In with the new
- Thread starter ///M SPEED
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I think the new 3er (E90) will have to prove itself. The exterior does look nice, but I am not happy with the interior..the design and materials look like the new 5 Series...and that is not a good thing IMO. I remember when the new 5 Series was going to debut...I was so excited until I opened the door, felt the door, sat down and felt the majority of interior plastics. I think Fisher-Price supplied the interior to the current 5er ![[rofl]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_rofl.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
To me the 1996-2003 5er is still the Benchmark, as the new one was not an improvement in every way...as a new model should be. If a new model is not going to better than the current model, then don't put out a new model until it is better in every single way.
So...the new E90 will not be King of the Crop in my eyes until it can prove that it is better than the the E46, and those are some damned big shoes to fill.
For now I stand by Long Live The E46
To me the 1996-2003 5er is still the Benchmark, as the new one was not an improvement in every way...as a new model should be. If a new model is not going to better than the current model, then don't put out a new model until it is better in every single way.So...the new E90 will not be King of the Crop in my eyes until it can prove that it is better than the the E46, and those are some damned big shoes to fill.
For now I stand by Long Live The E46
It's gonna be real hot. Real hot.
I am just disappointed with the power output. With the Japanese putting high-horsepower motors in their cars now (298hp for G35, 270hp for Acura TL, even the CAMRY has 280hp now!!), I thought BMW would try to keep up or at least out-do them.
The new 330i is going to cost sooooo much more than its competition now but they're still gonna be in my rear-view mirror....what gives???
Overall though, I think the new 330i is a great-looking, well-balanced machine. I really dig all the technology it offers and the all-new interior. This new car should sell like crazy.
I am just disappointed with the power output. With the Japanese putting high-horsepower motors in their cars now (298hp for G35, 270hp for Acura TL, even the CAMRY has 280hp now!!), I thought BMW would try to keep up or at least out-do them.
The new 330i is going to cost sooooo much more than its competition now but they're still gonna be in my rear-view mirror....what gives???
Overall though, I think the new 330i is a great-looking, well-balanced machine. I really dig all the technology it offers and the all-new interior. This new car should sell like crazy.
deutsch100 said:
I think the new 3er (E90) will have to prove itself. The exterior does look nice, but I am not happy with the interior..the design and materials look like the new 5 Series...and that is not a good thing IMO. I remember when the new 5 Series was going to debut...I was so excited until I opened the door, felt the door, sat down and felt the majority of interior plastics. I think Fisher-Price supplied the interior to the current 5er To me the 1996-2003 5er is still the Benchmark, as the new one was not an improvement in every way...as a new model should be. If a new model is not going to better than the current model, then don't put out a new model until it is better in every single way.
So...the new E90 will not be King of the Crop in my eyes until it can prove that it is better than the the E46, and those are some damned big shoes to fill.
For now I stand by Long Live The E46
To me the 1996-2003 5er is still the Benchmark, as the new one was not an improvement in every way...as a new model should be. If a new model is not going to better than the current model, then don't put out a new model until it is better in every single way.So...the new E90 will not be King of the Crop in my eyes until it can prove that it is better than the the E46, and those are some damned big shoes to fill.
For now I stand by Long Live The E46
When you get into a new BMW it's all just so fake to me. The new 7 has such shocking plastics quality that I seriously wonder how on earth it ever passed the testing stage at BMW AG. When i closed the door I felt as though I was closing the top of a tin-can. Needless to say, the doors didn't shut with the pleasing "thunk" of old. Go and shut the door to an E23 7-series and you'll know what a great feel the car has.
For me, the new BMWs are faster, safer, more economical and all that stuff but they really have lost that special something in the transition from the E46, E39, and E38. BMWs have always been about putting the driver first which was so classicly evident in the driver-facing dashboard. The instrument clusters for the tacho, speedo, fuel, temp gauges were simple yet elegant and now they've been replaced by plasticky, geeky looking dials which further alienate me from the car. It's all about having a special connection to your baby and the new BMs are just too clinical and computerized for their own good. Absolutely horrendous plastics and interior design/quality really just shows how cynical BMW have become. Do they think we're that stupid? I-drive is a joke too, and 'active-steering' repeatedly fails whilst simultaneously robbing the steering of meaningful feel. What happened to the granular responses of old?
