08-18-2024, 08:59 PM | #155 | |
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Front tires were 285mm widths. |
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08-19-2024, 12:57 PM | #156 |
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Ok, I can get on board with this one. It's so sexy!!!
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08-19-2024, 03:42 PM | #157 |
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Ohhhhh wow they literally made this car a whale just for this one statement, now I understand:
Projected fully electric, zero emissions range of approximately 25 miles. 25 miles at 100 some odd electric horsepower in a tank. Great so I can 3/4 of the way to work! I don't understand the segment of this vehicle in the ICE/Electric food chain at all. It's not MEGA fast like a full electric, and its not as efficient as a mild hybrid because the weight makes it ungodly for wear and tear across the entire drivetrain and disposable materials standpoint. I do consumer claim support for skincare for a living - this entire car was designed around that one stupid lonely claim. Shoulda gone full Ice, Mild Hybrid, or full electric.
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08-19-2024, 06:09 PM | #158 | |
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I legitimately think I am the exact demographic for this vehicle.
I have roughly 7 miles to and from work in slow-ish traffic (no interstate), so I can do my commute no problem on full EV mode. I do occasionally go on road trips and like the “infinite” range that a PHEV offers. In my mind, a PHEV is a temporary solution until battery technology can catch up to consumer expectations. An electric motor also supplements an ICE engine well because you get max torque from zero RPM to fill in for the lack of torque off idle (and while turbos spool). I think that many more people will be willing to accept full EV once we get to battery densities allowing a 1,000 mile range on passenger vehicles. I work at a VERY large logistics company looking to implement EV’s in some markets. As a country, we do not have a power generation problem for EV’s, we have a power distribution problem. Many facilities will need upgraded transformers, etc to handle the power demands of DC charging. DC fast charging becomes much less of an issue once batteries are big enough to last an entire day of driving. I don’t think people really understand the power infrastructure needed to transmit the power that DC fast chargers need. Quote:
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08-20-2024, 09:14 PM | #159 | |
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08-22-2024, 10:38 AM | #160 | |
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I will be test driving an RS6 sometime next year. Interested to see what Audi does with the EV "6" moniker and the newer RS7 ICE setup as well. I would rather go all in than half way between with the m5. I've been back and forth between Audi and BMW for 15 years now so it won't be my first transition.
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08-22-2024, 01:56 PM | #161 |
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I’d beg to differ, i personally love the G70 7 Series and the New LCI 4 Series (M440i), And I do like all of they’re SUV’s except for the awful looking X2.
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08-22-2024, 03:47 PM | #162 | |
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The irony is that EVs may precipitate the return of the station wagon as it’s an inherently more aero design than an SUV. |
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08-23-2024, 06:11 PM | #163 | |
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I have an i4 M50 today and had a Tesla P3D previously…. Can’t wait to have my G99 Touring…. I’m the target use case…. 90% of my travel is around town…perfect for the EV-side… will charge at home. But having the ICE/hybrid allows me to do road trips like a normal person vs having to stop for 30-45 min every 2.5-3 hours for a recharge and having my fingers and toes crossed hoping the CCS charger actually works and there isn’t a long queue. I do have to say though, the non-Tesla NACS charging experience isn’t bad….damn pleasant compared to the goat rodeo that is an EA charging experience. I took a trip with my father in his Ford Lightning and we used Tesla exclusively…. It worked every time, charged at the full expected speed and was reasonably priced…. Cheers!
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08-23-2024, 11:32 PM | #164 | |
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08-24-2024, 11:19 AM | #165 | |
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IMO, the PHEV M5 was a compromise to give the enthusiasts their V8TT, but also meet the ever more stringent EU fuel efficiency and environmental targets. WRT the M5 in EV mode… some won’t, but some will… the benefit of the PHEV is you don’t heat cycle the engine for short trips, either. In my case, it’s win-win. I get my long roof M5 and can putt-putt around the neighborhood/local errands in EV-mode, charging at home…. Off solar, too…. And yet, when I want to go for a longer ride up to see family, holiday, hit the mountains…heck, just go rip it up and down the freeway to clear the cobwebs, I can do that, too
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08-24-2024, 11:27 AM | #166 | |
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08-30-2024, 08:20 AM | #167 |
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08-30-2024, 08:22 AM | #168 | |
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08-30-2024, 02:37 PM | #169 |
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The G99 is 60mm taller than an RS6 (not counting the height of the shark fin on the RS6). That seems like a really big amount.
