Newsgroup: it.discussioni.auto
Titolo: [Lungo - ENG] BMW Serie 3 E90, descrizione

Ecco la descrizione di un Dr. Pianale krukko (:-P) della E90:
By a stroke of luck, I was able to attend the Research Design Specialists
vehicle evaluation survey/focus group (invitation only). The purpose was
to help BMW evaluate future designs. From what I can tell, this is the
same event that Emission's friend attended, and it was an opportunity I
couldn't pass up, even if it meant giving up 2.5 hrs on a Friday night.
The fact that it paid $150.00 also helped. This was an East coast focus
group.
Of course, no pictures were permitted. Security was tight for obvious
reasons, and no cell phones, photographic equipment or 2-way pagers were
permitted. They used metal detectors and thoroughly frisked you. Lift
your pant legs, show us your watch, empty your pockets, etc. They meant
business. Personal items were required to be placed in small envelopes
which you could claim later. You may as well have been entering a high
security prison.
Enter the showroom...
Inside are 6 cars:
1. Audi A4 3.0
2. BMW 330i
3. Infiniti G35 Sedan
4. Mercedes C class
5. BMW E90 sedan prototype
6. BMW E60 530i
The exercise consisted of approximately 7 different subjective tests
(rating exterior and interior qualities, based on looks, comfort, etc.) on
a scale of 1-5, 1 being the worst, 5 being the best. Additionally there
were 3 different pricing tests (how much would you want to pay type
questions). You rated all the cars, sat in all of them, etc. It was
BMW's way of determining who is their direct competition and what levels
of quality they need to live up to.
The E60 was there for 2 purposes, to judge the quality of the E90
prototype (do you like it better or worse) and to determine what
specifically you find objectionable about the E60 (for their early market
research when it's due for a facelift).
So let's cut to the chase. Let's talk about the E90 (and accepting fully
it is a prototype and subject to change).
Exterior design:
First of all, none of the computer enhanced photos are accurate. I've
been on the Fest for a while and seen them all. No match.
Front:
Kidney grill is roughly the same size as the current 3er, however it now
has the extra-wide top like the 6er. The headlights are a hybrid between
the E46 sedan (post facelift), and the Z4. You have the same side profile
as the Z4 on the headlights (it looks exactly like the Z4, including the
bumper curves and criss-cross cut lines near the headlights from the front
quarter view), but looking dead on, the turn signals wrap above and below
the headlight (yes, that means eyebrows on top, and some on the bottom).
The headlights look nothing like the X3 headlights which many of the
computer enhancements have suggested. I did see angel eyes.
The bumper looks very similar to the RX8. Envision the Mazda RX8 with a
smaller center air dam, and 2 kidneys right above it and you have a good
idea of what it looks like. The hood does not integrate with the kidneys
(the hood line cuts right above the kidneys). Like the E60, the kidney
grills have an unusual indentation that melds into the bumper a bit,
creating the appearance of a ring surrounding the kidneys and the center
air dam.
The hood is closer to the E46 in size, but incorporates a touch of the E60
where the hood cuts into the side panels slightly. It is not very severe,
just a hint of the cut. I found it pleasant.
Side:
The car has no side moldings, which basically makes it slab sided like the
5. That said, they look more like the E46 than the E60, so they retain
the raised upper portion that wraps around the car, and the lower portion
is flat. The rocker panels look like the current E46 but a little bit
flamed. Windows are roughly the same as the current E46, so evolutionary,
not revolutionary. There is NO Zorro style cut on the side.
Trunk:
It has NO Bangle butt period. In fact, the trunk does not even cut into
the rear quarter panels at all. However the rear lights are evolutionary
on the E60. They are smaller and less slanty, but retain the unusual
shape of the rear lights. IMHO, they are the worst part of the car - they
do not look like they belong at all.
Interior:
The interior is evolutionary on the E60. That means there are only 2
primary gauges facing you. HVAC are controlled with dials. The stereo is
different; it was not functional so I couldn't tell you much about the
design. It looked pretty nice aesthetically.
