I went to the launch at Blaauwklippen in Stellenbosch today. Firstly, the reception was warm and the snacks tasty and refreshments welcome.
There was one black 320d Sport line, and two 328i's, one blue Modern line, and one white Luxury line. The one that caught my eye immediately was the imposing looking black Sport model.
So here are a few pics with captions and impressions. The pictures are hardly a reflection of how impressive this car looks in the flesh.
18" Sport line wheel. Much more concavity in real life than shows on the pic.Â
Gloss black tailpipes are something different and adds to the rest of the "blacked out" trim on the Sport line.
Wide and muscular, and not just a mini F10 5-Series. Note the curvaceous rear lights...
Large boot. 480litres. Again, the pic does not convey the depth of the boot at all. Muuuuch bigger than my E46 boot
3D kidney grille slats on the Sport line model, as seen on the Z4 and new 6er
The way the headlight flows into the kidney grilles works very well in real life in my opinion and is something bound to appear on the 3er Coupe, Touring and even the new X5. Looks great
Wide, low and aggressive. Only 8, gloss black grille slats. Hard to show how well proportioned it is at the front because the camera adds a fish eye effect to the pic by itself. Sorry about that
A lower front diffuser piece on the bumper. Function above form, like BMW always does it...drag coefficient and aerodynamics must be impressive on this car, it's got little flaps and slits and curvy edges everywhere. Can only be appreciated IRL
Eyebrow slits carried over from the 1er facelift looks great in the new headlight
Here you can see how the nose pushes slightly forward as on the Z4 and 6er, doesn't end as bluntly as the 5.
Taillights are a huge improvement over E90,
Here you can see the internal elements that make the light "glow" when turned on
Here is where BMW took the biggest step forward above the previous model IMO, soft touch materials, double stitching, not a hard plastic in sight. Very classy trim and flowing surfaces...seats are also a step above the E90, which I thought already had great seats compared to my E46. Controls fall to hand, it's intuitive to find everything if you've been in a BMW before. Slight tilted towards the driver, which was missing in prev gen
iDrive might seem to be placed in a funny position, but your hand finds it even easier than you'd expect...piano black trim = quality and elegance. Cupholders hidden away under the storage tray in front of the shifter.
Gorgeous standard Luxury line wheel
Chrome trim strips nice, but would look better on a darker car IMO
And tailights stand out nicer on lighter cars
11 flat, chrome kidney slats on the Luxury line, each line has a different amount, thickness and finish
Different foglight and lower bumper trim too. You can also see the air curtain to the side of the foglight recess to improve airflow over the wheels
Same pushing nose, but no 3D effect curve to the grille slats
Modern line wheels, also even better looking when seen with the naked eye
Unique bumper trim on the Modern line
11 satin slats and satin bumper trim = Modern Line
Taillights = jizz
This angle gives the closest impression to what you will see if looking at the car in person
The waiting list for test drives is already 280 strong as of next week