[hwelvaar]

385 HP in M340i? Gotta see it to believe it.

[RedKloud]

Originally Posted by hwelvaar

385 HP in M340i? Gotta see it to believe it.

Why not? The C43 now has 385 HP.

[autopal]

Originally Posted by RedKloud

Why not? The C43 now has 385 HP.

Also, my 2017 340i with MPPSK has 355hp, so 30 more for the first M340i is not farfetched, even by BMW's conservative standards

[kern417]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Were you engaged with the BMW community at the time? I'm just recounting what I remember from this forum and other BMW forums. Spy shots created a huge stir that polarized the automotive community across the web. There was plenty said about it no longer looking distinctly German anymore and appearing "too Japanese", like a Lexus or Infiniti, etc.

At any rate, you’re free to your opinion of course. Still it was indeed a very controversial topic at its time, and most agree that there is a very clear distinction between the E65, E60, E90 "Bangle Era" designs and the sharp-edged classic BMWs that came before them.

My dad has an e90 but i was mostly spectating at that time. the f32 is my first bmw. mostly i'm speaking from experience working in automotive at the OEM and as an OES. We actually used to joke about how over a 10 year span we're still making the same parts. It almost seemed like instead of buying all new tooling we could just use a knife to trim them into the newer shape. And with a refresh, 99% of the car doesn't change. I know we're just going off of premature renderings but the car looks like a proper new model. I don't see how BMW could change things that much while maintaining a typical automotive business model. A common design language is key when half of your profits come from your name/car recognition.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Were you engaged with the BMW community at the time? I'm just recounting what I remember from this forum and other BMW forums. Spy shots created a huge stir that polarized the automotive community across the web. There was plenty said about it no longer looking distinctly German anymore and appearing "too Japanese", like a Lexus or Infiniti, etc.

At any rate, you’re free to your opinion of course. Still it was indeed a very controversial topic at its time, and most agree that there is a very clear distinction between the E65, E60, E90 "Bangle Era" designs and the sharp-edged classic BMWs that came before them.

The E65 and E60 were the seriously polarizing models for the era. For the E90, BMW tasked Joji Nagashima (who designed the E39 5-series) with the design job. His task was to create a less polarizing 3-series since BMW couldn't risk a crazy E60ized version of their bread and butter model.

Personally, I think he did a great job with the E90. You can see E39 influences in various spots while also incorporating the more "modern" BMW design language at the time. I think the most polarizing feature of the original E90 was the rear taillights with the white line, angle, etc. Personally, it didn't bother me, but many were crazy fanatic about it at that time.

Of course the E90 was a huge leap forward in many ways from the E46 -- things like bending and torsional rigidity of the body-in-white which was substantially increased (now stiffer than the E39) and ranging to stuff like suspension bushings lasting far, far longer than the disposable thrust bushings and RTAB bushings on the E46 (not to mention the E46 ripping out its subframe mounts). The E9x is a great platform (said from my standpoint of being involved with BMWs since 1971 and having owned an E46 and the E90 for many years together).

I guess I like the job Joji Nagashima does since I own 4 of his design products including an E90 ordered and bought new back in Feb 2006.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by kern417

My dad has an e90 but i was mostly spectating at that time. the f32 is my first bmw.

Ok yeah, different perspective. If you were an E46 owner and part of that culture back then, you'd have memories of the ruckus that the E90 styling caused. It was seen as anything but routine and evolutionary at the time.

I don't personally think the G20 looks more like a refresh than a new generation model, by the way. The G12 and G30 are just distinct enough to say "new" and so too will the G20 be, I trust. But, the overall shape and aesthetic is still markedly more derivative than previous odd-numbered generation 3-series models were.

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Personally, I think he did a great job with the E90.

No doubt. I owned an E90 335i and E93 M3 previously. Great cars.

[E39hijinks]

Looks OK I guess... still looks very similar to every 3 before it. kind of get the feeling you're looking at another used LA 3 series on a used car lot for $8,000. They need to make these things look more striking

(yes and i know it's only a camo'd prototype, but you can still get the overall gist/body shape/lines etc)

[stefan]

that... is a ton of power. I was wondering if the HP wars would continue to escalate since after 350hp the 3 series starts to make no sense. You're either looking at an M car or that kind of power is simply unnecessary for a compact (?) luxury sedan.

