4 series!?!?!?

[pimpin325ci]

Have I just read blasphemy or has BMW really decided to name the "f30 3 series coupe" the 4 SERIES!? I've read this in the February issue of Automobile magazine.

[Neds Bimmer]

Its the truth man. The 3 series should have been the coupe.

[RyanM42]

Or, BMW should've just kept the 3 series, the 3 series. Doesn't matter now, all we ever get stateside is the not so awesome BMW models.

[pimpin325ci]

I literally tossed my magazine 5' into the air upon my eyes crossing those words.

[bimmerjph]

I think they have been tossing around the idea since before the E90. Because if you think about it that would explain why they renamed the Z3 as the Z4. I don't think they will do it though.

[mikasaur]

Yup. The new M3/M4 will have different chassis numbers from the regular 3/4 series cars. I think the M4 coupe is the F82 while the M3 sedan is the F80. Kind of confusing that the 3 is the 4-door and the 4 is the 2-door.

The ///M will also probably get a V6 or a crazy triple-turbo straight 6.

[Solvient]

wat

[volac]

Can we get some links up in here to take a look for ourselves?

[LinearX]

Darnit, I was probably going to buy one. Guess I'm taking dental floss to it right away.

[BradR127]

There have been rumors about this for the past 15 years (at least).... I'll believe it when I see it.

[JamesM3M5]

Yeah, they said the same thing before the E9x series came out.

If they make sedans "4", it is too close to Audi's "A4" sedan lineup.

[catch22]

So what? If ya like it and got the $ to get one and debadge, problem fixed. The 3 series ceased to exist with the introduction of the E9X anyway, it's all been downhill since.

[Matt Cramer]

Even if this rumor was true, I'm not going to get too worked up over a number - I could understand if the cars had names instead, but they don't. And even then, if they build a good M3, they could call it "Der Fleder-Rouladen" and it wouldn't make that much difference. A good name for a car is one that is attached to a good car.

(In case you were wondering, that means "The Flying Pickle Stuffed Roast Beef Roll-ups.")

[Luftwaffe1O1]

This EXACT same stuff started with the e90, and probably beforehand. The e90s have different chassis numbers too, e90 sedan, e92 is coupe. So I wouldn't get too worked up, but even if it happens, so what?

[jose325i]

from the spy pics I have seen, I would not be surprised if they call it a 4 series. It looks MASSIVE.

I do think the f30 sedan looks nice though. I saw it at the Houston auto show. Too bad it does not drive like an e46...it is probably even softer than the e90 :(

[Luftwaffe1O1]

from the spy pics I have seen, I would not be surprised if they call it a 4 series. It looks MASSIVE.

I do think the f30 sedan looks nice though. I saw it at the Houston auto show. Too bad it does not drive like an e46...it is probably even softer than the e90 :(

Its not that large. I drove next to one near Santa Barbara in December. Was a debadged F30 3er, looked like a test car. Doesn't seem too much bigger than an e90.

[kensington]

I consider it worse that they are getting rid of the straight 6 in many applications.

[typeS4]

wat

My thoughts exactly.


There have been rumors about this for the past 15 years (at least).... I'll believe it when I see it.

I think this has the best chance of happening. But who knows?



If they make sedans "4", it is too close to Audi's "A4" sedan lineup.

I think it will be too similar to the A4/A5.

[mikasaur]

Can we get some links up in here to take a look for ourselves?

There will definitely be a 4er. Whether or not the 2-door ///M will be called the M4 is yet to be determined.

The 4er (http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/19/rendering-bmw-4-series-gran-coupe-2/)

The potential M4 (http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/12/28/rendering-2014-bmw-m3-m4-coupe/)

[MartiniFK]

Could care less. New BMW's suck.

E9x 335,M3 and X5 were the last nice ones. New 5er and f30 are horrid. Sucks but happening more and more lately.

[bimmerjph]

Could care less. New BMW's suck.

