BMW F30 Lined Up Against E90 - Side-by-Side Comparison Photos - BMW 3-Series Forum (F30 / F32)

Jason · 02-08-2012, 02:05 AM

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW F30 Lined Up Against E90 - Real Life Comparison Photos

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COMMENTS

During our US press launch drive of the 2012 3 Series (F30) we took the opportunity to meet with an E90POST member (SharkH8R) who is local to the Monterey area and owner of an E90 325i (on lowered suspension). We had the chance to photograph the F30 and E90 in various angles for a great comparison of the styling and visual differences.

Here is how F30's physical dimension compares to a factory E90 (official stats from BMW):

0.31 inches (8 mm) taller
3.66 inches (93 mm) longer body
1.96 inches (50 mm) longer wheelbase
1.45 inches (37 mm) wider track [front]
1.85 inches (47 mm) wider track [rear]
0.59 inches (15 mm) more legroom for rear passengers
0.31 inches (8 mm) more headroom

NOTE: This E90 is lowered on KW coilovers, giving the appearance of the E90 being much lower than the stock F30 in some photos.

F30 vs Lowered E90

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Robin_NL · 02-08-2012, 10:32 AM

Thanx for the pics.

I'm happy the F30 has about the same size as the E90.

Jesal@IND · 02-08-2012, 10:36 AM

Wow what a difference. Loving the F30!

Jason · 02-08-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

Thanx for the pics.

I'm happy the F30 has about the same size as the E90.

Glad you enjoyed them. And yes, if the E90 was on factory suspension, the size difference would appear even less.

justinnum1 · 02-08-2012, 10:40 AM

F30 in red is really nice, saw one today. Not to mention the one i saw had contisport contact2!

DrivenByE30 · 02-08-2012, 11:04 AM

... Thanks Jason ...

and the fact that the E90 was wearing black and the F30 in red...
( you know what the women say, wear black make you look slimmer )
... made it looks like the F30 it was going to eat the E90 whole... looks big still...

You should have titled this: "lady in red or lady in the sexy little black dress" ??!

lkw15 · 02-08-2012, 11:06 AM

For its relative age, the e90 has held up really well. It's still a great looking car. But the F30 certainly has some of the fresh design elements that are indicative of the current automotive design trends.

Either way, both are good looking cars!

rs_philly · 02-08-2012, 11:13 AM

I own an E90 and had a chance to sit in the F30 at the Philadelphia Auto show last week. The only noticeable difference was the ease of ingress/egress for rear passengers in the F30. It can be hard to get in the back seat of the E90, but much easier in the F30. That's the big area where the extra 2" legroom makes a difference.

Other than that, seat width, comfort, legroom etc were more or less the same. Definitely an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary car.

Blip Bavarian · 02-08-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rs_philly

That's the big area where the extra 2" legroom makes a difference.

This says that there is only .59 of an inch more legroom. I would think that with the longer over all dimensions that the legroom would have grown more...

Rich@GTBPerformance · 02-08-2012, 11:39 AM

Nice comparison!

jlstyle · 02-08-2012, 11:46 AM

I always thought E90 was butt ugly and this makes it much more clear...

kind3r · 02-08-2012, 11:48 AM

Just a little taller than E90 .... the F30 looks awesome!!!

Xcution · 02-08-2012, 11:53 AM

f30 is way better looking, imo. Can't wait for my car.

SharkH8R · 02-08-2012, 11:56 AM

Jason,

Thanks for the opportunity to assist the forum. Just to let you know, its much warmer here today.

MI6 · 02-08-2012, 11:56 AM

After spending some time with brand new F30's I can say the size difference is minimal.
The F30 is not a mini 5, and it does not appear that big in person.
What is amazing is the quality- blows away the E90.

DoD74 · 02-08-2012, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkw15

For its relative age, the e90 has held up really well. It's still a great looking car. But the F30 certainly has some of the fresh design elements that are indicative of the current automotive design trends.

Either way, both are good looking cars!

Agreed, I think the E90 was a great car, especially the '09 and newer models after the mid-life cycle tweaks. I always appreciate how BMW carries over the aspects of the previous model that worked well instead of starting from scratch just for the sake of change. They take a great product and carry it forward. Definitely agree with the " evolutionary not revolutionary" comment...

Liang · 02-08-2012, 12:05 PM

Looks more like a LCI. For cars that are 7 years apart, the differences are minimal.

