savage

man its a cute car...its not something i look at and say is hot like a F430...when i saw the E46 M3 for the first time that was hot...this RS4 has a great interior, but the looks are aight, could look a lil more agressive...

also cute cause i am a BMW nut...haha...

Beltfed

Are you drunk?

The M3 can fit 4 full size adults without an issue........the Vette has 2 seats.

Next, the M3 is "not" a sports car......Vette = sports car, M3 = sport GT.

Let's wait to see what brings with the M3 as far as weight is concerned. Get it out of your head though, the days of 3200lb luxury sedan/GTs is over.

The E36 was a bit lighter on its feet, but the E46 is still a better car.

gocubsgo55

rs4 is cute, cute enough to be hot. only issue is, it still looks too much like an A4 exterior-wise

LessisBestmakingendsmeet

I wish we got the M3 CSL. 300lbs lighter than our M3. The thing is, reviews in CAR and EVO say yes, it does drive a tad faster but you lose all the creature comforts of what makes a M3 so delightful, a car you can take to work, to lunch with 4 friends and to the track. The CSL has no A/C, no radio etc etc and kinda defeats the purpose of buying a M3 (at that point a 911 or Vette makes sense).

Maximized

No, not drunk tonight, rather don't understand your comparison of a coupe vs sedan. The M3 has 2 doors and all the cars you listed, except the GTO, are 5 passenger sedans. Thus if you say the M3 is a competitor of the cars you listed, doors nor passenger volume doesn't apply. The Vette is a 2 seater, I know this very well; by using your criteria it could be a competitor too. The M3 is a GT, but BMW and the automotive media tries to market as a sports car. As for an M3 holding 4 full sized adults, that's a stretch IMO. I sat in my friends E46 M3 rear seat for 15 minutes and it wasn't comfortable. I am 6'2" and had to turn my legs to the side a bit to get comfortable. The 3 series doesn't leave much room in the back for taller people, especially if the driver and passenger are average height.

F23A4

yeah, the 3.2L motor. Having that car stateside would have REALLY pressed BMW to make an M3 MUCH more powerful than the current E46.

gavriil

I will also give the nod to the RS4 as far as looks are concerned. ALthough we have not seen what the E90 M3 will exactly look like (I do believe the lates CGIs are pretty close though).

gavriil

I thought the Euro Spec E36 made 321 DIN. At least during its last couple of years (or more) during its run.

gavriil

I am predicting that the weight of the E90 M3 will about the same as that of the current M3.

gavriil

I think that both of you are saying the same thing.

I disagree. Plus I do not think there is such a denotation as a sport GT (although it's possible to make this up and be valid).

The base C6 and C5 cars are definately GT cars. OK maybe Sport GT cars. The M3 is more of a (luxury) sport coupe car than a GT.

I agree here.

One of the reasons why we need all these powerful engines. Most of the gains are lost to the added weight.

gavriil

I agree. There is not much room back there Beltfed

gavriil

Back then BMW said that, that engine would have made the car too pricey. And it made sense (back then).

Maximized

Well given that the E90 330i is about 100 lbs heavier than its predicessor, BMW will need to use more aluminium and magnesium to do this. I am sure that the V8 will be slightly heavier than the inline 6, but not by much.

Maximized

You don't need high HP engines when you build a lightweight car. The Lotus Elise is a prime example of this. Not only is acceleration improved, but so is handling and braking in a lighter car. Manufacturers keep making cars heavier and add more hp, but this is basically the easy way out. It costs manufacturers more money to decrease the weight of the vehicle. It could be done in this case real easily, but some of the comforts will be dropped and price will increase a bit. A 3200lb 400+ M3 would be awesome.

Beltfed

Haha.........umm, I have an E46 M3, it fits 4 people perfectly end of story.

Then again I don't have friends who are 6'5 goons and don't have friends who are big fat pigs.

Maximized

For how long though? A short distance you might be able to get 4 adults under 6' in there. Anything over 15-20 mins and the rear is uncomfortable, I have sat back there numerous times.

MADCAT

Has the new 3 Series come out? I just came home and saw a weird looking 3 Series at the red light. It looked like the new 3 Series.

cusdaddy

FYI... The M3 is classified by the EPA as a sub-compact. My cousin and a friend of mine both have E46 M3's and the car is pretty damn small. It can fit 4 people, but from my experience it is far from comfortable.