There was no I-Drive in the prototype. However, there was an area that
looked like it was straight out of the Z4 where an I-Drive video pod could
possibly exist. I suspect that means I-Drive/Navigation will be an
optional center pod.
The interior is very flat and looked like the Z4. It is not driver
oriented. Ergonomically, the 6 speed manual felt unusually high and too
far to the right. Anyway, the Z4-esque interior pretty much means BMW is
officially doing away with the driver-oriented angling of the center
console area. The "T" style design is in.
Window switches have moved to the door. The buttons are tiny. My
relatively average hands could easily hit 2 buttons at the same time.
The car has a start button mounted on the right, and appeared to use the
key system like in the E65.
Steering wheel is cross between the E60 and E46. I thought it was pretty
tasteful, and did not have any radical departures like you saw in the Z4.
It was not multi-function in the prototype, but we were told it would be.
Engine:
They appear to be entertaining a 3.5L 290hp engine and a 3.0L 250hp
engine, based on some of the survey questions (like what would you pay for
a 250hp 330i, etc.) Sounds like they're upping the power to compete with
the G35.
Price:
The target price appears to be the same as the E46, give or take a little.
As has been said before, the 3er is the bread and butter of BMW's line-up
and they cannot price themselves out of it.
Overall design evaluation:
You can tell it's a 3 series. That's the good part. However, it seems
like every BMW in the model line up is so dramatically different
style-wise that the only thing that keeps the model lines consistent is
the BMW logo. This is bad.
Personally, I didn't like it. It is definitely a design you get used to.
It is not a classic design that you immediately fall in love with. I
suspect most people will get used to it relatively easily, and I think
there is potential. However, it looks like they're trying too hard, and
that makes me uncomfortable as a current BMW owner.
Now here's the real disappointment:
As enthusiasts, we are very protective of the BMW marque and how we feel
the marque being represented by these new designs. Love or hate it, we
are passionate about it. In my opinion, this makes us good survey
candidates. We will argue about it until we are blue in the face, but we
will do anything to protect what we feel is right for the brand.
This is not the type of person they invited to the survey. The people in
the survey group were of 3 minds:
1. If it has the Roundel, I'm buying it. All 5s for all the BMWs, all 1s
for the Audi.
2. It looks ok. I'll give it a 4, and I'll probably buy another BMW.
I don't really like the tail lights, but I will give that a 3 and we'll
call it even.
3.Show me the fastest way out of the survey so I can collect my $150.
I'll leave it up to you to interpret what that means. The fact that I
care seemed to be the opposite of what everyone else was doing though, and
it was a bit upsetting that certain discontinuity in design was ignored.
They specifically didn't want people active in Internet boards, and I
suspect if they knew who I was, I wouldn't have been there.
BMW needs to bring customers into the design process earlier. IMHO, these
surveys may modestly affect the final product, but it seems like their
minds are made up already on the overall exterior and interior

 Ecco la descrizione di un Dr. Pianale krukko (:-P) della E90:
...ok...l'inglese lo capisco poco o niente, but the next ff ® 's car (after
the naftone experience) is (99%) an E60 series...  :-D
(sempreché i don't incorro in the financial crack!)
--
ff ® (33 / 184 & 60 / Bergamo)
________________________   __________________________
* powered by BMW & Lancia    " Un lavoro tecnico non può essere
   (330d berlina E46 / Y10 1.2)    perfetto se non è perfetto dal punto
* @ (!) leva"tiquandoarrivo" :-)    di vista estetico ".   (Ettore Bugatti)

 been on the Fest for a while and seen them all. No match.
QUESTA E' FANTASTICA!
E posso dire che è verissima....  :-)
In generale.... bellissimo post.... mi piacerebbe conoscere quella persona
:-)
Certo che alla fine il 'tipo' mi è parso un pò freddino.....  :-O
CIao
-- 
Cristian F. (MI,35,143) PULL  ANNO IV d.C.   dO O   (||||)°(||||)   O Ob
http://communities.msn.it/IlmondodelDrPianale
Quando un uomo con la TurboNafta incontra un uomo con il TurboBenza,
l'uomo con la TurboNafta è un uomo sverniciato.