Current 3 series – the last of a pure breed?

D

DrWho

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I couldn't be happier with my new 2004, 330ci. To my way of thinking this may be the last chance to drive an un-Bangled (bungled?) bimmer that has purity of design and understated style. I fear it may be my last if the current trend continues to the next new 3 (4) series.

In the BMW line-up currently there are only two good looking models – the 3 (particularly the coupe), but not the Compact and the X5 (for a SUV!).

The 7 is a disaster that cannot be updated (fixed) soon enough. The 5, I call the Dame Edna mobile. The 6 looks better, but that trunk! The Z4 looks like a piece of origami, though not too bad from the front-on angle, the X3 is just plain awkward looking around the headlights and taillights.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but it pains me to see a great marque losing it's way, particularly when the underlying driving experience is still so damn good. Perhaps they should allow the engineers to also design the exteriors (and interiors!). Sigh...
 
Tom

Tom

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To be honest, the new 3-Series doesn't look that bad. Like anything, its too soon to judge without seeing it in person.
 
O

ofcrimson

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I know that I am in the minority here, but I really like the look of the new 7-series. I haven't seen the 5 in person, so I am not going to pass judgement.
 
dzervit

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ofcrimson said:
I know that I am in the minority here, but I really like the look of the new 7-series. I haven't seen the 5 in person, so I am not going to pass judgement.
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I'm with you 100%. I really like the new 7, and after some time with the new 5, I must say it is an improvement over the aging platform. I was never a huge fan of the old 5, plus I couldn't fit comfortable in it (being 6'10" and all).

I think BMW is making good progress to refine their lineup and keep ahead of the game. What makes a BMW a great car? The handling, ride, and fun-to-drive factor. All of which are upgraded with the new vehicles. Automakers will never satisfy everyone, and when they have a good thing going they cannot just say "Well, it's perfect, lets not change at thing and see what happens". They must push forward!!!

Kudos to BMW for having the balls to march ahead!
 
L

LoMo987

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I feel the same way, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. BMW sells tons of the current 3 series models and they have had the same look since 2000. I think one sales start to show a slip then change the look. I agree about the new 7 series. I do like the fact that you can not get the car confused with anything else on the road. When you pay the premium you wanna stand out, but the 7 to me is a little extreme, I am a little more conservative!
 
R

RedShift

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dzervit said:
I'm with you 100%. I really like the new 7, and after some time with the new 5, I must say it is an improvement over the aging platform. I was never a huge fan of the old 5, plus I couldn't fit comfortable in it (being 6'10" and all)....
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Geez, I thought I was tall for a 3 series owner (6'8"). I have the same thoughts about the older 5 series. It is way more cramped for me than my 330Ci. Go figure. A bigger car with less room. I blame it on having the window controls on the door in the 5s. My 330Ci fits me like a glove. And I even have the 5 speed manual. [thumb]
 
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dzervit

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I couldn't believe it when I drove the 3. How could a car this small provide so much freakin' room?! I figured the 5 would be outstanding! Not so.. but the new 5 was very comfortable, but they screwed me with having the moonroof as standard equipment. I can only hope the new 3 provide the same level on interior comfort for us vertically blessed folks.
 
ggrrrrrr

ggrrrrrr

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dzervit said:
I'm with you 100%. I really like the new 7, and after some time with the new 5, I must say it is an improvement over the aging platform. I was never a huge fan of the old 5, plus I couldn't fit comfortable in it (being 6'10" and all).

I think BMW is making good progress to refine their lineup and keep ahead of the game. What makes a BMW a great car? The handling, ride, and fun-to-drive factor. All of which are upgraded with the new vehicles. Automakers will never satisfy everyone, and when they have a good thing going they cannot just say "Well, it's perfect, lets not change at thing and see what happens". They must push forward!!!

Kudos to BMW for having the balls to march ahead!
Click to expand...
I agree that BMW needed to push foward and try new things but the back end of the 7 is just plain awful... I think the 7 would be great if the trunk lined up like it does in the 5. The front and the sides look great. Do you think the car would have received such critisism regarding its looks if the back end was better? For those of you out there that like the 7, would you perfer it with another back end?

Also, I think the same thing can be said about the new 6. I have yet to see it in person but from the pictures I have seen it’s the same situation. The car looks great until the back end comes into view.
 
