Is this really the new 3 series???

blkongry · 01:07 PM

In another thread we were talking about the direction BMW is taking their new designs. It was noted that 3 series is going the way of the 5 series... which doesn't seem to be a good path as far as design esthetics. It was also noted there will the introduction of the 1 series. Out of curiosity, I poked around a bit and found a couple images of the new 3 and 1. Unfortunately, the new 3 is starting to look like slab-sided Saab in my opinion, but the new 1 coupe doesn't look too bad. If it's fast and nimble... it might be worth looking at. The hatchback looks like the M hatchback (ugh!!). As far as the three series, is this really the new 3, or just a concept?? What does everyone else think? (new 3 series is the first pic, the other two are of the 1 series)

Jared at Pelican Parts · 11-19-2003, 11:57 AM

the 1 looks alright enough, but the 3 doesnt even look like a BMW, it looks like a Honda Accord.

turbo23dog · 11-19-2003, 05:29 PM

This is the first I've heard of the new 1 Series. From the pictures, my first reaction was that I don't like the styling. It seems to resemble one of the bottom of the line Mercedes models. Not that looking like a Mercedes is a bad thing, but look alikes are for other makes, not BMW.

As far as the 3 Series picture, yup, it looks like the same lines as the new 5 and so on.

Rich Franco

jbush · 11-19-2003, 05:57 PM

I do not like either of them very much. Although I do like the way the new 5 looks. It seems that they had to make some change to the 5and they did a pretty good job considering how great the previous 5 series was.

matthew-m · 11-19-2003, 06:37 PM

I personally don't see any similarity to a Honda or Mercedes in either of those pictures. I also don't think that the 1 series will look like that, especially since the gold one is the CS1 concept with a hard top added. The way I look at it, all cars will start to look alike due to the increasing need for clean aerodynamics for fuel efficiency, plus there are only like 10 major car companies world wide, which control every brand!

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

The 3-series looks okay, the 1-series - well the word fugly comes to mind!

If the cars are really ugly, it will keep the values of our cars higher!

-Wayne

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Interesting how tastes differ. I like those pics of the 1-series better than I like that one pic of the 3-series. But then, I don't think either one would win a beauty contest...

Should we start pooling our money to start a "Bangle assassination" fund?

--DD

blkongry · 11-20-2003, 10:01 AM

It's funny (and very expected) that we all have a difference of opinion. For the most part, every car looks simillar because of design... headlights and grill on the front, doors on the side, windshield in front of driver... yada yada yada; plus there is the need/push for better aerodynamics. It's the balance and proportionality that makes it a visual 'yeah' or a 'neah'. I personally think the 1 series looks pretty well balanced, even with the weird swooping lines down the side. I like the roof line of the modded CS1 better than the silver one... it's a little more upright in the rear occupant compartment that gives it a bit more of the square shouldered lines of a BMW look, rather than the swoop of the rear side window/roof line that is characteristic of Benz. Interest gets lost when I found it's a 115 hp four-banger... but then goes back up when I hear it may come equipped with F1 style paddle shifters on the steering wheel. It would go way up if I found the thing ran a 250-hp 3L six and came in under 3000 pounds, but could still seat four comfortably and enough luggage for my girl and I to make a weekend trip to the coast. I tell ya, I really like the front facia... staggered halos framining the protruding kidney grill. Heh... on a quirky note, the CS1's lower valence smiles, while the new 3 series frowns... interesting.

As far as the new three. I wouldn't buy one... who wants to drive around in a car that people come up to you and say, "Hey, isn't that the new Altima??" You look at the new three against the picture of the E46 M3 that Supertrack posted in the "Anyone Supercharged" thread and just wonder WHAT are they thinking?

supertack · supertack's Garage

They both suck!

I hate the direction this company is moving. Since when is the bubbly high wheel base look better than the low aggressive hard line look? The best comparison I have is what Honda did to the Prelude a number of years ago. If you remember the '92 Prelude was low, hard lined, & had a wheel base that came right up to the edge of the fenders. Then in '93, they decided to raise the profile & give it that bubbly look. Sales dropped & enthusiasts complained. They went back to a harder line body style in like '99, but it's still not as good.

BMW better prepare for a backlash of lip service, & a drop in the market share if they keep this crap up. Hell, even Mercedes hasn't gone this bubbly route.

This 1 series looks like a sedan alternative to the Z4.

blkongry · 11-20-2003, 10:37 AM

What??? Benz hasn't gone the 'bubbly' route? What about this little freak-show? You can't get more bubbly than this...

I'm not sure what you mean by 'wheel base'... that term is usually used to reference the distance between the contact patches of the tires. Do you mean the slab-sided 'wedge' design where they push up the sheet metal over the wheel wells? Especially in the back to give it that Pontiac Grand Am look? I'm not a fan of that either... I especially hate that year of Prelude you are talking about. It doesn't seem that bad on the 1 series, and it would be nice if they made it even less so on the production model. As a rule of thumb on designs for me, the cleanest look is when you draw a line between the top of the tires, lift it up a bit, then give it a slight angled 'rake'.. use that as a body line... have minimal overhang in the front and rear (pushing the wheels to the outer edge of the vehicle giving it stability), and have a well balanced cab area with good functional head room. At 6'3" and 210 pounds, I don't fit well in many sport compacts... I only fit well in my 325 because it is a convertible (you loose over an inch of headroom with the sunroof in a coupe, and I was hard pressed to find a coupe without a sunroof). I also don't want to see the bubbly look 'infect' BMW, or you are right... it will hurt sales.

copiche · 11-20-2003, 05:33 PM

It's a shame how BMW's are going to look and some are already BAD looking based on those designs.

