The lower end BMWs are not fancy cars in the UK either. I don't know if they'd class as "cheaper" or "downmarket", but the typical example probably isn't exactl

The lower end BMWs are not fancy cars in the UK either. I don't know if they'd class as "cheaper" or "downmarket", but the typical example probably isn't exactly the opposite either. There are a lot of 3-/4-cylinder 1-4 series on the road, and the 520d is common too. Something similar applies to Mercedes and Audi as well. (see, e.g., https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-10-most-popular-cars-in-the-uk-right-now/ https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-10-most-popular-cars-in-the...)