BMW: 3-Series News
04-14-2011, 09:01 PM
#2881
Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Not Las Vegas (SF Bay Area)
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world premiere on 1 April 2011.
04-14-2011, 09:19 PM
#2882
Not really bashing on it, since yeah almost all trucks have separate beds. It's just not overly impressive or anything. Definitely useful, but not as useful as say, the Ridgeline's lockable "trunk" or the Avalanche's gaping chasm.
My point is a vehicle like a Baja or even moreso, an M3 Camino fills a small niche. Yes, it's cool, but would you actually take one over the coupe/sedan/convertible? What about others?
My point is a vehicle like a Baja or even moreso, an M3 Camino fills a small niche. Yes, it's cool, but would you actually take one over the coupe/sedan/convertible? What about others?
04-14-2011, 11:04 PM
#2883
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
I bet everyone over in Australia is going bat shit for this thing. OMGZ A M3 UTE!
04-17-2011, 11:59 PM
#2884
The Third Ball
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Age: 45
Posts: 49,316
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Its not nearly as cool looking at the G8 "el camino" concept that was made.
This just looks like a coupe where the back was just cut out.
This just looks like a coupe where the back was just cut out.
05-02-2011, 08:36 AM
#2886
Senior Moderator
2012 F30 3-series sedan DROPS HEAVY CAMO! Reveals Handsome and Evolutionary Design
The 2012 F30 3-series sedan has finally dropped its heavy camouflage to reveal a handsome and evolutionary design from the current E90 3-series sedan!
As expected, the F30 3-series retains its sporty and squat design, with short overhangs and wheels pushed to the corners. However, the front end adopts BMWs current design language, with a sleeker sloping front fascia with widened kidney grilles. The rear lights remain classic L-shapes and the car retains the prominent character line throughout its doors.
The F30 3-series sedan is expected to be officially announced in November in London, at the Olympics, and makes its world debut at the 2012 Geneva motor show in March of 2012. Sales should begin shortly after in Europe and in the US by the Spring. As per the usual 3-series sedan/coupe timeline, the F32 coupe should debut a year later sometime in 2013.
An Active Hybrid F30 3-series as a Concept will also be shown at Geneva and there is also a 3-series GT (Gran Turismo) which has already been spied in testing.
Expect engine options to include a full range of turbo and naturally aspirated engines. The 28i will likely be powered by the same N20 turbo 4-cylinder powering the X1 xDrive28i and the upcoming Z4 sDrive28i, and the F30 335i/340i will again be powered by a turbo 6-cylinder engine.
The 2012 F30 3-series sedan has finally dropped its heavy camouflage to reveal a handsome and evolutionary design from the current E90 3-series sedan!
As expected, the F30 3-series retains its sporty and squat design, with short overhangs and wheels pushed to the corners. However, the front end adopts BMWs current design language, with a sleeker sloping front fascia with widened kidney grilles. The rear lights remain classic L-shapes and the car retains the prominent character line throughout its doors.
The F30 3-series sedan is expected to be officially announced in November in London, at the Olympics, and makes its world debut at the 2012 Geneva motor show in March of 2012. Sales should begin shortly after in Europe and in the US by the Spring. As per the usual 3-series sedan/coupe timeline, the F32 coupe should debut a year later sometime in 2013.
An Active Hybrid F30 3-series as a Concept will also be shown at Geneva and there is also a 3-series GT (Gran Turismo) which has already been spied in testing.
Expect engine options to include a full range of turbo and naturally aspirated engines. The 28i will likely be powered by the same N20 turbo 4-cylinder powering the X1 xDrive28i and the upcoming Z4 sDrive28i, and the F30 335i/340i will again be powered by a turbo 6-cylinder engine.
05-02-2011, 02:29 PM
#2891
My first Avatar....
^
me either....
me either....
05-02-2011, 06:23 PM
#2894
Homogenization for the masses!