Liang · 02-08-2012, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archangel4865

Agreed, I think the E90 was a great car, especially the '09 and newer models after the mid-life cycle tweaks. I always appreciate how BMW carries over the aspects of the previous model that worked well instead of starting from scratch just for the sake of change. They take a great product and carry it forward. Definitely agree with the " evolutionary not revolutionary" comment...

The E9x is completely different from the E4x. BMW typically keeps two generations the same before the revolution.

dvil9 · 02-08-2012, 12:14 PM

Not saying the F30 is not good looking, I still need to get use to it. The E90 still looks good tho!

WRXXX · 02-08-2012, 12:17 PM

I actually saw the new 328i person yesterday. For the 1st time in my life I find the pictures look much nicer. The dealership had an e90 beside the F30 for comparison. The F30 looks gigantic next to the e90! More of a 5 series. And finally the sales rep was able to turn on the car and give it a couple of revs. It does not sound very good imo. Guess I'll just have to schedule a test drive.

clarence · 02-08-2012, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blip Bavarian

This says that there is only .59 of an inch more legroom. I would think that with the longer over all dimensions that the legroom would have grown more...

Most of the growth is in the boot, it's nealy 10cm longer than the E90. Rear legroom now nearly matches the F10, at least that's wht I found when I adjusted the front seat to my normal driving position. It's actually more comfortable in the back than the F10 if there are 3 occupants as the backrest cushion is flatter than the F10, & the F30 is only abt 1" narrower than the F10 at the back.

nick3753 · 02-08-2012, 12:19 PM

Nice to see side by side, but wouldn't a side by side with a LCI instead of pre-LCI been more appropriate?

02-08-2012, 02:05 AM	#1
Jason Administrator Drives: E90 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: IoT Posts: 13,911 iTrader: (0)	BMW F30 Lined Up Against E90 - Side-by-Side Comparison Photos BIMMERPOST NEWS BMW F30 Lined Up Against E90 - Real Life Comparison Photos 132 COMMENTS Tweet During our US press launch drive of the 2012 3 Series (F30) we took the opportunity to meet with an E90POST member (SharkH8R) who is local to the Monterey area and owner of an E90 325i (on lowered suspension). We had the chance to photograph the F30 and E90 in various angles for a great comparison of the styling and visual differences. Here is how F30's physical dimension compares to a factory E90 (official stats from BMW): 0.31 inches (8 mm) taller 3.66 inches (93 mm) longer body 1.96 inches (50 mm) longer wheelbase 1.45 inches (37 mm) wider track [front] 1.85 inches (47 mm) wider track [rear] 0.59 inches (15 mm) more legroom for rear passengers 0.31 inches (8 mm) more headroom NOTE: This E90 is lowered on KW coilovers, giving the appearance of the E90 being much lower than the stock F30 in some photos. F30 vs Lowered E90 Share this story OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE BMW M Performance Stripes for 1M, M3, M5, M6, F30 and E92/3 Birthstory of the BMW 3 Series Touring: a Family Man, $13,000, and a Wrecked E30 Vishnu / FFTEC Single Turbo N54 3 Series Achieves 700 WHP
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02-08-2012, 10:36 AM	#3
Jesal@IND Drives: E90 SSII M3 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 710 iTrader: (1)	Wow what a difference. Loving the F30! __________________ IND DISTRIBUTION \| 866.963.4520 \| IND STYLE \| FACEBOOK

02-08-2012, 10:40 AM	#5
justinnum1 Brigadier General Drives: 2013 335i Msport Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Florida Posts: 3,788 iTrader: (0)	F30 in red is really nice, saw one today. Not to mention the one i saw had contisport contact2! __________________ F30 335i Msport Estoril Blue/Black leather sport auto. black grills, Performance Exhaust, HK,

02-08-2012, 11:04 AM	#6
DrivenByE30 Colonel Drives: '12 F30 Lux 335i 6MT Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: OC - SoCal Posts: 2,174 iTrader: (0)	... Thanks Jason ... and the fact that the E90 was wearing black and the F30 in red... ( you know what the women say, wear black make you look slimmer ) ... made it looks like the F30 it was going to eat the E90 whole... looks big still... You should have titled this: "lady in red or lady in the sexy little black dress" ??! __________________ all 3 are MT > F30 Luxury 335i 6MT- The dream driven... _..._4/12/12 ED trip MASSIVE photo thread here <<<