Why did BMW make the car this tall? I guess to have room under the floor for the battery but still have enough headroom in the cabin?? |
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08-30-2024, 04:05 PM | #170 | |
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Yep, battery is on the floor and they had to raise the car for ground clearance and raise the roof for head room. |
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08-31-2024, 11:16 AM | #171 | |
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At the price point, if you want a faster, more functional EV there are plenty of them. My uncle just got the Rivian pickup. It's a beast, and its just as fast as this car, and its a full size pickup. It has more range, more space, a full size bed, a frunk, and equal passenger availability. By attempting to simultaneously compete with all markets, this car is going to lose to many of them. 1 year ago I would never in a million years assume that someone would cross shop a Rivian pickup with an M5, but given the specs, the weight, the performance and the "swiss army knife" marketing segmentation, it is now a logical cross shop. I think the Rivian wins in like 90% of the categories you could possibly put them against each other in, and I don't even really like it that much. I wanted to love this car. My whole life I have wanted an m5 and a wagon. If everything goes the way it should with my business I'm going to make the ultimate purchase statement in 2 years and bring a left hand drive m3 wagon over from the other side of the pond. It may cost as much as an m5, but it will be exactly the car I want.
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09-03-2024, 01:13 AM | #172 | |
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09-03-2024, 10:34 AM | #173 | |
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This is the perfect way for BMW to prove their manufactured talking point that "There is no American market for wagons." Literally bring over ONLY the heaviest, ugliest, most expensive, least practical wagon that has ever existed, and then blame us for not buying it. Shame on us! It's the same as putting the manual only in the "Pure" or the "Base" performance models (m3). A lot of people who may have considered a manual if all other things were equal will instead buy the Competition because it is faster, has AWD, has more options etc. . . In my opinion, BMW is giving a master class in how to skew a market and make it look like you know what you're talking about, while in reality ruining the core brand that took decades to build as "The Ultimate Driving Machine."
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09-04-2024, 10:50 AM | #174 | ||
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09-04-2024, 11:14 PM | #175 |
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And yet somehow Mercedes just released an ice V8 gt63 coupe. Boy oh boy.
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09-09-2024, 10:03 AM | #176 |
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After seeing the photos and a couple of YouTube videos of the world reveal of the 2025 BMW M5 Touring (G99) at Pebble Beach in mid-August, I was let down and disappointed, but held out hope that the vehicle would look better, once I saw it in person. Also, I have some major concerns with the decision by BMW to make the G99 a PHEV.
This past Sat. I attended a limited visit to the BMW Port Elizabeth Vehicle Delivery Center (VDC), in Elizabeth, NJ, conducted by the BMW CCA. I was pleasantly surprised to see that BMW USA had brought both of the same BMW M5’s, sedan and touring that were at Pebble Beach, to now display on the VDC floor for us. Being able to see the actual vehicle up front and close, as well as to sit in it, my earlier concerns were sadly confirmed. We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to my eye, the vehicle does not look better in person and the design miscues at both the front and rear of the vehicle exacerbate the other major issues that I have with the G99. Design – Front End: The G99’s front end, while not employing the cartoonish, exaggerated “buck-tooth” kidney grill” that has been so controversial on some other recent BMW models, is still most unfortunate. To me, there seems to be some practical elements that are missing, and the entire composition appears unfinished. The choice to make the front lower bumper/diffuser look like it was influenced by Star Wars Darth Vader helmet is very awkward and most unfortunate. But the most disconcerting choice was to create two, very large, side-by-side clear openings for forced air cooling of the multiple radiators deeply recessed behind them. I understand the functional need to provide as much cooling as possible, but realistically the G99 is not a race car and very few will ever be tracked. That part of the front end seems to be missing some important aesthetic and functional elements. Most perplexing is that there is no metal or plastic grillage insert inside the upper portion of the grill of either horizontal or vertical slats to better define the grill. Nor are there any below inside those deep recesses, making for a giant open vacuum cleaner or silly opened-mouthed appearance, IMHO. From a real-life practical standpoint, those exposed radiator fins will quickly be damaged from kicked up road debris and stones, as well as to be a repository for sucked up