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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Steel top Cabrio: Spring 2006



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      04-07-2005, 09:05 AM   #1
Trex
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Steel top Cabrio: Spring 2006

Well, The Roundel is pretty sure about it. The April issue (p.32) says, "Since we've already established that the E90 3 Series convertible will feature a retractable steel top, here's a photo of the coupe..." The photo has a mocked up coupe out in the snow. They state that the coupe and convertible will be introduced in Spring 2006. They also state the E90 sport wagon will be shown at the September Frankfurt Auto Show.
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      04-07-2005, 09:09 AM   #2
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Wow that'd be very cool to see, although I'll believe it when I see it... many conflicting rumors out there on this, though the Roundel is a legitimate source of info. Thanx Trex
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      04-07-2005, 09:59 AM   #3
Trex
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It seems odd to me. That top is going to be heavier than a (three layer) canvas top plus all the mechanicals to operate it. Do they think the MB roadster has an advantage in the market place with it's metal cabrio? I looked at one of those again, last week, and when the top is down, you can't get anything into the trunk. What I mean is that there may, indeed, be a good amount of cubic inches in there with the top down, but the top, itself, limits the size of items that can be stuffed down, under, the folded top.

If they do it right, however, it could be a success. I know I am very interested in it.
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      04-07-2005, 11:07 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trex
It seems odd to me. That top is going to be heavier than a (three layer) canvas top plus all the mechanicals to operate it. Do they think the MB roadster has an advantage in the market place with it's metal cabrio? I looked at one of those again, last week, and when the top is down, you can't get anything into the trunk. What I mean is that there may, indeed, be a good amount of cubic inches in there with the top down, but the top, itself, limits the size of items that can be stuffed down, under, the folded top.

If they do it right, however, it could be a success. I know I am very interested in it.

Agreed, it's definitely got its pros and cons. The upside is obviously that it makes the convertible an all season car and also gives it the good looks of the coupe when the top is up, but at the expense of very little trunk space when the top is lowered.

Wasn't the hardtop 3-series scratched in favor of a regular canvas top though? I thought that BMW had decided to make the hardtop convertible the 4 series? Doggydog had posted something about this earlier - http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126
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      04-07-2005, 12:07 PM   #5
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The name game is still on, I suppose, but I am sure that BMW does not want to fix what ain't broken as far as names and designations go. I really don't care if there is a full line of 3 Series cars or if they break it up to a 3 Series and a 4 Series. I would tend to make things more simple, not more complex for the consumer. Maybe it makes sense from a corporate point of view. Maybe they have enough on their plate with I-Drive and Bangle Butt. BTW, the new 7 Series looks better.
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      04-10-2005, 10:40 AM   #6
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Some say this is a spyshot of the upcoming 3 or 4 series folding hardtop convertible. In the first pic you can vaguely make out what might be the folding points on the roof, although from the pic it doesn't seem possible to stuff such a long roof into that trunk?
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      04-10-2005, 02:41 PM   #7
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The folding roof will be made out of some kind of composit, either Carbon Fibre or the same stuff used for the 6 series boot.
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      04-10-2005, 03:04 PM   #8
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May be it's the heavy disguise on the E90 coupe, but I'm not impressed with the coupe at all. It looks terribly long. I'll have to see the finished product first. Hope it's not like that. Either that or the disguise is doing a great job.
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      04-11-2005, 01:59 PM   #9
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I'm with you, A3ndy, disguised cars always through me off and the car looks too stretched out. My guess is that it will be a knockout in the flesh, though.
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      04-13-2005, 06:52 AM   #10
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This is only a person's sketch of what a folding hardtop will look like. But looks cool huh
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      04-13-2005, 09:51 AM   #11
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If the hardtop is a three piece folding mechanism like that, which I think it will have to be since one large piece would be too long to fit in the trunk, then there will be very little room in the trunk after folding. Hardtop convertibles like the SLK only have two pieces and it already takes up much space in the trunk, a 3 piece top like that in the pic would definitely take up more. Just speculating for speculations sake
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      04-13-2005, 10:16 AM   #12
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ShihearKallizad, I like the pictures. What color blue were you using there? Is that the Artic?