It's the cool thing to do. Bigger is better. Your modern day Civic is as big as the 2/3 generations old Accord was. In due time, the 1-series will be the same size as the E90 3-series. Then BMW will have to come out with a 0-series to fill in the 1-series' vacant position.
Sad.... scrolled up a bit and not even a year and a half ago I was spurting wads of jizz all over for BMW's lineup. Now its just meh. Of course, any car enthusiast with functioning eyesight knows they don't really look exactly alike.... but as a whole, there is no mistaking it the similarities. I bitched about this in some other new BMW thread. Looks like this is a trend that's here to stay, like the Acura beak and "flame surfacing"
The F30 may look good, but from what I can tell it looks lazy.
It's the cool thing to do. Bigger is better. Your modern day Civic is as big as the 2/3 generations old Accord was. In due time, the 1-series will be the same size as the E90 3-series. Then BMW will have to come out with a 0-series to fill in the 1-series' vacant position.
Sad.... scrolled up a bit and not even a year and a half ago I was spurting wads of jizz all over for BMW's lineup. Now its just meh. Of course, any car enthusiast with functioning eyesight knows they don't really look exactly alike.... but as a whole, there is no mistaking it the similarities. I bitched about this in some other new BMW thread. Looks like this is a trend that's here to stay, like the Acura beak and "flame surfacing"
The F30 may look good, but from what I can tell it looks lazy.
05-06-2011, 02:36 PM
#2899
Safety Car
i like the rear.
otherwise, it is too "egg" like. the hood is raked and flows towards the rest of the car. i dont like this. theres a certain sense of masculinity when the front end is delineated from the rest of the car. it says, this is the engine, this is the cabin. bmw, up until recently, has been pretty good at this, but it has succumb to the modern egg problem. the 5 series has this problem especially. take the civic - there is no emphasis on where the engine is located. its basically been neutered.
otherwise, it is too "egg" like. the hood is raked and flows towards the rest of the car. i dont like this. theres a certain sense of masculinity when the front end is delineated from the rest of the car. it says, this is the engine, this is the cabin. bmw, up until recently, has been pretty good at this, but it has succumb to the modern egg problem. the 5 series has this problem especially. take the civic - there is no emphasis on where the engine is located. its basically been neutered.
Last edited by ThermonMermon; 05-06-2011 at 02:38 PM.
05-06-2011, 02:40 PM
#2900
Senior Moderator
Good thing most of that interior is fake!!
Red BMW F30 3-series Interior Reveals Black Panel Display, Lane Change Warning, Auto Start-Stop
What a week it's been for F30 testing. Throughout the week, we've brought you 40+ F30 photos [seen here], in all various colors and models. We now share photos of the first red F30 3-series 335i sedan spied, together with the best F30 interior photos yet. Here is what we see revealed by the interior photos:
Auto Start-Stop
We're fairly certain that the interior as shown here isn't the final version. It rather appears to be a cobbled together combination of interior panels BMW had at hand -- particularly the center console, air condition, and radio units, which seem to be sourced from another car.
What appears to be production level however is the instrument cluster. You can see the Auto Start/Stop feature in the tachometer. Additional markings make it easier for the driver to see if the engine is off because of Auto Start/Stop (needle sits at "READY") or if the engine is off altogether (needle sits at "OFF").
Semi Black Panel Display
These photos also offer a good glimpse at the information display in the lower part of the instrument cluster. BMW began implementing black panel display technology with their full black panel displays in the F01 7-series, a feature which will trickle down across the whole model range. But, as expected, the black panel display is smaller (and partial) in the F30. It isn't a full black panel display -- the markings for the speedometer and tachometer aren't shown via black panel but traditional permanent markings [compare to full black panel display on F10]. Nonetheless, the black panel tech and size of the display used for the on-board computer and other information like radio settings is a vast improvement over the E9x 3-series.
