[SE3P_to_E90]

Thought this would be interesting... I have a pre-LCI, and love some things about the new e90, but there are also things i'm not so keen about. Share your thoughts!

Pre-LCI... What i love:
Mtech kit = perfect
Blacklines
Rear View Mirrors

LCI... What i love:
Hood
New Headlights
Taillamps are growing on me and think it's a dramatic improvement over OEM preLCI tails, but blacklines FTW

LCI... What I hate:
Rear View Mirrors
Side Reflectors (but they are much better than the amber in preLCI... but i have Euro's)

[bsamoul]

I personally prefer the new side mirrors, they cover more area. I also LOVE the new idrive and the hood!!

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by bsamoul

I personally prefer the new side mirrors, they cover more area. I also LOVE the new idrive and the hood!!

x2

[markinva]

the new front is just much, much cleaner because the kidneys are squarely on the grill and the lights look better. the hood makes it look a bit meaner. The rear is a nice improvement with the LED's, but I didn't mind the shape of the rear tails too much.

[methodtim]

Originally Posted by markinva

the new front is just much, much cleaner because the kidneys are squarely on the grill and the lights look better. the hood makes it look a bit meaner. The rear is a nice improvement with the LED's, but I didn't mind the shape of the rear tails too much.

Yup.

[Tallest]

I agree that pre LCI mtech and blacklines make E90 a very good looking car. New front looks bit chubby to me, and tails are not impressive and whenever I see them, I get a sense that BMW pussied out.

[avandss]

i find it looks more aggressive, i always found the pre lci a little...on the dull side, when i saw the lci i had to get one....

[avandss]

Originally Posted by 320what

I agree that pre LCI mtech and blacklines make E90 a very good looking car. New front looks bit chubby to me, and tails are not impressive and whenever I see them, I get a sense that BMW pussied out.

i dunnooo.. everyone that sees my car (not bmw owners hence they are not biased or haters since they have the previous model) say the new tails are much more agressive and to be honest now when i see the old tails compared to the new ones, i feel that bmw manned up!

[SE3P_to_E90]

wow, i didn't know so many people prefer the new side view mirrors... to me, they look way bulky and, for the lack of a better word, obtrusive?

I really like the e92ish grill on the LCI's, but the bumper, although i think it's more aggressive than the standard preLCI bumper, it looks a bit too busy... i guess, there's just too much going on and the sharpness of the e90 (preLCI) turned a bit wavy? I'm lost in my thoughts lol.

I started this thread because my girlfriend HATES the LCI, but a close friend of mine is in absolute love with the facelift.

[methodtim]

I do not like the look of the pre-LCI e90 at all. I'm sorry to say it, but there are just too many aspects of that car that are just plain ugly. For example:

- headllight ambers
- kidney grill mustache
- tails

On the other hand, I found the silhouette of the e90 just plain stunning. The interior is nice and classy.

I think that BMW has positively addressed these cosmetic shortcomings. Of course, people say, "You can make all these things look great with mods x, y, and z." Well, yeah, of course, but what if I (gasp!) want my luxury car to look good out of the box? I want to mod my car because I want to (make it look/perform better), not because I have to just to make it look good.

With the LCI e90, I love the way the front looks. The tweaks that they implemented really make the front look like a BMW. The kidney grills return to their iconic shape and the headlights are now consistent with the BMW design language moving forward. The tails have been rectified and, even though I'm not in love with them, I no longer hate them. I'm ok with being neutral about the rear of the car.

To make a long story a little bit longer, prior to the refresh, I would have never bought an e90. I had my heart originally set on an S4, then an S5, then an e92. Only when I took a long and hard look at the changes to the LCI e90 did it really start to grow on me. Now I find myself sneaking looks at my car as I walk away from it.

[wuufer001]

the worst i hate about the LCI is probably the side mirrors and the tails. both looks 'edgy' compared to the car imo.
i think it doesn't fit in, the preLCI's side mirrors are really smooth compared and the tails not that edged.
well i guess the LCI will have to grow on me too

[RyanDe680]

I have a 2009 loaner right now, 328i w/ x-drive.

I will admit, the side mirrors now are more of the Lexus IS size, rather large compared to my '08 335i's mirrors.

[Year's_End]

the only things i like about the pre-LCI are blaclines.

[CaliE90]

whats good:

pre lci: taillights, rear
lci: headlights, front kidney grills

or,

pre-lci E90 M3: perfect

oh the lci idrive is nice too, but that doesn't really factor in here

[Pitbull555]

i love my LCI.

PRE-LCI's need an upgrade. wait till the mods for LCI's come out.

[cstavaru]

The LCI has 2500 changes for the better...

[hanmaas]

Improvements:
Headlights - finally moved the amber elsewhere, but they shouldn't have put LEDs on them!
Grill - a grill that doesn't cause sore eyes
Tails - looks decent with the LED

A step backward:
rear view mirror - wtf where they thinking?
removing programmable buttons - why.....why?!

[Fraggy]

The new model doesnt have the 6 programmable buttons? WTF?

[Nr!qUe]

No more vented cup holder in the center console. I don't think it would've ever been useful to me anyway.

[bsamoul]

Originally Posted by Nr!qUe

No more vented cup holder in the center console. I don't think it would've ever been useful to me anyway.

+1, never used it in 3 years of ownership

[pawarrant]

Originally Posted by hanmaas

A step backward:
rear view mirror - wtf where they thinking?
removing programmable buttons - why.....why?!

It says in the US '09 LCI sedan book the premium package comes with the rear view mirror with 3 programable remote control buttons. Is this what you are talking about?

[cgpublic]

As a follow-up to a similar post, I do believe BMW did a very good job with the LCI, however:

1. While not a big fan of the pre-LCI 'mustache' in comparison to the E92/3 kidneys, IMHO the LCI E90/1 removes a key point of difference in comparison to not only the E92/3, but other BMW models. I'm in agreement that even though it may be ugly, as a package the pre-LCI E90/1 is much more masculine and aggressive. Pre/post-LCI, it doesn't look as good as the E92, and nowhere near as good as the M3.

2. In isolation, the LCI tails look great. On the road, the overwhelming 'red' effect reminds me of an Infiniti. A slight improvement over the pre-LCI, but I'll take pre-LCI blacklines any day of the week. Does anyone know how long it took for BMW to release blacklines for the pre-LCI?

3. I wouldn't trade Montego/Black/Alum for anything else, however the availability of Space Grey or Blue Water in tandem with either Oyster or Saddle is a nice addition.

4. A big win for the LCI headlights, LED signals and iDrive.

5. A big loss for the new side mirrors, new interior control accents, loss of vented cup holder (keeps the iPod cool) and most important, upwards 2K increase in price for a similarly equipped 08 (based on the 328xi).