Nifty looking car. I was very close to it in my MINI and, from a glimpse of the rump end, got the impression it was a new Hyundai or Mitsubishi. I was impressed that those companies could finally get all the details just right. But then I thought it looked too well resolved even for an Acura. To me it looked like the car the 5 series wanted to be (and I prefer the 5 to the 7).

Or did I hallucinate it? I haven't heard anything about the new 3 series (admittedly public radio and my enviro friends would not mention it) nor seen any adverts. Maybe it was a 5 series and I imagined reading 325 on the back. How could someone already be driving it on the street? Has anyone else seen such a phantasm?

 

Yup, they are out and about, I've seen a bunch of them. I'm not a fan though, the rear lamps fail completely to me and the carryover Dame Edna-ish headlights just don't do it IMHO, especially with the amber portions. I really wish BMW kept with the more aggressive design cues (ie dark squarish/horizontal backing for clearly round headlamps) from the lineage. I'm sure it'll drive well though

 

BMW.ca already has replaced the 325 and 330 (though not the 320) with the E90 versions in their "Build and price" configurator. That suggests they're currently for sale. Oh, and the prices of the 325 have not gone up from the previous generation.

Though I've yet to see one on the road, I really am warming to the look more and more as time goes on. I was non-plussed when I saw the first press photos, but there's a tautness and grace to the side profile that I very much like. I'll probably consider one in a year or two.

 

they're definitely around. I drove a new E90 330i 6 speed with the sport package last week. Very nice. My local dealer has 3 or 4 demos on the lot.

Neil
05 MCS

 

Except for the preWW2 328 a BMW has never even made me smile (they're so darn serious), but next time I see one I will probably laugh

 

I was just at my dealer for a service on my mini and they had tons of 3 series. I think they are going in a better direction than the 5 series which i was very happy to see. I really hope the new M3 looks like the proposed pictures....it was gorgeous.

With that being said, i dont feel that BMWs are what they used to be style wise. They have gone from nice and boxy to a very curvi-linear style....i dont know how i feel about that.

 

Maybe it's a conspiracy of the automobile stylists. Most of them attended just a handful of schools and know each other. Even Benz has come out with an eye-catching slug-silhouette S sedan (reminds me of the first Infiniti Q something and the Toyota President). For a long time after WW2 only USA makers produced daring body styles completely unrelated to the way metal was stressed or fabricated. And Euro and Japanese makers followed suit (fins appearing on Toyota and Benz simultaneously).

Now it seems that GM and Ford have become less adventurous than BMW and Benz. Perhaps it is because the "classic" 1970-80s BMW and Benz cars were so successfully imitated by Japanese makers, who have continued in that mode (Nissan becoming the exception), that they were forced to do something daring. I recall when USA carmakers put more resources into style than content and began to lose out to others. I hope this does not happen to the Germans whose cars, for a happy time, were among the most reliable. Meanwhile I enjoy the fashion show.

I have to get floor mats from the local BMW/MINI dealer anyway so perhaps I will see a new 3 series car at its best--in the showroom.

 

I saw my first one at a dealership in late April. From the photos I hadn't been much of a fan, but in person I rather liked it.

A couple nights ago I saw a heavily camouflaged "baby Maybach." I'm not sure if that's the new S-class or if Maybach has a smaller car coming out.

 

If you happen to receive the Discovery Channel, 'Evolution of an Icon' will be played at 3:02AM CDT on May 26 (Comcast, Chicago area). It's about 30 minutes. It's not a great piece of filming, but okay to fwd through. I saw it via a Tivo showcase.

I happen to like the new 3. Next time I'm at my dealer, I might take one out for a spin.

