[ErnestHouse]

esquire: To the contrary, I see the big picture clearly as does BMW. They need to be something bigger than the little boutique car maker you probably fell in love with. You have no lock on objective reasoning. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are few GT style luxury cars on the market. BMW is producing one at the 3 series level. That's a smart move and a shame you don't get it and wring your hands why.

[Enza]

i can careless about all the "why" comments. i love this! now from coupe to GT!

[Enilder]

Originally Posted by NYe60chrisIU

i'm not 100% positive what the purpose of this car is but it sure does look great from this angle

I completely agree. This is the ONLY ANGLE that looks good. If you start to look at sides and rear quarter profile, it looks horrible.

[acorradi87]

I can't believe there's ///M logos on the front fenders... do they think anything that they slap ///M on is just automatically better? They used to be classy and almost understated and now they just slap it on to increase their margins. Talk about diluting a once-hallowed brand. Extremely disappointing.

[dd1981]

Not exactly my cup of tea. But it's the current trend I guess.

[lem144]

Originally Posted by e90G

They bring this crap to North America that doesn't sell, but they won't bring the 1er hatch? I don't get it either.
If you need the extra room, get a wagon. Looks better (IMO) and is more functional.

Amen. BMW sucks for making this (and the 5GT).

[Marley71]

Just looking at Autoblog's quick video. I wish they didn't have the M package. Look at this profile shot. There is something about the profile that is smooth. I think the M package gives it too sharp an edge.

Just musing.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/21/2...rismo-w-video/

[Montego_335i]

Originally Posted by esquire

Whether or not I drive an M car has no bearing on whether this car is objectively a good looking car. Being an M-car driver makes me no less capable of appreciating the aesthetics of the 3 series sedan, the 5 series sedan, the 6 series coupe, the z roadster - all of which are good looking purposeful machines. This car though, is not that. And more problematically, it fills no niche except those already filled by BMW's other niche products.

And sorry to break it to you, the 3 Series GT is not in the same class (performance, price, looks, clientele or otherwise) as the Panamera, or meant to be a competitor thereof. Not sure where you came up with that bit of fluff. The 6 series gran coupe is and has always been BMW's panamera competitor.

You seem to take comments pretty personally, quickly taking things to personal attack. Maybe a "big boys" car isn't for you after all. Not when your mentality is childish.

-esquire

I just can't agree with what you've said at all. I'm 33 now and have owned 6 BMWs of all body types including a couple of M cars, I loved them all but as I get older I've been looking for something that has the driving dynamics of a 3er, 5er's comfort and, SUV's practicality. Unfortunately there is nothing like that so I have to keep 2~3 cars (sedan, coupe/vert, and SUV) at the same time for different purposes and occasions. I'm so tired of all the maintenance, washes, and depreciation. Thanks to BMW for giving me a solution with the 3GT. It is not as sporty and eye catching as a yellow M3 that's for sure, but at least it looks good enough to please my own eyes. I sold my E92 not too long ago because it was too small, too loud, too high profile, and too purposeless. To me M cars can only be referred as a toy to any "big boys", not a car, a car is what gets you, your passengers, and your cargo transported comfortably, safely and stylishly to the destinations. Please respect other people's tastes and opinions, people like you are the reason that everyone thinks BMW owners are cocky. I don't think BMW would still be in business if you market for them, your vision is just too narrow and selfish.

[ErnestHouse]

+1

[328inGE]

Originally Posted by Montego_335i

I've been looking for something that has the driving dynamics of a 3er, 5er's comfort and, SUV's practicality. Thanks to BMW for giving me a solution with the 3GT. It is not as sporty and eye catching as a yellow M3 that's for sure, but at least it looks good enough to please my own eyes.

+1

I like this car but I can understand there will be significant amount of people against it's styling. I'm good with keeping it exclusive as long as it doesn't take a beating on resale as a result. That's my biggest concern at this point.

[Ryan9095]

Originally Posted by ErnestHouse

There's now a great alternative to the Panamera (for those who don't need to pretend they drive a race car).

The 3GT is absolutely 100% not meant as a Panamera competitor so I have no idea where that came from. Perhaps I'm bias as as owner but they aren't even remotely in the same class. I'd safely say that's what the 6 Grancoupe was meant for. However, I think the 3GT looks pretty good from the side. Interesting niche vehicle... looking forward to seeing it in flesh before I draw conclusions.

[ErnestHouse]

Originally Posted by Ryan9095

The 3GT is absolutely 100% not meant as a Panamera competitor so I have no idea where that came from.

Categories are the tools of marketing people to manipulate buyers. If one is looking for a sporty-ish 5 door luxury car, one will find the Panamera, 5GT, 6 gran coupe, A7 and now 3GT. I said nothing of their vast differences and I only picked the Panamera because I had just finished building one.

Regardless, until the 3GT my list of 5 door luxury cars (in north america) was all north of $60K (outfitted). The 3GT changed that and that's where it came from.