[Higgs Boson]

I went G8x to 5BW and back to G8x.

BW had more appeal as an idea, G8x has more going for it overall.

Both nice but, for me, BMW has Cadillac beat on this comparison.

[seis-speed]

Interesting, both manual transmission?

[Higgs Boson]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

Interesting, both manual transmission?

the ones I owned personally were both autos but I have a lot of seat time in the manuals also as I am in the car business. With that said, I am in general not a fan of BMW manuals, did like the DCTs, and have generally been more than satisfied with their TC transmissions. GM auto trans tuning sucks and honestly it always has.

For sure the BW manual wins if we are only comparing transmissions, for two reasons. BMW manuals suck, GM autos suck....so it sort of forces your hand if you're either looking for a manual in which case your want the BW or only looking at the BW in which case you want a manual.

For my ownership, excluding the transmission dillema, G8x is a better and more fun car.

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by Higgs Boson

the ones I owned personally were both autos but I have a lot of seat time in the manuals also as I am in the car business. With that said, I am in general not a fan of BMW manuals, did like the DCTs, and have generally been more than satisfied with their TC transmissions. GM auto trans tuning sucks and honestly it always has.

For sure the BW manual wins if we are only comparing transmissions, for two reasons. BMW manuals suck, GM autos suck....so it sort of forces your hand if you're either looking for a manual in which case your want the BW or only looking at the BW in which case you want a manual.

For my ownership, excluding the transmission dillema, G8x is a better and more fun car.

Might be one of the first times I’m reading that the G8x is more fun than a 5BW. Unless you’re just not a fan of a glorious sounding V8, hard for me to wrap my head around this. The 5BW just has so much more character. 5 months in and the car still feels just as special as day 1. I lost that with the G8x very quick and resorted to aftermarket parts to keep me engaged.

I live out in the country with some of the best roads in southern Virginia. All of my cars get worked on these. The 5BW without a doubt is more fun and much easier to push near the limit; even with gobs of torque, RWD, and a clutch; attributable to its better driver-connection.

I honestly think what cursed me was my manual E90 M3 ownership. While it wasn’t the fastest car, it set the bar so high in terms of engagement and enjoyment. After two years with the G8x, it just never hit that mark for me, or even came close. But the 5BW is right there. While I’m sure there will be another M car in my future, I just don’t know which newer cars can produce that type of experience. Maybe an M5CS?

[Higgs Boson]

Originally Posted by FISH22

Might be one of the first times I’m reading that the G8x is more fun than a 5BW. Unless you’re just not a fan of a glorious sounding V8, hard for me to wrap my head around this. The 5BW just has so much more character. 5 months in and the car still feels just as special as day 1. I lost that with the G8x very quick and resorted to aftermarket parts to keep me engaged.

I live out in the country with some of the best roads in southern Virginia. All of my cars get worked on these. The 5BW without a doubt is more fun and much easier to push near the limit; even with gobs of torque, RWD, and a clutch; attributable to its better driver-connection.

I honestly think what cursed me was my manual E90 M3 ownership. While it wasn’t the fastest car, it set the bar so high in terms of engagement and enjoyment. After two years with the G8x, it just never hit that mark for me, or even came close. But the 5BW is right there. While I’m sure there will be another M car in my future, I just don’t know which newer cars can produce that type of experience. Maybe an M5CS?

Maybe it just didn't fit in with my other cars, was redundant with what I already have, and honestly driving by other CT5 rental cars I couldn't distinguish them visually from my BW. Sure its a V8 but I have 4 other V8s, lol and had 3 other LT4 engined cars in the last 5 years so I think I was just bored with the whole thing maybe.

I am not saying the BW is a bad car, its an awesome car, but many cars today are awesome. And yes, the mod-ability of the G8x is very appealing to me.

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by Higgs Boson

Maybe it just didn't fit in with my other cars, was redundant with what I already have, and honestly driving by other CT5 rental cars I couldn't distinguish them visually from my BW. Sure its a V8 but I have 4 other V8s, lol and had 3 other LT4 engined cars in the last 5 years so I think I was just bored with the whole thing maybe.

I am not saying the BW is a bad car, its an awesome car, but many cars today are awesome. And yes, the mod-ability of the G8x is very appealing to me.

