[illirep]

nice work. pretty cool talent you have there.

[Frosty]

Awesome work!

...as a coupe fanatic I cant help but try to envision a coupe with pedestrian impact regulations applied as the F30 will have...

...looking forward to the F32! Hard to believe it mayhave a more squarish Z4 nose

~Frost

[bman8]

Great job

It looks like front row head room is improved a little bit.

[Mii]

Thanks all! Here is another trace based on a better angle straight-on side view from one of the F30 video. The first spy shot had partial skewed from camera perspective. Instead of tracing camo lights, I applied design cues from F01 and F10. The final design is yet to be seen.

[noro]

Nice work once again. Listen let's presume the overall tire diameter is the same (as E46/E9X), how precise can we get about predicting the true length and height of the car?

Edit: Overall diameter of the tire is 25"

[kushtrim]

good work man

[Mii]

^^Based on tire diameter scaling on side view profile of the video shot.

Estimate dimension of F30: (+/- 0.6% (0.006) margin of error)

Height: 55.8"
Length: 178.7"
Wheelbase: 110.2"

[sports carma]

Great capture and sketchup Mii. A lot of attention to detail. They clearly seem to be moving to more of the sharknose style of the Z4 while increasing the wheelbase and bulking up the boot. Given the other current styling trends, I also wouldn't be a bit surprised to still see more curves or creases. I like that the 3's are getting a little less sterile, but I hope they don't go over the top with the sculpting. Although the newer Z4 styling shows a little more aggressiveness, I liked the simplicity of the previous sheet metal.

But again, nice work on giving us a peek!

[r888]

Great job!

[Wretched]

Great Job! Thank You! I really hope the 3 survives some of the nose treatment everything else is getting...

[R1200RT]

I wonder how they are going to engineer hybrid technology or full plug-in into it whilst keeping it in good balance?

[The Voiper]

I agree with BMW16, the E46 is a much nicer looking car than the E90. They need to make the F30 look lower and wider and fix the awkward looking head and tail lights of the E90. The trace seems to do that, great work Mii. I'm sure Adrian will weave his magic and not disappoint.

[noro]

Originally Posted by Mii

^^Based on tire diameter scaling on side view profile of the video shot.

Estimate dimension of F30: (+/- 0.6% (0.006) margin of error)

Height: 55.8"
Length: 178.7"
Wheelbase: 110.2"

Nice, looks like it won't grow much.

[Bimmerforlife]

BMW Blog is reporting that the 2011 BMW X3 is built on the next generation 3Series platform.

So when we see the 2011 X3 will that give us any indication of what the F30 will look like with regard to looks?

[Mii]

^Under BMW new module platform, F30 3er is sharing platform among new Z4, 3er GT, and X3. We may get idea of design language and element from F25 X3 such as creases, curves, etc. Though each model will remain unique to each own with details. For example, F01 7er, F07 5er GT, and the new F10 5er are all under common platform with different look on each own while sharing similar design elements. According to BMW insider, the best place to locate camouflage off X3 will be in Spartanburg, by then we can get a closer look of the new X3 design detail.

[vortex_tuning]

Amazing work!

[GregTheStig]

I can't wait to see this uncovered!!

[rocco]

just fyi ... all links to the images are broken. Would love to see the renderings.

[Castel]

Wow, that trace looks awesome. Great work Mii!

[Gig103]

Woah, very cool analysis!

[zibawal]

Originally Posted by The Voiper

I agree with BMW16, the E46 is a much nicer looking car than the E90. They need to make the F30 look lower and wider and fix the awkward looking head and tail lights of the E90. The trace seems to do that, great work Mii. I'm sure Adrian will weave his magic and not disappoint.

I agree! More well balanced looking car imo too.

[MikeTerp]

Originally Posted by Mii

^^Based on tire diameter scaling on side view profile of the video shot.

Estimate dimension of F30: (+/- 0.6% (0.006) margin of error)

Height: 55.8"
Length: 178.7"
Wheelbase: 110.2"

Boy, I hope these numbers are correct (or as you suggest, very close). Just about every pub I have read is predicting a longer, wider F30 compared to the E90. BMW has gone "bigger" consistently over the past few model cycles, especially the 5er. Given the upcoming CAFE increases, it seems bizarre that so many car companies are going bigger/heavier, even if they are down-sizing engines.
Let's hope that BMW not only holds the line on size but also gets some of the weight out of the 3er.