Lane Change Warning System
Finally, this shot confirms that BMW's Lane Change Warning feature will be available for the F30 as well. Sensors at each side of the F30 will continuously check for cars in the left or right hand blindspots. If a car is detected, a small warning triangle in the housings of the exterior mirrors will light up (see photo to the left) and the steering wheel will vibrate. With these types of new technologies, the F30 will surely be the safest 3-series yet.
Here is how the technology works in the F10 5-series:
Radars and cameras monitor conditions and warn the driver of lane changes and vehicles coming too close.
At the rear of the vehicle the Lane Change Warning uses radar sensors to inform the driver via a symbol on the wing mirror if there is a vehicle currently in their blind spot or if a vehicle is approaching quickly from the rear. As soon as the driver uses the indicator to change lanes, they are warned in potentially dangerous situations by a flashing LED signal and vibrations.
The camera positioned at the front of the vehicle assists the Lane Departure Warning system. When travelling above 70 km/h the system monitors road markings and their position versus the car as well as the edge of the road or lane. The system is activated whenever the vehicle leaves its current lane unintentionally and alerts the driver by making the steering wheel vibrate. When the driver indicates their intention to change the lane by using the indicator, there is no warning signal.
One last thing of note we notice is the presence of a manual parking brake. Other recent BMW models have moved to exclusively using electric parking brakes, so the F30 3-series seems to break with the recent trend, at least in prototype form.
Follow our full F30 coverage here: http://www.bimmerpost.com/f30/
What a week it's been for F30 testing. Throughout the week, we've brought you 40+ F30 photos [seen here], in all various colors and models. We now share photos of the first red F30 3-series 335i sedan spied, together with the best F30 interior photos yet. Here is what we see revealed by the interior photos:
Auto Start-Stop
We're fairly certain that the interior as shown here isn't the final version. It rather appears to be a cobbled together combination of interior panels BMW had at hand -- particularly the center console, air condition, and radio units, which seem to be sourced from another car.
What appears to be production level however is the instrument cluster. You can see the Auto Start/Stop feature in the tachometer. Additional markings make it easier for the driver to see if the engine is off because of Auto Start/Stop (needle sits at "READY") or if the engine is off altogether (needle sits at "OFF").
Semi Black Panel Display
These photos also offer a good glimpse at the information display in the lower part of the instrument cluster. BMW began implementing black panel display technology with their full black panel displays in the F01 7-series, a feature which will trickle down across the whole model range. But, as expected, the black panel display is smaller (and partial) in the F30. It isn't a full black panel display -- the markings for the speedometer and tachometer aren't shown via black panel but traditional permanent markings [compare to full black panel display on F10]. Nonetheless, the black panel tech and size of the display used for the on-board computer and other information like radio settings is a vast improvement over the E9x 3-series.
Lane Change Warning System
Finally, this shot confirms that BMW's Lane Change Warning feature will be available for the F30 as well. Sensors at each side of the F30 will continuously check for cars in the left or right hand blindspots. If a car is detected, a small warning triangle in the housings of the exterior mirrors will light up (see photo to the left) and the steering wheel will vibrate. With these types of new technologies, the F30 will surely be the safest 3-series yet.
Here is how the technology works in the F10 5-series:
Radars and cameras monitor conditions and warn the driver of lane changes and vehicles coming too close.
At the rear of the vehicle the Lane Change Warning uses radar sensors to inform the driver via a symbol on the wing mirror if there is a vehicle currently in their blind spot or if a vehicle is approaching quickly from the rear. As soon as the driver uses the indicator to change lanes, they are warned in potentially dangerous situations by a flashing LED signal and vibrations.
The camera positioned at the front of the vehicle assists the Lane Departure Warning system. When travelling above 70 km/h the system monitors road markings and their position versus the car as well as the edge of the road or lane. The system is activated whenever the vehicle leaves its current lane unintentionally and alerts the driver by making the steering wheel vibrate. When the driver indicates their intention to change the lane by using the indicator, there is no warning signal.
