fdl

Not sure if these have been posted already.

TinkySD

not a big fan front or rear. Maybe it will grow on me. BTW saw a new 5 series on the road the other day. thumbs down. Back looks like a larger wrx...front is nice..but the front and back just don't go.

2004_Acura_TSX

I don't like the direction BMW is heading with their designs. The current 3-series are nice, but I don't really like the looks of the Z4, 7-series, and 5-series.

ostrich

Ooooh.... those rear lights are just way too fussy.... I wonder if they have made it any larger than the current 3 series, which is tiny (the main reason that I didn't go with a 3 series was the lack of interior and trunk space). Specs, anyone?

MoMocedes

Its officail BMW has lost it. On the specs I doubt they would change much other than maybe do the SMG, keep the 330i maybe up the hp 10. But seriously they probably have to much confidence in any model they release or its just flat out the mary jane that doing this

Santa Rosa Steve

I sure hope so, as it looks both larger and somewhat ungainly. What's the point if it doesn't benefit from a larger rear seat and more trunk space?

The only one of the new series that is attractive to me is the 6 coupe.

Santa Rosa Steve

jackspat2

BMW keeps on using the same "BMW style." Look at a 1990 BMW to a 2003. It has some of the same body features. Maybe the 2-lamp head lights have to go.

There is something about it I do not like. Geezus.. Has anyone seen how much the 5-series costs? For a fully loaded version of the 5 series can cost some 65-70 G's. A fully loaded 7-series, 760-Li costs over 120,000. Even if I had this much money, would I buy it? Probably not...

The prices for these vehicles are outragious in my opinion.

tsx-mdxman

Thanks for posting these. I have to say this seems to be the least offensive of the new BMW's. It's not bad at all. I like the back, the front AND the sides. It's all cohesive and has none of that stupid "flame surface" sh*t. AND IT DOESN'T HAVE A STRANGE LOOKING TRUNK!!!! The coupe version posted in another thread looked pretty cool too. I see Buff Daddy's next lease!

ySL

the 5 series looks ALOT better in person...just like the 7 when it first came out, you'll like it eventually

SPUDMTN

I'll be the odd ball to say I like it. It looks nice compared to all the other BMWs now. It's much cleaner and far less busy looking than the current 3er. Looks good--though I think the headlights look too much like the updated 7 (or what it's going to look like). BMW just needs to take this more conservative approach across the line...

AKay

I agree with jack 100 percent on this one.
Too much money for not enough of a car.
120gs id take a tsx, an sti, and an Escalade. Hooking all of them up. But thats me
That would also prolly cost my ass 12gs a year in insurance!!!
you NJ INSURANCE!!!
AKay

gilboman

well..value was never their selling point... especially for higher up the luxury chain..... same goes for all luxury car makers..

biker

It seems to me that Bangle and Co. keeps toning down the radical design they started on the 7 series. You can certainly see the hints of the Bangle butt and a less radical 5 series like front end. By the time the 1 series comes out it will look more like the old models than the new ones.
Since the dimension probably won't change much from the current model it won't matter what it looks like; it will be too small (at least for me).

sauceman

Absolutely. I've seen one friday and my reaction was, "Wow, it looks much nicer now that I see it."

As for the 3, it looks beautiful, IMO. Not a drastic change from the preceding generation, but definitely an appropriate evolution.

tsx-mdxman

There is no chance of that. I didn't like blue cheese when I was 10 and I still don't like it. These cars aren't going to look "right" until BMW freshens things up by redoing both rear ends and touching up some other ugly parts, like the silly front side marker lights on the 5. And Bangle needs to go work for GM, where his amateur-night style fits in better.

rzee

Where is the side molding?

People are finally catching up on the beautiful design of our TSX.

jackspat2

There's just never a bargain with BMW. BMW catches the rich by the throat and kicks them in the ass with slogans like, "BMW, THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE." Selling a 120,000 BMW 7-series? It better fly. Are we getting into the ultra luxury now? MB sells cars for over 100 G's, I think BMW just wanted to do the same with the 7-series.


An Acura is forever. No, just kidding.

jackspat2

Look up TSX in the dictionary. You shall see Beautiful. What if we looked up BMW? Let's think of some words...

jcg878

Pretentious


Re: the new 3-series look... I don't like it, and I don't dislike it. Maybe it's just the camera angle, but the style makes it look big to me. The current 3-series looks small and agile and I like it - this one doesn't give me that impression.

jonas

I like it

MoMocedes

The coupe looks similar to the sedan so im guessing the M3 will look something like that just with more of a wide body kit so run get an M3 while they last.