F

futurebmw

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i am glad that someone started this thread because i really want a 325ci, but am a bit weary on if i should wait or take the plunge... as far as looks go, i think that the new 3 series coupes (4series??) will be something special... i mean look at it practically... the 3 coupe is bmw's bread and butter... they cant screw with it too much, otherwise bangle will be lynched, not to mention bmw bankrupt!! can you imagine the mass hysteria if the public reaction, and sales figures, of the 3 follow that of the 7?? so i am having 2 potential issues with the future design which are making me confused.. i want to know what everyone thinks:

1) the interior: i just love the current interiors... everyone says that the nav system is really intuitive, once you get used to it... i just love the black, squarish layout... it's very elegant, european... makes it distinct from japanese cars... the new interiors arent really doing it for me... i mean the 5 and the 6 have nice interiors, but they are way too futuristic for me... one of the reason's that i would like a bmw is teh european understated calss of the car... with the new space shuttle interiors, bmw wants to "move into the future"... but i feel that it is losing some of it's grace by doing so... i mean who the hell would want to go through and idrive interface just to turn on the flaming a/c, or adjust the lights, etc.. i mean there are like no buttons left on the center console... yes, it is nice, yes it is futuristic, but it is losing that elegant european bmw grace... the new interiors kinda remind me of infinity (with respect to the color and styling, more than funtionality)... so for a first time bmw owner that has already criven through the japanese car stock, this is a turn off....

2) the drive: i have heard from some people that the drive of the new 5 is totally screwed... the say that at high speeds it shakes in the wind, and the drive is softer... i mean if bmw is going to make their cars lighter and softer why the hell would we want to get it... what happened to the tank sturdiness, and sporty ride!?!?!!?!? i feel a bit premature commenting on a car that i havent driven, but this is the impression that i am getting from other people... anyone care to opine?? so basically the 3 is so popular because of it's drive... if they start making it softer and lighter and unsteady, then what next...

in conclusion there is no point for bmw to march forward if they are going to change the fundementals upon which the company was built... making soft driving, japanese looking cars just plain ol sucks... so what am i to do about my purchase... i guess the only thing to do is to wait and see... either way i guess i win, if i like the 4 then i will have a brand spanking new car... and if not, i can get a fully loaded one out of the showroom that they are trying to clear to make room for the new ones much cheaper....
 
S

salvo

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Futurebmw,
I think that you (we, I agree with you) are in the minority. They (BMW) look at the big picture and target only the largest sector of BMW drivers. If BMW intends to grow then this is what they must do. The average BMW driver loves the symbolic value of a BMW and doesnt know the difference from a hard or soft suspension. The average driver will be comparing all of the fancy features to the japanese cars and they are too stupid to realize that a single "button" is more simple and more elegant than a computer navigation system to turn off the A/C. I prefer to keep things simple until we NEED to introduce more complex methods of control!
Hopefully they will retain different packages to satisfy the enthusiast! You cant even get a manual tranny these days!!
With respect to purchasing a NEW line (4-series): It makes me nervous to purchase a new line of cars, because I think that it must withstand the test of time!
my 2 cents
 
D

DrWho

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It never fails to amuse me how when a marque achieves a certain reputation and acclaim due to the nature of its products, it somehow feels compeled to change things because of what the 'market' demands. They forget that they got to where they are because buyers (the market) already liked what they were doing!

You often hear how a car maker is pressured into making their cars more what, say, the American market would like, or the Asian market, to make them more appealing to the locals. But guess what? The reason why those cars sold in the past and achieved such status is because they weren't like all the other American or Japanese or whatever cars. People on those markets liked the Euro-ness of the models. If they wanted more American-ness, there are plenty of local manufaturers that do nothing but.

Look at Mercedes. They abandoned their traditional core values of solid-as-a-vault construction, simple, clean interiors, and classy understated exteriors. Now, they are built to a price (though they still charge a premium!), they have cheap interior plastics, things that open and close don't seem to have the same quality, the dashboards and exteriors are pretty bland (except for the new SL, SLR, SLK). So, basically, they've turned their backs on what made them great in the first place. I hear now that they're begining to see the light and that they're again going to build (future) cars with the same quality of yore.

I hope BMW realises their folly before it's too late to turn things around.
 
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F

futurebmw

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well i feel that bmw is skating on thin ice right now... what they do with the 3 and the 4 series will make or break it... basically, bmw wants to be the number 1 luxury/sports luxury car maufacturer in the wolrd.... if i am not mistaken, that is lexus right now... anyways, those old farts on the board of directors think that if the make their cars into moon rovers then it will appeal to the younger crowd... bollocks... if they want to overtake lexus and other japanese manufacturers, all they have to do is lower their prices... bloody hell, my brother bought a fully loaded g35 coupe which is like 287bhp for $35,000... i wont even be able to get a sull spec 325ci for that much, which is only 184bhp...

but back to the original point, the 3 series sedan and coupe are the bread and butter of bmw... the way that they have designed the new 7 and 5 make people think, do i like it or don't i like it... if they make a new 3 series that makes people think that, i think that the game is over for them... but i think that they are smarter than that and realize that they cannot make a controversial 3 series car....

personally, i have a liking towards the flame surfacing, especially on the coupes... so i wouldnt mind the 4 series... interestingly enough, the thing that is bothering me more these days is the interiors... i just hate the concept of idrive... i mean eventually yeah, i guess time would evolve to allow such things, but not really now... let's just hope for the best with the new 3/4...
 
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