Quote:
Originally Posted by williakz
I think there's good evidence that Stage 1 is quite a bump in performance over the 35is stock program. Also, the characteristic timed boost of the 35is is not found in the Stage 1 program.
My wife, for example, would never even TRY Stage 2, let alone go back to Stage 1. That said, she WOULD approve a modest investment (say $499) to bring her fully loaded 35i up from stock to the exact same performance level as her friend's 35is. And, the economics are pretty compelling; try configuring a 2014 35i and a 35is to the same option mix using the BMWUSA Build Your Own configurator and note the list price difference (approx. $5,300). See the opportunity for marketing a $499 package that equalizes the two?
Finally, those customers (probably still the majority) who wanted the full package could either pay to upgrade from the Stock and "sHADOW" 2 map package to add Stage 1 and Stage 2 (there's room for 10 maps, I think) or could simply buy the pricier full 4 map package up front (Stock, sHADOW, Stage 1, Stage 2). Think of it as the "couples" tuner package, 1 for her, and 2 for him. Sounds about right to me...
|
If you approach it solely in $ terms a flash at home solution like ess will disappoint you.
You are not paying for 1,2 or 10 maps, you are paying for a flashloading device, r&d and distribution. Dialing in different tuning parameters is a matter of minutes for a programmer with resources for r&d who has his job done.
The 5300$ price tag you mention doesn't come down to 35hp and a rather useless* overboost function, it includes preselected options such as suspension, gearbox, aerodynamics etc.
*I wouldn't get upset with the numbers, 340 is very close to 360 and besides the iS mapping targets ess stage2 boost levels for that few seconds and I wouldn't call that smooth compared to stg1 for instance or as is. It also looses in a sense of consistency in my eyes and I prefer to control boost on my own with my right foot to be honest.
My point is that you have a car with a potential to increase its output by a good 30%+ with a software only and unfortunately there is no trial option to test various boost setups or an entry level tune package.
Have you driven that iS yourself or was it just an example? How does it feel?