DEVO

The 3 and 5 had the perfect body... if anything improve the interior and engine/components... other then that, leave it alone. The new style is going to make last year's car worth more on resale.... which is the only good news from the new design.

gilboman

bargain is a word you use in a flea market and use to sell hyundai's.. luxury car makers sell cars costing 100k+ b/c people are willing to pay that much for it..pure simple supply/demand...if acura made a 100k+ car.. who would buy it? nobody... if you want a bargain.. you shouldn't even talk about luxury goods... its like going into a LV store and complainning there are no bargin bins.

Buff-Daddy

You are surprised that the 760Li costs $120,000? Have you ever been inside of one? It's a freaking limousine with a 6.0 Liter V-12 that generates 438 hp at 6000 rpm and 444 ft lbs of torque at 3950 rps. It has every option imaginable and still handles like a BMW doing the 0-60 in 5.4 seconds.
The people on the 760Li board are not sitting around whining about wanting more power/torque, 0-60 times and power passenger seats. They have it all and wether you think it is ugly or not, (it's slowly growing on me) that is one of the most impressive automobiles ever made. What most of us here have to remember is that this car was not made for us or even to appeal to us. These cars are made for those with FU money. Very few people with FU money are interested in what the TSX has to offer, great deal or not.

ClutchPerformer

That (760Li) is a baaaaad car....and worth every bit of $120k IF you can afford to spend that on a car.

That's "bad-meaning-good" for all you old fogeys

njoylife

I like it and I also like the Z4. The 5 series isn't beautiful.

Junkster

Someone already mentioned it before, but BMW seems to have caught the message and toned down the "flame" theme that Bangle is penning. This 3 series, just from this photoshop pic, seems like it has stayed somewhat conservative in Bangle design, while still resembling its upper siblings. I actually like the rear end on this thing.

I see a few 5 series here and there (I work near 'richville' here in Denver), and the design still hasn't grown on me. At some angles, I think "that looks pretty nice, actually" then when it changes angles, I think "now what were they smoking". I think at some point, BMW is going to have to reconsider it's design direction. Is the following generation after this set going to progress with the 'flame' theme, or will there be a coup in the design dept? Ah, it's another wait and see.

And hopefully, this 3 will not be infected with the i-drive gizmo. Gawd, who thought people would like such a control mechanism?
Does BMW have a market research division for pete's sake?

Oh, and who goes into a BMW dealer and looks for a bargain, or any other near-luxury/luxury brand (even Lexus isn't a bargain for a normal consumer)? You go in for the prestige and added performance/luxury, and are willing to pay the cost of owning such a product.

Junkster, who likes what MB designs are showing these days.

Junkster

I agreed with almost everything you said, except for the part about the appeal to the wealthy for the V12 7 series. My friend has one here in Denver, and it is a remarkable car to ride in and drive, especially with how large the car is. And anything with a V12 is just too luscious.

The radical design of the 7 series and the i-drive mechanism seem to be the biggest blunders by BMW in creating the new 7 series. The design seems too 'out there' for it to truely appeal to the rich, who prefer a car to look prestigious and classic. That is why we don't usually don't see hugely radical designs in most uber-sedans like Jag, Maybach, RR, etc. I remember reading that the Bangle design seems 'fleeting', and I think that's how I feel about it. A design needs to be left for a few years for the true heritage of the design to take root, so I guess we will have to wait and see on this issue.

The i-drive is a bigger blunder, with quick fixes being developed for next year's 7 series. I mean, you think a 50~70 year old will have the mental capacity to work the damn thing, let alone use it with their not-so-dexterious hands? BMW missed the target here by going too high tech for it's audience. I met Michael Eisner during college (his son was my roomie) and he couldn't even learn to use MS Word. In the Ozbornes, Ozzy makes a crack at how stupid the stereo system control for the 7 series was. BMW just overshot it, and hopefully, they will remedy this soon, and not include it in the 3 series.

Damn, wouldn't it be lovely to be FU money-rich...

Junkster, who tried the i-drive and was never confortable using it while driving.

Buff-Daddy

Me! It is only the weak minded, push-overs that get eaten alive at these dealerships. No matter what showroom you are in, you are in control, you own it. No matter how snotty the individual is that you are working with, just remember one thing. It is thier job to serve you. If their attitude doesn't reflect that, I am not afraid to remind them and put them in their place.
The easiest way to avoid all judgement is to deal with the internet sales manager. It is hard to stereotype people over the web, you can send them all of the figures that you find online (leasecompare, invoice, etc.) and just let them know what you want and what you are willing to pay. The only time you will have to set foot in the building is to take a test drive (if you already haven't) and to sign the pepers.
To say that they do not "deal" in the luxuary market is a joke. I negotiated about $750 over invoice for my 3 and about $1,500 over invoice for my X5. I'm not saying that it is a better overall package deal than the TSX, but I got what I wanted. If the TSX offered AWD, I'd be in my 2nd Acura.

