Spec me something... different.

[Robbo]

I currently have a G11 730d (2018). It's an utterly brilliant car, I can't fault it in any way - the build quality is incredible, great suspension, massaging seats, 55mpg on a run (average around 44), plenty of power in most situations. Fun to drive considering the size, too.

Previously I had an M4 Competition - good fun and absolutely rapid - but the quality of the car was pretty average, noise was just ok, and it didn't feel all that special unless you were hammering it. My mileage increased dramatically where it would have hurt the value of the car significantly, so I changed it. That's no longer the case - but it does need to be able to take 12-15k miles a year.

So while the 7 Series is brilliant, it's not really that exciting for my usual country road driving, and I am mainly in the car alone, so don't need all of the size and practicality either. The size is sometimes slightly inconvenient for parking etc, but generally fine.

There's absolutely no urgency and I may well just keep the 7, but I've been looking into some alternatives and wondered if people had any thoughts on the below or any other suggestions. £40k~ ish. Main dealer cars backed with a warranty are preferable.

So far I've looked at -

• Ford Mustang Bullitt - love how these look, sounds amazing, quality perhaps a bit patchy... Ford dealer network/warranty situation sounds less than ideal...
  
  
• 840i GC - aside from the engine, didn't seem as nice as the 7 Series on the whole, it's also even wider.
  
  
• FK8 Civic Type R - really enjoyed the drive and a very nice package, but not sure it feels £30k+ good.

As practicality isn't a priority, I've also thought about the 718 Cayman, Supra...

So as you can probably tell, I have no specific profile of car in mind, just something I'm thinking about over the next few months... the Bullitt is my current favourite I think. The G11 has ruined cars a bit for me as it's just such a great all rounder.

 

[Robbo]

Moved from a boxster s to my bullitt.
*snip*

Thank you - I was interested in your thoughts!

Surprised it needed a new engine, do you know what happened? The Coyote seems fairly solid on the whole.

I've looked at a couple and can see the door hinges are rusty - looks unsightly but not a major issue to resolve I suppose.

I was quite shocked to see a Ford main dealer only offering 3 months warranty on a 3.5 year old car - that is absolutely pathetic. Ok, you can pay and extend it, but it doesn't seem like a manufacturer warranty, more one offered by the dealership themselves... your previous comments around a new engine really underline the importance of a warranty. BMW will always give you a year regardless of age. Porsche on the other hand offer 24 months. A Toyota Supra effectively has unlimited warranty as long as you let Toyota service it.

Ultimately though the Mustang Bullitt ticks most of my boxes, it's rare, fast but with a sound you can enjoy, looks great, is a fairly normal car underneath so should be able to take a fair bit of use too. I'm not that bothered about having amazing handling as I don't tend to go tanking around corners at silly speeds - and it seems to drive well anyway despite its size.

How about an F Type?

I've driven the 380 bhp coupe - enjoyed it - not sure I'd pick one though.

I really get your quality concerns with the FK8 but dynamically it’s one hell of a car.
The looks are marmite but I really like them.
Downside it’s shouty.

I think they look great too - one of the best things about it! I thought the quality was decent, certainly nothing wrong with it in the context of it being a Civic, so a fairly normal car.

It's more that a nice low mileage example is going to cost £33k~ - almost what it cost when new! Not sure I liked it quite that much... I guess it wouldn't lose an awful lot though, especially as the new one is hard to get hold of/hilariously overpriced at present.

 

[Robbo]

I think for it to be worth moving from a 7 series, you're going to REALLY have to think about what you want, otherwise any car just isn't going to feel as good.

Is it because you want a sporty car? Do you want a petrol? - these questions need to be answered first.

On my list, I'd have a sporty estate. Something like an RS4 or M340i. The M340i has better build quality, but the RS4 I think looks smarter.

Perhaps something like an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio?

Yes, I would prefer something sportier and for lack of a better word more 'interesting'. The 7's engine isn't one that excites - it's still brilliant of course and efficient, but compared to the Mustang and Quadrifoglio, etc, it's not special being a 3.0 diesel.

