E90 Styling Poll

[Silva]

I think we mostly agree that the E46 is a great car, both inside and out, but was due for an update.... I think we also agree that BMW did an awesome job with the technical changes for the E90. All the underlying chassis, drivetrain, etc are much improved in the E90.

It's the styling that everyones talking about... Kinda like licorice, you either love it or hate it!!!!!!

So what do you think?

 

[Fwu]

the E46 could've survived for another 2-3 years

 

[deutsch100]

All BMW had to do was update the 2.5 and 3.0 engines, add Angel Eyes, make LED taillights standard, change the climate controls to dual climate with round knobs, opposed to flat buttons, change the look of the radio...and the E46 would have proven a top seller for 2-4 more years. Without a doubt!!!!!

 

[Wadula]

i voted for undecided. reasons:

Exteriour
I like the front of the car a lot, same with the side. coming to the back, it starts looking like a hyundai. exteriour in general: good, like it.

Interiour
one word, booooooring. THE major no-go for a buy for me.

Technique
great engines, as usual. overall as a BMW is supposed to be.

that´s 2:1. but the ratio of how I weigh the criterias is

Exteriour 45%
Interiour 45%
Technique 10%

that makes a slight tendence towards i like it, but not enough to really like it.

 

[Wallie05]

Still undecided here too. I'm barely warming up to the exterior front and sides (love the 18s), but I think the rear just doesn't match the rest the car -- seems like BMW went too conservative with the back end this time after tacking flack on the 5er and 7er rumps. The interior seems a little iffy to me (as do most recent BMW interiors), it seems like the quality of the plastics beats those in the 5er though, which is unusual, though doesn't say a whole lot since I think the 5er interior is pretty crummy, both ergonomically and quality-wise. And ergonomically, it's not all that different from the other Bangle-mobiles, which I still can't quite figure out with that f-ed up monodash. I think the jury is still out though on the effectiveness and reliability of the techno-gadgets (not exactly BMW's strong point in recent years).

It's a little pricier than I'd like to see, and given the Japanese competition nowadays, I'd like to have seen some bigger HP numbers, though I know, I know, the German HP is different from the HP on other cars....

So, for those reasons, I gonna wait to call it....

 

[Average Jae]

after seeing the car in person at the 3aa event. i like the front way better after seeing it in person. rear is still a bit bah, but is better than the pics.

interior: without the nav, i like the layout. bit simplistic, and aluminum trim pieces were cool, but i still like the e46 interior better.

while 6 years isn't a long time, typical cycles are 6-8 years, so wth, we got the e90 a bit quicker. i have a feeling my car will start to look dated soon. *sigh*

i'm not a total convert yet, but i think i'll like the e90 quicker than the time it took to warm up to the e60.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

It's a little pricier than I'd like to see, and given the Japanese competition nowadays, I'd like to have seen some bigger HP numbers, though I know, I know, the German HP is different from the HP on other cars....

So, for those reasons, I gonna wait to call it....

Wallie how much more HP does it need? It does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds manual and 6.1 with an automatic in a 3500lb car I'd say the Bavarian 255hp does what 300+hp does in most other cars. Not to mention it gets 30+ mpg on the highway cruising at probably 75. Infiniti has 298hp and it doesn't do better than the 330i's 0-60. The car also gets to 130mph it's limited top speed for the automatic model in just about 30 seconds. I think that car performs pretty damn well, it doesn't need any more HP what it needs is a styling revamp.

 

[Bryan330i]

IT ROCKS! [headbang]


I agree with the back end but I think the E46 is very weak in the back also.

 

[deutsch100]

IT ROCKS! [headbang]


I agree with the back end but I think the E46 is very weak in the back also.

The rear end of the E90 looks like an ugly mid 90's Japanese entry level car. I see nothing weak about the back end of an E46:

 

[Bryan330i]

The rear end of the E90 looks like an ugly mid 90's Japanese entry level car. I see nothing weak about the back end of an E46:

Yeah, I see where you are coming from. I guess what I am thinking is more of the standard 3 series sedan. I just don’t find the look from the back views to be particularly impressive or aggressive at all and more standard looking.