E9x 335,M3 and X5 were the last nice ones. New 5er and f30 are horrid. Sucks but happening more and more lately.

Haha I bet you were one of the ones that sad BMW abandoned all its values with the E90.

Seriously can BMW ever please ya'll.

[Neds Bimmer]

I actually like the f10 5 series, I just don't like the looks of the f30 sedan. I cant wait for the coupe though.

[mikasaur]

Could care less. New BMW's suck.

E9x 335,M3 and X5 were the last nice ones. New 5er and f30 are horrid. Sucks but happening more and more lately.


How... why would you... how could you think.... you're so...!!!

Yeah, you're right... :(

[kornkid8600]

Yup. The new M3/M4 will have different chassis numbers from the regular 3/4 series cars. I think the M4 coupe is the F82 while the M3 sedan is the F80. Kind of confusing that the 3 is the 4-door and the 4 is the 2-door.

The ///M will also probably get a V6 or a crazy triple-turbo straight 6.

Wat...different chassis numbers than the 3 Sedan/ 3 Coupe? Doubt it. The point of an M car is to build on top of a current chassis. There's no way the board will let M make a separate chassis for both an M3 sedan and another for an M3 coupe...they can't even get their own fully inhouse BMW M car going.

[mikasaur]

Wat...different chassis numbers than the 3 Sedan/ 3 Coupe? Doubt it. The point of an M car is to build on top of a current chassis. There's no way the board will let M make a separate chassis for both an M3 sedan and another for an M3 coupe...they can't even get their own fully inhouse BMW M car going.


Believe it (http://www.bimmerpost.com/tag/f80-m3/). There's a chance that it won't be the F8X, but I've read from multiple sources that it is.

Then again who cares what the internal chassis number is? That's just a way for bimmer fans to keep track of which car they're talking about.

[espguitarist]

Wat...different chassis numbers than the 3 Sedan/ 3 Coupe? Doubt it. The point of an M car is to build on top of a current chassis. There's no way the board will let M make a separate chassis for both an M3 sedan and another for an M3 coupe...they can't even get their own fully inhouse BMW M car going.

The F30 is the non M sedan.
The F80 will be the M sedan.
Same with F32 and F82.

What you have to realize is that the current M3 only shares about 20% of its parts with the current 3 series. It simply makes more sense to have different chassis codes that are solely for designation in the factories.

[Tomcat104]

So BMW decides to go the Audi route like how Audi splits the A4 and the A5.

Personally, BMW can name their car whatever they like so long as they retain the performance and handling that the 3 series is known for. That is what matters in the end, at least for me.

[pizzaman09]

I don't care what they call it, it will still be a brilliant car like nearly everything else BMW makes.

This debate is almost like the two digits following the series number no longer corresponding to the actual displacement of the engine or how they switched the long wheel base 7 from being a 750iL in the e38 gen to the 750Li in the e66 gen. Name calling in an alpha numeric system doesn't really matter much. It only matters to die hard traditionalist of which BMW has proven they are not.

[Karl Hungus]

They might as well call it the 4 series....it looks huge. I saw an F30 in person at the Philly auto show and I couldn't believe how large it is. It's bigger than the 5 series use to be years ago.

There is something to be said for tradition. I think it's pretty stupid for BMW to do away with the "3 series" name. That's like Porsche doing away with the 911 name, dramatically changing the shape, and making the car into some soft tech-mobile.

[cmhbmw90]

There is something to be said for tradition. I think it's pretty stupid for BMW to do away with the "3 series" name. That's like Porsche doing away with the 911 name, dramatically changing the shape, and making the car into some soft tech-mobile.

BMW will never get rid of the 3 series name.

[CakePie]

Guess this is analogous to the 5 series and 6 series. the 6 is like a coupe version of the 5, sorta.

[Luftwaffe1O1]

It seems to me from the bmwblog article, that if there is a 4 series, it is going to be a 4 door coupe... and will not infringe on the 3 series/2 door/4door concept.