3 Series (F30) [Spyshots] BMW 3 Series Facelift

[Betty Swollocks]

maybe its because you have one

Yes. Somebody has forced a 3 Series into Martin's possession and now he has to spend every day striving to like its appearance. Part of that daily chore is to try and convince himself it's a good looking car by saying so on internet forums.

 

[Zafiro]

In most markets, the S-Class outsells the 7er. The 7er receives a fairly minor facelift. On the other hand, the 5er outsells the E-Class in most markets. The 5er also receives a minor facelift. The 1-series has almost been universally panned for being ugly. It looks like it's going to receive a minor one too. The 3 is doing well but there is always room for it to do better. Would a sharper exterior and upgraded interior steal sales away from the competition? Absolutely. Since when was staying stagnant in any industry a good thing?

A better reason? How about the upcoming A4, the new Volvo, the Jag, and the existing C? This market is getting competitive fast.

It's just an opinion of yours but I believe Bmw know better than you and me what's need to be done to stay competitive enough . Personally, Facelift is about minor changes not building a new car. That's my opinion, like it or not.

I say it again, how often are bmw and Mercedes making major changes to their cars. Not very often I say. So why is this suddenly a problem. This is just another typical fanboy discussion, dismiss everything as long it's not your favorite brand kind of thing..... Boring!


PS l hope the new C-class just get small changes when it's time for a facelift. It looks perfectly fine as it is.

 

[martinbo]

maybe its because you have one

Or maybe because of that fact is why I bought one? And thousands of other buyers. Oh, and did I mention that it drives like a dream too? Something else they ought to sort out for the facelift.

 

[Rolf]

The main area for improvement is the interior, they can improve the quality of plastics used in the center console as well as the metal look strips on the dash on the sport versions change it to real metal (not use plastic) or use denser thicker plastic to give it a less hollow sound when you tap it. Outside design looks just fine and they will probably introduce new or more powerful versions of existing engines. One model particular needs a power upgrade, the 335i, has 225kW/400nm for 8years now!

 

[Zafiro]

maybe its because you have one

Sorry man but that's one stupid comment.

 

[LaArtist]

Stop it already..

No one is asking for a W212 type of facelift, and frankly i think it was uncalled for by Mercedes.
But PLEASE get a damn grip and admit that his is a shitty ass facelift:



It has nothing to do with performance in the market, as the dude above me pointed out, BMW do weak ass facelift no matter if their car is the best selling or the worst selling in the segment.

And im sorry they do not design cars that have a 7 year life span.. You know that those fronts above already look plenty dated.

How can we as consumers know that they don't need a FL? Its BMWs job to show us how greatly they can improve the design, and bring a new attention to it, so that we crave this new Facelifted car they created.

Take for eg the W221 S class did it need a FL? probably not it would sell on at no 1 position .. but hey they gave it new head and tail lights..some other small cosmetic changes..and voila new life was blown into that models lungs.

BMW are lazy, lazy with their interiors, lazy with their designs to start with.. and extremely lazy when it comes to facelifts. Let's see how long they can play this low effort game before it starts to hurt the wallet,then they will react!

 

[deity]

I never said it needed to be a "whole new car." I'm just saying that the competitiveness of the market and the quality of the current product means that BMW shouldn't rest on its laurels. With new and existing competition being as tough as it is these days, spicing up the exterior and improving the interior less prudishly is a good way to keep and find new customers. Where is the fanboyism in that? I just want the car to improve to a greater degree.

It is ignorance like this that killed companies like Kodak. The whole "my product is the best-seller now so I don't need to make any changes" is exactly the arrogant thinking that allowed companies who tried harder to emerge and conquer. Mercedes' facelift strategy for some vehicles was clearly to compensate for the weaker initial offering. My point is that BMW should invest the time/money to improving the product more drastically so that they can stay on top. It has nothing to do with the brand or a way of doing things.

 

[LaArtist]

^exactly what im trying to say!

 

[Mars1965]

For the ones who drive a BMW I think it is better the LCI's are small changes.

1. Not driving a (completely) old design when buying one after it is on the market for 2-3 years;
2. The used car price drops less.

BTW every year the BMW's get a technical update (NAVI, I-drive, engines, etc), independent from LCI.

 

[martinbo]

Ag man, much subjectivity in this thread...

W212 facelift: Major re-design to realign with current design language and brand identity; highly extensive. Result = People complaining
F10 facelift: Minor refresh that takes the stance of "if it ain't broke don't fix" mentality for a design that is widely lauded as clean, elegant, uncontrived and thoroughly, recognisably BMW. Result = People complaining

I really like how the BMW F30 looks (especially with the hugely popular M-Sport option) and clearly BMW put in a thoroughly good effort with the design. Materially - unlike the 1er what is there that needs to be changed from an exterior design perspective? They will merely freshen up an already successful design and this will merely lend credence to the success of the original design.

Not everyone will like the design of the F30 whilst many will. If you're one of those who don't like it - great - it's not for you. Don't buy it.

 

[klier]

I should really ignore your ignorance. But " if it ain't broke don't fix it" something a 3er and 5er always adhere too.

No, no 'but'. Just ignore his ignorance.

