[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Tornado1M

What's up with the connected kidney grills???

Can't we just have some of the classic elements stay the same???

My first BMW, the E12, had connected kidney grilles... it's nothing new.

[khanyam4]

Originally Posted by nozydog

Keep calm and don't fret... it'll look just fine!!

stay tune for the turn and it always happen

[praxis218]

Originally Posted by bueller

Good points, ironically I think what happens is that when companies become successful pushing the envelope, unless quirky becomes part of their brand, like Peugeot, they tend to play it safe as they don't want to take risks and alienate their customers and put their success at risk.

2007 was the high water mark for 3 series production, I remember really wanting an E90 M3 back then, I loved the car from every angle. To BMWs credit, the sales have been in the 400 - 500k mark since, which is a win as I would imagine a lot of cars have declined as people have moved to SUVs and crossovers.

I am going to have to see the new car face to face, I tend to gravitate towards sporty over luxury. I don't really think I want a car bigger than the current 3 Series. When I park, even my GT4 beside my buddies S2000 it looks like an SUV.

My initial impression is the new face of the car looks somewhat awkward. That being said, I remember seeing the F3X front and thinking that the front of the car looked pinched, it didn't take all that long, but I came around and really liked the way it looked, and still do.

When I walk my dogs the past couple of days, I walk past an E46 that has been parked in a lot I walk past. I am struck by how timeless the design is. I don't know it it is the design, or if it is my old brain.

Either way, I have got a while for things to sink in, it will be at least 3 years before I consider anything new from the people in Munich. They will need time to address all of the issues that will inevitably crop up. In the mean time, I will enjoy my cars and motorcycles.

I agree with you sentiments. And yes the E46 does look timeless even today.

The E9x M3 was absolutely stunning when it was introduced. BMW even made a video game from it and commissioned a song for the M3:

It was an aspirational vehicle for me back then, being in my early 20s.

I'm hoping G20 will be love at first sight. We'll see...

[Tornado1M]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

My first BMW, the E12, had connected kidney grilles... it's nothing new.

I stand corrected!

However, I still don't care for them much

[OriginalFake]

Can't wait to see the full design. I've been on board with everything we've seen up until this point.

[BMW435]

...

[RPM1123]

Originally Posted by BMW435

...

Is this the new performance exhaust?

I imagine it's some kind of emissions testing device?

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by BMW435

...

That's the optional BBque package.

[claudioagmfilho]

Yes it's going to be wider so it's going to be more stable at higher speeds less moving from side to sides that's why am M5 is after then an M3 when you're trying to reach 300km/h the M5 does it better...

[cDu8]

I bet the oil filter housing still leaks.

[ScottAndrew]

Originally Posted by RPM1123

Is this the new performance exhaust?

I imagine it's some kind of emissions testing device?

It's the EU Self-Justification Fun Strangulation filter. A bit like the bumpers the USians had to put up with .

Interested in the power bump for the B46/48. I wonder if this will available as a software update for other B46/8s as there seem to be several tunes now:

184 bhp 20i F30, Minis
189 bhp X 20i, Minis
204 bhp 20i G20
218 bhp 25i F20
228 bhp F46 25i, X 25i/28i, Minis
248 bhp 30i F22, 30i F30 etc
252 bhp G11/G32 30i
265 bhp 330i G20
302 bhp F39 M35i

Basically BMW is deploying a smooth continuum of power in kW steps that you can convert into PS, hp, bhp, whatever you like.

What's fun is that this base little four-banger in the 730i has the same power output as the monster E23 745i. The G11 weighs 300 kg more, has 30% better acceleration and 100% better fuel economy.

When I see any G11 now, I don't see it at all. But when I first saw a 745i in France, going there on holiday from a country that knew nothing of this mythical, Merc-eating car as it was LHD only, it was the most exciting thing that happened to me until my teens. I couldn't believe it, dark blue and with a badge I didn't think existed. There was no internet to look it up. I had to drag my parents to a showroom, ask them nicely to order a German-language brochure, and then wait a few months for a car magazine - I had to check them all in the newsagent every month - to test it, or even just mention it.

Happy days; now I can read about it, bored, on the toilet whenever I want. Certainly, there's no excitement any more.

[stefan]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

My first BMW, the E12, had connected kidney grilles... it's nothing new.

err.. they also didn't span the entire front end between the headlights. Effectively a completely different design. They changed the grilles for the sake of change IMO not because it actually looks better. "Innovation" . Also the new haloes are straight out of a Kia Stinger

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by stefan

err.. they also didn't span the entire front end between the headlights. Effectively a completely different design. They changed the grilles for the sake of change IMO not because it actually looks better. "Innovation" . Also the new haloes are straight out of a Kia Stinger

I'm not saying it is good or bad, right or wrong, (personally I don't like BMW's approach to the big and bold kidney grilles, in whatever form). I do sense current design is definitely being influenced by BMW heritage, current design cues are taken from some of the previous designs with a modern interpretation.