Junkster

Ah, then we're totally talking about different things here. I don't mean bargain as in not paying too much over invoice, I'm talking about getting the most car for the least money. A TSX, I would think, is a bargain compared to some of the other entry level lux cars. A 5 series or X5 are not bargains because they come with more luxuries than what most drivers would ever need, and sometimes want. (BTW, good pick on the X5, it's pretty nice).

Junkster, who agrees that the web has changed car sales rules.

edit: I pretty sure that BMW doesn't make the same profit as a similarly equiped auto from another company (and with good reason). With higher profit margin for each of their cars compared to others, I wouldn't say they are bargains in the general term.

DjElucid

although their looks aren't the greatest attraction right now, I will have to admit they do have some really nice technology under all that sheet metal. i.e. the steering technology in the 5 series... forgot what it's called, but it sounds sweet.

As for the design of the new BMWs, many people don't like the look because it's new and you are just used to seeing the old BMWs. If they kept their old body style, then people will criticize and say their style is outdated. To the avg person the looks might be very appealing, but to the auto enthusiast it might not because we know what every car is on the road and just have a different approach to appreciating a car. I think over time the new styles will grow on everyone.

How many new body styles of cars actually made the car more attractive when it first came out?

Just my thoughts on their new style, it's not that bad.

phile

Wait'll you see Audi import the A8L W12 to the US. And then the Mercedes S-Class is getting redesigned, don't know if the 12-cylinder S-Class will still be an S600 or have an even larger number, meaning a bigger engine. And Lexus plans to bring out a 12-cylinder LS with the next redesign as well!

And here's the C&D comparo between the Beemer and the Mercedes:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=6741

bob shiftright

The BMW website tells you (without any prompting) that it leases for $2211/month. Before any dickering. I haven't looked up the number but I think BMW probably leases a lot of it's 7-series. It leases about 1/2 of the 5 series. Sooooo...you only need to send the old lady back to work!

Buff-Daddy

They are all amazing vehicles, hence the quote,"one of the most impressive automobiles ever made" and not THE best.

Buff-Daddy

This is the only thing that gives me hope for the BMW designs. I hated the "new look" Mercedes designs and especially the headlights when they 1st came out. I thought all of their cars looked like ass and now I am starting to like them more and more... I am hoping that the BMW designs will grow on me too, I would hate to eliminate them from my choices in the future, but for every one that I rule out, there might be a new one to rule in... Only time will tell...

phile

It's always dangerous to say something is THE best.

DEVO

How long do I have to wait for the Z4 to start looking good? I don't think this is a case because they are new that we haven't accepted them. The 7 which has been out for a while still looks funny to me. I like it overall minus the deck lid. Looks like it's always open.

The 5 just looks hideous and I wish saw a picture without knowing it was a BMW, because I would say it looks hidous just as well.

I did see a picture of the 6 and it looks nice. The new 3 shown above still doesn't look better then the current 3... no matter how much time goes by.

Junkster

When MB first went with the bug eyes, I thought "Gawd, even MB is falling into the trend of round head lights, it's the end of classical designing". I mean, that damn Neon looked cute with those round eyes, but those everything have to have round eyes? But on the next model change, the circular lights became more oval and lengthened here and there, and all of a sudden, it reminded me of a futuristic take on the old MB designs of the pre-WWI/WWII eras. And then they incorporated the rest of the car's designs into fit with the whole scheme of more flowing and moving lines. I think MB still looks like a 'heavy car' with its high beltline and thick lines and bulges, but now they seem more fluid.
The BMW, on the other hand, just doesn't seem to flow from one line to another. The Z4 is the perfect example of this non-linear design. That front end doesn't flow into the rest of the car and seems like proportionally larger then the rest of the car (not long like a traditional GT). The flares on the bottom sides of the car should somehow flow with the rest of the car, but instead just look like scars on the rest of the design. And looking at the car from the rear, there seems to be no design connetion with the rest of the car. The 5 and 7 seem less disconnected, but still suffer from similar design disalignment.
But we will have to wait and see, since did could be Bangle's way of easing us into more drastic face lifts for the BMW line in the next model change. Or Bangle could be the biggest folly by the company to try and becoming the top car in the luxury market.
Personally, design-wise, IF Bangle made these changes to ease us into bigger changes, I think he should have skipped the 'easing' and just straight-up shocked us, much like the MB McLaren, and just make the revolution instead of a evolution.


Junkster, who thinks the MB McLaren looks hideous.

fdl

Its called active steering. And you are right...the stuff they are putting under the sheet metal is amazing. I just watched the speed vision test drive of the new 5 series...and butt ugly looks aside...that is one incredible car.