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Tag Archives: 2013 BMW 3 series

From 3 to 4.

15 Jun

Yet another new model?  Are there not enough already?  Hasn’t every possible market segment been covered?  And what distinguishes this one from the others, aside from the number?  So went my initial thoughts.

Upon further investigation I quickly learned it’s a replacement, which seems to make more sense.  Three now becomes four, as BMW’s incoming 4 Series takes the place of the outgoing 3 Series Coupe.  “Attractive though not unusual” is my take on this newest Bavarian, and as for the answer to my last question above:

“Park a 2014 4 Series next to a 2013 3 Series two-door and you’ll probably notice how much wider it appears. The 4 Series is 1.7 inches wider, with the rear track stretched 3.1 inches. The car’s wheelbase is two inches longer than before, but its height is 0.6 inches lower.”

So it is, from 3 to 4.  We’ll just have to wait and see how quickly our heads turn out on the road!

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2013 in And That's My Opinion, BMW, Cars, Transportation

 

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Those Were The Days

23 Mar

In the spirit of that famous TV theme line “girls were girls and men were men,” I’m thinking now of a time ever so long ago when “5’s were 5’s and 3’s were 3’s.”

Take 1987, during my just-beginning-to-learn-to-drive heyday of knowing my car models while imagining the one I wanted to have.  The clear difference between BMW’s 3 Series and 5 Series could be spotted a mile away.

1987 BMW 3 Series

1987 BMW 5 Series

                                                                                        I’m afraid the same cannot be said in 2012, not even from a few feet away, let alone a mile.  Upon my first glance of the “all-new” sixth generation 3 Series, I really did think I was looking at a 5.  Only upon my surprise of seeing the trunk lid badge was I corrected.

2012 BMW 3 Series

2012 BMW 5 Series

Can you see an immediate difference?  Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I wish we could still easily distinguish between a manufacturer’s major models.  Unfortunately, as I’ve lamented before, everything looks the same.  And here– modern-day technology notwithstanding– is yet another example.

And so the theme song finishes, as I too sing:  “Those were the days!”

 
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Posted by on March 23, 2012 in And That's My Opinion, BMW, Cars, Media, Transportation

 

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