Why can't the m3 do this?

[Munit]

So I must admit I am pretty shocked and it has really made me question what the heck is going on with bmw. I never believed the 1 series really was going to be as roomy as the m3. I also didn't believe it about the old and new 6 series. This is until I recently drove both including having a 1 series (not 1m) for a week.

The 1 series has MORE interior room upfront than the 3 and also barely less leg room.

So I ask--where the heck is this overall size and weight coming from and why is it needed? There is no reason they could not take a 1 series size chassis, redesign and update a similar one and build a 3 series and m3 off of this. Let alone the 6 series in which it already has LESS room inside than the 1 series yet it weights 4100 pounds??? Why do these cars have to be so big

I initially thought, ok...people prefer more space and technology in their cars so they are growing. Well I clearly learned you have more space and tech in a 1 series cockpit so that is no reason to make the entire car bigger.

I really don't get it. My question is for this generation m4, why not take the current 1 series chassis and build a car off of that for the m4

I do get for the 3 series or non-m cars the longer wheelbase and such is desirable for ride comfort and compliance but nonetheless I feel they are way beyond what is noticable in additional comfort in ride.

Obviously I am not including people who want a bigger back seat although really the difference in the 1 and 3 backseat was marginal and neither are really comfortable for an adult

[Team Plutonium]

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Originally Posted by Munit

So I must admit I am pretty shocked and it has really made me question what the heck is going on with bmw. I never believed the 1 series really was going to be as roomy as the m3. I also didn't believe it about the old and new 6 series. This is until I recently drove both including having a 1 series (not 1m) for a week.

The 1 series has MORE interior room upfront than the 3 and also barely less leg room.

So I ask--where the heck is this overall size and weight coming from and why is it needed? There is no reason they could not take a 1 series size chassis, redesign and update a similar one and build a 3 series and m3 off of this. Let alone the 6 series in which it already has LESS room inside than the 1 series yet it weights 4100 pounds??? Why do these cars have to be so big

I initially thought, ok...people prefer more space and technology in their cars so they are growing. Well I clearly learned you have more space and tech in a 1 series cockpit so that is no reason to make the entire car bigger.

I really don't get it. My question is for this generation m4, why not take the current 1 series chassis and build a car off of that for the m4

I do get for the 3 series or non-m cars the longer wheelbase and such is desirable for ride comfort and compliance but nonetheless I feel they are way beyond what is noticable in additional comfort in ride.

Obviously I am not including people who want a bigger back seat although really the difference in the 1 and 3 backseat was marginal and neither are really comfortable for an adult

If you have to ask ... then let us tell you ....

It is all consumer driven, BMW like many others build what you and I want.

Have you not heard of bigger is better?

[CanAutM3]

[SamS]

The current 1-series (F20) will indeed share the same basic architecture as the upcoming M4.

[Pontrelli]

Because Audi and Mercedes build overweight pigs..hence so does BMW..

[bvanderbilt]

I wasn't quite clear on what the OP is trying to say -- but I just don't understand how someone can drive the 135i and claim it has the same interior space as a 3.

My friend has a 135i and the car feels tiny. With four people in it its downright claustrophobic. And seems like half the cargo space.

Car sizes go in cycles; expanding and contracting based on the times. People are claiming a new "renaissance" of interest in smaller, more compact, and lighter weight vehicles, but really it just the cycle continuing.

[VCMpower]

Originally Posted by bvanderbilt

I wasn't quite clear on what the OP is trying to say -- but I just don't understand how someone can drive the 135i and claim it has the same interior space as a 3.

My friend has a 135i and the car feels tiny. With four people in it its downright claustrophobic. And seems like half the cargo space.

Car sizes go in cycles; expanding and contracting based on the times. People are claiming a new "renaissance" of interest in smaller, more compact, and lighter weight vehicles, but really it just the cycle continuing.

This.

[py0413]

maybe because of the "thinner" seats that make you feel the interior space is more than a M3, but no, it doesn't make sense to me. I owned both 135i and M3, and no, I couldn't feel what you felt. Oh, and I like SpongeBob

[Xcelrrate]

Originally Posted by M3RD

Have you not heard of bigger is better?

That's what she said..

[Darth One]

where are you getting that the 3-series has less interior room than the 1-series..??

[Franken///M]

my wife has a 128i and it feels a lot smaller, not sure what you are talking about.

[aus]

So much fail by OP.

