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Are BMW losing it

8.7K views 82 replies 35 participants last post by  MONSTER  
#1 ·
Is it just me or are the new BMWs just getting uglier and main stream, starting to look like and Audi or a Jap car.

The new 3 and 5 series are puke to look at, the new 1 series is ugly and lets forget about the X1 the less said the better.

BMWs used to be very stylish and different to other cars on the road, the build quality used to be better than others too, now they seem to be the same sort of quality as other manifactures, mechanics I now who live me hate working on them or they just say it because I drive BMWs :frown
 
#2 ·
The 5 is growing on me but can't yet say the same about the new 3 (although it's early days).

The 1 has never struck any sort of chord with me anyway (if you're going to have a small car like that, VW or Renault do it better for 2/3 of the price), so I don't really care that it's getting uglier :hihi
 
#5 ·
I wasn't a fan of the E92 to start with but it has grown on me to the point where I am tempted to by an M3, just can't bring myself to part with that kind of money
 
#7 ·
While I'd like to agree with this, I think it's a bit of the old "they don't build 'em like they used to" syndrome. Just because the dashes aren't styled like concrete slabs anymore doesn't mean they aren't still solid.

The E92 is just as well put together as the E46 was (with nicer materials in places) and I've little doubt the F3*'s will be a similar step forward :thumbsup

Doesn't mean they're not a little bit ugly though :hihi
 
#9 ·
they have been losing it from a drivers point of view for 15 years. But in terms of giving people what they want i.e safe easy to drive high tec wagons they are very much on a winning tip. They just don't make many focused quality drivers cars anymore because they wouldn't sell in the same numbers or so they are told.
 
#11 ·
To me, a BMW was always sloped back lamps/grille and prominent Hofmeister kink (the squared off rear window profile) and aggressive looks. That was half the ethos for me, the other half being the driving. I just think the mix is changing away from looks. How many of you zooming around in your E46's and E90's would last very long in an E30 :eek, the handling has much improved whilst the looks dilute.
 
#15 ·
Its because cars are made in a wind tunnel now'a'days... So they are bound to look the same!!!!
 
#18 ·
Actually... come to think of it... old guys don't like new cars... Men in the age group 40 and upwards...
 
#19 ·
Not true in my case, I'm 57 and I can't see anything in older cars, the early 5 series had a dash that looked like it had been hewn out of a piece of breeze block. The early 3 series look ugly and dated to me. I like the modern BMW's they look cleaner and more functional.
 
#21 ·
Have driven E30s and E36s and E90s and a range of old and new 5s and nothing feels as great as the E46, like sitting in an F16 hehe. But yes I have to agree there is something a loss with BMW today, dont get me wrong I still feel very lucky and in a different class when I drive my car but i look at some E90s etc and think its lacking something.

I dont want to sound an idiot but with BMW back into DTM do you think that maybe we will see them bring back some sort of soul?
 
#24 ·
Im with plumb and sadly i wont be buying any newer BMW's after this one cos they are ugly, boring as fook, wiv iffy, crap and complicated engines...


posher fords and vauxhalls is wot i call em these days not superior cars...
 
#25 ·
If you drive them Doggy you will see and feel that they are no posh Ford and still a BMW at heart. The way they have gone is unfortunately the way they have had to go due to ever tightening EU regulations- its what the EU call "progress" I'm not so sure though.
 
#26 ·
i agree but yal dissagree here but for me the reliability has gone down the feckin toilet and the complexity has gone thru the roof..
makin em expensive and unreliable economic no go zones to me beyond the warranty period...

totally souless and useless engines aswell due to EU meddling as mentioned...
 
#28 ·
I think the test of time will decide how reliable they are and when questioning this on the internet you will only find horror stories. The thing is no one ever puts up a thread saying- "My car ran perfectly today" etc, it's all doom and gloom. You might be right and they will fall to bits but BMW pride themselves on reliability- if that goes down the toilet with the latest run of cars they will undoubtedly change up their game.

With a statement like "they are all bland and look like Japanese boxes" I think again see how they grow on you. Personally I thought BMW had ruined the looks of the 3 series when the E46 came out but now I love it and am after a CSL if I can get one for sensible money.
 
