Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by speede5

the M4 is not growing on me yet but I've built/priced an M240i several times over the last months. I am lusting over one in Thundernight metallic. Front end on it with the black package works for me.

Yeah, the M240i is awesome and has a more traditional grill. Not a fan of that colour, though.

[burn_this_city]

The car to wait for is the new M2.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

The car to wait for is the new M2.

Totally.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

There are aftermarket grilles for the M3/M4 that make it look more like the F80.

They are gross.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They are gross.

I don't know about that, the beaver teeth are pretty polarizing. The fact every press photo on launch had a euro plate up front told me even BMW Marketing isn't the biggest fan of the design language.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I don't know about that, the beaver teeth are pretty polarizing.

I think they just don't photograph well. I think they look good in person on the M3/M4. The regular 4 series doesn't look as good in person though. That latest aftermarket bumper floating around on Bimmerpost is laughably ugly IMO.

[Table 5]

The grilles don't bother me. But that's because the BMW design language already lost me a couple of generations ago, and at this stage I just don't care anymore.

[Ashasx]

Lost you a couple generations ago? The F80/F82 are among the nicest looking BMWs ever made.

[Table 5]

Meh, just not a fan of that generation either. It's just a lot of swoops, angry shapes and bulging hoods, thrown onto the page without any cohesion or elegance...basically like all BMWs now. The last 3 series you could say I still liked the styling of was the E90-93 (mostly in coupe form), and even those were not on the same level as the 80s/90s classics.

I used to love the brand, but they've completely lost me from a design standpoint.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Meh, just not a fan of that generation either. It's just a lot of swoops, angry shapes and bulging hoods, thrown onto the page without any cohesion or elegance...basically like all BMWs now. The last 3 series you could say I still liked the styling of was the E90-93 (mostly in coupe form), and even those were not on the same level as the 80s/90s classics.

I used to love the brand, but they've completely lost me from a design standpoint.

I kind of always felt the E9x looked fat, bloated and too much like a Pontiac G8. One of my least favorite generations aesthetically. I feel F8x looks leaner and more elegant.

[Fuzz]

The Ford Lighting frunk. This thing is monstrous. Fantastic. But then it got me thinking, why are we building EV trucks like this? Sure, the Lighting has a real length box. That's good. But it serves to make the truck long. The Rivian is similar, though scaled down. By having a traditional truck shape, they have a puny impractical 4.5 foot bed. I think it's time to get creative here. Shrink the front end, move the cab forward, and get the benefit of a real bed(and keep your silly 4 doors, since everyone seems to want that...). Why does an EV truck need a massive front end? It doesn't.



Really, I just want a small truck with a useful bed, and this seems a good way to get it. But with EV's it should open up some new configurations. And ya, I've seen the Canoe, bring it on. More experimentation!

[burn_this_city]

You won't get the old cab over the front wheels design because it is a death trap in small overlap collisions.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

You won't get the old cab over the front wheels design because it is a death trap in small overlap collisions.

I don't mean full cab over, but more like a van configuration with a bed. If a Ford Transit can exist, so can a short fronted truck.

[timun]

The only reason van-chassis pickups exist is space constraints demanding it. Stuff like this is popular in Europe only because of crappy little European streets:



There is no such constraint in North America.

I think the frunk is a brilliant idea that obviates the "need" for a tonneau cover over the bed. It's a nice, big, safe place for cargo that you want to keep dry and locked away, and much easier to deal with than a tonneau. Perfect place for groceries and such, rather than rattling around the back of the bed.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by timun

The only reason van-chassis pickups exist is space constraints demanding it. Stuff like this is popular in Europe only because of crappy little European streets:



There is no such constraint in North America.

I think the frunk is a brilliant idea that obviates the "need" for a tonneau cover over the bed. It's a nice, big, safe place for cargo that you want to keep dry and locked away, and much easier to deal with than a tonneau. Perfect place for groceries and such, rather than rattling around the back of the bed.

For sure it's a great idea. Doesn't mean every EV pickup needs that design though.

[Circa89]

Anybody know if there is a stolen car group on Facebook or somewhere? There is a very sus M3 parked in front of my house for 3+weeks. Not the neighbours. Hasn’t moved in close to a month, never seen this car previously. Thinking of reporting it to parking authorities but wanted to see if I could be an internet sleuth first

[browna]

Originally Posted by Circa89

Anybody know if there is a stolen car group on Facebook or somewhere? There is a very sus M3 parked in front of my house for 3+weeks. Not the neighbours. Hasn’t moved in close to a month, never seen this car previously. Thinking of reporting it to parking authorities but wanted to see if I could be an internet sleuth first

A call to the CPS non emerg number with the license plate should do the trick.
Parking Authority won't do anything but maybe tow it and maybe three weeks from now.

[woob]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Shrink the front end, move the cab forward, and get the benefit of a real bed(and keep your silly 4 doors, since everyone seems to want that...).

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Really, I just want a small truck with a useful bed, and this seems a good way to get it. But with EV's it should open up some new configurations. And ya, I've seen the Canoe, bring it on. More experimentation!

Small trucks are niche as they come and go every few decades. Back in fashion now but most of them will be gone by the end of the decade. The only constant in the North American auto industry is our love for full sized pickup trucks. As long as Americans continue to buy based on "bigger is better" this will never change.

[Table 5]

There's room for both. Keep the full size trucks as-is, and supplement with more experimental options. If a company like Ford can have a slew of SUVs/Crossovers options like they do now (I count 8 different models on their website), surely they have room for one experimental format truck too.