 

[Average Jae]

case with the e46 just maybe the age. its just not as cool as it used to be for some. i like it a lot! even now.

and leave it to adam to bring us more of the interlagos blue goodness

 

[bmwtransport]

All BMW had to do was update the 2.5 and 3.0 engines, add Angel Eyes, make LED taillights standard, change the climate controls to dual climate with round knobs, opposed to flat buttons, change the look of the radio...and the E46 would have proven a top seller for 2-4 more years. Without a doubt!!!!!

I kind of agree, but I like the new 3. You'll get use to it.

 

[DetroitZHP]

Watch out

OK--I am new to the board however I am not new to being an driving enthusiast.

Be warned folks especially on the new Mercedes and BMW's.

I recently had my recently purchased CLK55 AMG purchased back from me by MBUSA for electrical voltage drops and electrical malfunctions throughout. I reasonably drove a BMW 6 Series and was disappointed beyond belief as attention to detail, weight and too many "electrical devices" encumbering the true driving experience. A combination of BMWs active steering, iDrive (No Comment), and sad shifting algorithm not nearly reaching redline or full HP potential.

The CLK regardless of its electronics provided a significantly better driveline user experience; e.g. gearing, torque/HP and transmission. I ound this the most compelling sadness to bring to the table on a $77K vehicle. A seriously sad vehicle with ergonomic challenges that have transferred directly to the E90. Cheap plastics, thin windows, bleak and drab colors as cost consideration obviously have reared their ugly head. BMW has followed Mercedes lead some years ago in desighning vehicles to reduce costs and focus on margins, again, similar to Mercedes engineering strategy. Well this was recently re-orged as the announcement of 1.3 million vehicles were recalled----five years of vehcicles for MBUSA and you bet BMW is on this path just look to the first two years of the redesigned 7 series.

At the end of the day I bought a 2004 ZHP fir 36K and LOVE it, my 2 1/2 year old informed me that is was not as fast as the MB..interesting...but the 6 speeed with the inline 6 is serioulsy beautiful.

WIth most things simplicity is best and BMWs strategy cannot be further from this.

 

[deutsch100]

OK--I am new to the board however I am not new to being an driving enthusiast.

Be warned folks especially on the new Mercedes and BMW's.

I recently had my recently purchased CLK55 AMG purchased back from me by MBUSA for electrical voltage drops and electrical malfunctions throughout. I reasonably drove a BMW 6 Series and was disappointed beyond belief as attention to detail, weight and too many "electrical devices" encumbering the true driving experience. A combination of BMWs active steering, iDrive (No Comment), and sad shifting algorithm not nearly reaching redline or full HP potential.

The CLK regardless of its electronics provided a significantly better driveline user experience; e.g. gearing, torque/HP and transmission. I ound this the most compelling sadness to bring to the table on a $77K vehicle. A seriously sad vehicle with ergonomic challenges that have transferred directly to the E90. Cheap plastics, thin windows, bleak and drab colors as cost consideration obviously have reared their ugly head. BMW has followed Mercedes lead some years ago in desighning vehicles to reduce costs and focus on margins, again, similar to Mercedes engineering strategy. Well this was recently re-orged as the announcement of 1.3 million vehicles were recalled----five years of vehcicles for MBUSA and you bet BMW is on this path just look to the first two years of the redesigned 7 series.

At the end of the day I bought a 2004 ZHP fir 36K and LOVE it, my 2 1/2 year old informed me that is was not as fast as the MB..interesting...but the 6 speeed with the inline 6 is serioulsy beautiful.

WIth most things simplicity is best and BMWs strategy cannot be further from this.

Welcome to the board, and what a hell of a first post. You are so right, it is scary. Pretty sad when a 36k E46, E46, E46, E46!!!!! is more reliable, and better built than 2 cars costing around 80k. Hopefully BMW will not follow in MBZ footsteps, but it looks as if they are out to repeat Mercedes' pattern. I cannot stress how much we love our 3 BMWs...but I would NOT buy another BMW as of now. There is not 1 new model that feels worthy of the price. BMW should really look at Audi, Porsche, VW (yes BMW,- look at VW interior quality) and Lexus for inspiration.

