VIDEO REVIEW: BMW M135i Front Wheel Drive. LORD, That Sounds SO WRONG.

We are enthusiasts but studies have shown majority of buyers don't know if their car is front or rear wheel drive.

I think it misses the total picture of how many people end up at the BMW dealer to buy a new car. Their are lots of influencers from your enthusiast neighbor to car reviews online, previous experiences riding or driving one etc.... Those things will start to change with this short sighted move by BMW. There is no real reason for them to go fwd other than packaging. In most cases that last bit of more efficient packaging will make no difference while the sacrafices made to get it will make a difference. BMW should stop trying to be Toyota IMHO.

I think it misses the total picture of how many people end up at the BMW dealer to buy a new car. Their are lots of influencers from your enthusiast neighbor to car reviews online, previous experiences riding or driving one etc.... Those things will start to change with this short sighted move by BMW. There is no real reason for them to go fwd other than packaging. In most cases that last bit of more efficient packaging will make no difference while the sacrafices made to get it will make a difference. BMW should stop trying to be Toyota IMHO.

And the next packaging is the skateboard...

The GTI has long proven that FWD isn't a curse, but the UKL platform is no GTI.

Bolt in AWD to cover the "dartiness" of the Mini platform, sure.

BMW has long needed to go FWD below the 3 Series but their incompetence in designing and refining an FWD platform has prevented them from succeeding.

It would not surprise me if something like a Veloster N was the more refined platform, but we know the GTI is the gold standard and BMW just hasn't reached excellence yet.

Skateboard comment above... funny but yea you're exactly right as they move to EV.

50/50 Weight Distribution: Gone

NO 6-cylinder engine should appear on FWD 1 series

I'd rather have a small normally aspirated 6 cylinder than a turbo 4. Easier to drive at lower revs, more immediate low-end torque, much better sound.

Moreover, these turbo 4 cylinder engines often do not get better MPG. They are compliance engines nothing more.

The V6 Mustang had the power of the 2.3T but better MPG.
The 2.5 Fusion easily got better MPG than the EgoBoost.
The Chevy 2.7T truck engine isn't an MPG boon.
And so on.

@vdiv I'm sure the sound of a naturally aspirated 6 is far better than a turbo 4, but most BMW normally aspirated engines do not have better low end torque than a modern turbo engine designed with minimal lag. In fact, it seems to me the turbo motors have much better torque at low revs. My current engine, a 4.0L normally aspirated V8 has horrible torque below 4000RPM, but it sounds great on the way to 8300RPM. If you're suddenly caught loafing in high gear and want to accelerate, you'd better downshift 3 or 4 gears in order to have the torque (7th to 3rd or 4th at 70mph) Redline in 3rd is a bit over 100mph.

The non-linear nature of the throttle response with turbocharged engines, even with small turbo/variable geometry vanes is a pain, adds too much BS to an engine that is just not necessary. Small 6 don't need extra time to spin up, don't rely on the efficiency of intercooling, don't have extra oil and coolant plumbing, run happily on a lower octane gas. Go for an inline or flat and it can be as smooth as silk. That's what BMW offered for years and what made them special.