BMW i3 Concept Coupe
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BMW i3 Concept Coupe
The BMW i3 Concept Coupe, which underscores the potential for the i model range, debuts at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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What about 0-60, maybe 12.7 seconds? Oh I can feel the goose bumps rising as I write this! This concept is pretty fancy stuff from the former manufacturer of the Ultimate Driving machine!!!
Recently I had the shocking experience of driving a fresh off the transporter 2013 BMW 328i as my E92 was in for service.
Can’t tell the new 3 apart from the current 5 cause the F30 3 Series is as big as a proper 5 Series and looks a lot like the F10 5 Series.
Unlike my E90 3, the new made for the “Chinese Market” sized 3 Series never shrinks around you. It’s too big to play in town and reminds you of its size every time the body begins roll when turning.
Speaking of turning the power steering is artificial, vague and lifeless (just plain dead). I hustled a 2006 4 cylinder Camry down Carmel Valley road that steered better than this F30 pig.
What is with the standard greasy feeling Goodyear run flat tires? These run flats ride better than before, but if I want ride over handling I’ll buy a Lexus.
The drab, cheap feeling interior, assembled from substandard, indifferent materials, truly kills the deal. Gone is the formerly standard burled walnut wood (now a $500 option on the base 328i) interior trim, replaced by; “Silver Matte Trim”, BMW’ese for the cheapest feeling silver painted plastic crap trim this side of a Chevy Caviler.
I could sit in my E92’s sport seats all day. They would make a great office chair. Both the new standard and optional “Sport Line” sport seats feel flat and deflated and hurt my back when I spend more than a few minutes in them.
And why oh why are Sport Line interiors only available in black or grey with a tacky red or blue stripe across the dash? Other F30s still offer Beige as a color so why delete a selection that so many owners want?
If the executives in Germany want a funky black interior with a horrid red stripe then let them buy one, but give me back my beige.
Every 3 Series until now has been a special place to be. This F30 smacks of compromises made for the Chinese market as well as decontenting to make more money.
That special balance between sport and performance versus luxury and quality has been lost in every new street car that BMW now makes – excluding the old still available 1 Series and the X1.
But hey, we have that really pretty fancy looking Energizer powered BMW i3 Concept Coupe to look forward to, right?