Over the past couple of weeks I have been having conversations with several car enthusiasts. When it comes to conversations with car enthusiasts, heated discussions tend to arise and worse of all, it is all via Whatsapp. I definitely would prefer to discuss it over a cuppa of “teh ais” but because it is the Chinese New Year, I was completely tied up mostly with dinners or visiting friends and family.
As usual argument, sorry, heated discussion tend to revolve around cars, performance, and opinions. It all started when a certain car manufacturer decide to launch a car which was rather puzzling and when puzzling isn’t explained, it ended up resorting to just pure assumptions and hearsay. The conversation started just as expected, wondering why it happened and then it really sparked when we compared between the latest 3-series, the F30, and the previous generation 3-series, the E90. It seemed weird that how a car launch could just suddenly lead towards the comparison above. But it was in that comparison, the difference in opinion arose.
If you walk up to enthusiasts who go on drives on Sunday, or bring their F30’s to the track, the first thing they will say that their car’s suspension is ultimately too soft. Of course this is referring to the non M-sport version. So how did it spark? The other party brought up the point that when compared, the E90 and F30, if brought up to a chassis rig machine and based on the suspension performance, the F30 is then now considered too soft and strolling away from BMW’s coin phrase, the Ultimate Driving Machine (UDM).
My argument? The term Ultimate Driving Machine has different meanings to different people. Ultimate to me could mean a nicely souped up track car but to another it could be a brilliant grand tourer. Heck it will also mean differently to an individual in various phases of their lives because I am very sure when I am 60 years old, the ultimate driving car wouldn’t be a car with rock hard suspension, semi bucket seats and 600 horses under the hood.
Having said all that, having a softer suspension does NOT mean that the car is worse in my opinion and by just comparing the suspension characteristic alone does not make it a proper comparison. I believe when it comes to car comparison, the entire package needs to be evaluated. If I were to put on a motoring enthusiast hat, softer suspension may be seen as a weakness but it does not necessarily state that the car is no longer fun to drive or nor does it mean that this car strays away from the roots of the company (don’t get me started on that).
So this brings me back to my point, more is not necessarily always better. In racing, the stiffer the suspension doesn’t mean that it is better, the more horse power car doesn’t always win the race and the more money spent on a car doesn’t mean that it will be guaranteed the fastest car. When I say racing, don’t just envision your head around track driving alone. There are many other categories out there and there are more than just a single market which a car manufacturer will want to target.
My point is that, before we start spewing things that our little brains think should be the way, or try to convince others what I think may be the best way, lets take a step back and see the bigger picture. What may seem to be your ultimate car, may not necessarily be the same for others. As the saying goes, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
In all honesty, I do also fall into that trap. But to err, is human.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Autofreaks.Net
Image Source and Credit: http://www.itsmodifiedcarinsurance.co.uk/outrageously-modified-cars/
