F30 Trunk Hinges

I recently attended my local car show and got up close to a 2012 328i F30 that was on display. I opened the trunk and got quite a surprise. Note the current E90 series has gas shock hinges that do not intrude on the trunk space. The new car has fat and ugly Chevy Impala style goose-neck hinges that do intrude on the luggage space. I can see it on a $20k Implala but can't believe BMW cost cutting would come to this.

Originally Posted by GerryD

I recently attended my local car show and got up close to a 2012 328i F30 that was on display. I opened the trunk and got quite a surprise. Note the current E90 series has gas shock hinges that do not intrude on the trunk space. The new car has fat and ugly Chevy Impala style goose-neck hinges that do intrude on the luggage space. I can see it on a $20k Impala but can't believe BMW cost cutting would come to this.

How do they intrude on luggage space? They are at the very top of the trunk. Overall, my impression was the trunk has more space than the e90. Also, these allow the trunk to fully open upon being released by the remote opener as opposed to the e90 where you have to manually open the trunk.

Originally Posted by GerryD

I recently attended my local car show and got up close to a 2012 328i F30 that was on display. I opened the trunk and got quite a surprise. Note the current E90 series has gas shock hinges that do not intrude on the trunk space. The new car has fat and ugly Chevy Impala style goose-neck hinges that do intrude on the luggage space. I can see it on a $20k Implala but can't believe BMW cost cutting would come to this.

I couldn't agree more with you! A big chunk of space is taken up by there attempts to hide the arms.

I believe it was done to facilitate the auto-opening with comfort access and generally a better experience with a trunk that self opening trunk. Many people would say that a 45K+ car's trunk should open without having to lift it.

The F30 3 series sedan has more cargo space then the out going E90 3 series sedan -

Cargo volume - liters / cubic feet
E46 sedan - NA / 10.7
E90 sedan - 460 / 16.1
F30 sedan - 480 / 16.95

From my complete F30 vs. E90 vs. E46 thread

This issue has been beaten to death, and then some.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=575778

Originally Posted by tim330i

I believe it was done to facilitate the auto-opening with comfort access and generally a better experience with a trunk that self opening trunk. Many people would say that a 45K+ car's trunk should open without having to lift it.

The F30 3 series sedan has more cargo space then the out going E90 3 series sedan -

Cargo volume - liters / cubic feet
E46 sedan - NA / 10.7
E90 sedan - 460 / 16.1
F30 sedan - 480 / 16.95

From my complete F30 vs. E90 vs. E46 thread

I don't want to beat the dead horse more but there may be more volume but is the extra space usable? For my purposes, if it doesn't fit as may golf bags as the E90, then it's a fail. Others will likely have other perspectives since not everyone golfs. I'll withhold judgment until I see it in person.

I looked at the trunk also and didn't feel the new hinges took up much usable space. My TSX has the same type and that has never been the limiting factor in what would or would not fit in the trunk. But one thing I did notice is how hard it is to close the F30 trunk lid. On my old E46 I could use the inside handle and just 'flip' it shut. I never needed to touch the painted surface. The new F30 trunk you have to push closed from on top. Very stiff springs. Maybe they are self opening, but this also makes it much harder to close. I'd rather the trunk just pop open and be easier to close. That way I never have to touch the paint and don't need to worry about scratching it. A nit, I know, but I'm an engineer and we are defective that way!

Originally Posted by Rocket_man

I looked at the trunk also and didn't feel the new hinges took up much usable space. My TSX has the same type and that has never been the limiting factor in what would or would not fit in the trunk. But one thing I did notice is how hard it is to close the F30 trunk lid. On my old E46 I could use the inside handle and just 'flip' it shut. I never needed to touch the painted surface. The new F30 trunk you have to push closed from on top. Very stiff springs. Maybe they are self opening, but this also makes it much harder to close. I'd rather the trunk just pop open and be easier to close. That way I never have to touch the paint and don't need to worry about scratching it. A nit, I know, but I'm an engineer and we are defective that way!

I had the same observation on this when I saw the car in person. I think it is a combination of stiffer springs and a lighter trunk lid.