IMO this guy (Chris Bangle )has the whole responsibity for changing the ever-stylish line of the True BMW.

you can all post your opinion here.

http://www.petitiononline.com/STOPCB/petition.html

I posted mine already and day by day is growing like crazy.

Peace.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

It's true, the E36 is going to go down in history as one of the cleanest designs every, in my opinion. Particularly the convertibles with the smooth flat door sill lines...

-Wayne

matthew-m · 11-23-2003, 11:07 AM

I don't know aout you people but I like the new designs. I don't get the eyebrows on the new 5 and 7 series headlights, but they are not marketed towards me. I love the CS1 concept and can only hope the 1 series bears some resemblance. I like the Z4 but I would never own a convertible. Too bad because the E46 cabrio is gorgeous. My problem with new BMW's is the reliance on technology to wow common people with good handling and great ride. I prefer one or the other - not a compromise. I don't need active steering, DSC, iDrive, etc putting extra weight on the car. Why can't more auto manufacturers make a 911 GT3? No stability control, optional AC delete, sporty seats and less weight were it matters (suspension, hood, roof, engine) for roughly the same price as a well optioned car. If Porsche can do it why can't BMW, Audi...

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

While the E46 lines are very clean, I do believe that they have made the E46 cars (coupe and convertible) look just like every other car on the road. BMWs have always been distinctive in their styling. I think that is what they have been trying to go after with the newer series. It is definitely distinctive, but I'm not sure it works with the general public.

-Wayne

Jared at Pelican Parts · 11-24-2003, 08:57 AM

While I still hate the way the new 5 Series looks, they had a AWESOME thing on it on Speedvision over the weekend, doing test drives on the Nurburgring, showing off the roll stability functions, etc...

supertack · supertack's Garage

The X3 was featured (and on the cover) of BMW magazine, with a lotta photo's. The front end has the same look as that new 3 series pic at the top of this thread. If that really is what the new 3 is going to look like, there is an interesting aspect of that car.

It looks like they are trying to simulate the look of an earlier E36, with the front end grill & hood. Look at either that (suggested) new 3 series pic, or any of the new X3. The grill is inset to the nose piece, with only a small ring of chrome inside, just like the E36 through '96. The shape remains kidney (something the '92-'96 E36 never had), but the chrome isn't molded over the nose piece. As for the hood, it is back to having a separation with the grill. I actually like how they made the hood & grill all one piece on the E46, but it's another E36 feature that’s coming back.

Hard to imagine what their thinking. Are they really trying to get back the their roots, & failing miserably, or their finger is no where close to the enthusiasts pulse? I heard when the new 5 series was debuted, sales for the current 5 series increased, which is the opposite of what its suppose to do. Interesting.

blkongry · 11-26-2003, 10:07 AM

Interesting... when the sales of the previous model increases at the debut of the next generation of it, I wonder if the manufacturer actually takes note? Or if, since the wheels are in motion for the next version, they just push it on the consumer? I wonder how these unappealing designs make it through?

Several years ago I was on a race team and we were at a competition in Detroit. Some of the big automakers 'loaned out' some of their engineers to work the event. One guy that was with us was a design engineer for GM, and he was telling us about this fantastic newly designed vehicle that was under wraps, but he promised it had innovations in it that would make an impact on the automarket. He told us the name of it, and in the following year or so it came out.... it was the freakin' Pontiac Aztek... the ugliest vehicle on the face of the earth. How do these designs make it out to the public, and how could this guy think it was fantastic?!?!

bimmerdog · 11-27-2003, 08:49 AM

I absolutely LOVE the 1 series and I think has the chance to be one the best selling Bimmers of all time. The 3 series on the other hand,I really dont care for it. In my opinion, it looks too mundane.

supertack · supertack's Garage

Interesting... when the sales of the previous model increases at the debut of the next generation of it, I wonder if the manufacturer actually takes note? Or if, since the wheels are in motion for the next version, they just push it on the consumer? I wonder how these unappealing designs make it through?

Well sure, the wheels are in motion, & I highly doubt they'd scrap an entire multi-billion dollar line on the initial reaction of a fraction of the consumers, but their may be another reason.
A true consensus of the vehicle can't be achieved without weighing all of it's factors. Look at us, were all talking about how much we hate the new 3 based on a limited view of two dimensional pictures. To think about it logically, until we see how it looks in person, how it looks on the street, how it handles, accelerates, interacts with the road, & it's interior appointments, how can we really have an accurate perception?
I still haven’t seen the new 5 on the road yet. In fact, I only saw the first commercial for it last week. Now reinforcing my initial opinion, when I saw that commercial, I thought "that car sucks", but part of me will have a bit of reservation until I see it on the road. When I do, & it looks like hell, just as I thought, then I'll be validated.

mike944 · 12-04-2003, 09:27 AM

I don't like either if those 2 cars. The first one does look like an accord, with some bigger wheels, and a different grille/bumper.

As someone saidabove , we, the "enthusiasts" are a small percentage of the driving public. Apparently BMW thinks more people will like than dislike the cars.

It's amazing what a difference of opinion people have. Take for example the Nissan Maurano. Personally i think it's hideously ugly. (Not quite as bad as an Aztek, but close) But......given the quantity of Muranos i see around here, plenty of people are buying them.