Nay: 3 Series GT
Hi res album: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/bmw-3-series-gt-spy-shots-2/full/



Yay: 4 Series
Hi res album: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/bmw-concept-4-series-coupe/full






Yay: M135i as quick as Cayman S and E92 M3 around Nurburgring, quicker than E60 M5, Z4 M Coupe, and C63 AMG! Also 10 sec quicker than 1 M. Does lap in 8:05. Driven by amateur driver, so there is room for improvement.

The part in bold above doesn't make sense to me. How is that possible? How is a 315 hp bigger hatch quicker than the 335 hp smaller coupe? Not only that, the hatch is just an "M Performance" model, whereas the coupe is a total balls out proper M-power car. Yes, it does weigh 120 pounds less than the 1 M Coupe, but could that account for the faster time?

Hi res album: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-bmw-m135i-first-drive/





[Edited on December 10, 2012 at 9:11 PM. Reason : ]

12/10/2012 9:00:19 PM

I want that.

12/10/2012 9:01:31 PM

which one?! 3 GT?

12/10/2012 9:23:54 PM

^^^Yeah I'm gonna call BS on that 'Ring claim. Either that or they used gumball tires.

I've gotta say that 4 series coupe is a serious disappointment. Are they sure they didn't mean to call it the 6 series?! It's huge!

12/11/2012 10:14:25 AM

M4 renders
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=779847

4-Series Gran Coupe renders
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=779760

12/13/2012 9:47:47 AM

I'm afraid to see how big and heavy it will be

12/13/2012 10:29:45 AM

that hatchback looks so fucking awful.

12/13/2012 11:15:07 AM

great performance and agility, but looks makes me vomit.

12/14/2012 9:58:41 PM

if anything, make that the new mini cooper

12/15/2012 12:39:15 AM

minis are gaining weight every year. that new suv-ish mini is fucking huge now.
new bmws are all disgustingly overweight, have way too long wheelbase and awful overhangs. everything has gone to shit. all turbo engines. fuck all of that.

12/15/2012 12:50:24 AM

WTF is with these new cars and their thick ass fender lines. I want the sleek look from the 80's back, kthanx



And damn those wheels on the BMW hatchback look disproportionate.


More Like BMW NAY

[Edited on December 15, 2012 at 4:47 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2012 4:43:45 PM

Not gonna happen since pedestrian crash laws exist

Look at fiesta front ends .... High as fuck cause pedestrians can't be chopped down and hit their head on the engine block

12/15/2012 5:35:12 PM

^correct.

they are now redesigning front chassis to prevent pedestrian accidents and adding exterior air bags on the hood. blanket or whatever the name is..

[Edited on December 15, 2012 at 10:33 PM. Reason : m]

12/15/2012 10:33:12 PM

Quote :

"eah I'm gonna call BS on that 'Ring claim. Either that or they used gumball tires."

Turns out that was a shorter lap, not the full lap. Now the full lap has been done, in 8:18.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/112121851790/bmw-m135i-does-nordschleife-full-lap-in-818

Quote :

"This places the M135i only 3 seconds slower than the 1 Series M Coupe but seven seconds faster than the E46 M3."

12/19/2012 4:20:51 AM

Quote :

"Not gonna happen since pedestrian crash laws exist"

Just another reason to hate those EU governments They even have regulations for mid/rear engined cars. Oh noes, look out for those windshield wiper motors!!!!

Hiro, I'm surprised you didn't notice this a long time ago. It pretty much drove the design of the BMW Z4, which came out around a decade ago.

12/19/2012 10:11:51 AM

New old replacement. Going to wait until M3 comes down in price.
'00 M5, 146k. This time silver instead of black.

12/19/2012 1:48:48 PM

I love those.

12/19/2012 2:35:21 PM

Me too. Out of all the M models this is my favorite. It's nice to have LSD again and alcantara headliner is an absolute necessity

12/19/2012 4:03:13 PM

congrats!

last good looking non-overweight 5 series

12/19/2012 4:16:55 PM

Quote :

"Hiro, I'm surprised you didn't notice this a long time ago. It pretty much drove the design of the BMW Z4, which came out around a decade ago. "

I noticed it, didn't think it was as awful as it is now though.

[Edited on December 19, 2012 at 7:08 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2012 7:07:47 PM

You can also thank the EU pedestrian laws for everything from a Kia to a Focus having 19" to 20" wheels

12/20/2012 8:15:30 AM

^Thanks. Yes, unfortunately I think brand has gone to hell with obesity.

12/20/2012 1:37:46 PM

with the prospect of a bay on the way and a dog already in the home...

they never made a M5 wagon did they

actually, i see they did in the early 90's...



[Edited on December 24, 2012 at 12:32 AM. Reason : .]