You own the car and have no problems with the size so I don't want to preach, but I just wanted to add my from my experience with the car.

BTW, it is an awesome car nonetheless. I'd kill to have one!

Beltfed

I carry people in the car from time to time and nobody bitches. Granted, its obviously not a sedan....but by no means a very small car.

Yes, I don't take hour long trips with people in the back. In that case, we just take a different car.

To be honest, I don't like taking more than 2 people in my cars period........but I do.

iNteGraz92

it better look damn good cuz most of bmw's new designs are horrible.

cob3683

I agree except for the 6 series. The only beef I have with that is that its priced about $10,000 too much.

gavriil

Not sold yet here, no.

gavriil

Maybe for half hour trips. No more.

gavriil

Just because nobody bitches it does not mean they are not tight back there

biker

I got to see a bit of the new 3 series at the Geneva show today amidst a pretty busy BMW pavilion. It looks just as nice in real life as in pics.
I might have to shell out some bucks for it - it was my wife's favorite and she wants the sports package (cause of the wheels).
Oddly enough, of all the cars she thought the leather felt the best in the Accord Executive (TSX) and the Caddy CTS.

TMQ

I guess one can compare the Bimmer with the new Lexus IS. Biker, what's your impression just on looks in person? It seems that the IS in Europe will have HP slightly lower than the 3 series.

Water-S

I like it a lot matter of fact went to BMWUSA.Com checked out their pics of it. it looks REALLY GOOD. great job Bangle on the styling.

I know others might not agree with me but I think Bangle is one of the best car designers in the business.
I'm not trying to make fun of Honda or Acura but they are too conservative.
Benz is okay(although I don't like the new SLK with the massive Benz symbol in the front end)
Dodge-it's a cluster f-ck with the old school design on the 300 and magnum in my opinion
Nissan- Their cars with me are hit or miss. For example I like the Sentra SE-R and the Maxima,Titan but I don't like the 350Z or the M45(Infiniti)
Toyota- It has possiblites but it seems to mock Honda and whatever Honda or Toyota does first the other follows. try to be orginal guys. (same goes for Honda)
GM- it has potiential with the new Vette, and the much needed re-vamped GTO
Ford- I hate the new Mustang(to old school for me), Then everytime I look at a five hundred it reminds of a cop car(i don't know if that's good or bad if you're driving the five hundred )

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

Wow, this is exactly opposite of the rest of the worlds views...esp the Maxima and the SE-r? Are you serious? You like those more than the 350Z and the M45?
I guess it's good for you....you can get those cars and HUGE discounts !

biker

Based on a very brief time at the show I'd say the IS has the edge on looks.

On paper, there's almost no diff between the cars. I think that was intentional on Lexus' part.

heyitsme

I dunno, the new IS is nice but it doesn't really flow together exterior wise(profile reminds me of a pontiac grand prix which is distracting also). The new 3 works very well outside, main complaint would be the wheel design. Interiors of both cars are very much equal although it looks like lexus dropped some features in that are beyond the 3-series.

charliemike

Jeezus that 3er looks awful! (Sorry man)

I'm all about the IS350

heyitsme

Awful in what way?

Infamous425

the 3 series interior looks very spartan compared to the IS

heyitsme

are u sure?

Python2121

^^ that looks really good

biker

It's very unlikely you will ever see a BMW with that interior in the US. BMW Individual is not offered in the US.
I just rememebred something from the show - while the overall look under the hood was nice - the car has nothing lining the underside of the hood. That looked really cheap.

charliemike

The hood is noticeably disproportional to the extent that it disturbs the overall design. The cabin is pushed too far back towards the rear. The trunk is not long enough.

That color is admittedly bad and probably causing a lot of my doubt.

I think the E46 was the best looking BMW, followed closely by the last-gen 5er.

At first I was really optimistic about the 3er but now, I can't say I like it. In some ways I'm a minimalist. If you look at the IS350, there isn't a lot of superfluous "busywork" in the design. One cannot say that about the 3er.

charliemike

WTF ... Why is it that Europeans get better designs and better choices and we're stuck with "packages" and bullshit like that?

Pisses me off. If I want Navigation, I don't think I should be forced to buy a fucking moonroof, leather, and god knows what else.

titan

Though I'm no fan of the 3's styling, it's be best looking of the new Bimmer sedans.

cob3683

New 3 series>>>>>>>>>>>IS350. Lexus can do whatever they want, but the IS will NEVER drive like a 330i.