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With how popular CUV/SUVs are, there is really no financial reasons for them to offer wagon here in the US.
There are probably more people buying manuals than wagons here in the US, and they already got rid of manual.... so...
^ Agree! The only reason I could come up with is to try to raise fleet average MPG by having more models dilute the M-cars and the V8's + V12. But at that point they could buy carbon credits for the $ spent in R&D for the US market wagon.
BMW previously confirmed that the 3 Series would abandon the manual transmission for the U.S. market, leaving many enthusiasts livid. Then there was talk that the M3 might abandon rear-wheel drive entirely, as the new car’s eight-speed gearbox was designed to work with the modern xDrive system.
However, there may still be hope for a manual option. The brand has allegedly not made up its mind on the matter, at least as far as the M3 is concerned. Still, it remains a pretty slim prospect, as BMW has admitted that manual sales are on a rapid decline and don’t really make it a lot of money.
While any hopes of seeing a traditional stick in the rest of the 3 Series have been dashed, BMW Blog reports that the next M3/M4 might still get them. According to unknown sources from within the company, BMW has not made up its mind on whether the manual should get the axe. However, that’s not exactly any kind of assurance it’ll be available on the next generation M cars.
From BMW Blog:
BMW is also trying to figure out whether the car offered should be all-wheel drive or remain RWD as tradition dictates. At the moment, all possibilities are taken into account in meetings in Munich but if a manual choice is to be offered, chances are it won’t be with the M xDrive system as that’s made to work with the ZF 8-speed gearbox. Creating an all-wheel drive system from scratch to work with a manual gearbox might be too costly to develop and may take too long in the development process.
The outlet also speculated that an easy solution to the rear-drive issue would be to offer an electronic drift mode that sends most of the power to the aft of the vehicle. If that ends up being the case, there would be little sense in developing an archaic substitute for the automatic transmission. The next-gen M3 is scheduled to launch in 2020, with an unknown setup. We’d advise you to hold out hopes — but not your breath — on BMW delivering a version that includes a clutch pedal.
I think Manual will be offered in the next M3/M4... that will be a whole other level of anger than regular 3 series if it is not offered. as far as RWD or AWD, as long as they dont add weight to it, it does not matter since you can turn off the AWD if you wanted to.
Last week, we broke some news from one of our sources close to BMW about the upcoming G80-gen M3. We learned that the next-gen BMW M3 would have some sort of all-wheel drive system and will keep the manual gearbox. Though, that’s really all we knew. Now, though, we’ve received a bit of clarification from the same source.
According to our new information, the upcoming G80 BMW M3 will actually come with two different drivetrain options: one sDrive and one xDrive. Previously, we didn’t know if it was going to just be all-wheel drive with a “2WD” mode, like the BMW M5. However, now we’re learning that the new M3 will actually come in two separate flavors. So customers will be able to either buy a BMW M3 sDrive or an M3 xDrive.
Now, we still don’t know if the BMW M3 xDrive will have its own “2WD” mode like the M5. Though, we’re inclined to think not if there’s going to be a rear-wheel drive model. Having said that, the xDrive system in the M3 should be very rear biased, shunting power to the front only out of necessity.
This is good news for many enthusiasts, though. It allows the purists to get the BMW M3 with rear-wheel drive as always and never have to worry about switching modes for it. Also, as with the BMW M5, the switchable M-tuned xDrive system only allows rear-wheel drive with all traction and stability controls off, which isn’t exactly safe in all conditions, all the time.
More good news for the purists, the BMW M3 sDrive will be available with either a manual gearbox or an automatic. The M3 xDrive won’t come with a manual and will be automatic only, which is something we suspected, but if you spec your M3 with just two driven wheels, you can get three pedals.
Although, the rear-drive BMW M3 will get less power than the all-wheel drive M3. How much less power, we don’t know. But we know that the all-wheel drive, automatic BMW M3 will have more power than the rear-wheel drive M3, manual or automatic. Though, that power difference does make us think that the xDrive system in the new M3 will not have its own “2WD” mode like the M5.
At launch, there will also be a BMW M3 Competition, which will be xDrive/automatic-only. That car will likely feature the same sort of upgrades that the M5 Competition gets. So a bit extra power, sharper suspension, less rubber bushings in the subframes and chassis for a more direct feel, a more performance-tuned all-wheel drive system and slightly sharper steering.
