Wiegert
Premium
- 13,377
- United Kingdom
The thing with this is a lot of cars could do better. I mean, 1500 kg for a RWD car is still a bit much. It's almost as heavy as my 11 year old Impala.The 1595kg weight is hardly massive when you consider the latest Focus RS is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1560kg based on specs. Considering that quoted weight is for the xDrive model, it's really not that bad. Yep, modern cars are heavy, but it's not a unique problem here.
So why is the basic FR M140i heavier?
seriously, most American SUVs are heavier
The thing with this is a lot of cars could do better. I mean, 1500 kg for a RWD car is still a bit much. It's almost as heavy as my 11 year old Impala.
That's the point. Why is this sports car nearly as heavy as a fleet car? And in addition, you ignored the comparison between the M140 and the other hot hatches.Your 11 year old Impala is a FWD car designed primarily for fleet use built on a platform that first started development 34 years ago.
This is a modern RWD turbocharged luxury sports car.
It could stand to shed a few kilos imho. I don't hate the car, bur 1500 is just a tad too heavy.Because it's not exactly basic.
Because the fleet car was built on a (FWD) platform designed for specification targets originally put in place in 1982, with a transmission originally designed in 1985, a choice of engines either originally from 1980 or 1982, and the amount of interior equipment consummate with a car sold primarily to fleets by GM at the turn of the millenium. The Impala is also significantly more different in weight to this BMW anyway than the hot hatches you brought up.That's the point. Why is this sports car nearly as heavy as a fleet car?
The old Mazdaspeed 3 is a trip to the grocery store in weight difference to this. Instead of being a RWD six cylinder luxury car, it is a FWD four cylinder Mazda. You might as well have not brought it up. The old Focus RS is another trip to the grocery store in difference to that, but is at least a 5 cylinder. The current Focus RS is in fact heavier than this BMW.And in addition, you ignored the comparison between the M140 and the other hot hatches
Let's look at a market more like the M140, then. It's a powerful RWD, so it's a good comparison to the 370z and the rest of that segment. Just looking at the 370z gives us 1493-1615 kg. Fair enough, that lines up, but the 370z is still 7 kg lighter at its most basic form.Because the fleet car was built on a (FWD) platform designed for specification targets originally put in place in 1982, with a transmission originally designed in 1985, a choice of engines either originally from 1980 or 1982, and the amount of interior equipment consummate with a car sold primarily to fleets by GM at the turn of the millenium. The Impala is also significantly more different in weight to this BMW anyway than the hot hatches you brought up.
The old Mazdaspeed 3 is a trip to the grocery store in weight difference to this. Instead of being a RWD six cylinder luxury car, it is a FWD four cylinder Mazda. You might as well have not brought it up. The old Focus RS is another trip to the grocery store in difference to that, but is at least a 5 cylinder. The current Focus RS is in fact heavier than this BMW.
So... what? Are BMW engineers supposed to be ashamed that their turbocharged RWD 5 seat luxury car weighs 16 pounds more than the absolute base model of a somewhat smaller normally aspirated 2 seat RWD sports car that it is already faster than anyway?Let's look at a market more like the M140, then. It's a powerful RWD, so it's a good comparison to the 370z and the rest of that segment. Just looking at the 370z gives us 1493-1615 kg. Fair enough, that lines up, but the 370z is still 7 kg lighter at its most basic form.
It's supposed to be a hatchback in a segment for coupes. You'd think the hatch would be lighter. My key complaint here is it could definitely be lighter. I'd have given it a cool if it was. But seriously? It's just too heavy for my taste.So... what? Are BMW engineers supposed to be ashamed that their turbocharged RWD 5 seat luxury car weighs 16 pounds more than the absolute base model of a similarly sized normally aspirated 2 seat sports car that it is already faster than anyway?
I legitimately don't get what this point is supposed to mean.
It's supposed to be a hatchback in a segment for coupes. You'd think the hatch would be lighter. My key complaint here is it could definitely be lighter. I'd have given it a cool if it was. But seriously? It's just too heavy for my taste.