German Car Zone

Beemer B773ER · 12-06-2007, 06:33 AM

It's great that BMW is still keeping in line with its core brand values and distinctive BMW characteristics, but just because you can see a niche to fill, doesn't mean you should enter it. But I guess being first to market is a great advantage for manufacturers in the premium-car category - for example, the X5 and the CLS.

Merc1 · 12-06-2007, 06:59 AM

The X5 wasn't a new niche though.

M

Merc1 · 12-06-2007, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beemer B773ER

Well, it may not have been a clear niche, but BMW's "SAV" tag created a new trend of sports-orientated 4WDs. As you can see now, the market is flooded with these 4WD's which have more on-road prowess than off-road.
Same thing with the CLS.. he 4-door coupe thing was simply a marketing thing to differentiate the car from its competitors (as well as the E-class). Nothing new about a car which looks coupe-ish but has 4 doors. Just they re-invented it, and much like the X5, we're now seeing an increasing number of cars based on the 4-door coupe/GT theme.

The F5 to me simply looks like it's going to be a 5er Touring, but with a very sloping rear (ala X6) and maybe a tad higher shoulder line. But I guess if BMW sees a viable market for it, then why not... after all, in the end it's all about sales, market share and profitability.

The X5 wasn't a new niche. SUVs with more on road prowess then off road prowess were done before BMW. Sporting SUVs maybe, but the X5 isn't any where near a niche creator the CLS was. The ML and RX were already on road biased before the X5 came along. The X5 was just sportier.

M

Beemer B773ER · 12-06-2007, 05:47 PM

Okay.

klier · 12-20-2007, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc1

The X5 wasn't a new niche. SUVs with more on road prowess then off road prowess were done before BMW. Sporting SUVs maybe, but the X5 isn't any where near a niche creator the CLS was. The ML and RX were already on road biased before the X5 came along. The X5 was just sportier.

M

LOL give me a break. The X5 was a much more new car when first launched than the CLS.
X5 was actually a new concept, believe it or not. CLS is nothing but a cramp sedan. There is NOTHING new on the CLS, other than the name '4 door coupe'

Your biased post makes me giggle.

Merc1 · 12-20-2007, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klier

LOL give me a break. The X5 was a much more new car when first launched than the CLS.
X5 was actually a new concept, believe it or not. CLS is nothing but a cramp sedan. There is NOTHING new on the CLS, other than the name '4 door coupe'

Your biased post makes me giggle.

Likewise this post is a joke. The X5 was nothing but a SUV with a hard ride and better handling. It didn't bring squat else to the table than that. The CLS did far more to open up a niche than the X5 did. The CLS has everyone else hurrying to come up with something similar. No one else is hurrying to build a X5. Period.

A "new" car, only to the those who sip the BMW koolaid with 2 straws.

M

SDNR · 12-20-2007, 08:48 AM

^LOL''

You fanboys are are very entertaining!

vabboud · 12-20-2007, 08:49 AM

both of them are a fool's man niche
the X5 ushered in the RR sport, the cayenne, the Q7, the touareg etc.... more so than the ML, but int he end the S5 is just what merc1 said it was, an SUV that sacrifices offroad for on road
just as the CLS is nothing more than a wheeled banana a cramped sedan, but whose style was enough to make a selling point, so a lot of other manufacturers whith established coupe and/or sedans, are looking to stretch in

at the end both are idiotic overhyped concepts but the X5 is far more of a real world pratical success than the CLS

SDNR · 12-20-2007, 08:55 AM

^good post vabboud (as usual)

I expect we will see more of these niche models and crossover models over the next few years.

klier · 12-20-2007, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc1

Likewise this post is a joke. The X5 was nothing but a SUV with a hard ride and better handling. It didn't bring squat else to the table than that. The CLS did far more to open up a niche than the X5 did. The CLS has everyone else hurrying to come up with something similar. No one else is hurrying to build a X5. Period.

A "new" car, only to the those who sip the BMW koolaid with 2 straws.

M

I am not even going to respond to that. E53 X5 was new in not only one way.

And the BMW koolaid joke was only funny the first time buddy. I hope there is a 'I wish I didn't hate BMW so much' koolaid too.
Or a 'CLS did far more than X5' koolaid.

German Car Zone

Trendsetters or Marketing? The X5 vs CLS discussion