One last thing of note we notice is the presence of a manual parking brake. Other recent BMW models have moved to exclusively using electric parking brakes, so the F30 3-series seems to break with the recent trend, at least in prototype form.
Follow our full F30 coverage here: http://www.bimmerpost.com/f30/
05-06-2011, 03:03 PM
#2901
^ BMW has really gotta work on their interiors.
05-06-2011, 03:14 PM
#2903
Whoa, is that the button for the parking brake right above the start/stop engine button? I haven't seen that before... it's ingenious. More like common sense, really.
All cars should have the ignition on the left, with the parking brake button (if applicable) somewhere in the immediate vicinity.
All cars should have the ignition on the left, with the parking brake button (if applicable) somewhere in the immediate vicinity.
05-06-2011, 03:26 PM
#2904
i will use red text next time for you guys
05-06-2011, 03:36 PM
#2905
Safety Car
05-06-2011, 06:07 PM
#2906
im bad at trolling.
also, whats up with the weird swirly paint? what a terrible OEM color
also, whats up with the weird swirly paint? what a terrible OEM color
06-09-2011, 12:00 PM
#2911
Senior Moderator
all E90 3-series and E90 M3 sedan production will cease in October 2011.
E90 M3 and E90 3series Production Ends October 2011. E92/E93 M3 Produced Until At Least June 2012
The current BMW E90 generation is soon coming to an end, including the E90 M3 sedan. Based on the official BMW production schedule (see below), all E90 3-series and E90 M3 sedan production will cease in October 2011.
M3 coupe and convertible fans have some more time, however. The E92 M3 and E93 M3 will continue to be produced until at least June 2012 (along with the 3-series coupe and convertible). Whether they will be produced beyond June 2012 as 2013 model years is not yet known.
Moral of the story? Anyone interested in securing perhaps the last naturally aspirated M3 sedans, should place your orders in ASAP.
Thanks to Ryan Amico and Jimmy for production info.
The current BMW E90 generation is soon coming to an end, including the E90 M3 sedan. Based on the official BMW production schedule (see below), all E90 3-series and E90 M3 sedan production will cease in October 2011.
M3 coupe and convertible fans have some more time, however. The E92 M3 and E93 M3 will continue to be produced until at least June 2012 (along with the 3-series coupe and convertible). Whether they will be produced beyond June 2012 as 2013 model years is not yet known.
Moral of the story? Anyone interested in securing perhaps the last naturally aspirated M3 sedans, should place your orders in ASAP.
Thanks to Ryan Amico and Jimmy for production info.
06-09-2011, 12:13 PM
#2913
Three Wheelin'
Does this mean the new 3 series sedan is coming to the US end of this year? If not, I wonder how long BMW is going to be without a 3 series sedan in the US. If it's for more than 6 months, their sales numbers are going to be in a world of hurt.
06-09-2011, 01:05 PM
#2915
Three Wheelin'
November 2011:
F30 3-series sedan comes first it will be officially announced in November in London - due to BMW's association with the 2012 olympics where BMW will also showcase their latest models in a specially built pavilion during the duration of the olympics, as well as being official vehicle sponsor.
March 2012:
F30 sedan public debut will be at the Geneva show in March 2012 coinciding with the European on sale date.
An Active Hybrid F30 3-series as a Concept will be shown at Geneva.
The Touring will be revealed afterwards and debut at the AMI in Leipzig. Home to the largest 3er Touring market, Germany.
April 2012:
The Beijing Autoshow BMW will unveil the China only 3erLi (long wheelbase).
Summer/September 2012:
US sales of the F30 sedan begin that Summer.
F31 3er Touring is not coming to the US Market.
3-series Touring will go on sale in Europe in September 2012.
