Reminds me too much of a Mazda p5. No like.

I like that thing.

It's like a jagged-edged butt plug.

I like the 1-series. I'd actually buy one, if its sold cheap enough. But it probably wont be, so a Focus, 323 or an Irmscher would be a better bet.

The M coupe is a really nice looking car. Don't see much around nowadays though.

That one series is pretty ugly. Lines don't flow too well and just has an awkward appearance. The interior is pretty nice though.

I was laughing at some of the comments made. Especially comparisons with other hatches. The BMW looks nothing like a Focus or a golf. It looks like a BMW. Specifically like a small, creased 3-series wagon.

American taste in cars has always boggled and bored me, so its no surprise that the 1-series might be a bit "much" again for you. With notable exeptions, american sedans are on the whole very bland, big and unmemorable. Different strokes, i guess.

I like hatchbacks myself. I have owned a 1994 Honda Civic Si and a 1998 VW Golf GL and now have a 2002 VW Golf GTI VR6. If this BMW has over 200 horses I would look at it. It doesn't upset me at all.

I think the front looks good but the dosn't match up Its like they put two cars together and fuglied it up.

Our cars only started looking boring when we began copying European designs in the 70s.

BMWs as a whole nowadays are really starting to suck in the looks dept. They put in a bunch of incoherent curves, which seem to be randomly placed. The new 5 & 7 series look damn bad as well.

irseg - name some of the european designs they copied? We've had some bad cars, for sure, but no worse than any other country/continent.

Cars designed for the "masses" rarely have any kind of flair (thats only for the top end exotic stuff really).

The Focus won design awards - god knows why though, as it ain't that much better than the darned 1 series. I don't even care for the handling of it either.

American companies started ripping off Mercedes in the 70s, and BMW/Audi in the 80s (Audi almost sued Ford when the Taurus/Sable was introduced). Then the Japanese came along and ripped off everyone else's designs. And that's why most cars today look like modrately-used bars of soap.

The clean Euro designs were nice changes at the time, but they're also why everything looks so damn boring.

clonmult, I have to agree with you. From a purely visual point, I really don't like any of the new BMW's. They're way too complicated. As you said "a bunch of incoherent curves". BMW took perfection and screwed it up. But of course, when it comes to the look of any car, everyone has a different opinion.

Ok. I feel the need to point out that the M Coupe and the 1-series are 2 entirely different animals.

The M Coupe is a hardtop, tuned version of the Z3. Personally, I think it looks off-balance. I don't like it, but I won't put anyone down if they do.

The 1-series is designed to be an alternative/competitor to the VW Golf/Audi A3 hatchbacks. It is not a sportscar anymore than the rest of the standard BMX lineup is. When they put out an M1, then we can start talking about sportscars. Now personally, I like the 1-series. A RWD hatchback seems like an excellent idea for me, as it will be nearer my price-range. A price-range that until now has been dominated be FWD cars. No, not dominated, populated entirely by FWD cars.

Also, I think Bangle did very well. BMW needed to shake up their visual image and get back to being cutting edge. They want to be market leaders, they should lead the way on all fronts, design included.

the 1series isn't all that bad from the front although i am not liking the backend. i think it would have looked better if it had a rounder tail like the 6series without the huge trunk. the lines would look more organic.

I don't think it looks that bad...

Actually, according to BMW's new nomenclature structure, the performance versions of the 1 series will carry the #2 badge. Its expected that the M2 will carry a 2.4l turbocharged engine, and it will be delivered in 2006 (after the new 3-series and M4, in 2005)

Actually that BMW would look cool if it was open topped.

lol my thoughts exactly.