That makes a lot more sense.

The 5BW is my primary car. So it’s everything from a commuter to a weekend warrior. So in my experience, it’s been incredible in both aspects. My experience with the G80, was that it was a great/fun commuter, but didn’t have enough edge to feel special on the weekend drives.

The G80 was hands down better at “looking” more special than the BW though. I do miss the lines.

[vbb]

I'm going to guess that the manual transmission has a lot to do with it, Fish. I'm not saying you wouldn't have still made the switch to the 5BW, because it is a glorious car with the right feels and sounds, but I am saying that the manual transmission ups the driver engagement quotient by a lot. I've had a lot of cool cars with automatic or DCT transmissions, and I just can't stay as interested in a paddle shifter. Personal opinion of course!

[DS_BMW]

Originally Posted by FISH22

That makes a lot more sense.

The 5BW is my primary car. So it’s everything from a commuter to a weekend warrior. So in my experience, it’s been incredible in both aspects. My experience with the G80, was that it was a great/fun commuter, but didn’t have enough edge to feel special on the weekend drives.

The G80 was hands down better at “looking” more special than the BW though. I do miss the lines.

You should put the CF pack 1 splitter and rear spoiler on the car it makes it look so much more aggressive.

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by vbb

I'm going to guess that the manual transmission has a lot to do with it, Fish. I'm not saying you wouldn't have still made the switch to the 5BW, because it is a glorious car with the right feels and sounds, but I am saying that the manual transmission ups the driver engagement quotient by a lot. I've had a lot of cool cars with automatic or DCT transmissions, and I just can't stay as interested in a paddle shifter. Personal opinion of course!

Absolutely. I’ve heard REALLY good things about the 10-spd in these cars, but not sure I’d be that into it.

As much as I want my next car to be a second-hand G80 CS or M5 CS, the auto makes me hesitant.

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by DS_BMW

You should put the CF pack 1 splitter and rear spoiler on the car it makes it look so much more aggressive.

For sure. I currently have some OEM replica pieces on order ($$$), but installed an eBay replica a couple months ago. Changed the rear completely.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by FISH22

For sure. I currently have some OEM replica pieces on order ($$$), but installed an eBay replica a couple months ago. Changed the rear completely.

That rear wheel gap beats X5

[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by DFW_M

That rear wheel gap beats X5

Looks just like the G 80/82 wheel gap. Man these sport sedans look like Jeeps from the factory. It’s crazy

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

Looks just like the G 80/82 wheel gap. Man these sport sedans look like Jeeps from the factory. It’s crazy

not like mine (stock) rear gap. Front gap, yes, rear gap is much smaller on the G80

[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by DFW_M

not like mine (stock) rear gap. Front gap, yes, rear gap is much smaller on the G80

No matter the gap, car needs to be lowered ASAP. Lol. Or take it off roading

[nearwater4me]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

Looks just like the G 80/82 wheel gap. Man these sport sedans look like Jeeps from the factory. It’s crazy

I never get why M's have bigger wheel gaps than the regular chassis counterparts (3er, 4er).
I've seen the new LCI 340 on the road and the stock wheel gaps looked decent to me!

[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

I never get why M's have bigger wheel gaps than the regular chassis counterparts (3er, 4er).
I've seen the new LCI 340 on the road and the stock wheel gaps looked decent to me!

Amen. I don’t remember my F-82 being that high. I did coils immediately back then

[Brazilian_BAMF]

Originally Posted by Higgs Boson

Maybe it just didn't fit in with my other cars, was redundant with what I already have, and honestly driving by other CT5 rental cars I couldn't distinguish them visually from my BW.

That's exactly the reason why I decided to do not move forward on the 5BW.

[nearwater4me]

I worked with GM on several vehicle platforms to develop the telematics system back in '06-'11.
Naturally, I was drawn into GM products for their performance.
I've owned a couple of GM products and extensively drove probably all offerings(except for commercial trucks).

Let me just say there are several attractive offering from GM, but there's a reason why it's cheaper than the German rivals/counterparts.
After many ownerships of several different brands and models, I've come to like the German products more than the domestic ones.
But that's just me. Hope the OP enjoy the 5BW! It's a beast!

