RUMOR: 13 FWD BMWs by 2016.

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GTP_Nismo
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/03/rumormill-bmw-could-launch-13-front-wheel-drive-vehicles-by-201/

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I'm not a BMW guy, never was and never will be, though I appreciate the good things they've done when it comes to suspension innovations, but I do feel a bit sad about this. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with most BMW owners thinking their cars are FWD. If I was the head of BMW and found out that my clients don't care about RWD, for the most part, I'd jump ship to FWD to save costs, improve fuel economy, shave weight, yadda yadda. Some of the comments make me want to smack someone but as long as they keep the 3 series RWD as well as the M line, then I guess I'm fine with it. However, with the 3 series being their best selling cars, it's hard to think they won;t make it FWD.
 
The 3 series is, I imagine, large enough to avoid this. Not to mention it would remove the magical driving experience that every automotive journalist has clamored about for the last couple of decades. And that wouldn't be good for sales.
 
Azuremen
Not to mention it would remove the magical driving experience that every automotive journalist has clamored about for the last couple of decades.
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Not really. Presuming it only affects smaller BMWs, there'll still be plenty of RWD ones left to uphold the tradition. And they seem to make the MINI fun to drive anyway.

And that wouldn't be good for sales.
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Given that most 1-Series owners don't know which wheels are driven anyway I doubt it'll make much difference. I'm sure I heard somewhere that the majority of 1er owners don't even bother test driving before buying, so a grumpy motoring hack bemoaning the switch to FWD is unlikely to affect the target audience for the cars.
 
13 FWD models?

In the US and EU or markets such as China, India, and Latin America? Big difference...

I can see maybe 1-2 models in traditional markets as a way to curb fleet fuel economy standards (like that Aston/Toyota iQ thing); growing markets just want cars that are cheap.
 
The Cooper is being redesigned significantly in 2012 so I'm guessing it'll platform share with a BMW branded car. There is also rumours of the Isetta coming back as BMW's city car to compete with the Smart.
 
...will it be a tricycle? It just wouldn't be the same with four wheels...
 
The Isetta had four wheels, the back ones were just really close together.
 
Your average Jo/Joanne may not understand that their 1 series or Z4 is RWD, or care, but they know the BMW name goes hand in hand with ultimate driving machine and is renowned for it's driving dynamics. The first couple of generations down the line this won't hit them but gradually general opinion will move away from a BMW being a prestige brand making premium cars and they will become basically the same as Audi.
 
FWD and driving dynamics are not mutually exclusive, mind you.

There are very few BMWs where it actually matters whether they're FWD-based or RWD-based. BMW's bread-and-butter variants resolutely understeer at the limit, as 99% of road-cars out there do, anyway.

Is it sad that I can get more tail-out action in a front-wheel drive Kia Soul than in a rear-wheel drive 325i? Why yes, yes it is.

I'd imagine that a front-drive BMW can be fun. MINIs are. But I wish that they'd come with a nanny off button, so that the wonderful Scandinavian flick / throttle lift action available with front-drive isn't always squelched by the *krung-krung-krung* of the stability system kicking in and pooping the party.
 
niky
I'd imagine that a front-drive BMW can be fun. MINIs are. But I wish that they'd come with a nanny off button, so that the wonderful Scandinavian flick / throttle lift action available with front-drive isn't always squelched by the *krung-krung-krung* of the stability system kicking in and pooping the party.
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They do, I can turn off the traction control with a push of button next to the shifter. There's a sport button there too and if I had stability control I could disable that as well.
 
For MINIs, yes. But "nannies off" in some of the more expensive BMWs seem to not be fully off, but partially... unless you're driving an M.
 
niky
For MINIs, yes. But "nannies off" in some of the more expensive BMWs seem to not be fully off, but partially... unless you're driving an M.
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In which case, there is just a button for Awesome, which is stuck on. Always.
 
Well, on the M5 you have the annoying "non-M" mode which limits you to an absolutely tepid 400 hp and makes the semi-automated gearbox pummel your spine a little less harshly...
 
Joey D
The Cooper is being redesigned significantly in 2012 so I'm guessing it'll platform share with a BMW branded car. There is also rumours of the Isetta coming back as BMW's city car to compete with the Smart.
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And the Isetta remake will more than likely be RWD, funnily enough. Companies are rediscovering the benefits of rear-engined rear-drive cars when it comes to very compact vehicles like the Smart, Mitsubishi i, Tata Nano... as it allows for much easier packaging whilst still meeting crash regs and the like. It wasn't for no reason that a large number of Europe's really small and cheap vehicles from the 50s and 60s were RR - most Fiats, most Skodas, the VW Type 1 (from even earlier, of course), the Hillman Imp, several Renaults...
 
I was going to mention, yesterday, the fact that american "luxury" brands were moving to the RWD setup. Yet here we have BMW doing the opposite. It's like the americans are late to the party once again.

Yikes. Just noticed there's an $8k jump from a base 328 to a base 335 and a 200lb increase, just because of the engine?
 
eSZee
Yikes. Just noticed there's an $8k jump from a base 328 to a base 335 and a 200lb increase, just because of the engine?
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Larger engine, stronger transmission, turbo and the plumbing that goes with it, multiple other things that suddenly become standard (From what I recall) aren't free or weightless.

To give you an idea of how much turbos, intercoolers, and their plumbing weighs, an FD RX-7 weighs the same with a GM LS1 in it as it does with the twin turbo rotary.
 
I didn't think of the trans but the only difference there should be the clutch and gear ratios.
Yeah, guess I didn't think of the things you mentioned.
 
I'm not sure of the global breakdown, but most BMW's sold in Canada now are xDrive (AWD) not RWD anyways. They do still retain a rear torque bias and some of the RWD handling characteristics though 👍

I had a Cooper S prior to the 135i I'm driving now and although I'm a huge RWD fan, I preferred the handling of the MINI.
 
Egghead43
I'm not sure of the global breakdown, but most BMW's sold in Canada now are xDrive (AWD) not RWD anyways.
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Very few BMW's, with the obvious exception of the X1, X3, X5 and X6, are sold as xDrives in the UK. I don't even know if they're sold here anymore. In Europe however, they are very popular.
 
A good move for BMW IMO, as it will enable them to build a far more class competitive car for the compact segment.

And ultimately FWD/RWD makes near enough no difference in this segment even to enthusiast drivers... the vast majority of the compact cars sold don't have engines powerful enough to overcome the grip levels... you might lose a tiny bit of steering feel, but you get way more than this back in packaging gains.

Personally, I think it's short-sighted to think BMW will suddenly start producing cars as dead to drive as Audis... based on what they have done with the Mini, it's much more likely FWD BMW's will be at least as good to drive as a Focus, but with BMW build quality.
 

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