Review: Did BMW get 3-series redesign right?

I do not have a lot of sympathy for any BMW. I think the cars are a bit overpriced and, because of how the option packages are structured, getting your Bimmer kitted to your liking can add thousands more.

Steam gently wafts from my ears every time I use the company’s iDrive system — the magic knob interface for the navigation, audio, communications and climate menus. BMW’s recent “flame surfacing” styling exertions, on cars including the Z4 and 5-series, leave me colder than the 10th planet.

So it’s with no small cognitive dissonance that I report that the new 3-series, redesigned for model year 2006, is a spectacular car: lean and perfectly balanced, ineffably masculine and refined, and built with a futuristic precision that makes me wish the company made space shuttles.

Car watchers held their breath waiting to see whether the redesigned 3-series — BMW’s bedrock product, accounting for more than half its 1.2-million sales worldwide — would carry on with the widely derided flame surfacing.

When the new car appeared, critics declared it “conservative,” and so, perforce, a rebuke of BMW Group design chief Chris Bangle.

I’m not so sure. The wick has been trimmed, certainly, but the 3-series still has sagging ventral accents along the rocker panel and a loose concavity in the car’s flanks below the beltline.

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JUGNU - 10/2/2005 2:41:33 PM

+1 Boost

Have u guys senn the new E90 3 series on the road.

It don't look as sporty or stylish as it appears in the pitures.

Nice overall but rear end is little boring and dull.

Front end is coool reflects Audi's traditon.

But i don't count this car as the leader to it's Competitors as Audi A4,Lexus IS...r much more dashing and appealing.

JUGNU - 10/2/2005 2:41:33 PM

+1 Boost

Have u guys senn the new E90 3 series on the road.

It don't look as sporty or stylish as it appears in the pitures.

Nice overall but rear end is little boring and dull.

Front end is coool reflects Audi's traditon.

But i don't count this car as the leader to it's Competitors as Audi A4,Lexus IS...r much more dashing and appealing.

JUGNU - 10/2/2005 2:43:48 PM

+1 Boost

Sorry fourth line is BMW TRADITION instead of AUDI TRADITION...

JUGNU - 10/2/2005 2:43:48 PM

+1 Boost

Sorry fourth line is BMW TRADITION instead of AUDI TRADITION...

Chip - 10/2/2005 7:03:30 PM

+1 Boost

Take a long look at car pricing Autospies.

-Audi A4 fully loaded now hits $50,000 with all options.
-Audi A6 has an overwhelming number of EXPENSIVE options hitting $55,000 for a 3.2 fully loaded.
-Infiniti G35 coupe now tops $40,000 fully loaded
-Lexus has most options bundled into packages that range anywhere from $6,000-$19,000 depending on model
-Mercedes E350 can cost 65,000 with most options.
-Mercedes C350 suddenly costs close to $50,000 loaded
-Suddenly a Passat is $40,000 and Jetta $30,000

So dont blame it on BMW. Yeah their cars are more expensive than before, but so are everybody elses.

The technology is better and the performance is greater.

All cars are getting expensive. Dont blame it on the car comapny that is actually worth the price increase.

wac77 - 10/6/2005 11:11:58 PM

+1 Boost

I just picked up my new 330. The car is just amazing - looks good, drives great.

You could argue about the back, or about it being a little conservative next to a 5-series, but I think it is a very successful redesign. Instantly recognizable, modern and purposeful, without any weird details.

Best design of the Bangle era so far, IMHO.

H_Charles - 10/7/2005 8:22:14 AM

+1 Boost

The new 3 design is excellent. BMW finally pulled off a contemporary design that is thought provoking but not full of discord. The 7 and 5 series were certainly contemporary but also hideous. No harmony in the design. You want to like them, but you just can't.
The new 3 has it right. Clean and contemporary, but not distateful to the senses (with the exception of the rear taillights, which are just plain unattractive.
The entire design is beautiful and classy. Finally you can choose NOT to have I-Drive, and BMW has also joined the 21st century by allowing buyers to choose whichever interior they want with whatever exterior color.
Underneath all that is the best compact sports sedan in the world. Balance, power, road feel handling -- it's all there.
Unlike the 7, 5, and Z, buyers no longer have to justify to others and themselves why they spent so much money on a hideous piece of automotive machinery

Steve - 10/7/2005 3:54:01 PM

+1 Boost

Did BMW get 3-series redesign right? If sales are strong and profits are high, then the answer is yes. And that appears to be the case.

On the other hand, as a long-time BMW fan and owner (I have 3 in my garage right now), I am dissapointed that BMW is the company that makes ugly and/or awkward cars (7,6,5,4, series), or in the case of the new 3-series, cars that can pass for a cross between a Pontiac and a Honda. I've seen the new 3 in the flesh in the showroom, and on the roads, and they have a distinctly Asian flare to them. The interior looks cheap and stark, lacking dual climate controls that can be found on "lesser" cars. It's a good thing that BMWs still drive well.

Steve - 10/7/2005 3:54:01 PM

+1 Boost

Did BMW get 3-series redesign right? If sales are strong and profits are high, then the answer is yes. And that appears to be the case.

On the other hand, as a long-time BMW fan and owner (I have 3 in my garage right now), I am dissapointed that BMW is the company that makes ugly and/or awkward cars (7,6,5,4, series), or in the case of the new 3-series, cars that can pass for a cross between a Pontiac and a Honda. I've seen the new 3 in the flesh in the showroom, and on the roads, and they have a distinctly Asian flare to them. The interior looks cheap and stark, lacking dual climate controls that can be found on "lesser" cars. It's a good thing that BMWs still drive well.