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

I worked with GM on several vehicle platforms to develop the telematics system back in '06-'11.
Naturally, I was drawn into GM products for their performance.
I've owned a couple of GM products and extensively drove probably all offerings(except for commercial trucks).

Let me just say there are several attractive offering from GM, but there's a reason why it's cheaper than the German rivals/counterparts.
After many ownerships of several different brands and models, I've come to like the German products more than the domestic ones.
But that's just me. Hope the OP enjoy the 5BW! It's a beast!

On the outside:
American cars designs do not last more than a generation. They become outdated fast (with the exception of a few, but not sedans). Previous generation of that Caddy looks...blah while for example e46 still looks more modern than that last gen Caddy...
Similar applies for some over-designed Japanese that quickly look like crap as the time passes by.

On the inside:
I never clicked with the American inside design and materials quality. It just feels less intuitive, things are not designed with Driver in mind...

Drivetrain:
Although, they were plagued by the quality in the past, I think that is going in and out, with every new generation. The current generation may have more positive quality feedback, however, I am not convinced that will remain after a few years...

As the whole package -- I don't think you can compare the two (GM vs BMW) especially if longer term ownership. Owning the BW for 2-3 years, just to experience it, would be (not even remotely thinking that way) the only way for me...

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by DFW_M

On the outside:
American cars designs do not last more than a generation. They become outdated fast (with the exception of a few, but not sedans). Previous generation of that Caddy looks...blah while for example e46 still looks more modern than that last gen Caddy...
Similar applies for some over-designed Japanese that quickly look like crap as the time passes by.

On the inside:
I never clicked with the American inside design and materials quality. It just feels less intuitive, things are not designed with Driver in mind...

Drivetrain:
Although, they were plagued by the quality in the past, I think that is going in and out, with every new generation. The current generation may have more positive quality feedback, however, I am not convinced that will remain after a few years...

As the whole package — I don't think you can compare the two (GM vs BMW) especially if longer term ownership. Owning the BW for 2-3 years, just to experience it, would be (not even remotely thinking that way) the only way for me...

Agree with most of this. And that’s actually a piece I love about GM and their performance line; the money I’m spending on this platform is purely for the R&D, poweplant, and engineering… in the parts that matter. My G8x ownership was enjoyable, but the pieces that annoyed me were the gimicky “make you feel good about your purchase stuff”. Compared to my E90 M3, the G80 was littered with superficial marketing trinkets that added zero value to the “driving” experience. Reason why I grew tired of the car quickly, masking that with $25k+ in aftermarket parts.

The 5BW on the other hand, is not trying to be anything it’s not. GM says: here’s an outstanding chassis, we stuffed a ridiculously good motor in it, kept it RWD, gave it six speeds. YOLO.

That’s the point here and why it feels so unbelievably special every single day. It’s an extremely raw machine, no gimicky marketing crap. As for being a driver oriented car, they nailed this part. Interior is minimalist and focused.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by FISH22

Agree with most of this. And that’s actually a piece I love about GM and their performance line; the money I’m spending on this platform is purely for the R&D, poweplant, and engineering… in the parts that matter. My G8x ownership was enjoyable, but the pieces that annoyed me were the gimicky “make you feel good about your purchase stuff”. Compared to my E90 M3, the G80 was littered with superficial marketing trinkets that added zero value to the “driving” experience. Reason why I grew tired of the car quickly, masking that with $25k+ in aftermarket parts.

The 5BW on the other hand, is not trying to be anything it’s not. GM says: here’s an outstanding chassis, we stuffed a ridiculously good motor in it, kept it RWD, gave it six speeds. YOLO.

That’s the point here and why it feels so unbelievably special every single day. It’s an extremely raw machine, no gimicky marketing crap. As for being a driver oriented car, they nailed this part. Interior is minimalist and focused.

I love minimalist, simple and focused. That is why I always preferred the BMW interior vs. Audi for example (or Japanese)...
However, I still prefer the G over F interior as an evolution, yet, not overcrowded. That Caddy interior looks like something between E and F in the BMW world... I loved my F87 interior, simplicity, however, it felt very outdated as compared to the G80
I hope the integration is great.

[FISH22]

My all time favorite interior is the M3 GTS. A tad dated, but just so perfect.

I’m the OP, so I can derail this thread