 

I examined two at the dealer today. $41,000 for the 330i sedan seemed reasonable and yet, to me, $36,000 for a 325i seemed expensive. The interior is skosh more spacious than the previous series. One detail that bothered me is how the leading edge of the front fender is an acute angle panel with the straight top seam trailing from the curved seam between the hood and the headlight but just misses being a colinear tangent (and the straight bottom seam drops at an abrupt angle and cuts toward the front wheel center--a practical solution and interesting when viewed from the side only, but not beautiful when seen with its upper companion). The front of the new 3 is a bit busier than the previous model and I don't think it's as well resolved as in the 2 seater--especially with license plate affixed. However the rump and sides look sharp. The interior looks luxurious.

 

I went to the Bimmer dealer two days ago and took the new 325i with 6 speed manual for a spin. It is an incredibly comepetant car- eager to drive fast and it corners so smoothly. I was most impressed by the ride- runflats are standard now and you'd never know it. Supple but without the suspension being roll prone. Acceleration was incredible- I couldn't imagine why anyone would need a 330i. The interior is nice (and the backseat is actually managable now) and the tech is cool. I like the looks of it- the rear is boring but I'll take that over the ugly 5 series butt.

But then I thought- how is this compared to my $12k less expensive MINI Cooper....and I decided that my MINI was much more fun and more involving. The BMW did everything well without any work. My MINI likes to be revved and have the crap driven out of it all of the time which is more fun in my opinion. When I need more of a four door vehicle in a few years, I'll probably look into a 325i, but if the rumors of a next-gen four door MINI are real and BMW keeps true to the current R50...we'll have to see.

 

HVYWGHT: Welcome to NAM! I haven't driven a BMW since 1979. I am dying to try out a new 3 series (although I prefer the front of the previous model), but am afraid I would love it and lust after one. For me the MINI was an extravagance so I am more than happy to be entertained by its stylish competence.

 

If you haven't driven one since '79- you should at least take one for a spin. My parents have an E36 '93 325i and with 225k miles, it's still tickin' along. They are really incredible machines. I drove an E46 two years ago at a BMW performance driving day and it was so responsive and smooth. What I notice about the MINI comparatively is that b/c it's so much smaller it drives like a BMW at 11/10ths all of the time. The Bavarians really understand driving dynamics- with just the right amount of dampening [sic] and communicative steering. When they applied that magic to the FWD MINI- I was just amazed and had to have one.

I do lust over a BMW- but I know the best kept secret. My MINI is a mini-BMW with fwd and low weight. Yet, the MINI is very much its own brand and has its own mission. It just benefits from the expertise of its Munich overseers and keeps its cheeky personality.

Motor on!

 

The reason the front end of the new 3 series looks as it does is because this design incorporates the new hitting-pedestrian-friendly front-end -- wow, that's a mouthful. I like the looks of the old car more, but at least it's not quite as bad looking as the 5 series. But I've heard good things about it, especially the new hi-tech engine. BMW is probably the premier engine builder.

 

Thanks, HVYWGHT, for the description of the MINI as a BMW at 11/10ths. Worth contemplating.

Thanks, jazmini, for explaining why the new front looks the way it does. Makes sense.

I wonder if anyone looked at the only post in the thread: "MC40 wins class in Silver State Classic"? The thread is locked. In the specs it states that the make of the car is "BMW" and the model is "MINI Cooper S". I would be curious to know in how many states the MINI is registered as a BMW. On my California vehicle registration card it states that my car is a "MNNI". I was surprised it wasn't MINI and believe BMW would be preferable to MNNI.

 

Mine (in ohio) is registered under BMW i believe....i got a parking ticket for a make:BMW model:MINI COOPER. But then again, i also got a parking ticket for Make: Honda Model:Civic

 

MWERKS.com has a great write-up about it:

http://www.mwerks.com/artman/publish...icle_782.shtml

I like the new E90. It's not as "Bangled" as the 5 and 7.

 

I see them all over the OC. They are fugly but still the best looking of the new line butt mobilles BMW has been churning out.

 

Is this worthy of a new thread? Imagine being a BMW in one state and not in another. Kinda weird. I wonder if this happens to Lexus and Infiniti folks too? Thanks.