SichuanHot
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2018
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- USA Midwest
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- 2018 Honda Civic Si Sedan
I think "enthusiast" is a rather subjective term with cars. Any car can have an enthusiast backing like there is with the first gen Insight and Prius cars.Manual does not equal enthusiast in anyway shape or form. Is a base Corolla sedan an enthusiast vehicle because they offer manual? Is a Crosstrek an enthusiast vehicle because it has a manual option? Is the new Supra not an enthusiast vehicle because it lacks manual?
It's all just marketing, and you're falling for it.
Go to any track event and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. M3s are not an enthusiast car and the owners prove this.
Marketing.
Edit: https://automotivemap.com/bmw-m4-commercial-2021-2651327207.html
I don't think the offering of a manual is all marketing. It take a lot of money to offer it in the first place. The ZF8 is great already, but having a manual option is icing on the cake for the discerning driver who wants the third pedal.
BMW has traditionally made cars from a sports perspective, and while they have become diluted recently, I think the G80 still qualifies as an enthusiast's car. Even the lease special 440i would be a fun, cushy RWD coupe to toss around. The point of recreational track days is to have fun and the BMW M cars deliver if you can afford it.
The same mentality was present when the F80 M3/4 and E90 gens were new. The new owners bring the stigma you allude to, but that goes away as the platform ages and the cars are bought second hand. The cycle renews.
The fastest track car under 100k is still the Camaro ZL1 1LE and that is 100lbs shy of 4000lbs. It's no FSAE car but it's also no slouch for its weight - the tradeoff being more consumables as you mentioned. The F80 are a bit cheaper to own in the states, so it's probably different here.Maybe offering a manual is just marketing, maybe Bmw cares ?!. But the question is: do real enthusiasts still care about these M3/M4/M5/M8 cars? Hint: at that weight they'll eat through consumables (pads, tyres) at a fast pace. Plus not exactly nimble from the handling pov.
I go sometimes to Norschleife. You rarely F80/F82s being tracked(unless the ring taxi companies that have one to give visitors rides). M2s you see a bit more often.
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