# Newsflash : Official Coupe/Cabrio Facelift pictures !



## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)




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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

larger pic


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## JakeC (Apr 21, 2002)

Looks beautiful!


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## Atlantis (Oct 19, 2002)

Heres some details about the facelift:

"- new design bi xenon head lights (with optional adaptive cornering light for the coupe and convertible) 
- 330d engine in coupe (242 km/h; 7,2 sec. 0-100 km/h) 
- 330d has now 204 hp and 410 nm in stead of 193 hp 
- 6 speed transmission for 330d 330cd, 330i, 330ci, and 320d 
- navigation now with dvd and blue tooth 
- brake lights of the coupe and convertible now have led-technology and two stage break lights for the US market 
- 325ti Compact 6 speed transmission 
- the rear lights of the compact now have coloured glass in stead of clear glass 
- 318td compact "


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

It looks OK. Just as with the sedan, I prefer the pre-facelift styling.


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2002)

I like the lower fascia better than the fascia on the '00-'02 coupes. But the headlights evoke the upcoming 5er (based on the spy pics we've seen) WAY too much, IMO. They are even worse than the sedan facelift headlights (although the sedan facelift lower fascia is MUCH worse than any other E46 lower fascia).

IMO, this looks like a small E65 coupe. And that's not a good thing.

I thought Bangle wanted to get AWAY from the "one sausage, different lengths"-look. All he's doing is putting the same few styling elements (hideous ones at that) on all of the models.


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## JakeC (Apr 21, 2002)

Well I like new models much more than old ones:


































Sorry, big pictures...


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

*hope HACK is reading this:*

because official specs are 6 speed trannys......

....anyway, i think the facelift is pretty decent. not too ugly, but mind you, my expectations are quite low for munich styling these days, so i'm pleasantly surprised.

i hated the 2002 E46 facelift, but since i live with it and wake up to seeing it every morning, i've grown accustomed to it. the problem is: the 2002 facelift really ages the pre 2002 E46s with all of those horizontal front lines on their front ends. the 2002 look is cleaner, just uglier.

this 2003/4 facelift is clean and aggressive. pretty? ahem.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

I don't mind the lights, but the front facia just doesn't do it for me. IMO the M-Technic facia like what is offered on the European sport package would look much better.

When they talk about the "two stage brake lights" what do they mean. Also...why doesn't the US market get the LED tail lamps. Not only do they look better, but I think they are more visible through road spray or when the weather is bad.


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## bren (Jul 1, 2002)

Alex Baumann said:


> *
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's with that black stripe across the bumper? It looks out of place to me.

And I agree with TD in that I like the lower fascia better than the current offering.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Now they just need to sell the 330d over here!


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

I think that the headlights look better here than the sedan, but the bodykit is horrible. Why the hell are the fog surrounds so large?

Also, I'm glad they didn't use sedan taillights.


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## Jetfire (Jun 20, 2002)

Nice. 

I like both the new fascia AND the new headlights. Yeah, they're a little odd at first - what's with the straight bottom edge that then curves downward before going up? But they're smooth and work well for me.

No, the looks alone aren't going to make me give up my car. But I like it.


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

TD said:


> *IMO, this looks like a small E65 coupe. And that's not a good thing.
> 
> I thought Bangle wanted to get AWAY from the "one sausage, different lengths"-look. All he's doing is putting the same few styling elements (hideous ones at that) on all of the models. *


No, it doesn't look anything like an E65 coupe. What are you talking about? It has no eyebrows or 5 foot wide kidney grilles.


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

I like that Compact M-bumper cover better


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

OK, now it's my turn.

I think, it's looking good. They didn't change the hood lines which is good, IMO.

But my question is, how is Alpina going to fit the front spoiler there ?


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## TD330ci (Dec 29, 2001)

Is that finally a 1 piece headlight design like the 5'er?


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

TD330ci said:


> *Is that finally a 1 piece headlight design like the 5'er?  *


It wasn't once piece before?


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

nate328Ci said:


> *It wasn't once piece before?*


I think he meant 'one piece' including the turn lights :dunno:


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## ChadS (Jan 4, 2002)

Wonder how long it will take Autospies to copy these from here! :tsk:


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

PhilH said:


> *Why do all the new cars in this thread have the shark fin antenna? Does it come with the nav system or what? *


It's an european thing from what I gather.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

My two cents...I can live with it. But I do still like the original coupe headlights and front bumper. Rear bumper and trunk open handle, and the tail light treatment I like the "lift" better.