So for the first time ever, a BMW M car will have two different drivetrain options, which is actually a really smart move on BMW’s part. This allows buyers who live in parts of the world where winters get rough to actually consider and M3, when they might otherwise want something like an Audi RS4 Avant. It also gives the M3 a poor-weather advantage over its main rival, the Mercedes-AMG C63. We can’t wait to learn more about it and we’ll have updates for you as soon as we get them.
Not bad at all if your commute is within 40 miles a day... I would take this over model 3 any day of the week without worrying about spending hours to charge.
• 111bhp electric motor
• 181bhp two-liter inline four-cylinder gas engine
• High-voltage lithium-ion battery
• System output: 185 kW/252 hp
• XtraBoost: temporarily + 30 kW/41 hp to 215 kW
• 0-100kmh: 6.0 seconds
• Emissions: from 39g CO2 per km
• Electric-only range: up to 60km (37 miles)
• Market launch: Summer 2019
While I was in DC all last week my friend was nice enough to loan me his fully loaded 340GT...I liked it a lot. Sport steering was so tight that my X3 and Durango felt like popular hookers when I got home.
But the best part...HUD....Damnit EVERY car should come with a HUD. driving around with that info, especially Nav and never having to take my eyes off the road. Thats the best in car tech in decades.
Oh and his new M5 was pretty nice, too. Massage seats!
While I was in DC all last week my friend was nice enough to loan me his fully loaded 340GT...I liked it a lot. Sport steering was so tight that my X3 and Durango felt like popular hookers when I got home.
But the best part...HUD....Damnit EVERY car should come with a HUD. driving around with that info, especially Nav and never having to take my eyes off the road. Thats the best in car tech in decades.
Oh and his new M5 was pretty nice, too. Massage seats!
While I was in DC all last week my friend was nice enough to loan me his fully loaded 340GT...I liked it a lot. Sport steering was so tight that my X3 and Durango felt like popular hookers when I got home.
But the best part...HUD....Damnit EVERY car should come with a HUD. driving around with that info, especially Nav and never having to take my eyes off the road. Thats the best in car tech in decades.
Oh and his new M5 was pretty nice, too. Massage seats!
yah but considering F3X even with the updated tech is still 1 gen behind 5 and the new X3. X3M40i FTW.
The 3GT isn't nearly as bad as the 5GT. Looks like a slightly tall-ified 4GC
The main issue is not the fast back look of the 3GT, it is the rear overhang of the 3GT. It makes it looks very weird.and when lifted, it is even more weird.
The main issue is not the fast back look of the 3GT, it is the rear overhang of the 3GT. It makes it looks very weird.and when lifted, it is even more weird.
I couldn't put my thumb on it at first, but exactly this.
The rear just reminds me of Kim Kardashian's butt. Not a good look. Unless you like the overfilled, dirty adult diaper aesthetic.
only if they move the rear wheel a few inches back and make the rear a little less "thick" and lower it a little... then it will look pretty good.... Oh wait.. that is the 4GC
Could be worse I guess. Like the whole X4/X6 thing, which does the inverse of the GT models. Instead of taking a nice looking model and making it uglier but more useful, the "coupe" SUVs do the complete opposite.
Does your friend wear BMW caps and polo with collar popped up?
Usually when a person owns that many BMWs, that is what they wear
Nope. Hates that crap. Just wants to drive the cars.
But when we went to pick up his former X5M from the factory, there was a dude with the bmw shoes, jacket etc picking up a X5 edrive for his wife. He was a bit cocky about his cars...when we new owners introduced themselves to the group he started a dick measuring contest by saying this was his 5th or 6th one...Then it came to my friend who said its his 12th and the look on the dudes face was priceless. I admit I enjoyed that.
Everyone can debate til they're blue in the face. I got to drive around a fully loaded 340gt for 7 days for free instead of having to rent a car. I ain't complaining.
definitely. As ugly as 3GT is, i would take it over any "normal" rental car any time any day.
It is just when it comes to buying, that is another story.
As far as buying, I dont mind the looks. What I didn't love were the seats, they just weren't the most comfortable. And getting and out of car. Felt more like a coupe, especially in parking lots. That alone has me sticking with SUV's for ownership. Though as ugly as they are...and they are UGLY...I'd consider an i3s after driving one.
I think you are just too used to SUVs.. which explains why more and more buyers are shifting to SUV.