tree leaves when driving on any back roads during the fall season. Finally, I think the overuse of gloss piano black plastic looks cheap and would much prefer either a gloss or matte black carbon fiber option instead. Design – Rear End: The G99’s rear bumper valence is an unnecessarily a ridiculous 2” thick element finished in gloss piano black, that appears very heavy and protrudes way too much. It is interrupted in the center by a silly divider painted in the body color, that appears as some sort of unfortunate automotive loin cloth / G-string element. This trim piece does not need to be so pronounced and would also benefit by being offered in either a gloss or matte black carbon fiber as an alternative optional choice. Interior Design: I for one, have not come around to accepting the now universal design of the long, horizontal LCD screen as BMW’s digital dash or instrument cluster. While it functions just fine and one would probably eventually get used to it, to me, it just seems like a large horizontally curved flat screen that has just been inserted in front of the driver. It has not been cleanly integrated into the entire dashboard and essentially looks like it was just applied on top or in front of the dashboard, which I find very disconcerting. Propulsion System: The new G99 is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, (PHEV). While there are clearly advantages and disadvantages to this type of propulsion, in the long term, it is a transitionary approach between traditional ICE and full EV propulsion systems, until the battery technology evolves further allowing for lighter batteries, less susceptible to degradation from extreme temperatures, faster charging and further range ability for EV’s. For anyone, who like me, plans to keep their vehicle for 8-10 years, I would be concerned about the long-term reliability and associated repair costs to the complexity of the PHEV elements. At this point in time, I am more comfortable getting a new vehicle that has just an ICE propulsion system that has most likely reached its pinnacle of technological evolution. That, plus the fact that in the U.S., the gasoline retail supply infrastructure is everywhere, while it will still take quite a few years for the electrical charging stations to be installed to make driving an EV a practical road trip / vacation vehicle. Weight: The BMW USA executives were coming up with all sorts of excuses and rationalizations for the extreme gross weight of 5,529 lbs of the G99. This is one of the inherent problematic issues with a performance PHEV, that combines an large ICE V-8 engine with an electric motor and heavy battery(s). This vehicle needs 717 hp to propel this overweight beast for a decent 0-60 mph time. I must believe that this additional weight will be most unfortunately felt and challenging when driving at speed into any tight corners. Conclusion: Those of us who reside in the U.S. and are currently in the market for a new, high-performance station wagon / touring / shooting brake body type vehicle have only a few choices now. They include the BMW M5 Touring, the Audi RS 6 Avant Performance and the soon-to-be released updated Mercedes-Benz E63s AMG, (expected to also be a PHEV). In my opinion, the M-B does not have an appealing exterior or interior design, being too soft, rounded and unattractive. FYI, I have been a long-term owner of multiple BMW’s over the past 25 years, including a 2001 E53 X5, a 2025 E70 X5, and currently a 2016 F15 X5M, as well as multiple Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including a 2000 W210 E45, a 2004 W212 E55 AMG and a 2007 W164 ML63 AMG). I was part of our American trend to migrate from sedans and station wagons to preferring a SUV. Now, 25 years later, with SUVs as the predominate preferred vehicle to U.S. consumers, I would like to drive a vehicle that is not seen everywhere and has more of a uniqueness about it. There may be an ironic aspect to a number of us SUV drivers now wanting to switch over to a more, car-like vehicle in the form of a station wagon, that does not sacrifice much in the way of cargo capacity, yet also has all-wheel drive and comparable, if not better fuel mileage and better handling than a SUV. So, after much thought about all of this and seeing and test driving a 2025 Audi RS 6 Avant Performance, I have decided to place a custom, build-to-suit order for one, with expected delivery in the late spring of 2025. (the attached photos are of the 2024 RS 6 Avant Performance that I test drove). The Audi meets most of my aesthetic, technological and practical preferences and requirements, that the BMW G99 does not. Also, the Audi has an ICE propulsion motor only, attractive integrated LCD digital dashboard, operable sun roof in the front, carbon fiber exterior trim as an option and is 694 lbs lighter than the G99! As a long-term loyal BMW enthusiast owner, I really wanted to like and buy the 2025 BMW M5 Touring, but alas, it is not for me. I wish you all the best in making your choices. P.S. - Here is a link to Dan Neil's article reviewing the 2024 Audi RS 6 Avant Performance, that appeared in the August 30, 2024 edition of The Wall Street Journal. It is titled: "2024 Audi RS 6 Avant Performance: A Wagon With the Soul of a Lamborghini" https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/2...hare_permalink Attached Images
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