Then again, there's no possibility I will buy another E46 again. The Blue Coupe will stay in the family until I can't figure out how to fix whatever problem, and the next car I buy will probably be the MZ4 and a new v-8 6 series. :thumbup: 

Another thought...I'll bet if THIS came out before the sedan facelift we'd all be in an UPROAR. The sedan, E65, and Z4 have all soften our "palatte." Did I hear TD LIKES the front bumper treatment?! Next thing you know cats and dogs would be living together.


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2002)

The HACK said:


> * Did I hear TD LIKES the front bumper treatment?! Next thing you know cats and dogs would be living together. *


I said, from the bumper DOWN, I like the facelift better than the original E46 coupe. But the headlights suck.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *It's an european thing from what I gather. *


Shark Fin antenna (also called Group Antenna here) is one of the components of the phone pre-wiring.

NAV doesn't neccessarily needs the Shark Fin antenna. My 320d has NAV but no S-F antenna.


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

The HACK said:


> * and the next car I buy will probably be the MZ4 and a new v-8 6 series. :thumbup:
> *


You should get the rumored M6 LTW


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

nate328Ci said:


> *You should get the rumored M6 LTW  *


Not in a mood for a $85,000+ car. If I'm spending that sort of money I'd rather just get a Porsche 911. :dunno:

I figure if they DO make a 645Ci I'd be happy enough with dat...Shouldn't break the bank at more than $55K. With the new 5 & 6 series rumor to have a lot of lightweight components and not weighing in at more than 3,500 lbs, I figure the 645Ci would break the 60 in about 5.2-5.4 range. It'll weight nearly the same as the E46 M3 and have the same power AND a lot more torque. :thumbup:

Anything more than that, it's pure penis extender category. I think I'm secure enough with my manhood.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

TD said:


> *I said, from the bumper DOWN, I like the facelift better than the original E46 coupe. But the headlights suck. *


I know, but the post doesn't have the same effect if I say, "even HW likes it" or "even JP in TO likes it" or "even nate328Ci likes it." Hell, you've already set the precedence for not liking anything touched by the hand of man...:thumbup:


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## Jspeed (Dec 23, 2001)

Does anyone else think the facelift makes the car look too feminine?


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

The HACK said:


> *By the way, this is an EUROPEAN only car...They don't have the front rectangular reflectors, period...Even on pre-facelifted models.
> 
> My bet is there WILL be an amber reflector up front, but probably in a slightly different shape. *


Or amber reflecters as part of the turn signal lenses, like the ones on the sedan.


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *the next car I buy will probably be the MZ4 and a new v-8 6 series. :thumbup: *


You'll be waiting a looooooong time for that MZ4 considering BMW says there will be no M edition of the Z4.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *Not in a mood for a $85,000+ car. If I'm spending that sort of money I'd rather just get a Porsche 911. :dunno:
> 
> I figure if they DO make a 645Ci I'd be happy enough with dat...Shouldn't break the bank at more than $55K. With the new 5 & 6 series rumor to have a lot of lightweight components and not weighing in at more than 3,500 lbs, I figure the 645Ci would break the 60 in about 5.2-5.4 range. It'll weight nearly the same as the E46 M3 and have the same power AND a lot more torque. :thumbup:
> 
> Anything more than that, it's pure penis extender category. I think I'm secure enough with my manhood. *


3500 lbs is still heavy. if i decide to give bmw another try, the new 1 series in coupe form from the M division would be nice. hopefully, that would be lightweight (in the less than 2700 lbs
range) with 225 to 240 hp would be great. if they can put out that much from a NA I4 to keep the weight down, awesome. too bad it will be built
in SC. :dunno: ??


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

HW said:


> *3500 lbs is still heavy. if i decide to give bmw another try, the new 1 series in coupe form from the M division would be nice. hopefully, that would be lightweight (in the less than 2700 lbs
> range) with 225 to 240 hp would be great. if they can put out that much from a NA I4 to keep the weight down, awesome. too bad it will be built
> in SC. :dunno: ?? *


For as big of a car as it appears to be, 3500 wouldn't be bad.