#30 ·
I think the test of time will decide how reliable they are and when questioning this on the internet you will only find horror stories. The thing is no one ever puts up a thread saying- "My car ran perfectly today" etc, it's all doom and gloom. You might be right and they will fall to bits but BMW pride themselves on reliability- if that goes down the toilet with the latest run of cars they will undoubtedly change up their game.
im just going on my e46 it was 7 years old before anything failed or went wrong on it (its still never ever broke down tho at 10 years old)..

now look at 335's falling over on the engine all over the place still in the warranty period,valvetronic engines grenading and failing in the warranty periods,high pressure direct injection engines falling over well within warranty periods?

it aint good to me if they cannot make it past the 3 year warrantys without falling over...


whatcar car manufacturer reliabilty chart 2011 sez it all...

BMW at a piss poor number 21 with a failure rate of 32%:sarcastic


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#29 ·
i dont know at the mo but its lookin like a Nissan 370z, rear wheel drive, pretty quick with a reliable, decent more DIY friendly and simple normally aspirated engine which is closer to the DNA of my 330 ..


i dont want:
turbo's
high pressure fuel pumps
high pressure direct injection
valvetronic
electric steering
electric water pumps

all shite, all expensive, all common failures

want more than 4 cylinders aswell over 2 litres CC...
 
#34 ·
#31 ·
Ok, i drive a 05 plate 330ci m sport. I think they look superb, the le3d rear lights look classy whether they're on or off, i like the dash and just the general shape.

I was behind an 11 plate 325 coupe yesterday, was silver with black wheels. It looked smart dont get me wrong but when u actually really look at it, it was just like a jelly mould.

Make the comparison:- my rear end has a nice boot lip spoiler, the extended plinth above the number plate, nice rear difuser on the m sport bumper, the already mentioned led rear lights.

This 11 plate has a plain boot lid all rounded off, with just a number plate recess and a bmw badge stuck on. No spoiler giving a nice sharp sporty point, no plinth as a little bit of detail, a typical jelly mould rear bumper, no recess line etc to add detail. Enough said.

Saying that, i wouldnt say no to a smart 335 m sport like the white one one of the posters above has, i love the sharp front m sport buimper, the mv4 wheels, they look great, its just a bit of a disappointment at the back.

Love the latest 5 series, someone near where i live has a 61 plate m sport touring, looks pretty smart. Dont like the new 1 series though, looks too big now, i liked the previous shape and infact........

...........a few week ago i went to a dealer to have a look at a 123d m sport coupe. I love the look of them, was white with red leather, big wheels, nice sharp m sport front bumper. But then, i looked inside. Ok, the red leathers lovely, the silver dash insert was smart but what the hell is with the design of the door pull/handles and the dash binnacle around the clocks, was plain black plastic, not a nicely moulded with grain to match the dash like my e46 has. Wasn't impressed. The equipment levels on newer bmws aren't as good it seems either as the e46. Please correct me if im wrong. When buying my e46 i had no trouble finding one with sat nav tv screen and harmon kardon however im having trouble finding a good 1 series coupe with options like this. Hardly any have xenons fitted on them to, and i dont want to be going into a 3 year finance on a car which isnt what i really want.

Needless to say ive put that idea on hold and going to keep my e46 a bit longer. Sorry for the essay.

Here's a pic of mine.
Image
 
#33 ·
Older bmw's are far nicer in style.

I like some newer 5 series, and 3 series coupe,

Was looking to get E90 or e46 330ci, but I love the look of my e36 so much!
 
#36 ·
Jeez,:eek

That table makes really sad reading.....
Porsche 16th, VW 20th, BMW 21st , Audi 24th, Mercs 27th
Surely someone in the German Motor Industrys Top Brass should be sitting up & taking notice ?
or is it simply a case that they know they can charge Premium Prices for their product and get away
with it. That level of arrogance seems to be locked into the German Psyche.
But it can only last so long,as history has proven over and over again.
.
Nice choice Doggie -
I can just picture that Signature of yours with a Rising Sun Bandana round your head ;) !!

Eddie H. :thumbsup