SpilesIII, how it all fits in the trunk is a huge problem. I am sure BMW can have three sections fold down nice and neat, but how is it stacked in the trunk? The MB roadster loses a lot of useful space because that folded top is neither low to the trunk floor or high up - it takes up room in the middle. You really can't get much stuffed below the folded top and I would imagine that things placed on top of the folded top - using the folded top as a shelf - would just shift around. An advantage to the E90 will be the longer wheel base and longer trunk. BMW may be able to make the trunk space "useable". If they do, they gotta winnah!
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      04-13-2005, 10:15 PM   #13
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Trex, have you seen the E90 trunk tho? Even tho significantly larger than the SLK's, it's really not that big of a trunk, which I was surprised about because I expected it to be larger than it actually is. Can't figure out how they'd stuff such a large roof in there, unless the coupe's trunk will be larger than the sedans?
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      04-14-2005, 10:06 AM   #14
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I have only seen pictures of the E90 trunk. I used to have an E46 M3 Cabrio and I thought the trunk in that was pretty good (bigger than the Z3, which I had before) and I think I read that the E90 trunk is a bit bigger - or at least more useable space since the E90 now has runflats and there is no spare tire (which really just means it can have a lower florr level). Granted, you're going to lose a lot of space with a fold-down tintop (or CompositeCap?), but good design might be able to make the most of it. All I would like to see is a trunk that you can throw some stuff into. The trunk on my Z4 is not big and when the top is down it takes up a bit more room, but the trunk space is useable and efficient.
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      04-14-2005, 10:13 AM   #15
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Trex, I had an M-roadster before my M-Coupe and the top didn't take up any additional trunk space when folded. Just curious does the Z4 top fold into the trunk space? I thought it would be the traditional design where the top just folds into the area right behind the seat head rests.
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      04-14-2005, 02:06 PM   #16
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DaveO - you're right and it's not fair to try and compare what is going on in the Z4 trunk and what will have to take place in an E90 trunk should there be a folding tintop. The Z4 is similar to the Z3 in that there is a well where the top folds down into. The Z4 has a small knob-controlled shelf in the trunk that can flip up for more trunk space when the top is up, but I just leave it down all the time because there is enough room for what I need with it that way and then I don't have to remember whether the shelf is up or down when I put the top down because the top won't go down if the shelf is up. Got that? main difference between the Z3 and the Z4 is that the Z3 needed a cover over the cloth top when it was down and that cover had to be snapped on and snapped off. The Z4 has the front section of the top in a canvas covered hard material that, when it is down, forms the basis of a "cover", eliminating any need for a snap-on/snap-off cover (of course, it leaves the sides of the holding well exposed and very un-finished looking).

I just had a revelation as I was typing this up. BMW already has experience with a semi-hard top cabrio in the Z4. That front section of the Z4 that I just described above might be the basis of a folding hard top for an E90 cabrio. Check it out the next time you're at a BMW dealer.
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      05-05-2005, 06:35 AM   #17
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just thought id bring this post up.

Anyone heard anymore news on the coupe??

Im putting my deposit down next week. Anyone else already put there deposits down?
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      05-05-2005, 08:04 AM   #18
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No new news on the coupe as far as I know.
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      05-05-2005, 09:48 AM   #19
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Oh well just looks like its a waiting game then. when I spoke to my dealer they said it would be spring 2006 for the coupe and september 2006 for the tin top.
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      07-21-2005, 06:46 AM   #20
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the new cabrio looks beautiful
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      07-21-2005, 07:42 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davinet78
the new cabrio looks beautiful
Idd he looks beautiful, but i don't like the steel roof.
A cabrio is only a cabrio when it gots a cloth upholstery roof.
It's much more attractive.
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      07-21-2005, 02:31 PM   #22
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Volvo has just released official pics of the new C70, a coupe-cabriolet, so BMW no longer be the first to market such a concept in this sector. See more at:

http://www.volvocars.com/_Tier2/News...ewC70/gallery/

Article from Autocar here: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News_Article.asp?NA_ID=216176

Here's hoping for a 3-series CC.
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