Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuller
The current market for the 3 series is not predominantly driving enthusiasts. The average 3 series driver seems to care more about image, tech, comfort, and luxury, not sporty driving dynamics.
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I disagree. I don't think anything changed. BMW has always cared about image, tech, comfort and luxury in its cars in addition to sporty driving. And it's as of an enthusiast brand as it's ever been. I mean, an "enthusiast" has even more options than he ever did: There's never been a time that you could get Adaptive M Sport suspension, many adjustable settings regarding driving dynamics, track package, etc. in your base BMW 3 series. In 2002, the only "sporty" thing you could do with E90 328i xdrive would be M Sport package.
This is a generational thing. We are the whining generation. We think everything was better in the past, because our generation is lonely and depressed. But in reality, everything is better now. Including 3 series, smartphones, laptops, world peace, economy, etc.
As for Alfa, I drove one in Europe. Interior is ridiculously bad for its category. Steering is too fast for highway cruising. It felt sportier than F30, but it's been a while since I drove it, so can't compare to G20.
However, as it's always been, 3 series is a great all rounder in addition to being a sport saloon. There is room on the "Sportier" side of the spectrum, and Alfa is benefiting from that. 3 series has to be great on the highway, great on the winding roads, should have great quality and reliability, should have cutting edge tech, and should be fun to drive in winding roads. Alfa should just be fun on winding roads to make headlines for shallow american publishers as c&d and mt. And that's the only thing it's really good at. That's why I've been ignoring C&D and MT for a while. Today's audience needs viral headlines and that's what they deliver, not a balanced through review of anything.