BMW still builds the sport sedan everyone else chases, the steering feel, the balance, the way it shrinks around you on a back road, but the company is actively dismantling what made people pay the premium. The 2023-and-later models strip out physical climate buttons, delete cargo nets and glove boxes, cheapen the materials, and slap an oversized touchscreen onto a dashboard that used to feel like a cockpit, all while raising prices. If you want the 3 Series people actually love, hunt a 2019-2022 G20 before they're gone; if you're shopping new, understand you're paying luxury money for an increasingly unluxurious experience wrapped around an admittedly brilliant chassis.
BMW's sport sedan flagship has split into two distinct eras: the beloved and the bloated. The E39 remains the gold standard, timeless design, balanced performance, and a driving character that still feels modern decades later. The G30 (2017-2023) carried that legacy forward with handsome proportions, a brilliant B58 engine in the 540i, and the kind of daily-driver refinement that makes long commutes feel effortless. Then the 2024 G60 arrived, swollen to 7 Series dimensions with cost-cut interior plastics and awkward styling that owners say looks front-wheel-drive. Experts praise its tech and smoothness; enthusiasts mourn the loss of athletic soul. The smart play? A used G30 540i combines steep depreciation with genuine excellence, just budget for BMW maintenance costs that don't depreciate with the sticker price. Skip the current generation unless you prioritize tech over driving character and can stomach the design.