No, the new breed have only distinguished themselves with their questionable styling, shocking reliability, and decreased driver appeal. And the 'power war' that's erupted between the German manufacturers only adds to this development as it further numbs the car's responses through the use of electronic aids and gumball tyres to keep bloody idiots from binning them into the nearest hedge. In this regard, I'm glad that BMW has risen above the competition with the new 330i. Aftter all, real driving enthusiasts shouldn't care if an Infiniti beats their 330 from the lights - it's all about the seamless delivery of power from that lovely straight six. Besides, you know you'd have more fun on the twisty stuff anyway.
Geez all this stuff with the new BMWs gets me angry.
Speaking of NEW BMW reliability I saw a few days ago a new 745i (had a temp sticker)stuck in the middle of an intersection... They had to back a flat bed through a one way street to tow it out, I saw the embarassed owner talking to police officers and the other officer was writing. I wonder if he was issued a citation for blocking the intersection, I sure hope he gives the ticket to the SA and demands BMWNA pay for it. It was painful to watch the other drivers point and laugh at the deadened "flag-ship bimmer"...
As for the new E90 I think BMW shouldn't have redesigned it at all, all they had to do was upgrade the old models with the new 2.5 and 3.0 engines... All the Japanese competition had on the cars were price and power, so why didn't BMW just increase the power and leave the price alone. Doesn't Munich get it, if something doesn't need to be replaced you don't replace it! Now there isn't much difference between BMW and its Japanese counterparts not to mention the BMW now has less power.![[mad]](/images/smilies/mad.png "Mad [mad]")
As for the new E90 I think BMW shouldn't have redesigned it at all, all they had to do was upgrade the old models with the new 2.5 and 3.0 engines... All the Japanese competition had on the cars were price and power, so why didn't BMW just increase the power and leave the price alone. Doesn't Munich get it, if something doesn't need to be replaced you don't replace it! Now there isn't much difference between BMW and its Japanese counterparts not to mention the BMW now has less power.
![[:p]](/images/smilies/tongue.png "Stick Out Tongue [:p]")
but i know what you mean, at first it was weird for me, but now it just makes perfect sense. now whenever i'm in another car, i have to remember to look at the door ![[rolleyes]](/images/smilies/rolleyes.png "Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) [rolleyes]")
Um... last time I checked just about all of the road tests I had seen put the E46 330i pretty much even if not surpassing the G35. If you think about it, as far as the new 330i sedan is concerned the power output has increased just as much (on a percentage basis) as have the recent increases to the G35 sedan. But even as you point out, its the overall ride and dynamics that count, where the 3 is already WAY ahead. BMW knows all about the competition, and since they can't keep producing E46s forever, I think they are doing everything right with the E90. Including now adding about $1400 more equipment as standard.
RichReg said:
Um... last time I checked just about all of the road tests I had seen put the E46 330i pretty much even if not surpassing the G35. If you think about it, as far as the new 330i sedan is concerned the power output has increased just as much (on a percentage basis) as have the recent increases to the G35 sedan. But even as you point out, its the overall ride and dynamics that count, where the 3 is already WAY ahead. BMW knows all about the competition, and since they can't keep producing E46s forever, I think they are doing everything right with the E90. Including now adding about $1400 more equipment as standard.
What I am saying is this: As much as I love BMW, 19 months ago BMW's 3-Series wasn't enough to convince me (and MANY other people) over the Japanese rivals. Now, BMW has a wide-open opportunity to "strike back" but instead they came out with a car that is $5,000 MORE expensive than the previous 3-Series that STILL does not out-aceclerate a G35 Sedan, for example. What gives???
If you look around, you'll just see TONS of G35 Sedans. I'm sure all of these people would be in a 3-Series if it were not for the G35...sure the car has a much more shitty interior and no scheduled maintenance, but it was obviously not convincing enough to make the bigger investment (the BMW)...now the new 3-Series is an even BIGGER investment and I think that will make a CRAPLOAD of people opt for the cheaper alternative -Infiniti G35 Sedan and Acura TL- as opposed to an increase in 3-series sales for BMW.
I think that BMW has a few tricks up their sleaves on this one... The new 6 speed tranny allows the 330i to fall short of the G35 in acceleration by just a few tenths of a second despite 40hp diff. I would say the fine-tuned gearing and aerodynamics alone closes about half of the horsepower gap. Perhaps the new 3.0ltr engine they developed isn't as fine tuned as the previous one, and it has the potential to give us 300hp only BMW is deciding to hold back and experiment with the market to see if its tech gigs are enough to sell the car. Maybe if they made a 280hp 3.0ltr engine they wouldn't be able to boast a 15% better fuel economy, and chances are reliability would drop. The G35 hasn't been around long enough for one to assess the reliability and longlivity of its engine. Speaking about fuel economy... whose ever heard of a non hybrid gasoline engine in a performance sedan that gave 32mpg on the highway? I'm expecting the new 330i to give me 35mpg highway something the G35 and TL cannot.