 

[Mr Robert]

F30 3er is one of the best looking 3 Series ever in my opinion. I don't think it is in dire need of a facelift on the exterior front.

I remember when the FL for the E90 was discussed. That time, there were two things people really wanted; getting rid of the 'stache and a redesign of the bootlid/rear lights. People got just that and it made a world of difference to the car.

I don't think there are any such obvious points in the F30 design.

 

[LaArtist]

Ag man, much subjectivity in this thread...

W212 facelift: Major re-design to realign with current design language and brand identity; highly extensive. Result = People complaining
F10 facelift: Minor refresh that takes the stance of "if it ain't broke don't fix" mentality for a design that is widely lauded as clean, elegant, uncontrived and thoroughly, recognisably BMW. Result = People complaining

I really like how the BMW F30 looks (especially with the hugely popular M-Sport option) and clearly BMW put in a thoroughly good effort with the design. Materially - unlike the 1er what is there that needs to be changed from an exterior design perspective? They will merely freshen up an already successful design and this will merely lend credence to the success of the original design.

Not everyone will like the design of the F30 whilst many will. If you're one of those who don't like it - great - it's not for you. Don't buy it.

So you are telling me that its impossible to improve on that design?
It is a modern day 300 SL? or lamborghini Miura?.
I don't know what could be changed.. nothing really bothers me about the 3er..its a neat car, but isn't it the job of the design team to show us something even better?

PS
@klier From one troll to the other .. with love!

 

[Rolf]

Stop it already..

No one is asking for a W212 type of facelift, and frankly i think it was uncalled for by Mercedes.
But PLEASE get a damn grip and admit that his is a shitty ass facelift:



It has nothing to do with performance in the market, as the dude above me pointed out, BMW do weak ass facelift no matter if their car is the best selling or the worst selling in the segment.

And im sorry they do not design cars that have a 7 year life span.. You know that those fronts above already look plenty dated.

How can we as consumers know that they don't need a FL? Its BMWs job to show us how greatly they can improve the design, and bring a new attention to it, so that we crave this new Facelifted car they created.

Take for eg the W221 S class did it need a FL? probably not it would sell on at no 1 position .. but hey they gave it new head and tail lights..some other small cosmetic changes..and voila new life was blown into that models lungs.

BMW are lazy, lazy with their interiors, lazy with their designs to start with.. and extremely lazy when it comes to facelifts. Let's see how long they can play this low effort game before it starts to hurt the wallet,then they will react!

I agree with you in that BMW don't seem to make major styling changes inside or outside of their cars when it comes to the mid model life facelifts. The only cars that I can think of that had major changes were the E65 BMW 7series (had completely redesigned taillights and headlights, for a major reason cause it was dog ugly to begin with) and strangely the E46 3-series, with also highly modified front and back lights. The E90 3-series had a major redesign only of its back lights to counter the negative press coverage of its rear end. Otherwise the new model facelifts, like Z4 and 5 series it would take a keen eye to notice the differences. Unlike Mercedes Benz model facelifts of late have had significant changes to the front lights especially as well as graphics of back lights. The W204 C-Class (major front change), the GLK (major front change and backlight graphics changed), the W221 S-class (front and backlights changed) and then of course huge change with the W212 E-class, especially the front with back lights also having major graphic changes.

The major changes they do are the powertrains, I would say they update their engines/gearboxes more frequently than Merc and Audi. The 320d is a case example compared to C220 CDI, in 2007 it had 120kw/340nm compared to C220 CDI 125kw/400nm and then increased to 130kw/360nm in 2008 and then 135kw/380nm in 2009 whereas C220CDI in 2014 is still 125kw/400nm and new 320d will soon become 140kw/400nm possibly later this year!!!

 

[LaArtist]

Yep credit where its due.. They do NOT sleep on the engine side over at BMW..

 

[Rolf]

Yep credit where its due.. They do NOT sleep on the engine side over at BMW..

I think for powertrain development etc. BMW are probably the best in mainstream cars, with VW close behind. Mercedes are slow to bring out decent diesel engines lately, their 4 cylinders OM651 (except for new 1.6 in A-class and new C-class) and 6 cylinder are 6 to 9 years old since they first came out and are totally outclassed by BMW and Audi engines, they don't have a 3.0 twin turbo 6 cylinder diesel yet while BMW and Audi have had these out for a while.

 

[LaArtist]

^ i hope they adress these issues along with the new E class..

 

[Zafiro]

A facelift isn't always successful, like E-class and E92. What if the facelift for F30 fails. Urg, makes me shiver....

How many here want the new C class to have a big facial? I sure don't want to.

 

[LaArtist]

^ i want to.. not now its brand new and fresh.. but in 3 years they should update it abit to keep it fresh.. thats the whole point of a FL..which BMW seem to not understand ( or they do..but they cheap as fug)

The E class FL for me personally is no big hit..i dont like the front of it.. but apprently its selling like hot cakes .. go figure...

 

[SCOTT27]

What about protecting your customers resale value or adhering to the customer when they say do not change a thing?
Or Respecting fleet sales and the very large quantities of cars sold to them. Its nothing to do with being cheap or lazy. It is about making the best car even better and sometimes appearances do not matter for a car like the 3er and 5er.
As the New C-Klasse found out against the 3er its not just about shiny buttons.