BMW 3 Series destroyed!

dceire

Am i alone in thinking that BMW have totally destroyed one of the best looking cars on the road the 3 Series of the early/mid 00's by releasing a horrid predecessor especially in the trunk region!

I know they've been out a while at this stage but I’m seeing alot of them lately and they're just wrong in every way!

KTRIC

Totally agree with you. The E30's in my opinion are some of the most stylish car s of the 20th Century.

kdevitt

Think the new coupe is a nicer looking car than the model it replaced... looks perfect to me. Still not overly keen on the saloon version though.

dceire

I don’t know what the hell the designers were thinking & things were going so well with a stunning new 5 series then came the mess that is the 3 series and don’t even get me started about the 1 series what the hell is that all about?

I'm still on the fence when it comes to the 3 series coupe though it looks like a Lexus/BMW/Audi mutant!

http://cbg.ie/Car_detail.asp?CBGID=612492&ID=902759&NumPics=3&Make=BMW&Model=3%20series%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20coupe%20335dse%20a&frmFilter=#

Lex Luthor

The last few 3 series have been a disaster although I think the E46 coupe is not the worst. The E30 is probably one of the finest looking cars ever built.
I never liked the E60 when it came out first but it has grown on me slightly, but I still prefer the E39.

As far as the big 3 German car manufacturers at the moment (BMW, Audi, Mercedes), Audi has the best looking group of the lot. Although they all look very similar to each other in design, each car in its class is better looking than their competitors in my opinion. Of the lot, the A6 is my favourite, with the A3 close 2nd. Why anyone would choose a 1 series over an A3 any day is beyond me.

Elessar

I used to hate the look of the new 3 series, but recently it has grown on me. Especially the coupe. Really, really nice now. I think most people are just shocked at such a radical change.

oleras

I think what most people are annoyed over is their 1992 3 series dont look like the new ones anymore............awwwwwwwwwwwwww

leeroybrown

I've always found that the new BMW models take a little while to grow on me but once they do I like them. I got used to the new 5 series pretty quickly but unfortunately I can't say the same for the new 3 series. I wouldn't be willing to part with money for one.

bazz26

The current 3 Series is nothing to write home about looks wise imo, especially entry level models with the small wheels. The car just turns invisible in the junior management car park. The interior design is also uninspiring imo. I just don't like the current trend of BMW interiors.

I think BMW tried to play it very safe with the looks of the 3 Series after the reviews the existing 5 and 7 Series got at their launch.

Andrewf20

Heres my vote on style:

E30 9/10
E36 8/10 (Although saloons only 6/10)
E46 4/10 (Can look unbelievably dreary)
E90 8/10

Id give Bangle the thumbs up on the 3,5,6 series & Z4, but not on the 1 & 7 series.

Rowley Birkin QC

Yeah not gone on the new shape. Love the 5-series though,its just a better shape when its filled out a bit.

Cant imagine young lads having them ripped to pieces in farmyard workshops fitting 325 engines and LSD's in 10-15 years time in the same way E30 & E36's are at the moment.

BostonB

I think that the current BMW really suffer visually with the wrong wheels. The current 3 is a bit big bloaty around the rear arches.

Andrewf20

BostonB wrote:

I think that the current BMW really suffer visually with the wrong wheels. The current 3 is a bit big bloaty around the rear arches.

Ive noticed this with the smaller rims. Its as if the bodywork is too wide.

BostonB

bigkev49 wrote:

Yeah not gone on the new shape. Love the 5-series though,its just a better shape when its filled out a bit.

Cant imagine young lads having them ripped to pieces in farmyard workshops fitting 325 engines and LSD's in 10-15 years time in the same way E30 & E36's are at the moment.

Unfortunately they usually have a batwing and lurid green pain job.

Rowley Birkin QC

Ah in fairness to the lads a lot of em are nice enough looking, respray to either gunmetal grey, white or black is the usual with a nice set of Alpinas...........Great. Down around North Cork anyways.

Even saw a nice E30 Alpina B6 replica in Cork the last time I was home..................which was nice.

mloc123

They went downhill after the e30. Although I saw pictures of the new m3 a few months back and it looked okay.

dceire

BostonB wrote:

I think that the current BMW really suffer visually with the wrong wheels. The current 3 is a bit big bloaty around the rear arches.

Yea i've noticed that too, the lines of the bodywork make the car look kind of bloated, not a good look!

wildswan

They've gone a bit girly or something The e39, now there's a car!! e39M5 = my dream car. I like my cars to look like machines, not people!!

Seth Brundle

I was at the E90 launch a few years back and when it was revealed and we were all allowed to get our dirty hands on it there were more negative comments than positive ones.
I also don't like the idea that the 2L petrol has managed to lose 2 cylinders, there is no toolkit (because of the RFTs), the back lights, etc.

