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Quality is all great, but options, configurations, even engine choices vary. In Europe they are much more a la carte - cloth seats, etc., available, making the

Quality is all great, but options, configurations, even engine choices vary. In Europe they are much more a la carte - cloth seats, etc., available, making them the standard cars in many ways at any price point. In the US and other "luxury" targeted markets, the country only offers certain premium configurations or bundles, such as how nearly all BMWNA cars have the "premium package", etc., significantly raising the MSRP to hit those premium luxury categories.

Scoundreller 7y ago
It’s really funny to watch N. Americans buy BMWs with substantially larger engines than Germans, even though N.A. speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. Even BMW Canada has some smaller base engines available than BMW USA. (Reduced stroke volume on the n52).
- vkou 7y ago
  That's because cars are primarily a conspicuous consumption status symbol, and only secondarily a useful tool. It's also why a lot of people buy pickup trucks that they never haul or tow anything with, over SUVs - the latter aren't 'cool'.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    I get most of that, but it’s a bit more complicated: BMW/truck makers could sell the smaller engine for proportionately less money, but they don’t because it would make the vehicle too available. Or just make up close enough numbers and most won’t care. 99% of bystanders won’t know the difference. BMW doesn’t follow its numbering scheme for engines anyway (The 323 had a 2.5L engine.)
- magduf 7y ago
  >It’s really funny to watch N. Americans buy BMWs with substantially larger engines than Germans, even though N.A. speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. That's not why Americans like big engines. American driving styles resemble drag racing: they like to take off from stop lights, even though their ultimate speed isn't as high as on German autobahns.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    Iunno, SUV drivers seem to like big vehicles more than performance. I’m with you on pickups though, gotta have a Duallie V8 just in case you install a 5th wheel one day.
  - usrusr 7y ago
    The actual driving style (distracted but polite to a fault and painstakingly low-key) I experienced in a week of driving as a European tourist tells yet another story: Americans want big engines so that they get moderate acceleration at the semi-idle throttle levels that allow their automatic transmission to stay in the quiet low rev range. Never saw anything in terms of "taking off" that could not have been handled by an engine half the size at full throttle on manual in high gear/low rev (most economic way to drive a given ICE) or by an engine quarter the size driven at low gear, high rev (most economic way to reach a given performance level of you can size the engine to fit). Perhaps I was at the wrong coast?
- boring_twenties 7y ago
  > speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. It's a little better nowadays in many western US states, 75-80mph limits are common on rural interstates. We also have lots of roads with literally nothing and no one for, in some cases, hundreds of miles so it really makes no difference whether there's a speed limit or what it is.

Scoundreller 7y ago

It’s really funny to watch N. Americans buy BMWs with substantially larger engines than Germans, even though N.A. speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. Even BMW Canada has some smaller base engines available than BMW USA. (Reduced stroke volume on the n52).

vkou 7y ago
That's because cars are primarily a conspicuous consumption status symbol, and only secondarily a useful tool. It's also why a lot of people buy pickup trucks that they never haul or tow anything with, over SUVs - the latter aren't 'cool'.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  I get most of that, but it’s a bit more complicated: BMW/truck makers could sell the smaller engine for proportionately less money, but they don’t because it would make the vehicle too available. Or just make up close enough numbers and most won’t care. 99% of bystanders won’t know the difference. BMW doesn’t follow its numbering scheme for engines anyway (The 323 had a 2.5L engine.)
magduf 7y ago
>It’s really funny to watch N. Americans buy BMWs with substantially larger engines than Germans, even though N.A. speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. That's not why Americans like big engines. American driving styles resemble drag racing: they like to take off from stop lights, even though their ultimate speed isn't as high as on German autobahns.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  Iunno, SUV drivers seem to like big vehicles more than performance. I’m with you on pickups though, gotta have a Duallie V8 just in case you install a 5th wheel one day.
- usrusr 7y ago
  The actual driving style (distracted but polite to a fault and painstakingly low-key) I experienced in a week of driving as a European tourist tells yet another story: Americans want big engines so that they get moderate acceleration at the semi-idle throttle levels that allow their automatic transmission to stay in the quiet low rev range. Never saw anything in terms of "taking off" that could not have been handled by an engine half the size at full throttle on manual in high gear/low rev (most economic way to drive a given ICE) or by an engine quarter the size driven at low gear, high rev (most economic way to reach a given performance level of you can size the engine to fit). Perhaps I was at the wrong coast?
boring_twenties 7y ago
> speed limits will top out at ~100 or ~110km/h. It's a little better nowadays in many western US states, 75-80mph limits are common on rural interstates. We also have lots of roads with literally nothing and no one for, in some cases, hundreds of miles so it really makes no difference whether there's a speed limit or what it is.