Have dimensions been released by BMW yet or guessed by mags?

Length?
Weight?
Wheel base?

Current issue of Roundal (July '11, pg 29) mentions an inch or two longer in the Briefs section.

So from what I'm seeing so far... in profile it looks suspiciously like the E90, but has the same dimensions as an E39.

Yeah... uhm... OK. I thought BMW were wanting to make the F30 smaller?

I'm still going to play wait-and-see on this one... but not excited.

Originally Posted by thumper_330

So from what I'm seeing so far... in profile it looks suspiciously like the E90, but has the same dimensions as an E39.

Yeah... uhm... OK. I thought BMW were wanting to make the F30 smaller?

I'm still going to play wait-and-see on this one... but not excited.

If everything follows the last few years trend at BMW - it is almost guaranteed the new 3 will be larger than the old. Same way the new 5 is closer to the older 7 in size than the older 5.

Even the 1 series is closer to several generation ago 3 series. Just add 2 to the two generations ago BMW! New 5+2 = older 7 etc.

weight is the biggest issue. Not a peep out of BMW about reducing tonnage so far. Now, we assume that the I-4 turbo will weigh less than the I-6 (N52) but who knows? This is not a trivial issue and if BMW delievers an F-30 whale, expect people to rightly bitch.

I think the F30 will be quite smaller than the E39 in terms of overall exterior length.

My quick research showed the following inches (rounded):
The E34 was 186 and E36 was 175.
The E39 was 188 and E46 was 176.
The E60 was 191 and E90 was 178.
The F10 is 193.

If the past can be a predicator of the future, I assume the F30 will be 180.

Here's a good analysis of how big it'll be: http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333749

It looks to be very close to the e90.

Originally Posted by jaisonline

I think the F30 will be quite smaller than the E39 in terms of overall exterior length.

My quick research showed the following inches (rounded):
The E34 was 186 and E36 was 175.
The E39 was 188 and E46 was 176.
The E60 was 191 and E90 was 178.
The F10 is 193.

If the past can be a predicator of the future, I assume the F30 will be 180.

I think this is about right. I think I read somewhere that an analysis of the camo F30s showed the car about 181 inches in length. As mentioned earlier, I am more worried about weight. No matter the power, there is only so much you can do with handling when major bloat occurs. BMW seriously has to address the weight issue in the coming years as new CAFE regs close in on them. Most manufacturers openly talk about reducing weight, but I have not heard this from BMW, although you assume they must be thinking about it.

Originally Posted by jaisonline

I think the F30 will be quite smaller than the E39 in terms of overall exterior length.

My quick research showed the following inches (rounded):
The E34 was 186 and E36 was 175.
The E39 was 188 and E46 was 176.
The E60 was 191 and E90 was 178.
The F10 is 193.

If the past can be a predicator of the future, I assume the F30 will be 180.

That answer is correct.........2" longer...........people in back seat will appreciate that...........