02-08-2012, 11:13 AM	#8
rs_philly Private Drives: 335xi Monaco Blue Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 52 iTrader: (0)	I own an E90 and had a chance to sit in the F30 at the Philadelphia Auto show last week. The only noticeable difference was the ease of ingress/egress for rear passengers in the F30. It can be hard to get in the back seat of the E90, but much easier in the F30. That's the big area where the extra 2" legroom makes a difference. Other than that, seat width, comfort, legroom etc were more or less the same. Definitely an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary car. __________________ 08 335xi Monaco Blue 05 330Ci Convertible ZHP, Imola Red (sold) 00 540 sport, Orient Blue (gone, RIP)

02-08-2012, 10:32 AM	#2
Robin_NL S0THPAW Drives: AW 1M + N55 mids Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: The Netherlands, Europe Posts: 4,208 iTrader: (0)	Thanx for the pics. I'm happy the F30 has about the same size as the E90.

02-08-2012, 11:06 AM	#7
lkw15 Captain Drives: 2011 e90 328i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 931 iTrader: (2) Garage List 2011 e90 328 [5.00] 2006 330i - Sold (M ... [0.00] 2001 e39 M5 - Sold ... [5.00] 2006 - Sold (April ... [0.00] 2006 - Sold (May 20 ... [0.00]	For its relative age, the e90 has held up really well. It's still a great looking car. But the F30 certainly has some of the fresh design elements that are indicative of the current automotive design trends. Either way, both are good looking cars!

02-08-2012, 11:39 AM	#10
Rich@GTBPerformance Bimmerpost Gold Supporting Vendor Drives: A hard bargain Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 6,423 iTrader: (4)	Nice comparison! __________________ Your Home For Premium BMW Aftermarket Parts www.gtbperformance.com \| sales@gtbperformance.com \| Facebook \| 973 429 2839

02-08-2012, 11:46 AM	#11
jlstyle Major Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: nj Posts: 1,186 iTrader: (0)	I always thought E90 was butt ugly and this makes it much more clear... __________________ 09 E92 335i Coupe Jet Black/Coral Red/Sports Pkg/Prem Pkg/Cold Weather/Navi/PDC/Ipod/6MT

02-08-2012, 11:48 AM	#12
kind3r Registered Drives: BMW 320D E90 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Romania Posts: 4 iTrader: (0)	Just a little taller than E90 .... the F30 looks awesome!!!

02-08-2012, 11:53 AM	#13
Xcution Lieutenant Drives: 2011 135i mSport Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 444 iTrader: (0)	f30 is way better looking, imo. Can't wait for my car.

02-08-2012, 11:56 AM	#14
SharkH8R FNG Drives: 2006 E90 325i Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Monterey, Ca Posts: 54 iTrader: (0)	Jason, Thanks for the opportunity to assist the forum. Just to let you know, its much warmer here today. __________________ 06' E90 325i (Paid Off!) \| KWV1 \| JBL MS-8 \| PDX-5 \| Rainbow Fronts \| Earthquake SWS-8

02-08-2012, 11:56 AM	#15
MI6 The World is Not Enough Drives: Aston DBS-R Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Skyfall Posts: 1,023 iTrader: (0)	After spending some time with brand new F30's I can say the size difference is minimal. The F30 is not a mini 5, and it does not appear that big in person. What is amazing is the quality- blows away the E90.

02-08-2012, 12:05 PM	#17
Liang Lieutenant Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 456 iTrader: (3)	Looks more like a LCI. For cars that are 7 years apart, the differences are minimal.

02-08-2012, 12:14 PM	#19
dvil9 Enlisted Member Drives: 06 325i Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Hearth Posts: 35 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	Not saying the F30 is not good looking, I still need to get use to it. The E90 still looks good tho!

02-08-2012, 12:17 PM	#20
WRXXX Second Lieutenant Drives: E92 SG M3 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 217 iTrader: (0)	I actually saw the new 328i person yesterday. For the 1st time in my life I find the pictures look much nicer. The dealership had an e90 beside the F30 for comparison. The F30 looks gigantic next to the e90! More of a 5 series. And finally the sales rep was able to turn on the car and give it a couple of revs. It does not sound very good imo. Guess I'll just have to schedule a test drive.

02-08-2012, 12:19 PM	#22
nick3753 First Lieutenant Drives: BMW X5 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: California Posts: 380 iTrader: (0)	Nice to see side by side, but wouldn't a side by side with a LCI instead of pre-LCI been more appropriate?

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