[Matrez]

Hello everyone, hope you are managing well in these hard winter days and your winter tyres still have some tread left :P
New 3 Series appeared in Stockport showroom last Saturday so went there the other day to analyse the appearance of the most popular BMW model and took some professional photos There were two 320d SE models inside and one outside :

Red 320d Sport model (18" wheels) :




Grey 320d Modern model :








Comparison with M5 F10 :


Silver 320d SE model :












Cons :
- The front end is very controversial and in my opinion it is just too messy with all these plastic bits and pieces. It is also a bit out of shape.
- Square-ish mirrors.
- Horribly looking front seat design.
- Reflective lights on the rear bumper.
- Single tailpipe on all models except 328i and 335i.
- Not fully integrated iDrive with dashboard.
- Bonnet end makes bad looking line across front end.
- The only 3L and 6-Cylinder engine in 335i. Rest of models are 2L 4-Cylinder engines.
- Run-flat tyres.
- Lack of quality and details in a few places.

Pros :
- All engines come with TwinPower Turbo Technology (316d - 335i).
- Great performance and economy with both manual and automatic gear-boxes.
- Beeing 10cm longer than its predecessor it is roomier inside.
- More equipment as standard than its predecessor.
- A lot of options including trim designs, reversing camera etc.

Some people will love the brave design of the new 3 Series and some will hate it waiting with hope for a LCI model. I would go every time with E90 LCI M-Sport models

BMW considers 3-cylinder engines for even better fuel economy and I think it is not a bad idea, but we are all waiting for the M3 with its tripe-turbo 6-Cylinder engine which will be very controversial.

Below are photos of F30 M-Sport and Performance models. I think they look fantastic

M-Sport (http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598186) :


Performance (http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=649528) :


M-Sport and Performance models are easy to distinguish (photos above).
You can distinguish ES/SE, Modern, Luxury or Sport models looking at the wonderful details on the front bumper :

ES/SE :


Sport :


Modern :


Luxury :



Hope you enjoyed the photos
Enjoy your day !

[Danny.B.]

I saw one at a local shopping "mall" the other weekend and had a good look round.. the cosmetics are growing one me!




Ok.. bar the stripe. i think this will get more positive attention, sorry to post it literally after you but the bigger looks nice

[AlanYoro35i]

Wow.. it actual looks nice.. maybe its your great photography skill

Looks like a neat facelift to me rather than a new model tbh

[G82Dude]

Thought they were twin power not twin turbo (except 35d).

Totally agree - the front end is a dog's dinner - way too fussy. And what's with the Fischer Price stick-on screen? I always thought that the 1 series looked like it was an after thought, but that is simply terrible and has no place in a new car. It's poorly thought out and looks last minute.

[Boz335i]

That brown interior trim looks rank. Some sort of wallpaper my parents would have put up in the 70's

The whole thing is probably a grower, when I first saw the new 5 series I hated it, now it looks good and makes the previous 5 series look really dated.

[jonw]

It's no looker in SE trim.
I think they've screwed up the front end with those lights and bonnet shut line.

[Zechariaha]

Damn thoose wheels are ugly but the front of that blue 335i

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by Danny.B.

I saw one at a local shopping "mall" the other weekend and had a good look round.. the cosmetics are growing one me!

Ok.. bar the stripe. i think this will get more positive attention, sorry to post it literally after you but the bigger looks nice

Thanks for the better photo Yeah the stripe is kind of killing the great appearance of the Performance model and yet of the centre which makes it even more of a bugger. If it was mirrored to the other side it would be better or just one across the centre would do

Originally Posted by Yoro35i

Wow.. it actual looks nice.. maybe its your great photography skill

Looks like a neat facelift to me rather than a new model tbh

A great looking car should be good looking with any kind of photography skills I just didnt have an idea how to make it look good on the camera
And yes the biggest change is on the front of the car, both inside and out.

Originally Posted by uke92dude

Thought they were twin power not twin turbo (except 35d).

Totally agree - the front end is a dog's dinner - way too fussy. And what's with the Fischer Price stick-on screen? I always thought that the 1 series looked like it was an after thought, but that is simply terrible and has no place in a new car. It's poorly thought out and looks last minute.

Yes all engines are TwinPower, just didnt put it correctly - thanks
Quite a lot of solutions seem last minute ones including manual controls for the seats, front cup holders, boot mat and its holders etc etc...

Originally Posted by Boz335i

That brown interior trim looks rank. Some sort of wallpaper my parents would have put up in the 70's

Yes you are right its very outdated. Also the trim layout is a big mess...

The red 320d outside the showroom is Sport model.

