|
|
 |
 |
Vince Strazzabosco
March 11,1999 |
|
>> Go To:
The New 2002: Vince Strazzabosco
The New 2002: Don Cicchetti
What do you think?
But Wait!! This just in: A new 2002 due in the Summer of 2002? Donald Pitschel found this at Automedia Thanks Don! |
I'll confess, though I think it's pretty obvious. I don't like newer BMWs. Nope, not at all. Why, you might ask?
It's plain and simple enough. BMW built their reputation here in the United States by building and refining the concept we now know as the "Sport Sedan". In essence, it was a car that had the zip, pep and grippy handling of a two-seat sports car combined with an upright and practical sedan body. The legendary BMW 2002 was the most popular and by far the best car in its class, especially when compared against other makes like Alfa Romeo and Datsun. The 2002 firmly established BMW as a maker of sport sedans, both in Europe and in the United States as well.
The sport sedan was also rather Spartan. Most buyers of sport sedans were truly more interested in performance and utility at an affordable price rather than luxury. If one wanted luxury, one bought an American car. If one wanted something quick and zippy to impress rich debutantes and their parents with, there were plenty of fickle British and Italian cars out there, although they were costly to buy and even costlier to own. But if someone wanted a no-nonsense driver's car that could be driven every day at an affordable price, there was only one choice: The BMW 2002.
The 2002 became famous and established itself as an automotive legend. The BMW that followed had a rocky path to follow. BMW made that path harder still, by changing from the funky looking, Spartan driver's car of the 2002 to a slightly larger and more luxurious sedan called the 320 and charging a whole lot more for it. The 320 lacked performance and was quickly burdened with options that distracted from the driving experience. Sadly, the 320 quickly became more of a status symbol to upwardly mobile professionals than a driving enthusiast's car. The Freude am Fahren was gone for many people. And thus began the change of BMW from a company that built cars that appealed to enthusiasts to a company that built cars that appealed to status seeking yuppies and suburban housewives.
Today's newer BMWs have continued along those lines, although, thankfully, the BMWs of today now boast impressive power, handling, and braking capabilities to go along with their sumptuous leather interiors and power everything. True, they are light-years away from the 2002, but they lack the simplicity and the connected-to-the-road feeling that made the 2002 so popular with enthusiasts then as well as now. They're fun, but- This is where BMW got itself into trouble for years after the 2002, by building bloated luxoboats that only the wealthy could afford. Enthusiasts who wanted spirited, no-nonsense cars that were fun to DRIVE were left with overpriced and underpowered embarrassments to the family name like the 320, 318i and the 325e.
The design trends are different today than they were twenty years ago. Nostalgia, simplicity and personality are IN in a big way. Look at the new Volkswagen Beetle and the Apple iMac computer for a couple of the more prominent examples. The important part to note is that the breakthrough design of these two items is also a major reason why they are so popular in the mass marketplace and why the 2002 was received with such enthusiasm when it was first released.
Many other enthusiasts and myself would look closely at a new 2002-sized BMW built on the Coupe/Roadster platform, with just a little more room for a back seat, too. Let it be affordable for the masses that would not otherwise be interested in BMW. Make it look different from the Hondas and Toyotas by more than just the kidney grille. Give it a funky yet functional retro boxy look. Mix up some cool ice cream colors, like Golf and Inka, to give us an added visual treat. Sunroof too, of course. Yes on the ABS brakes, no on the traction control, and please, please keep the airbags away! An M motor would be nice, but unnecessary. Never mind that it would make the price and insurance skyrocket into the territory of the M3 and the M-Coupe. Just a decent amount of power, good brakes and great handling are all we want. But to really, truly appeal to us hardcore enthusiasts, it would have to lose all those wholly unnecessary distractions from the driving experience like trip computers and power seats and cruise control and light out warnings. Of course, the leather interior has to go, replaced by some simple and comfortable cloth. Don't even mention wood trim or carbon fiber.
And never, never, never forget the round taillights!
|
|
|
|