All that said, the 7 is still pretty rare and unusual itself, but it's still got that giant 5 Series vibe going on

The Quadrifoglio actually ticks all of these boxes, and I did try one and was impressed. My reservations there stem from the Alfa dealer network being slightly questionable, and also the cost. A main dealer car, fairly low mileage will be well over £45k. I'm not sure they're going to be the best car to stick lots of miles on, although I know Gibbo's has done 120k or something and seems fine!

A while ago I looked at the Maserati Ghibli - petrol - and the build quality is a joke. Cars with 10-15k miles on them look like they've done 100k. It really is that bad. A shame as they look the part and sound good. I suppose that's why they never sold many, plenty of people can afford them and would buy it for the badge alone.

RS4 is again a £50k+ car if it's a bit newer. The M340i is a brilliant car but it's not going to be as nice as the 7 in many ways, at least for the sort of cost involved to change. It's still very much 3 Series (not a bad thing, I hasten to add).

 

[Robbo]

Totally get it. I had a 320d Touring before my S5

The touring is a phenomenal car, and even though it was a 2L diesel, it was still a decent engine. Good pull and generally easy to drive.

However it was just "fine" - I missed having a petrol.

Given I'm currently a one car household, I opted to go for something which would sit somewhere in between a sporty car and a 320d, so I went with the S5.

It ticks the boxes of sounding great and being sporty enough, but it just as good as the 320d on a longer journey (albeit a little more expensive).

Reality is, for 7 series money, you're not going to get anything which as good build quality, so you're going to REALLY need to want something which is sportier.

I don't think an S5 is what you're after, but if you're local and want to check out what the latest Audi build quality is like, and see what a V6 + ZF 8 speed combo are like, you're more than welcome to come over.

Yeah, the S5 is a very good all rounder. I've not driven your version but drove the previous one and liked it. The new ones are all diesel!

The engine is a bit of a mystery. Essentially it had a power loss issue and they replaced pretty much everything that should have explained it to no avail so they just replaced the entire lump. My car is only 2.5 years old so still under manufacturer warranty but if I keep it I will be extending it just because of the issues I encountered with the Porsche and the BMWs that I've had. Agree the 3 months is absolutely pathetic.

With the door hinges they replaced them without a quibble, Ford have actually been very good with me. Everything has been 'absolutely, not a problem'. Getting it booked in has been swift too.

I think if you go in to one with your eyes fully open as to its negatives you will have nothing but enjoyment.

That's good, it's a pity Ford seemingly don't offer a proper warranty on cars over 3 years old (like other companies do), unless I've misunderstood...

Glad to hear they've been pleasant to deal with!

 

[Robbo]

Would something like this feel like a step backwards?

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I've looked at these in the past, I think the answer is yes, it's a step backwards aside from the engine. It's based on a 2013 platform where as the G11 is a 2015/16 platform (and was pretty state of the art at the time).

 

[Robbo]

I think that's a little too different!

 

[Robbo]

Alpine A110?

Sounds like a great car to drive but I'm not too keen on the rest of it...

A GT86 and save a lot of money. Just as fun as a boxer/cayman but doesn't break, with lots of aftermarket support. I had one for 4 years then swapped it for an Elise.

A good shout as a second car maybe.

I am intrigued by the Supra, seems to tick most of my boxes... I know they haven't been massively well received but it could be worth a look.

 

[Robbo]

The Z4 is apparently the better car from comparison reviews, but I don't think there's really much in it.

I think the Supra looks much more interesting, they all seem to produce over 370bhp too, not sure that's the case with the Z4 M40i (it might be).

Also, I don't want a convertible so that would rule out the Z4 anyway.

I think it’s because it’s not really a supra. Its basically a coupe Z4.

Hence, more of a shock factor of it not being a real supra rather than it not being a decent car.

No harm in test driving one

It's very BMW inside and not as agile as the GT86. It seems a bit redundant with the GR86 now out especially the 2.0.

