Like using your political power to press your UK diplomatic contacts into opposing wind farms because you think they mar the view from your golf course?

Confusing cynicism with sophistication will be the death of democracy. We’ve been at it for longer than I’ve been alive.

In other words, presidents do things for reasons, so what the fuck does it matter what those reasons are? Makes complete sense.

“On the flip side, at least the press and political opposition will find it easy to police Mr. Trump’s business conflicts compared with many other conflicts that presidents are heir to.”

Like touting that $50 billion Softbank investment in exchange for Justice Department approval for their acquisition of T-Mobile.

Funny thing is, the FiestaST is probably the cheapest M car you can buy new. Being as slow as it is, its actually faster than an E30 M3. And being that its light and toss-able with a quick steering ratio, its really spiritually closer to the E30 than most cars out there.

But my cheap M car is a 2dr GTI with the…

What I want from the Focus RS is for it to wake up Subaru and inspire them to give the STI a new absurd AWD HP standard. 300 was crazy in 2004; I think a 500 HP STI would be just about right for today.

Multiple M car owner here (one past: E30 M3; one present: S54 M coupe). Just picked up my RS two weeks ago and you took the exact words right out of my mouth. I have been saying the same goddamned thing to anyone who will ask.

Yeah. If it’s only a few thousand less, you’re still in Infiniti territory. Not to mention BMWs can get crazy discounts if you buy at the right time.

Perhaps, but BMWs keep getting more and more ridiculously expensive. Even their lower end models have become absurdly pricey to buy new. They have pushed it way too far in my opinion. This, combined with Dieselgate and ongoing expensive reliability issues has really put me off the German cars I’ve owned and currently…

They are the same company. They nearly 100% share between them.

And for every one of those buyers, there’s 4 more burning money they don’t have financing new and used BMWs (and Audis, actually). They aren’t ignorant of the multitude of cheaper options out there - they just really want the badge, for a number of valid and/or ridiculous reasons.

Yet people buy the IS, the G37, the whatever boring Acura, the A4... There’s plenty of room for a cheaper car in the segment!

Buick is banking in Asia, and cannot outshine Cadillac in the west, remember it’s the same company?

Good thing the “budget BMW” thing is a jalopnik construct and not Kia’s marketing strategy.

Yo. Buick. Get your shit together ala Cadillac style, and do it fast; Korea is gunning for you.

It better have the correct number of pedals.

Most people that buy BMW buy it for the BMW name badge so they could brag that they drive a BMW. “I drive a Kia” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. That’s how it will always be. BMW could build a car with a quality of a Lada and it would still be more desirable than a Kia that’s built like a Rolls Royce. The sad…

Good point...I bet an AWD option is in the works