Thanks for the post, and Freude am Fahren in your real BMW (E46

 

[Chesty Bonds]

Yeah, active steering is a bloody joke, as is i-Drive. There's a very good reason why the new M5 and M6 don't have active steering, and that's because its yet more unecessary shit that just adds weight and detracts from the driving experience. I just don't know why BMW can't see that a all the gizmos and whiz-bangery are no substitute for a tight steering-rack! Bloody hell, I could go on forever!

 

[Richmond325CI]

the exterior may be ok, but the interior styling is a AWFUL. the materials HAVE DONE DOWN HILL! you might want a separate poll.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

OK--I am new to the board however I am not new to being an driving enthusiast.

Be warned folks especially on the new Mercedes and BMW's.

I recently had my recently purchased CLK55 AMG purchased back from me by MBUSA for electrical voltage drops and electrical malfunctions throughout. I reasonably drove a BMW 6 Series and was disappointed beyond belief as attention to detail, weight and too many "electrical devices" encumbering the true driving experience. A combination of BMWs active steering, iDrive (No Comment), and sad shifting algorithm not nearly reaching redline or full HP potential.

The CLK regardless of its electronics provided a significantly better driveline user experience; e.g. gearing, torque/HP and transmission. I ound this the most compelling sadness to bring to the table on a $77K vehicle. A seriously sad vehicle with ergonomic challenges that have transferred directly to the E90. Cheap plastics, thin windows, bleak and drab colors as cost consideration obviously have reared their ugly head. BMW has followed Mercedes lead some years ago in desighning vehicles to reduce costs and focus on margins, again, similar to Mercedes engineering strategy. Well this was recently re-orged as the announcement of 1.3 million vehicles were recalled----five years of vehcicles for MBUSA and you bet BMW is on this path just look to the first two years of the redesigned 7 series.

At the end of the day I bought a 2004 ZHP fir 36K and LOVE it, my 2 1/2 year old informed me that is was not as fast as the MB..interesting...but the 6 speeed with the inline 6 is serioulsy beautiful.

WIth most things simplicity is best and BMWs strategy cannot be further from this.

Where in detroit do you park or drive these cars? I know I wouldn't wanna drive a luxury car in Detroit...

 

[William330]

The new 3-series doesn't just have oddball styling, it has Japanese styling.

Look at the new Audis: Hot, sleek, very euro.

The new Mercedes: Hot, sleek, very euro.

The new BMW: Bloated, rounded, ugly seams across the hood, and to the sides
of the headlights. Looks like something from Nissan, not BMW.

Some 3-series styling changes I would have liked to see:

* Reduce the size of the headlight lenses from 6 inches tall, to 2 inches tall, with
Xenon headlights standard. This would also lower the front of the vehicle, adding
to its sleekness.

* DO NOT touch the sheet-metal crease that starts at the headlight, and flows to
the tail light.

* Etc., etc.

These types of changes would have updated the car, which was a classic design
from every angle.

Instead, we get a new 4 foot wide seam above the front grill, and two more ugly
seams, one on each side of the headlights.

The awesome metal crease that used to run down the length of the car is
gone (they first dropped the crease from the front fender for 2004, and now
it's gone completely).

Thanks to Chris Bangle's "design" I now don't like the front, profile, or back
(which looks stolen from an old Nissan Maxima).

I say this about a model I've dreamed of owning since before I had my license.

Had I won the lottery, I would have bought a 3-series (probably an M3, though ),
and now, I'd go straight to Audi, Mercedes, or even the new Acura TL.

I think that's why this seems so personal, BMW and Chris Bangle have ruined
the dream.

I don't know what my next car after my 330ci will be, but judging what I've been
seeing these last few years, it won't be a 3-series, or even a BMW.

 

[William330]

You'll get use to it.

That should be BMW's new marketing slogan: "You'll get use to it."

Meanwhile, when I see a new Ferrari, I think "I love it."

I used to think the same for BMW.

I remember when the new 8-series was announced in 1991 (?).

My jaw hit the floor when I saw a poster of it at the BMW dealer.

Guess those days are gone.

 

[Hwkdrvr]

People are always resistant to change. I think it ROCKS!!!!!