F30 3-series sedan comes first it will be officially announced in November in London - due to BMW's association with the 2012 olympics where BMW will also showcase their latest models in a specially built pavilion during the duration of the olympics, as well as being official vehicle sponsor.
March 2012:
F30 sedan public debut will be at the Geneva show in March 2012 coinciding with the European on sale date.
An Active Hybrid F30 3-series as a Concept will be shown at Geneva.
The Touring will be revealed afterwards and debut at the AMI in Leipzig. Home to the largest 3er Touring market, Germany.
April 2012:
The Beijing Autoshow BMW will unveil the China only 3erLi (long wheelbase).
Summer/September 2012:
US sales of the F30 sedan begin that Summer.
F31 3er Touring is not coming to the US Market.
3-series Touring will go on sale in Europe in September 2012.
06-09-2011, 02:23 PM
#2916
Race Director
Who ever got this info may have just not gotten the E90 MY12 production chart.
06-10-2011, 02:21 PM
#2918
Senior Moderator
Just Announced: Special Edition 2011 BMW Frozen Black M3 Coupe for NA Market
This info just in from our dealer contact, Ryan Amico. A special edition M3 coupe has finally been announced for the North American Market.
* Photos show a UK Frozen Black E92 M3 ZCP.
The "2011 BMW Frozen Black M3 Coupe" will be limited to only 20 units and be available for order on June, 16, 2011. Here's how to order (feels a bit like getting tickets to a hot concert via radio station
) --> call 1-800-245-4269 at 11:30am eastern time on the 16th (order line shuts down at 8PM eastern time). This special edition will be a June to July 2011 production run.
MSRP will be $79,650 (with $875 destination charge).
So what does $80k of M3 goodness get you? Equipment list as follows:
Cosmetics:
BMW Individual Frozen Black (matte) Paint
Extended Black Novillo Leather Featuring Red Constrating Stitching (seats, door inserts, headrests, console, arm rest)
19" Gloss Black M3 GTS wheels
Gloss Black Kidney Grilles
Gloss Black Fender Gills
Black Exhaust Tips
Red Brake Calipers
Performance Equipment:
7-speed DCT Transmission with Drivelogic
ZCP Competition Package
Heated Seats
Satellite Radio with 1-year subscription
This info just in from our dealer contact, Ryan Amico. A special edition M3 coupe has finally been announced for the North American Market.
* Photos show a UK Frozen Black E92 M3 ZCP.
The "2011 BMW Frozen Black M3 Coupe" will be limited to only 20 units and be available for order on June, 16, 2011. Here's how to order (feels a bit like getting tickets to a hot concert via radio station
) --> call 1-800-245-4269 at 11:30am eastern time on the 16th (order line shuts down at 8PM eastern time). This special edition will be a June to July 2011 production run.MSRP will be $79,650 (with $875 destination charge).
So what does $80k of M3 goodness get you? Equipment list as follows:
Cosmetics:
BMW Individual Frozen Black (matte) Paint
Extended Black Novillo Leather Featuring Red Constrating Stitching (seats, door inserts, headrests, console, arm rest)
19" Gloss Black M3 GTS wheels
Gloss Black Kidney Grilles
Gloss Black Fender Gills
Black Exhaust Tips
Red Brake Calipers
Performance Equipment:
7-speed DCT Transmission with Drivelogic
ZCP Competition Package
- Lowered suspension
- Sport mapping for EDC/DSC
- Power folding auto-dimming mirrors
- Universal garage-door opener
- Power front seats
- Carbon Leather interior trim
- Interior mirror with compass
- BMW Assist with Bluetooth
- Anti-theft alarm system
- Comfort Access keyless entry system
- Park Distance Control (rear)
- Navigation System
- Voice-command
- iPod and USB adapter
- Real-time Traffic Information
Heated Seats
Satellite Radio with 1-year subscription
06-10-2011, 02:39 PM
#2919
Engineer
Looks hot... Watch them sell all 20 in the first 5 minutes...