[225]

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/3-...sting-pictures

No headlight notch which is a shame but no massive grille either so a bit meh.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Looks a bit boring and even more generic. Not a fan of the now over-exaggerated Hoffman kink.

[marksandygill]

Definitely a bit bland, nothing wrong with how it looks now! Still, I'd probably take it over an i4...

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

Definitely a bit bland, nothing wrong with how it looks now! Still, I'd probably take it over an i4...

Let's face it, the G21 is a far better looking car than the G20 in the first instance, so maybe they can redeem themselves.

[DavidXJ]

Agreed, bland is a bit of a compliment. It looks bulbous around the rear, and chubby around the face (where the loss of the notches makes the headlights look small and somehow squinty). Something of the composure and tension down the side has been attenuated too. Then there's the alloys... What is it about EV designs that they have to be embellished with pseudo-futuristic, broad blades instead of subtle spokes? Does everything have to made to seem faintly redolent of a Model 3?

[marksandygill]

The i4 seems to give some pretty good options for wheels, I don't get the Aero wheels, they just look weird, not sure how much difference they actually make anyway!!

[Lorcan]

The Chinese have a patent office?

[4monks]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

The i4 seems to give some pretty good options for wheels, I don't get the Aero wheels, they just look weird, not sure how much difference they actually make anyway!!

The difference in range between the 19" and 20" wheel on the i4 is ~50 miles (266 vs 315), so they can make a big difference. It's all about aero.. just look at the Merc EQS - you can't tell if its coming or going...

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by 4monks

The difference in range between the 19" and 20" wheel on the i4 is ~50 miles (266 vs 315), so they can make a big difference. It's all about aero.. just look at the Merc EQS - you can't tell if its coming or going...

Not sure about that, think its wheel size and not the aero part that effects it most?

The i4 sport (both aero wheels) with 17'' wheels has a range of 365 miles but with 19'' wheels it is 359 miles

The i4 m-sport with 18/19'' non aero wheels gets 352/347 miles

The i4 M50 with 19'' wheels gets 315 miles, 20'' wheels gets 266 miles like you said, but that is a massive drop, considering how little it affects the other cars?!

[4monks]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

Not sure about that, think its wheel size and not the aero part that effects it most?

The i4 sport (both aero wheels) with 17'' wheels has a range of 365 miles but with 19'' wheels it is 359 miles

The i4 m-sport with 18/19'' non aero wheels gets 352/347 miles

The i4 M50 with 19'' wheels gets 315 miles, 20'' wheels gets 266 miles like you said, but that is a massive drop, considering how little it affects the other cars?!

It's both, but in the M50 case, the 20" wheels are 285 rear section which will be the bigger factor - still hard to believe they would be that different.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Originally Posted by Lorcan

The Chinese have a patent office?

They ripped off my whisky label recently, via a Spanish company. Fortunately think I sorted it, but imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery, it's bloody annoying.

[Lorcan]

Originally Posted by Charlie (Wessex)

They ripped off my whisky label recently, via a Spanish company. Fortunately think I sorted it, but imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery, it's bloody annoying.

Fake AC Schnitzer wheels seized from a seller in a joint operation with trading standards.

Off to the crusher they go...

[paulockenden]

'Fake' fake, or just not brought into the country through the official distribution channels?

The reason for the question is that a certain camera manufacturer has started to refer to grey-import lenses as fake.

[HeebieJeebies]

Originally Posted by Lorcan

The Chinese have a patent office?

[Lorcan]

Originally Posted by paulockenden

'Fake' fake, or just not brought into the country through the official distribution channels?

The reason for the question is that a certain camera manufacturer has started to refer to grey-import lenses as fake.

Fake as in not made by us. "Made in PRC" on the back. No TUV, not tested, no load rating.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Originally Posted by paulockenden

'Fake' fake, or just not brought into the country through the official distribution channels?

The reason for the question is that a certain camera manufacturer has started to refer to grey-import lenses as fake.

Grey is such a nasty word to use. Parallel is far better.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/5469/2...s-release-date

Seems the interior is getting big screens.

As an owner of a car that soon won't be the latest release, I've never envied or lusted after the latest, as demonstrated by having owned my old e39 for 10 years and my e61 for 7. So hopefully I can be objective, without saying that all new bits are a step backwards or useless. They rarely are, with the only retrograde step of recent being the removal of so many physical buttons.

I do wonder about these big screens and the potential lack of touchscreen. Surely they will be, won't they?

While I am sure that they will be lovely and big, I rarely look at my iDrive screen - HUD is by far the most important thing for me. However, if they could unclutter the cockpit, then it would definitely be a plus. The cluttered cockpit isn't that hard to live with, but still, it's a dog's dinner. Or maybe it will act like the split screen in satnav, which IMO leaves the nav a bit too small.

I know also that you can dim the screens at night, but with them being quite so big, I do wonder how distracting they might be. Do Merc drivers, for example, who have these big screens (and whose look I am not a particular fan of) find them an issue?

Does anyone know how long these screens will last for? If they're like modern screens, they'll need replacing before too long. Or am I being overly pessimistic?

[225]

It's the removal of the shortcut buttons that annoy me as will the climate ones. By all means have huge screens but keep the ergonomically sound buttons!

[4monks]

The touchscreen can't be dropped because the climate functions are screen based. It's not the same as physical, but swipe up for shortcut buttons.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Lack of buttons is a turn off for me, though I suspect could get used to. Those that say it is dangerous, could always use voice control to set the temp, but that's a bit of a faff and is quite slow to react.

[ramparts]

Originally Posted by Charlie (Wessex)

https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/5469/2...s-release-date

Seems the interior is getting big screens.

As an owner of a car that soon won't be the latest release, I've never envied or lusted after the latest, as demonstrated by having owned my old e39 for 10 years and my e61 for 7. So hopefully I can be objective, without saying that all new bits are a step backwards or useless. They rarely are, with the only retrograde step of recent being the removal of so many physical buttons.

I do wonder about these big screens and the potential lack of touchscreen. Surely they will be, won't they?

While I am sure that they will be lovely and big, I rarely look at my iDrive screen - HUD is by far the most important thing for me. However, if they could unclutter the cockpit, then it would definitely be a plus. The cluttered cockpit isn't that hard to live with, but still, it's a dog's dinner. Or maybe it will act like the split screen in satnav, which IMO leaves the nav a bit too small.

I know also that you can dim the screens at night, but with them being quite so big, I do wonder how distracting they might be. Do Merc drivers, for example, who have these big screens (and whose look I am not a particular fan of) find them an issue?

Does anyone know how long these screens will last for? If they're like modern screens, they'll need replacing before too long. Or am I being overly pessimistic?

Very glad i'm getting a late pre-lci. I like the new cluster of OS8, but the main display seems to resemble a phone now with lots of "apps". not a fan of that.
And not a fan of the "tacked on" look of the physical hardware.

[marksandygill]

People are simple, buttons are simple, have massive touch screens but don't remove buttons for simple functions!

Look at the slating the new Golf and ID.3 etc have gotten for the haptic touch buttons!