12/24/2012 12:27:57 AM

M5 Touring was offered up until 2 years ago (E60 generation). Yes, it wasn't available in the US, but it was definitely made/mad.

12/24/2012 9:17:52 AM

I believe a few E55 and/or E63 AMG wagons were imported into the US. And there's always the CTS-V wagon

12/27/2012 8:25:19 AM

there's also a 540iT wagon

12/27/2012 10:26:54 AM

just throw the M5 bumpers and wheels and some catalog dual exhaust on a regular wagon and be like most of the "M5"s I see on the road

12/27/2012 11:19:01 AM

Need an alignment. Raleigh shop suggestions?

1/10/2013 6:22:36 PM

gowers on south saunders

1/10/2013 7:56:51 PM

what kind of alignment... like DD or track

i hear digital chassis does a good job.

1/10/2013 8:10:44 PM

Quote :

"You can also thank the EU pedestrian laws for everything from a Kia to a Focus having 19" to 20" wheels"

How so? Directly, or in the sense of they are required to have those blocky, fat-fuck front-end profiles, and the large wheels make it look proportionately less bad?

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

1/10/2013 8:40:49 PM

Also, I'm curious to see how this BMW i3 turns out and how it's priced.

1/10/2013 10:02:53 PM

^^the chunkier hood throws off the proportions of the entire vehicle. so the entire car has to become larger/chunkier and without larger wheels it looks horrible. Car & Driver did a good write up on it a few months ago.

Its nothing less than infuriating.

1/11/2013 8:16:08 AM

Shop should be done with my E36 M3 today...among other things, they're installing adjustable camber plates in the front and adjustable camber arms in the back. I should be able to get the alignment fixed and stop the rubbing issues I was having at CMP. Misc other fixes include new (poly) motor mounts, (poly) transmission mounts, and flex disk to firm up the drivetrain (it's felt pretty loose, and all those components were on their way out) as well as a new selector rod to fix some of the play in the shifter and stop a selector rod to flex disk rubbing issue it was having in 2nd gear.

Anyone ever used Vorshlag camber plates on a car? I think they look awesome:


Not that I'll see them much

1/11/2013 8:54:43 AM

^if you are doing guibo, tell em to change rear driveshaft bearing/driveshaft center support bearing. I think all used m3s never had this replaced. it is always overlooked.

1/11/2013 2:29:39 PM

More pics of the new 4 series






http://jalopnik.com/5975706

1/14/2013 11:29:26 AM

the front and rear lower valence treatments look absolutely hideous

1/14/2013 12:52:16 PM

I love that color.

Just picked up an e39 M5 a couple of weeks ago.

1/14/2013 1:23:11 PM

So you you have *nothing* positive to say about the new design?

Par for the course I'd say!

1/14/2013 8:15:13 PM

it looks like a 6 series coupe

not a particularly bad thing...

if you like big coupes

for a car that big, I'd probably want 4 doors

1/14/2013 8:23:31 PM

Isn't it just a 3 series coupe though, so not that big?

And if you're going 6 series get the gran coupe, as soon as prices on off lease or used ones come into my range the f10 is getting traded for one.

1/14/2013 8:30:46 PM

the front and rear bumpers, grills, and wheels look terrible to me. why do you push me away bmw?

1/14/2013 8:33:56 PM

Yeah the lower grille in the front/rear is pretty bad.

Also, "just a 3 series" is a humongous car nowadays. 1 series is about the right size for me, though a few hundred pounds too heavy...

1/15/2013 12:05:16 AM

This is going to be weak but it reminds me of an F-Zero car a little:



The toaster-appliance-silver is doing the car no favors.

1/15/2013 1:10:40 AM

Quote :

"Isn't it just a 3 series coupe though, so not that big?"

That comment would be true 20 years ago (hell, even 10). Now...have you been paying attention?

1/15/2013 9:05:45 AM

I get that anything larger than a Lotus 7 is too big and heavy, but if you want a nimble sports car a BMW you aren't buying a BMW these days. It's been a long time since the e30.

In relation to cars of this decade, this new 4 series is just a 3 series coupe and its not that big. The 3 series is not a large car, as today's cars go.

(and while I realize I'm a lot taller than the average guy, in my opinion the 3 series is too small because I can't fit in it)

1/15/2013 11:16:25 AM

just because cars overall are getting larger doesn't mean they're not, in fact, physically LARGER than they need to be.

That's like saying you're satisfied with a size 8 women just because we now have an obesity epidemic...

1/15/2013 11:42:09 AM

Zing!

I'm sorry but this is not an acceptable rate of growth:

1/15/2013 1:42:58 PM

i'll tell you what's not acceptable

the scaling of those drawings

that's like a fox news infographic

1/15/2013 3:02:49 PM

people getting fatter -> cars getting fatter

THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE

1/15/2013 5:03:55 PM