[Theivz]

nice pics cheers for sharing

that beige interior with the beige steering wheel looks "interesting" ...ahem

i quite like the msport but never been a fan of se/basic models across the range esp in this case

love the new headlights with the "squarer angels"

[chrismanchr]

that interior looks awfull ! the fake driftwood look insert looks stupid and the lcd screen looks like an afterthought ,as a whole I don't think the cars as pretty as the e92 I have and quite happy with

[ctch22]

yeah not really liking the interior and the rear on that red one looks hardly different than the current lci

but im digging the front

[DrDurt]

Looks like the f10 5er had a baby with an e90 LCI

I mean, the whole side of the car is the same (handles, windows, and body line)

But, I still like it. Maybe someone will make a small body piece to fill in the weird headlight gap by the grill

[chrismanchr]

that bonnet line at the front is crap and totally illogical ,the bonnet line theyve used for years going around the kidney grills as allways worked and looks alot less fussy

[Matrez]

Originally Posted by Theivz

nice pics cheers for sharing

that beige interior with the beige steering wheel looks "interesting" ...ahem

i quite like the msport but never been a fan of se/basic models across the range esp in this case

love the new headlights with the "squarer angels"

Thank you Yeah if you wanna have any BMW model at its best get M-Sport one so later on you dont need to chase up all the parts wasting time and patience.

Originally Posted by chrismanchr

that interior looks awfull ! the fake driftwood look insert looks stupid and the lcd screen looks like an afterthought ,as a whole I don't think the cars as pretty as the e92 I have and quite happy with

Yeah you are 100% right and as you say E92 M-Sport or E90 LCI M-Sport is a lot better with a lot better looking iDrive and more solid look.

Originally Posted by ctch22

yeah not really liking the interior and the rear on that red one looks hardly different than the current lci

but im digging the front

Yes, only the light on the rear are a little different but again lasy design taken straight from 5er F10.

Originally Posted by DrDurt

Looks like the f10 5er had a baby with an e90 LCI

I mean, the whole side of the car is the same (handles, windows, and body line)

But, I still like it. Maybe someone will make a small body piece to fill in the weird headlight gap by the grill

Lets wait for the LCI version and hope BMW will improve the front end like it did with E90 LCI and its rear end

Originally Posted by chrismanchr

that bonnet line at the front is crap and totally illogical ,the bonnet line theyve used for years going around the kidney grills as allways worked and looks alot less fussy

Yep agreed, the same aspect is on the 5 Series F10 and that kind of kills its beatiful front end What a hell on earth the designers were thinking...

[wayne71]

That beige interior with what looks like plastic effect wood looks awful, might be nicer in the flesh? On the photos my initial reaction is the rear looks much like now and the front has been ruined. I imagine my view will change over time as I remember not being keen on the e90 when it first arrived.

[m1bjr]

Hideous.
What ejit fitted the jack-up kit?
And that 'rouched' brown dashboard - yeuch!

In cream, it's almost like some really bad Pontiac concept nightmare.

[TMP]

Originally Posted by jonw

It's no looker in SE trim.
I think they've screwed up the front end with those lights and bonnet shut line.

+1 on the bonnet \ front panel gap errrggggg. Looks way to obvious and ruins the swoop.

[scottishpete]

Hate the new style exterior
The new Nav is different looking i suppose
Like the M Line red pipping on seats

Cant see me changing mine to a new coupe if the styling is same as saloon

[Jules59]

Simply awful. What on earth do BMW think they are doing? They'd better send someone over to take a look at some Jags and Landrovers to see what classy design looks like.
In particular the once attractive lines of the 3 series have been destroyed by that ugly transverse bonnet gap. The long bonnet of the 3 had become iconic and something special was needed if a change was deemed necessary - this is not it. Also the dummy pop-up display looks very crude.
I wont even mention the wood trim - someone obviously having a laugh.
Its all my opinion ofcourse but I bet Im not alone.

[mikeouk]

the sport looks like its not on sport suspension, sitting higher than an e90 by the looks of it.

nav screen looks like an afterthought. if they had carried the line of the dash on and over like the e90 was it would have looked good.

[IMG][/IMG]

[mikeouk]

10 mins on photoshop turns it into a ,,,,e90/e92 hybrid ,,dontcha think?

[bounty78]

^^ that looks so much better. BMW need to fire their designers..it's fugly! The only good thing about the F30 is the engine. I don't think the F32 coupe will look any better..something tells me that it will be very similar to F30 in design in and out. I was told by the girl in Sytner Nottingham that iDrive design is here to stay(the new 6series, 1 series, 3 series) as in the future this will be redesign as a docking station for an iPad.