That's something Toyota has had to deal with a few times.  People complain there are bland and boring, they do something different that isn't and it doesn't sell.  It's partly their own shitty marketing. 

Renault/Infinity is using MB engines?  3.0 V6?? Why would the company that makes the GTR's VQ twin turbo V6 and competes against MB in F1 ever uses a MB engine unless it was a big diesel?  Honestly, I could get 330hp slapping a couple turbos on any 20 year old 3.0.  Better be ULEV and get 30+MPG or at least make espressos. 

As somebody that actually owned a VQ engine instead of just reading about them (mind you that was a VQ35 in a G35) I'll submit that the hoarseness was at the bottom of the rev range, not the top. Between 4k and 6k it was pretty much fine. The torque characteristics weren't great with not much going on below 3.5k, or so it felt. I wonder if being an extremely oversquare engine had anything to do with that. Either way I liked the G35 a lot for what it was, which is an entry-level sport-luxury car instead of a straight up sports car.

I agree that BMW has lost its way. The company that made the E90 335 does not feel like the same company that made the X3. I've yet to drive any of the latest 3s and 5s. I also agree that all signs point to marketing and bean counters heading the design instead of the engineers. Lastly, I once again agree that BMW screwing up leaves a lot of vacuum in the segment, and I'm certain someone will step in and take over. Though I'm guessing emissions and economy regulations have as much to do with BMW's change of direction as any management upheavals that we may or may not know about.

The new Infinitis have steering-by-wire systems, and I'm not going to be trusting my life to those, even if that trust is irrational. I like to keep cars around for a long time, and the thought of a drive by wire system in a 12 year old rustbucket is not comforting nor would be good for its resale value. Infiniti's new focus on driver assist technology, as well as their restructuring of the model lineup, also points to marketing taking more of a hand in vehicle design. I don't see them becoming the new de-facto driver's car in the segment any time soon. Lexus isn't on my plate either for the simple fact that they don't offer a manual gearbox. The ATS/CTS are interesting, but I'm always wary of American publications being overzealous in supporting American cars, and I'll have to actually spend some hands-on time with one to see if the chassis is as good as they claim. That is, if I can even tell.

Not having any mechanical knowledge whatsoever, I have to ask... what's the potential for NA tuning for the BRZ/FRS? I generally don't like forced-induction engines for the lousy throttle response, and even the N54/N55 feel less responsive than the J32A2 in my Acura. Which, incidentally, is a wonderful engine.

What I mean is bolt-on parts that any competent mechanic can install without being a specialist and needing a full engine rebuild - in other words, things that you can afford on a FRS budget rather than a M3 budget. Definitely using 91, I don't want to sacrifice drivability. The point is to improve midrange torque and add a bit more power, and generally improve the 5-60 and passing times while keeping the character of the engine intact, and without overwhelming the tires/chassis in stock form or changing the feel of the car too much. And, of course, keeping it as durable as a totally stock engine.

This is only a theoretical exercise at this point of course, but for me at least the FRS is desirable as an object, while mostly everything else in the price range isn't. Strangely, that factors a lot in my buying decisions at least...

I've seen some builds with ITBs (though not on the FRS) and yeah, that's ultra sweet. Seems like it would be quite expensive. On the supercharger front, I have little experience that's worth nothing, but I'll take your word for it.

As somebody that actually owned a VQ engine instead of just reading about them (mind you that was a VQ35 in a G35) I'll submit that the hoarseness was at the bottom of the rev range, not the top. Between 4k and 6k it was pretty much fine. The torque characteristics weren't great with not much going on below 3.5k, or so it felt. I wonder if being an extremely oversquare engine had anything to do with that. Either way I liked the G35 a lot for what it was, which is an entry-level sport-luxury car instead of a straight up sports car.

Though I'm guessing emissions and economy regulations have as much to do with BMW's change of direction as any management upheavals that we may or may not know about.

The new Infinitis have steering-by-wire systems, and I'm not going to be trusting my life to those, even if that trust is irrational. I like to keep cars around for a long time, and the thought of a drive by wire system in a 12 year old rustbucket is not comforting nor would be good for its resale value. Infiniti's new focus on driver assist technology, as well as their restructuring of the model lineup, also points to marketing taking more of a hand in vehicle design. I don't see them becoming the new de-facto driver's car in the segment any time soon.

I generally don't like forced-induction engines for the lousy throttle response, and even the N54/N55 feel less responsive than the J32A2 in my Acura. Which, incidentally, is a wonderful engine.

The 3.7L has a different character than the old 3.5. It's less refined overall, and the coarseness is more up top. It's also a bit of a gas hog, and it's still port injected which is pretty dated at this point. Even old man Honda has DI engines now. Infiniti still seems a little confused about what they want. They are trying to dip their toes into more sport focused cars with the "IPL" sub brand, but they were too timid to really do anything with it, so for right now at least it's a lot like Acura's old useless "A-spec" cars. Lexus is definitely further along with F-sport.

Emissions and economy regulations have a lot to do with BMW replacing their beloved NA straight six with a turbo four, but not to do with their new suspension and steering tuning. The tiller in the new cars is number on purpose, so they say, as to filter out "unwanted" feedback. I'm reminded of the 2001 3 series that had a significant boost in power assistance to make parking maneuvers easier. Everybody hated it, so in 2002 they went back to the old calibration. I wouldn't be surprised if they rethink their approach to steering feedback in another year or so. 

I'm not that worried about electric steering from a safety standpoint. Electronic throttles have been around well long enough for there to be plenty of old rust buckets with them, and it doesn't seem to be an issue. The idea of a mechanical throttle linkage now is basically an anachronism. E-brake systems are now nearing about a decade old, and again, no massive, widespread failures. Besides, e-steering is inevitable. Aside from stuff like auto parking which it makes possible, it saves about 1mpg or so, and automakers will take any advantage they can get. The problem seems to be preserving the connection to the tires and the road that you used to get with the best hydraulic systems, something BMW used to be known for. Even Porsche is struggling with it, though the new GT3 is supposedly a big improvement over the standard car.

I should also add, the original Acura NSX had electric steering. That car is now 23 years old, and I haven't heard an y stories about it killing anybody from steering failure. Same with the S2000, another e-steering car. I think you're gonna be ok.

The responsiveness of the N54 and N55 has as much to do with the throttle programming as anything else. Read the more unbiased reviews or forums, since about 2007 or so BMW throttle programming has been awful across the board, NA engines included. For whatever reason they programed the throttle to basically do nothing for about the first 15-20% of travel, and even if you absolutely boot it, there still isn't the immediate response that there should be.

My 2.7T isn't like that at all. The turbos are small and spool up very quickly, and it makes peak torque at 1800rpm and feels like it. In sport mode the throttle is on a different planet than recent BMW throttles, go now means RIGHT NOW. What it does have is a bit of a drop off in power near the top of the rev range, so if you keep the pedal pinned to the floor it feels like its off boost when it swaps gears, even though it isn't. It's a little weird. The APR and Revo ECU reflashes correct that so the power and torque curve rises all the way to the top.