Hi all,
I attended a launch party for the 4-series, x5, and 328gt this past weekend held by Ottos BMW. Nice event, really done up right. I think I made $50 back from Ottos on the amount of liquor and food I consumed
Anyway, the 4-series is a stunning car on the outside. The inside is overall pretty standard BMW 3 affair and nicely laid out. Bit sexier when standing back.
When I got in, some pieces jumped out at me as downgraded and I was quite surprised. I was there with one of my closest friends, a car guy who is currently evaluating the CLA, ATS, 3-series, and other $35-50k vehicles - so very familiar with the class.
1. The visors look so so, but feel very cheap and plasticky. This is clearly a downgraded part from a few years ago. It feels like a 2011 1-series visor.
2. The headliner is this el-cheapo vinyl mesh over a padded cloth. It looks and feels like it belongs in a 2006 scion tC, which I'm pretty sure I saw it in previously used as a seat covering. This includes the a-pillars, so directly in line of sight.
3. The door card is, perhaps, the same as the f30 and may have just felt even thinner than previously. What's striking me now is that this particular optioned up $61k 4-series is now solidly above the cost of a Porsche boxster, for example. This should not pass muster in this vehicle anymore.
...
There's a few others, but I'll add that BMW really hit the nail on the head with this generation sport steering wheel. Gorgeous. And the seats are delightful, albeit need to be broken in a tad.
The main stuff has been done right, but a lot of little (and large items like the headliner) just feel a cut below this level of vehicle.
As much as I enjoy BMW, and am considering an f30 335 or f80 m3 as my next vehicle, the f30 platform is really employing the lowest grade interior materials I've seen since the e36 in a 3-series. The e46 was excellent and the e90 was just not an exciting design.
I attended a launch party for the 4-series, x5, and 328gt this past weekend held by Ottos BMW. Nice event, really done up right. I think I made $50 back from Ottos on the amount of liquor and food I consumed
Anyway, the 4-series is a stunning car on the outside. The inside is overall pretty standard BMW 3 affair and nicely laid out. Bit sexier when standing back.
When I got in, some pieces jumped out at me as downgraded and I was quite surprised. I was there with one of my closest friends, a car guy who is currently evaluating the CLA, ATS, 3-series, and other $35-50k vehicles - so very familiar with the class.
1. The visors look so so, but feel very cheap and plasticky. This is clearly a downgraded part from a few years ago. It feels like a 2011 1-series visor.
2. The headliner is this el-cheapo vinyl mesh over a padded cloth. It looks and feels like it belongs in a 2006 scion tC, which I'm pretty sure I saw it in previously used as a seat covering. This includes the a-pillars, so directly in line of sight.
3. The door card is, perhaps, the same as the f30 and may have just felt even thinner than previously. What's striking me now is that this particular optioned up $61k 4-series is now solidly above the cost of a Porsche boxster, for example. This should not pass muster in this vehicle anymore.
...
There's a few others, but I'll add that BMW really hit the nail on the head with this generation sport steering wheel. Gorgeous. And the seats are delightful, albeit need to be broken in a tad.
The main stuff has been done right, but a lot of little (and large items like the headliner) just feel a cut below this level of vehicle.
As much as I enjoy BMW, and am considering an f30 335 or f80 m3 as my next vehicle, the f30 platform is really employing the lowest grade interior materials I've seen since the e36 in a 3-series. The e46 was excellent and the e90 was just not an exciting design.