It would be impressive to have an M6 LTW at 3400 or even less. That would be a beast.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

alee said:


> *You'll be waiting a looooooong time for that MZ4 considering BMW says there will be no M edition of the Z4. *


BMW also says for the longest time there will be no facelift for coupe and E46 M3...Well guess what? That fax document posted on .org pretty much confirmed everything here.

There could be a lot of reasons why BMW is tight-lipped about the MZ4. There are production models running around for test so at least the MZ4 is ready to be produced. It's hard to imagine BMW going through all that trouble to NOT release an M version.

The biggest hold up is still the choice of engine. The S54 is on its last legs and BMW knows it. They've managed to squeeze every single drop of performance POSSIBLE with today's technology out of that I-6. There WILL be a complete, built from the ground up engine for the next generation M3/M4...So the question remains, why build a lame duck MZ4 when a new, more powerful engine is under development?


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

The Z4 3.0 is already fast as hell, I couldn't even imagine how fast an S54 model could be if it has decent gearing.

Or if they ever get around to puting that 4-4.5L V8 in the M3.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

nate328Ci said:


> *For as big of a car as it appears to be, 3500 wouldn't be bad.
> 
> It would be impressive to have an M6 LTW at 3400 or even less. That would be a beast. *


Watch out Porsche. A BMW that weighs about the same as the current M3 but with a 500+ hp V-10 under the hood...

Time to lobby ACO to change the rules again!


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

RS2 said:


> *My guess is that the M3 only will get the LED rear lights, trunk handle, etc. but not the head lights.
> 
> The European press release also mentions two new 3-series special edition packages "Lifestyle" and "Exclusive" with new external colors and two new wheel designs. The new "Sport" package is the old M-sport package with some additional equipment.
> 
> /RS2 *


nope, 'beg to differ. the m3 will get the changes but will be delayed a bit. i think the reason why the coupe didn't get the
changes sooner was because the sedan got the changes
around the same time that the m3 came out and it was already
designed/built with the old styling.


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## E46 in Philly (Mar 5, 2002)

> *Another thought...I'll bet if THIS came out before the sedan facelift we'd all be in an UPROAR. The sedan, E65, and Z4 have all soften our "palatte." Did I hear TD LIKES the front bumper treatment?! Next thing you know cats and dogs would be living together. *


I don't think it's so much a question of our becoming used to the new styling direction. Rather, I think this just happens to be the first decent design they've come out with after a string of misses. When compared to the re-styling of the sedan this look is considerably more aggressive - as befitting a german sports sedan/coupe. Whether or not this design followed the sedan's is really irrelevant... the sedan's new look is more feminine than the coupe's regardless of the order of appearance.

Also, what I think about this design doesn't change at all my disgust for the 7 or ambivalence towards the Z4. I just hope that the next 5 has more elements of this look than of sedan's, the Z4's, or God forbid the 7's. Speaking of which, I remember one spy shot or computer image of the new 5 series that was very evocative of this new coupe look. It was one of the few 5 series "previews" that I really liked (I don't have a link - it was in one of the major U.S. car mags). I suppose it won't be long before we start to see some official pics of the new 5.


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

anyone know a real timetable for rolling out the next generation of 3 series engines? probably have to wait until the e90 or whatever the next chassis designation is?

just curious.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *The biggest hold up is still the choice of engine. The S54 is on its last legs and BMW knows it. They've managed to squeeze every single drop of performance POSSIBLE with today's technology out of that I-6. *


i wonder if they have explored variable valve lift :dunno: 
and whatabout that new whatchamacallit in the new bmw i4 engines. have they put it into the i6 yet? or valves that don't
use springs to get the revs up? :dunno:


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

dear HW:

the S54's have dual vanos already; and my question was precisely yours: when are the new valvetronic inline sixes coming?


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## Lori (Sep 21, 2002)

My dealer says that the facelift won't be taking place until 2004 production if at all. Has anyone found new info as to the options and production dates.
-Lori


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## K1 (Mar 8, 2002)

FYI

Emailed my dealer in Sweden (Malmö) today and asked whether he knew anything about the face lifted coupé. He replied back that the face lift coupé will be produced in March.

My dealer told me -that if I was willing to pay 7,000 SEK (Swedish kroner) = $792.75 extra then he could move my production date forward so that I would get the face lifted version of the 330Ci. I was about to do it (even though I am not feeling the facelift design details -though I would like to have 6 gear and LED rear light) -but when he told me that the waiting list for the face lift version is 7-8 month :yikes: I said no thanks


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

New US spec photo?