From what I can gather it's more of a GT car than a pure sports car - which for me isn't really a bad thing.

The fact it's a BMW is a bonus really, means you get a better interior and infotainment system - things Toyota don't really do that well from a luxury perspective. The B58 engine is one of the best in the business too.

The 3.0 GR Pro spec looks very good - adaptive cruise, adaptive lights, HUD, JBL stereo, memory seats, not much it's lacking even by modern standards.

 

[Robbo]

Luckily, I was able to take out a Bullitt and 3.0 Supra today, had a long drive in each.

The Supra was enjoyable, but it felt very small and ultimately a bit... sterile? It reminded me a lot of an M140i - not a bad car at all, but you expect a bit more drama and excitement - especially at £60k! It feels very, very BMW; to the point where it's actually kind of weird.

However, the Bullitt was a real experience. The manual suits it completely, the V8 is amazingly sonorous and the suspension was impressive. Surprisingly comfortable even compared to the air suspension I'm used to. MagRide + reasonably fat tyres really helps the ride. It handles nicely for a fairly big car and even at low speed it's enjoyable. The quality seemed fine although it's obviously not 7 Series levels (but not much is). Didn't detect any rattles or problems.

It's very tempting...

 

[Robbo]

Go on Robbo pull the trigger with the Bullit

As tempting as it is, I am not convinced by Ford, their warranties (mostly semi-aftermarket ones provided by their dealers) don't inspire me with any confidence. I like that assurance.

I'm back looking at 718 Cayman's now!

Lexus LC500.

Find me one at a Lexus dealer for sub £50k and I'll head there now

I tried an LC500 for a long weekend a few years ago and it's a fantastic car. Sounds great, superb quality, looks truly special. Infotainment not the best...

 

[Robbo]

I did look at the M850i but again, they are pushing the boat out a little too far. I do think a change from BMW would be nice too.

 

[Robbo]

So I have continued searching and tried many cars. The Bullitt, 3.0 Supra, 718 Cayman S and GTS, Alfa Quadrifoglio, FK8 Type R...

Then I went to see a B9 RS5 Coupe (pre-facelift). I wasn't too sure what to expect but I thought it was fantastic. Loads of power, a very nice cabin, decent handling, masses of grip, good ride quality, a degree of practicality - sounds pretty good too.

People say they aren't necessarily the most enjoyable to drive, but I want a degree of luxury and it's an everyday car - and this ticked all of my boxes. The warranty is also reasonable to extend with Audi.

Collecting it soon.

 

[Robbo]

You drove some very driver focussed cars and ended up with something less so. The Audi is a fine car and will do its job well, but I can’t help but feel the experience will be on the dull side, compared to everything else you were looking at.

The RS5 is a good all rounder, but then you already have one of those, I can’t see the need to keep both.

I'm not keeping both? I only want one car.

 

[Robbo]

Awesome! Please tell me it's got an interesting colour spec, like kyalami green with red leather?

Oh dear, I’d brace yourself for disappointment if you’re expecting bright green!

 

[Robbo]

So despite my excitement, I've changed my mind and am keeping the 7. I realised I am trying to replace a car that I consider nearly perfect in every way, most people haven't been in a G11, but those who have will know how good they are.

I think I'll have to stick to things like the 7 Series, S Class, etc, and perhaps look at something more sporty as a second car one day in the future.

 

[Robbo]

That's exactly it - these cars just make everything easy. I drove mine to Scotland and back in a day (about 600 miles) and it couldn't have been easier. In town it's the same, lots of power assistance means it feels like a small car a lot of the time.

I do like the G11 LCI, yes, the one with the ridiculously large grille... but they removed front massage seats as standard which is annoying. Nobody noticed so virtually no LCI cars have it specced. They did add a few other things as standard though, adaptive lights, harman kardon, ceramic controls, 360 cameras... so it's a fair trade off, but still annoying. Aside from that, the LCI is virtually identical inside etc, so not really much of an upgrade...