would opt for the 335i or M3. 

 

Lastly.. if CUE is maddening to anyone then that person must be ready or a strait-jacket just dealing with their daily use of the IPhone or Android. The biggest gripe I've ever heard about CUE was that it lacks buttons. That's it. That's all. Nothing else. My solution.. use the effin Voice Control or BUTTONS on the steering wheel

 

 

Idk about 90%, but I DO agree with you on a lot of things. My biggest problem is in your delivery. The 320i may not be anything to write home about, but it's a much better car than it's similarly priced competition- 2.5 ATS, CLA, Acura ILX, Buick Regal. Certainly no justification for saying "F^&* BMW." The ATS is laughable in 2.5 spec, but I still wouldn't use that to dismiss the brand as a whole.

 

 

 

 

I still don't agree. But then again.. as I've said neither are my first of second choices considering there are OTHER choices for really not much more within the nameplate. 

 

 

 

 

I am personally unimpressed with the 8AT in any sporting application thus far. I haven't driven an ATS-V or new Camaro, but in the C7, I just don't feel it is sharp enough and responsive to inputs using the shift paddles. It's great hooked up to trucks and other vehicles, but the best DCT units out there still shame it in sport options. Just my .02. Its a moot point for me anyway, because anything I'd buy that offers the 8AT I would take in manual. And GM's manuals are, by and large, very good. Sometimes they're a little on the notchy, laborous side, but I like that.

 

 

 

If I were to buy the Stingray again.. I'd go 8L90 Automatic every time. Quite frankly.. its just too good for me not to have gotten it had it been available at the time of my purchase.. That being said.. the 8Speed in the Vette, the 8L90 is not the same as the one in the Cadillacs, the 8L45 is the Cadillac version (someone correct me on the name code) and is different due to the gearing and transaxle going back to the C7 transmission in the rear instead of the front. Upgainst the last 911 I drove, both the Vette and the Alphas meet the capabilities of the best German tranny I can think of.

 

 

 

 

CUE has improved over the last few years, I'll give it that. The setup I used in an Escalade was decent. Definitely no longer a deal breaker like it would have been in the past. I still don't like it a great deal, and I think it needs to utilize at least a few more buttons than it does. Even as a BMW fan, I have no issue admitting Cadillac is just a few steps away from having a fully cohesive product that surpasses, or at least matches, BMW in every facet. And I hope they do. Competition improves the breed, after all. The question is whether Cadillac will commit to it. These on-paper winners and niche tweeners like the CT6 aren't going to carry the brand. At some point, they HAVE to build the El Miraj's, Ciels, Sixteens, etc they show off every now and again.

 

 

And that's my issue. U came in with a sensationalized rant about how "maddening CUE" was... when in reality its force fed crap that people like regurgitate from sources like "John Lieberman" types

[Frisky Dingo]

Going back to the 320i, a tune runs less than $600. That puts it on par with the power level (just a bit more, actually) of the 328i. For a cheap leased DD, it'd be a fun little car with a 6MT and Sport Pkg. And out the door for low-mid 30's. I can think of no other car in the segment or a similar segment that would make a more compelling buy for an enthusiast.

 

 

We'll just have to agree to disagree on the 8AT in the Vette. Aside from being smooth and well-behaved in auto mode, I noticed nothing to write home about. In manual mode, response time didn't feel quick enough, downshifts were a bit jerky, it just didn't feel like a good dual-clutch does.

 

As for CUE, I didn't go on a rant at all. I briefly mentioned it. It is still a frustrating system to use, imo.