siko

ROOF LINE








- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Merc1

Really a let down for me, looks like an open bath tub. Though I'm sure it will be a bit hit here in the U.S. and there is a lot of room under the 328i Cabrio for this thing to sell.

M

SDNR

I really like this car. I think it is going to be a huge success for BMW.

SDNR

Hmm, well that's a problem many convertibles suffer from.

Merc1

Well I disagree with that Rob. Only the older Saabs really had that problem to me and that was because they had that rising hip-line. Anyway, the Audi you posted looked great in its day. My problem with the 1-Series is that body crease at the top that stick out from the body and that sagging cut line at the bottom, looks awful. Though BMW for some reason seems to pic some of the worst colors for official pics nowadays. Some of the dark color pics from LLN look a little better.



M

SDNR

Interesting, I quite like that bold crease/ridge that runs along the top of the body.

The sagging line is something BMW have been do for a while now, the Rolls-Royces have it too (in a more subtle way) -- I am not particularly crazy about it either -- but somehow it seems like a logical aspect of the design ....I mean, it seems to work with the overall styling of the vehicle.

Merc1

Well I guess if you're going to have that bulge up top, a sag down below goes with it. That doesn't sound right, but ok.

M

Beemer B773ER

The reason why BMW's have that sag-line down low is try and make the car not seem so big. It's more a visual trick than any thing else. If the BMW's didn't have that sag-line, the car would seem very tall on the sides. The most recent example of a car which suffers from not having that lower sag-line is the Lexus IS.



Because the IS doesn't have a lower crease along the side, the whole side of the car looks very tall/stretch and also very bland.

By having that crease it makes the 1er's doors not seem so big. It's a very interesting and clever way to make the car seem skinnier and smaller than it really is. Also, BMW use this upper-crease and lower-crease combination to create that 'stretched sheetmetal' look. I remember the designer ofthe 5er said he got this 'stretched sheetmetal' inspiration from the Zeppelin Airships. Have a look and you'll kinda see what he was talking about:



This whole upper and lower-crease effect to make the car seem slimmer and sportier is something MB and Audi also use.

I agree with Rob that Audi convertible's really look like bathtubs. Not sure why the 1er cab's overall shape should be a suprise, it's virtually the CS1 Concept they showed to us at the 2002 Geneva Motorshow.

Merc1

I see what you and Rob are saying here, but I can't stand the way it looks. The IS does suffer a slab-sided look for those very reasons you gave though.

M

Beemer B773ER

That's fair enough.. each to his own, not your cup of tea, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.. and all that sort of stuff come to mind there.

But Merc1, I have to say I feel sorry ya mate. There's gonna be a lot of these 'bathtubs on wheels' around the States.. you're gonna have to put up with them somehow.