BMW's Development Boss Is Tired Of E46 CSL 'Last Real 3-Series' Claims
Even ‘ordinary’, non-M BMW saloons tend to feel better to drive than much of the competition, but it seems with the new G20 3-series, the German company was especially determined to make the car a damn fine steer.
Talking to Motoring, BMW development boss Klaus Frohlich said:
“It has to beat everybody in the segment in driving dynamics because all the Australian, UK and American journalists say ‘ooh the E46 CSL was the last real 3 Series.
“I do not want to hear that s—t anymore.”
Yikes. Strong words, but BMW’s plan to blow away all the other compact execs is pretty clear when you see what’s been done to the car. Compared to the F30 3-series, the front and rear tracks are wider, there’s more negative camber at the front, while the suspension mountings and the body itself are all stiffer.
So what does all that - plus BMW’s other refinements for the G20 - actually mean for the way the car drives? “First thing and this is for me the most important thing; you can drive fast and completely relaxed. You don’t feel how fast you are,” Frohlich explained. “Second thing and this thing is a big achievement; this car is much more valuable, it has much better materials and it is solid like a rock,” he added, going on to note the stiffer nature of the ‘CLAR’ cluster architecture upon which the car is built.
We’ll let you know if it’s paid off once we’ve had our first drive of the G20, which goes on sale 9 March 2019.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Funny thing, the man behind the E46 CSL now works for Hyundai’s N division
What strikes me as an often-overlooked criteria is the car’s size. Fair enough, the track is wider on this G20 and a few other dimensions have grown, too. But it’s not more comparable to the E39 5-Series than the E46 3-Series.
The G20 is wider than an E39 and has a longer wheelbase. To some extent, the sportiness of a car is diminished if it’s too big to fit on a road.
With modern cars, I feel like you’re driving strictly between the line markings and that’s already stressful enough. Get just the smallest amount of slip and you have a wheel in the opposing traffic. The cool thing about older sportscars is you can kind of carve your own racing line while still staying within your lane, which inspires more confidence and ultimately lets you enjoy the car closer to its limits with less butt-clenching.
Yes, that’s not an issue in the US, where space is plentiful. However, the US is a large market that facilitates the growth in car size with every generation.
With my rant being over now, I’d like to say that the E46 M3 has a brilliant successor - the M2.
I 100% percent agree with being able to carve out a racing line within your lane. That’s why I love my Mazdaspeed Miata.
Point well made. I think its pretty useless that the G20 is as big as the E39, which is actually a rather big car. Even though cars grow, parking spaces and roads do not. People buy the 3-series over the 5-series because they dont want/need as big of a car (+price).
“You can drive fast and completely relaxed. You don’t feel how fast you’re going.”
Great! Exactly what people looking for exciting driving dynamics want, as proven by the success and widespread acclaim received by the MX-5, the 86, the MR-2, and basically any sportscar before the 80s
You are comparing apples to oranges. Do you think people who shop for executive cars like 3 series has the same preference in driving dynamics as people who shop for sports cars like MX5 or 86? I don’t think so.
To be fair, since the E90/E92 generation 3 series launch it sort of tried to be more of a cheaper 5 Series rather than something unique on it’s own. It grew to large and lost the nimble feeling of older 3 series.
ive owned an e36 m3 smg which was the worst car so far because of the smg!!!! i then got e46 m3 coupe which till today i have then i got the e46 m3 convertible again beautiful car, then i got the itch for the e93 m3 loved it but was not an m3 . didnt have the fill and tightness of the m3 e46 and the balance and fill on the road wasnt the same…. i sold the e93… and stayed with the 2 e46 m3 … then one day i was washing the m3 convertible out the front of my house, when i guy just stopped in his car and made me an offer on the convertible which i felt hard to let go but the offer was to good for me the m3 e46 and e30 are the real m3 cars ever built… but thats just my opinion