[JoM3z]

OP, I'm sorry, but you must be confused. How in the world did the 1 series has more leg room than the 3 series. I have ridden on both cars and I must have missed something...

[Darth One]

from bmwusa.com

135i coupe:




M3 coupe:

[Mike van D]

This is one strange thread...

[Munit]

Your missing the point of the thread.

Unless you have driven a 1 series than you probably were under the impression that I was until I had a 1 series recently for a week. The interior room and seat width are so close to the 3 series that the difference is impercievable. I did say the backseat was smaller. But for 2 people upfront the difference is non-existent or not noticable.

The charts up above do not give any internal inside space measurements.

The point of the thread is given they can make a 1 series that is 400 or more pounds lighter than the m3 yet has almost identical front room space and seats, than why can't a smaller and lighter exterior m3 be built with a smaller external body and chassis like the 1 series.

People are demanding bigger inside the cabin and tech. I do not know if the M market is demanding bigger cars that have the same cabin room. That is the part I do not get.

If the 1 was quite a bit smaller inside than this would not be a question. It seems they got almost the same interior room in a car that is 400-500 pounds less and more nimble-really qualities the m3/4 strives for.

[piloto]

Where the OP is off is in assuming the weight difference. In actuality, it's closer to 150 lbs between the 1M and the E92 M3, compared apples to apples in terms of options. And it makes sense, given the number of parts shared between the two, including much of the chassis, and the small difference in overal size.

[bvanderbilt]

Originally Posted by Munit

Your missing the point of the thread.

Unless you have driven a 1 series than you probably were under the impression that I was until I had a 1 series recently for a week. The interior room and seat width are so close to the 3 series that the difference is impercievable. I did say the backseat was smaller. But for 2 people upfront the difference is non-existent or not noticable.

The charts up above do not give any internal inside space measurements.

The point of the thread is given they can make a 1 series that is 400 or more pounds lighter than the m3 yet has almost identical front room space and seats, than why can't a smaller and lighter exterior m3 be built with a smaller external body and chassis like the 1 series.

People are demanding bigger inside the cabin and tech. I do not know if the M market is demanding bigger cars that have the same cabin room. That is the part I do not get.

If the 1 was quite a bit smaller inside than this would not be a question. It seems they got almost the same interior room in a car that is 400-500 pounds less and more nimble-really qualities the m3/4 strives for.

They made an M version of the 1- series. It's the 1M.

Compare interior volume + cargo capacity between the 1 and the 3. You get quite a bit more space at a modest weight gain. Personally the 1 feels too tight for me. I am 6'2" and the 3 is just right.

People talk about how nimble the 135 is but I was surprised to find myself disagreeing when I test drove it. Between relatively languid steering and awful delay on throttle tip-in the M3 actually feels far more athletic. Though I am sure those complaints are fixed with the 1M.

[luis_m3]

"The 1 series has MORE interior room upfront than the 3 and also barely less leg room."... stopped reading at this point. What?!?!?

[Z K]

The 1 series definitely is smaller.. the front seats have the same amount of headroom which may be what you are feeling. But otherwise everything is closer in to the passengers than on the 3 series.

But I do understand what you mean when you say the 3 series is too large. It is. The 1 series is the same size as the E46 3 series which was a good size for a compact sports coupe. The current 3 series is definitely larger... and the new F3x are huge.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by Munit

Your missing the point of the thread.

Unless you have driven a 1 series than you probably were under the impression that I was until I had a 1 series recently for a week. The interior room and seat width are so close to the 3 series that the difference is impercievable. I did say the backseat was smaller. But for 2 people upfront the difference is non-existent or not noticable.

The charts up above do not give any internal inside space measurements.

The point of the thread is given they can make a 1 series that is 400 or more pounds lighter than the m3 yet has almost identical front room space and seats, than why can't a smaller and lighter exterior m3 be built with a smaller external body and chassis like the 1 series.

People are demanding bigger inside the cabin and tech. I do not know if the M market is demanding bigger cars that have the same cabin room. That is the part I do not get.

If the 1 was quite a bit smaller inside than this would not be a question. It seems they got almost the same interior room in a car that is 400-500 pounds less and more nimble-really qualities the m3/4 strives for.

you can approximate interior space using the dimensions provided, but I am not going to spoonfeed any further. four more inches of wheelbase and 2-3 inches of width is a significant difference. I owned a 135i for 3 years and your perception is simply, inaccurate. as another member already mentioned, BMW did make a M car sized like a 1-series for customers who wanted one.