[motorwerkeman]

Oh no! The next 3-series might look like..... a 3-series! The shock, the horror!

[Eriphill]

Originally Posted by stefan

that... is a ton of power. I was wondering if the HP wars would continue to escalate since after 350hp the 3 series starts to make no sense. You're either looking at an M car or that kind of power is simply unnecessary for a compact (?) luxury sedan.

My current 340's 355hp and 369lb ft makes perfect sense at least until the M3 comes in an AWD variant then I'll look at moving up.

[nozydog]

Originally Posted by Penguino

...... styling wise it's just a progressive change that's too similar to the F30 to be revolutionary.

Which was the last 3 series to get a ‘revolutionary’ new look then??

It simply doesn’t happen, and that’s why German cars (usually) hold value better than other brands who do give their cars ‘revolutionary’ updates, thus immediately rendering an outgoing model ‘old hat’.

And the driving dynamics of the F30 really aren’t as bad as you suggest! And that’s not just my opinion...

[teaston]

Originally Posted by kv12

The reason why they are similar is because it's developed by the same company. Preh Automotive GmbH

https://www.preh.com/en/products/in-vehicle-systems/car-hmi/center-stacks.html

Very interesting, I did not know this!

[Penguino]

Originally Posted by nozydog

Which was the last 3 series to get a ‘revolutionary’ new look then??

It simply doesn’t happen, and that’s why German cars (usually) hold value better than other brands who do give their cars ‘revolutionary’ updates, thus immediately rendering an outgoing model ‘old hat’.

And the driving dynamics of the F30 really aren’t as bad as you suggest! And that’s not just my opinion...

You are saying the E90 was similar to the F30?

[OriginalFake]

Originally Posted by Penguino

You are saying the E90 was similar to the F30?

It certainly wasn't a "revolutionary" new look.

[Penguino]

Originally Posted by OriginalFake

It certainly wasn't a "revolutionary" new look.

Wasn't a facelift either.

[OriginalFake]

Originally Posted by Penguino

Wasn't a facelift either.

You're putting words in his mouth. You're the one who called the G20 a facelift to the F30. We're just saying that 3-series updates (styling wise) haven't ever really been THAT drastic.

[Robin_NL]

Originally Posted by OriginalFake

You're putting words in his mouth. You're the one who called the G20 a facelift to the F30. We're just saying that 3-series updates (styling wise) haven't ever really been THAT drastic.

Imho they were when E30 changed to E36

Am I reading it right : M340i rwd only for USA?


Cheers
Robin

[nozydog]

Originally Posted by Penguino

You are saying the E90 was similar to the F30?

I park my F30 next to an E90 most days in the work car park right opposite my window.... you’d be surprised how ‘evolutionary’ (to use that ubiquitous word) the change is!!

I’d say E60 was possibly the only time BMW have ever been remotely ‘revolutionary’ with a production design... followed quickly by a ‘revolutionary’ backtrack to understatement with F10

[B58]

Awesome. I just picked up a 2018 340i last saturday even though i was waiting for this, but i couldn't resist on getting a new BMW so I'm happy with where i am right now. Curious to know how well this car will respond to a few bolt-on's.

[RedKloud]

Originally Posted by nozydog

I park my F30 next to an E90 most days in the work car park right opposite my window.... you'd be surprised how 'evolutionary' (to use that ubiquitous word) the change is!!

I'd say E60 was possibly the only time BMW have ever been remotely 'revolutionary' with a production design... followed quickly by a 'revolutionary' backtrack to understatement with F10

I miss my E60

[mr_clueless]

the bangle era interiors were all revolutionary.

then with the fxx cars they went back to more traditional designs.

the spy shots of the interior show the climate controls swapping spots with the memory buttons. and also a really ugly shift knob.

[motorwerkeman]

Best photos yet from auto guide: