We Told You A More Powerful 3-Series Is Coming But WHAT Should They Call It?

First off they need to stop jacking with the number. It has traditionally been engine size, but they started screwing with that when they added the turbos (Lexus is guilt of it to, as is Mercedes to some extent). keep it 335i and yes, I think adding the 's' in would be good. Though how does this vary from the ZHP package on the previous generation? That one had some of the upgrades mentioned but it was still a 330i, you could just tell it had the ZHP package from the way it looked. Dunno, just my two cents, mod it for what it's worth :-p

If it's still a twin-turbo in-line 6 engine, then yes! The 335is will do just fine. But if it's a larger displacement engine, a v-8 perhaps, then 350i will be appropriate.

If BMW is to continue its leadership in innovation, then advance the work on the twin turbos. This will not only began the separation from others, but it will also cement in the minds of individuals that BMW is serious about reducing larger displacements. Cadillac and Lincoln began (Ford with its EcoBoost V6 that can possibly pump out 400+HP and GM 3.6 Liter DI V6 and of course the Voltec powerplant. True enough, Ford GDTI Turbo V6 and future 4's don't rank within the best engines in the world, but who is perceived as being more green? No question BMW is seen as being lightyears ahead of Ford in panache, style and tech, but in turn it will be perceived that BMW is moving forward faster like what Ford did (almost overnight it seems), not some pie in the sky Hydrogen program that won't have a true infrastructure for years to come.

This is, perhaps, the only automotive website that is consistently concerned with what the manufacturers are naming their cars. Does BMW honestly believe that people think the 335i is slower than the IS350 and C350 because '350' is a larger number than '335?' BMW, I do not care what you call it, just make sure it's fast as hell, and priced well below the M3 if M Motorsport wasn't involved.

Yes, because 90% of BMW owners have no clue what is inside the engine bay, because they have never opened it themselves. When a housewife or see's the C350 badge, the will think it is more powerful than a 335i.

They should keep it 335i.

It should just be a package just like the E46 ZHP package.

Sounds like a pre emptive strike against the on coming 340-350HP G series Infiniti's

ROTFLMMFAO

There's a 350 hp Infinity G series coming? Where and when? Links?

It seems like Infiniti is chipping away at BMW like what Toyota did to GM. The difference is GM just didn't cared. BMW is the premiere performance manufacture and Infiniti wants to peggy back off of that success and it has made a big scar in that teflon surface. BMW seriously need to shore up its image and stay ahead of the competition leaps not steps at a time.

I remember BMW was thinking about "Club sport" a while back.

Um, just a point to make, it kind of can't be called the 350i unless it has an engine that is around 5 litres.

Duh!

Shame on you 001 for suggesting 350i- as a BMW owner you should know their naming system and that a 350i would mean a 5.0 litre engine. Just like the 745i you used to own meant 4.5 litres....

Perhapz vee needz za BMW reprezentative to kontact you and eggzplain zis to you, no?

you're still wrong. and this time two wrongs don't make a right. the 745 had a 4.4 liter v8 engine, not a 4.5 liter v8, that doesn't even exist in bmw's... lol. the new 750 and other '50 series engines have a 4.8 liter 360hp v8 not a 5.0 liter until the new 750 and x6 xdrive50i came out with the new 4.4 liter twin turbo 400hp v8. and ur supposed to be a car enthusiast and u can't even get that right.

It sounds like someone can't sleep because the 3 series keeps beating your luxury toyotas ;)

that toyota freak was banned. horray!

If anything, I think the name 335is sounds best. 350i is literally impossible unless it will be equipped with a V8.

SASv350is Sportive Activity Sedan Vehicle

My thoughts...I think 338i would be good for the badge. Wether or not it's a 3.8L (Most likely it won't be that big) engine, the badge would suggest it's slight bump in power over the 335i; just like the 328i does the 325i, yet would still give some meaning or clues to engine inside, as it would be in the general vicinity or range of its actual size.

BTW they'd probably name it the 340i before 350i!

328ia nd 338i would look nearly identical on the back of the cars and cause confusion. The people who care will now what the 'is' means.

Corny!

All those fake displacement numbers are simply confusing and deceiving. Just be honest and call it what it really is, the 330ti.

It should be a package of the 335... Performance package.

My vote goes for 340i or 345i. The original e23 745i from the '70s and '80s had a turbo 3.2 litre inline 6, later growing to 3.4. BMW applied a displacement multiplication factor used by the FIA to determine classification of turbo engines when raced against n/a cars. They have usually rounded displacement numbers to roll off the tongue better, so 340i or 345i would work.

They may as well add half an inch of ground clearance, a new trunk lid, and call it the 4 series. It's GENIUS ---- not.

3P

New BMW names are very confusing at least to people who don’t know very much about cars. One of my friend has a X6 xdrive50i and recently while talking to him he said, 'its 5.0 litre V8, very fast, a lot faster than my earlier 2004 BMW X5 V8'. I said it's not 5.0 but 4.4 with twin turbos, he said, he is not sure but thinks it's 5.0, as the 50i in the name stands for 5.0 litre and also his earlier car 2004 BMW X5 V8 was a 4.4 and after that BMW made 4.6 then 4.8 litre. So 5.0 is only advancement. Similarly my few customers also believed xdrive35i is a 3.5 litre 6 cylinder and i corrected them. I mean BMW should make their names more meaningful and easy like MB, Lexus and Audi. Write T for turbo, 50i for 5.0, 44i or 40i for 4.4, 30i for 3.0...etc. I think just for the sake of being different they do it, as all MB, Lexus, Audi, Jag...etc, write L at the end of long wheelbase car, S500L, LS460L, A8L...etc but BMW writes it in between the number and i. 750Li.
i is not that important also.
Now BMW made their badges even more confusing by introducing x drive and s drive.

JUGNU

I agree with the 1st part. I had to correct many people about the X6 being 3.0l and not 3.5l. But as for the 2nd part, Mercedes also doesn't really follow the rules much. S500 here is 5.5l, the 63 Badge is actually 6.2l litres, and I'm sure there are other cars I forgot to mention.

'i' is only important to differentiate diesel models from the petrol models. For example you have the 730Ld, the 730Li, 730d and 730i.

its not "IS" its "SI". for example, look at the current Z4. there is a 3.0i and a 3.0si. the X3, the 2008's say 3.0si. on the 2008 X5, they have 3.0si. They changed it for 2009 where it says XDrive 3.0i, only because of adding the XDrive badge in front of the 3.0i.
so yes, i think it should be a 335si. they cant add it to the M Sport package because it is already too late! To keep things traditional, they should call it a performance package.

335is. Elegant.

how about 335tii