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

PhilH said:


> *New US spec photo?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Can't see the bumper all that well in a dark color...Maybe it's a good thing. :dunno:

edit: I notice the reflectors are conspicuously missing on the front bumper...If this is an US spec car.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *Can't see the bumper all that well in a dark color...Maybe it's a good thing. :dunno:
> 
> edit: I notice the reflectors are conspicuously missing on the front bumper...If this is an US spec car. *


I lightened the pic and made it a little bigger.


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

With so many "enthusiasts" buying clears, and even BMW putting clears on the coupe recently (as well as the M3, 5-series and the top-line 7-series), why make the yellow blinker so damn big?


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

Oriental Blue now the official brochure blue for the 3 series coupe?

Oh yeah, I forgot...Topaz is no longer offered on the 3 series. Punk b*tches.


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## ride365 (Dec 19, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> *I lightened the pic and made it a little bigger. *


here, this shows the bumper detail more...


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## E46 in Philly (Mar 5, 2002)

K1 said:


> *FYI
> 
> Emailed my dealer in Sweden (Malmö) today and asked whether he knew anything about the face lifted coupé. He replied back that the face lift coupé will be produced in March.
> 
> My dealer told me -that if I was willing to pay 7,000 SEK (Swedish kroner) = $792.75 extra then he could move my production date forward so that I would get the face lifted version of the 330Ci. I was about to do it (even though I am not feeling the facelift design details -though I would like to have 6 gear and LED rear light) -but when he told me that the waiting list for the face lift version is 7-8 month :yikes: I said no thanks  *


K1-

Maybe things are different in Sweden, but what your dealer told you smells like total BS to me on two counts. First of all, delaying an order by a couple months shouldn't cost you a dime. Secondly, nothing so dramatic is happening to increase demand for the updated body so much that there will be huge waiting lists. Sounds to me like he wants your order NOW for obvious reasons, and is trying to disuade you from waiting a few months for the updated body.


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## E46 in Philly (Mar 5, 2002)

Lori said:


> *My dealer says that the facelift won't be taking place until 2004 production if at all. Has anyone found new info as to the options and production dates.
> -Lori *


Lori-

Sounds like your dealer is very much misinformed (shocker!  ).


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

The HACK said:


> *Can't see the bumper all that well in a dark color...Maybe it's a good thing. :dunno:
> 
> edit: I notice the reflectors are conspicuously missing on the front bumper...If this is an US spec car. *


2 things--

The reflectors are integrated into the turn signal, just like on the sedan

That looks like Topaz to me, not Orient :dunno:


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

atyclb said:


> *2 things--
> 
> The reflectors are integrated into the turn signal, just like on the sedan
> 
> That looks like Topaz to me, not Orient :dunno: *


It looks too dark for Topaz too me. Isn't BMW replacing Topaz with a yet unnamed blue?

{edit} That last would be pure speculation on my part, but they do need a hue between OB and SB. Someone else posted a while back a quote from an article stating that blue is the next big thing as far as colors go, so...


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

Cliff3 said:


> *It looks too dark for Topaz too me. Isn't BMW replacing Topaz with a yet unnamed blue?
> 
> {edit} That last would be pure speculation on my part, but they do need a hue between OB and SB. Someone else posted a while back a quote from an article stating that blue is the next big thing as far as colors go, so... *


I guess it really could be anything. BMW is traditionally not very "honest" when it comes to brochure/press photos.

Case in point: All the Laguna Seca Blue pics they put out looked like this


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## JPinTO (Dec 20, 2001)

This picture indicates that all the new BMW designs look better in darker colors.

The light colors (particularly silver) show too much of the new lines and that's not good. Dark colors hide the new lines and just look better IMO. Even the E65 looks ok in blac.


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## jhc (Jun 12, 2002)

*Hawaii Photoshoot*

I remember one of the posters on this board mentioned a BMW photoshoot in Hawaii for the facelifted 3 series a couple of months ago. I guess this latest pic confirms the veracity of his statements. The background definitely looks like Hawaii, and even the license plate is a Hawaii plate. You can make out a rainbow in the front plate. :thumbup:

Jeff


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