As for people opting away from the 3 series I wouldn't really count the TL in because it's a FWD car with 270hp (applies to a different kind of buyer) and when I was looking at it I wasn't impressed by the interior. It's like an accord with amenities, the G35 being RWD is where the competition for BMW comes in. Personally I like the G35's design better than the new BMW's based on the photos, I think BMW will lose more customers due to its styling than anything else.
I mean if Infiniti decided to play the "sleeper-engine" game what makes you think BMW isn't copying their marketing ploy. 260hp in 2003 then 280hp in 2004 now 298hp and 280hp automatic in 2005 who is infiniti fooling? I knew when it had a 260hp 260ft-lb torque output that the engine wasn't giving everythng it had.
As for people opting away from the 3 series I wouldn't really count the TL in because it's a FWD car with 270hp (applies to a different kind of buyer) and when I was looking at it I wasn't impressed by the interior. It's like an accord with amenities, the G35 being RWD is where the competition for BMW comes in. Personally I like the G35's design better than the new BMW's based on the photos, I think BMW will lose more customers due to its styling than anything else.
I mean if Infiniti decided to play the "sleeper-engine" game what makes you think BMW isn't copying their marketing ploy. 260hp in 2003 then 280hp in 2004 now 298hp and 280hp automatic in 2005 who is infiniti fooling? I knew when it had a 260hp 260ft-lb torque output that the engine wasn't giving everythng it had.
Im considering the New 330IX when it comes out, But I checked out a New Lexus GS300AWD the other day and it was very sweet---the inside was very nice
Thats the one thing about all BMW's, the interior is just so Blahhhh and simple?? I guess people like it though.
If I go the BMW route Ill definantly go with the Nav Package/I-Drive as that makes the interior look a lot better.
Thats the one thing about all BMW's, the interior is just so Blahhhh and simple?? I guess people like it though.
If I go the BMW route Ill definantly go with the Nav Package/I-Drive as that makes the interior look a lot better.
I think you guys are speaking out of your ass about the whole "cheap interior" thing. The E46ers have a pretty boring interior, whereas the new 5 and the new 7 are SO much more presentable and classier and luxurious.
Look at this picture:
Look at that picture, I don't see anything cheap about it. Lots of wood trim, high-quality aluminum trim, nice leather everywhere, huge screen in the center beautifully integrated, and typical BMW buttons.
Whenever I am in my uncle's 745, I think the interior is so great. Sure, it's not typical at all, but once you understand it, it is really great....really makes you feel like a king just being in the presence of such a great interior. So basically, I really don't know what all the fuss is about.
What I think is that it is easy to knock the new when you still have the old.
Look at this picture:
Look at that picture, I don't see anything cheap about it. Lots of wood trim, high-quality aluminum trim, nice leather everywhere, huge screen in the center beautifully integrated, and typical BMW buttons.
Whenever I am in my uncle's 745, I think the interior is so great. Sure, it's not typical at all, but once you understand it, it is really great....really makes you feel like a king just being in the presence of such a great interior. So basically, I really don't know what all the fuss is about.
What I think is that it is easy to knock the new when you still have the old.
See, I'm just the opposite. I think the E46 interior is great. It's a wonderful evolution of all 3er interiors that have come before. It's driver-focused and sporty looking. To me, the E90 interior looks like it belongs more in your run-of-the-mill grocery getter, not a German sports sedan. It's not driver-focused or sporty looking at all to me. Some may say it's classier looking (not me), but it seems like we gave up a whole lot of sporty to gain a little classiness. THAT'S not in keeping with what BMW has always been about. And, I'm not "knocking the new because I still have the old" since I don't have an E46.
And what the hell do I need a big damn screen in the middle of my dash for (unless I want to fork over the $$ for navigation)? I'm driving a car, not a video game. Last time I checked, I don't need a computer screen in my dash to drive either of my cars properly. Seems like an unnecessary distraction to me.
And what the hell do I need a big damn screen in the middle of my dash for (unless I want to fork over the $$ for navigation)? I'm driving a car, not a video game. Last time I checked, I don't need a computer screen in my dash to drive either of my cars properly. Seems like an unnecessary distraction to me.