Quote:
Originally Posted by jmack123
Predictably, the Top Gear "purists" rag on the SUV M lineup. Pretty sad if you ask me. There is plenty of room (and utility) for an SUV that can perform capably on the road. There is no reason an SUV can't (and shouldn't) have performance capability (unless of course you are a snob).
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You can do whatever you want with your trucks but why feel compelled to call them "M"s? We always knew they were headed this way, and we implored BMW not to do it. And X6M is not a "sport" vehicle by any stretch. Is it fast? Yes! But is it a sports car? No. Can it perform on a track? Sure, but would it perform worse if it lost the "M" badge?
During M-day at BMW Manufacturing eons ago, none other than Hans Stuck thought it was hilarious and so appropriate to ask (yes, ask) to wear a hat a friend had designed to counter the BMW NA "Most Powerful Letter in the Alphabet" slogan. His design simply said, " M is for Marketing". How prescient, and appropriate. But the enthusiasts were over-ruled in the end.
When I had the opportunity to drive a then-new E39 M5 to attend the BMW victories at Le Mans, I wrote about how it was an incredible car, a fast car, a great cruiser. But we struggled with really embracing it as an M-car since our frame of reference at that point was the M1, M3, the E28 and E34 M5 and M635Csi. The E39 really didn't have that driving-shoe purposefulness of its predecessors. Fast and luxurious, certainly. Great car! M-car? I love my E39 530i Sport/Premium 5-speed, too, but it's not really of the same ilk as my E28 535is, or even my E34 M50TU 5-speed in terms of fitting like a glove and responding like a good polo pony. Sorry!