I have driven my co worker's i3 plenty of times to lunch. (i will throw up in 5 mins if i were a passenger and it takes me about 30 mins of self-driving to reach the point of vomiting)
It's got good pick ups even tho i could never really push it since i will wanna throw up
But the rear doors are very annoying. they are so small and they open backwards. If you have any passengers, there is a good chances that the driver and the passenger will get stuck between 2 opened doors
I think you are just too used to SUVs.. which explains why more and more buyers are shifting to SUV.
I have driven my co worker's i3 plenty of times to lunch. (i will throw up in 5 mins if i were a passenger and it takes me about 30 mins of self-driving to reach the point of vomiting)
It's got good pick ups even tho i could never really push it since i will wanna throw up
But the rear doors are very annoying. they are so small and they open backwards. If you have any passengers, there is a good chances that the driver and the passenger will get stuck between 2 opened doors
passengers would be my kids and it’s great for them. I’m used to SUVs but getting in and out my challenger was very easy. Same as my friends m5.
The way i3's rear door opens, (similar to Element's) if you open your door and the rear door is also open to get your kids out and you park next to a car (which is the case 90% of the time), you will be stuck in a square.
Now if you close the front door to get the passenger or the kids out from the back, you will have very little room to work with since the rear door is very small.
We have experienced all kind of awkwardness due to i3's door design once a female co worker had to get really close the to driver to close the rear door so both them could get out from the parking space.
BMW will give the next M3 and M4 models more power, less weight and a manual transmission according to the latest reports.
Power will be provided by a revised version of the outgoing model’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six engine, which will reportedly produce 465hp (a little over 470PS), according to Autocar. The additional horsepower will most likely come from the adoption of a water injection system, similar to that in the limited M4 GTS.
BMW also focuses on making the new model lighter than the M3 CS’s 1585kg (3,495lbs); the weight savings already achieved with the new platform of the G20 3-Series will be complimented with the increased use of carbon fiber parts, including the roof panel.
This focus on making the car lighter is part of the reason BMW didn’t go for a standard all-wheel drive system, like the one on the M5, or any form of electrification as they would add weight, complexity and cost. This generation however is thought to be the last M car without some form of electrification and it is going to get an all-wheel drive variant after all sometime during its career, according to BMW board member and head of development Klaus Fröhlich.
The more powerful twin-turbo straight-six engine will be combined with either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the former confirmed by Fröhlich, who spoke to Road & Track.
“Honestly, the pure engineering answer is, you’re much faster with paddles and an automatic transmission,” Fröhlich said. “They’re very precise and sporty. Especially on the Nurburgring, you are much better in control when you’re not taking one hand away [to shift]. I think, in the overall portfolio, manuals will disappear. But I think M4 should be the fortress of manual. So the last manual transmission which will die, it should die in an M4, as late as possible. That’s my view.”
“I think it should survive in the next generation of M4,” Fröhlich added. “The successors [to the current M3 and M4] are all in the pipeline. And so my promise is, yes, there will be a manual in the successor to M4.”
at least 4-5 years. M3 is probably gonna be MY20 anyway... so you got time and if it is the last real manual M3/M4, i am sure there will be various special editions.
A BMW spokesperson has confirmed to CarBuzz that “BMW of North America has no plans to bring the next generation 3 Series Sports Wagon to the US market.” So lovers of the practical 3 Series will have to either resort to the pre-owned market to pickup the outgoing F30 3 Series generation, or simply order a new one before production stops.
With the SUV crazy in full force, it was obvious that vehicles like Tourings or Gran Turismos won’t be popular on this side of the pond, so their future has always been questionable. The 3 Series Touring remains one of the best BMW selling models in Europe and we expect the new generation to be just as popular, if not more.
In the U.S., the last 3 Series Sports Wagon was offered in the 330i xDrive guise, powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo engine with 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Add the M Sport Package to the F30 Wagon, and you had a great looking family car on your hands.
Recent spy photos though show an exciting G21 3 Series coming next year. The new wagon looks handsome and surprisingly sporty. It looks lower and wider than the car it replaces and that makes it look more athletic than before. Also, the G20’s new taillights seem to work better on a wagon than the old F30’s, which seemed a bit odd on a wagon. These integrate into the rear tailgate well.
This new BMW 3 Series Touring seems like it’s shaping up to be a good looking wagon and one that can seriously compete with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class wagon and the Audi A4 Avant.
10-30-2018, 01:19 PM