BostonB wrote:

I think that the current BMW really suffer visually with the wrong wheels. The current 3 is a bit big bloaty around the rear arches.

Aren't all cars becoming more bloated? I put BMWs obesity down to the fact that they are largely designed for big fat Americans!

Anan1

kbannon wrote:

there is no toolkit (because of the RFTs)

Small point, but there is a toolkit. No spare wheel or jack, though! Interestingly enough, when my mother bought hers a couple of weeks ago the car's appearance was a bit of a selling point. She wanted something good to drive but relatively unnoticeable and certainly not aggressive - an E90 in graphite with a bit of dirt on it fits the bill perfectly.

Seth Brundle

Fair enough then Anan1 - I recalled there not being one - maybe Im confusing it with it being a smaller (incomplete compared to earlier models) set.

unkel

It takes me years even to get used to most modern BMWs, let alone like them. I've had this since before the Chris Bangle revolution

Mind I've liked the E92 since it came out!

Anan1

kbannon wrote:

Fair enough then Anan1 - I recalled there not being one - maybe Im confusing it with it being a smaller (incomplete compared to earlier models) set.

It's hidden behind a panel in the right-hand side of the boot. If you didn't know it was there you'd assume the flap was for access to the rear bulbs. I only glanced at it, but it did look a bit smaller than the ones on older cars. That said, i'd imagine the average customer will just use the BMW rescue number saved in the bluetooth menu.;)

kmick

I agree totally - the new three series looks like a short, tubby guy from Leitrim with a fake rolex and line on his face from the spray on tan. The 5 series is stunning and deserves the accolades. The 3 series is rubbish. It will still sell by the shedload cause it a BMW. I know two girls who are getting one. They only care its a Beemer. I still think the old 5 series looks great as well. Its like something a bank robber would use as a getwaway car. The old three series coupe is one of the best looking cars in that prive range ever imho.

prospect

IMO the last nice looking BMW was the E30.

Every model since then has been getting steadily worse.

The X3 is wrong in every way.
The newest 3 series coupe is bland.
The back of the x5 I can only describe as horrible.
The current 5 series is just a lump.
The Z4 is okay, at best.
The 1 series looks like a shoe.

But that is just my humble opinion.

furtzy

BostonB wrote:

I think that the current BMW really suffer visually with the wrong wheels. The current 3 is a bit big bloaty around the rear arches.

Thats it...looks like its melted over its wheels. Current Honda Accord also suffers from this when it has the 15" wheels

E92

What was great about old BMWs was they all looked pretty much the same. Oh sure, the E36 lost the double headlights,and key for the door moved from being flush with the bodywork to being flush with the door handle, and the double kidney grille expanded horizontally(compared to the E30), and when the E46 is compared with the E36 we notice that theres a different type of door handle design, and different light clusters at the back and theres other bits here and there that they changed, but in the good old days BMW used to make the new version of a car a subtle evolution of the old one (it looked different enough for those who liked cars but not different enough from most people to sit up and take notice). Nowadays, of course things are unfortunately very different.What I cant for the life of me understand is why they had to change a winning formula. It wasnt like say Nissan who changed the design of their cars radically as they were struggling to sell cars here in Europe. I still hate with a passion(in terms of looks) the E65/66 (7 series since '02), the X3, Z4, 1 series, and to a (slightly) lesser extent the E60-64 5 series and 6 series. Oddly enough, I like the look of the E70 X5(just a subtle evolution looks wise of the E53 X5 I think), it looks like a proper 4X4 Beemer, and I really like the E92, and indeed the whole new 3 series range(apart from the Mitsubishi Carisma lights on the E90). I would argue that the new design direction has not at all been sucessful for BMW, I mean the E60 is only here 3 years and its being facelifted next month(the E39 by comparison lasted 5 years before it was refreshed), the E65/66 7 series had to get quite a dramatic facelift, the 1 series is only here 2.5 years and it also needs to be facelifted, the X3 and Z4 were facelifted last year (having only been around since 2004 I think); now what company would bring out new versions of its entire model range, and the less than 3 years into their respective life cycles have to change them all(in some cases quite substansially)? Not exactly the kind of thing a car company(particularlly european, as non euros generally tend to have shorter life cycles so would be facelifted earlier as a consequence) would do that if they were very sucessful, would they?

maidhc

E92 wrote:

What was great about old BMWs......would do that if they were very sucessful, would they?

Paragraphs?

I like the new BMWs. The old 5 series was pretty bland, the 99 3 series looked like a 99 Avensis. Things are improving IMO.

Seth Brundle

maidhc wrote:

The old 5 series was pretty bland

Im stunned!
I love the last 5er!