Quote:
Originally Posted by Law
Design-wise, the G20 is mostly a non-offensive design.
I'd fathom to guess that this design won't take long to grow on most dissenters.
The configurator images didn't do it justice. And while the official photographs are better, I'm sure in real life on the road, it'll look even better.
The tail lights and some of the shapes and contours are probably the more radical changes we see, but the design is overall quite evolutionary and is what was expected given the "3-D tail light" design we've already seen on the X4 and the front end of the G30 5er.
The other departures are simply new interpretations of older BMW design language (i.e., new Hofmeister Kink, headlight notch a la E46).
Although I will miss the "closed" and "circular" Corona Ring design the new headlight designs are good looking.
While they lose the "classic" touch of old but, when combined with the twin Kidney grilles, are progressive looking and still demand presence on the road.
Final note on the exterior, the hood line that meets the twin Kidney grilles is a welcomed improvement.
The interior is a big step-up in quality and can finally rival that of the C-Class and A4 in terms of quality-feel while still keeping the basic layout of what we are familiar with BMW.
The climate controls and headlight controls are probably the biggest departures here along with the gauge cluster.
I appreciate the little details such as the "self-leveling" wheel center caps a la Rolls Royce.
Alas, the 3 Series has grown in size yet again...this was expected, as it has grown in size with each generation.
The F30 was already comparable in size to the 5 Series of just a few generations ago.
The E90 by today's standards, is probably the last 3 Series that one can define as truly being "compact", and even then, there were complaints about its size upon its debut.
And yes, the lack of a manual transmission for higher-spec'd engines and the US Market.
This is indeed, sad news, but I'm hoping the G80 M3 will still give three-pedal connoisseurs a chance, but the 8AT is quite responsive in its defense.
We can only hope that the G20 will shine in the other redeeming qualities like steering feel, suspension, and overall driving dynamics.
If BMW can get that right, then I'm certain this 3 Series will be quite the winner and I personally think it's a decent looking car (especially in that blue) considering this is just the unveiling.
Excited for the road tests to come and the coming of the G80.
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Is it confirmed that there'll be a manual 320i in the US?
That'll be tempting offer.