[dan99]

Does anyone else think the a-pillars and the side mirrors are too big? I hate left turns bc of this, cant see where the road is at !

[JChristie]

Might be down to seating position, but I personally don't find my view blocked. I do find the turn signal on the mirrors somewhat annoying at night though. I find the flashing can make it somewhat harder to see on dark streets.

[Xenny]

A-pillar isn't a problem, but the side mirrors are a little annoying for me as they are a little too tall for my height. All I need to do is lean forward just a bit when necessary and I can see left turn curbs/obstacles just fine over the mirror.

[Viffermike]

This is a characteristic of driving a 2-door coupe with a relatively low seating position. I find it to be better than the usual for our type of car. For context, drive a 370z, Miata, or Camaro (the bad end of the spectrum), and a Mini Cooper hardtop or an Acura Integra (good end).

[moldcad]

Same here - but don't understand what being " a 2-door coupe " have to do with it? Something is messed up with the design, that's all. In my Golf R (not a coupe, but 2-door as well) the mirrors are placed closer to my head (a bit backwards), instead of inside my seeing angle... Also, all was perfect with my E46 330i sedan - would the mirror block my sight were it a coupe version?

[BEM-S4]

Only car I have driven that's any better, maybe due to my stature and seating position, is the Macan. It had a small window next to the A pillar instead of being solid like most cars, was a very nice feature. Don't think the 2 is much better or worse than other things out there.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by moldcad

Same here - but don't understand what being " a 2-door coupe " have to do with it? Something is messed up with the design, that's all. In my Golf R (not a coupe, but 2-door as well) the mirrors are placed closer to my head (a bit backwards), instead of inside my seeing angle... Also, all was perfect with my E46 330i sedan - would the mirror block my sight were it a coupe version?

It's not messed up -- it's just a characteristic for certain designs. The Golf (I almost included that in the "good" category) and Mini are both 2-door designs that have relatively vertical A pillars, which helps minimize the effect two ways:

1). A side mirror is naturally closer to you, so it doesn't have to be as big.
2). A more vertical A pillar doesn't have to be as thick to be structurally strong enough to do its job.

Your 3-series has a thinner, more vertical A-pillar than the 2-series because of the nature of the overall design of a four-door car. Basically, more pillars mean more structural integrity, so each pillar can be thinner.

Another factor is airbag packaging. BMW side-curtain airbags are packaged pretty well.

[skidplate]

Originally Posted by JChristie

Might be down to seating position, but I personally don't find my view blocked. I do find the turn signal on the mirrors somewhat annoying at night though. I find the flashing can make it somewhat harder to see on dark streets.

You definitely need to check that mirror before you hit the signal at night. Otherwise I also have no problems with the view. It's better than I had in the Z3 for six years, maybe I'm used to being low. When I get in the X3 it feels like I'm on a stool.

[NEUE02]

Originally Posted by dan99

Does anyone else think the a-pillars and the side mirrors are too big? I hate left turns bc of this, cant see where the road is at !

YES! YES! YES! This is my biggest complaint with the car! Every car I own has wonderful sight lines. Door mounted mirrors or at least glass where my M235 has a stupid speaker! AAARGH!!!!!!!

[scottyn]

Originally Posted by dan99

Does anyone else think the a-pillars and the side mirrors are too big? I hate left turns bc of this, cant see where the road is at !

I notice this when on roads that are curving left slightly, but 90 degree left turns haven't been a problem. I just imagine the road being immediately behind the A-pillar and aim for that...it hasn't failed me yet

But I agree with viffermike, it's just because of the body style of the 2. I actually think the visibility out of this car is good compared to most other coupes

[NEUE02]

Originally Posted by scottyn

I notice this when on roads that are curving left slightly, but 90 degree left turns haven't been a problem.

My issue is with 90 degree left turns on divided city streets that have median curbs. The curbs disappear for a LONG time!

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by NEUE02

My issue is with 90 degree left turns on divided city streets that have median curbs. The curbs disappear for a LONG time!

yes... and this on the track sucks... it's like turning blind...you never see the apex if you are going down hill

[dan99]

I am so glad some of you exp the same issues, i thought it was just a normal thing for coupes.... Its def one of my grips abt it because you lose so much confidence in your cornering. I love everything else about it though.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Your 3-series has a thinner, more vertical A-pillar than the 2-series because of the nature of the overall design of a four-door car. Basically, more pillars mean more structural integrity, so each pillar can be thinner.

But I asked a question you don't address at all: should my E46 be a coupe, would the mirror block my left corner sight? Of course not - the bodies of 330i sedan and coupe were identical, apart from the number of doors.

On the other hand, I did have similar visibility problems in my F10 - all of that leads me to the conclusion about flawed design. If the A-pillar is thick and at an angle far from vertical, the mirrors should be mounted on the door itself rather than in the "triangle" area - meaning closer to the driver, and thus not within his sight. Coupe or not coupe. Both the F10 and F22 - being a classy sedan and a coupe, respectively - have them too far forward, attached to the door window corner "triangle" - which is the main reason of the problem. So I stand by with my conclusion: it's not being a coupe which is at fault, but flawed design.

BTW I wrote about it as one of my two main gripes on my then new M235i right after I bought it, but nobody seemed to agree with me. The other one was the driver's seat "angle" which - when you want to seat at the right position relative to the steering wheel - makes your thigh cross the left side bolster if you want to rest your foot on the dead pedal; this of course disturbs the blood circulation and is the reason for those otherwise great seats leave you with serious fatigue or even pain in the left leg after several hours of driving. Again flawed design, yet at the time I posted about it, nobody (apart from a single person) seemed to agree. I wonder whether - a year after my posts - there is more F22 owners out there who noticed the same...

[MEBII]

The mirror/pillar definitely impeded vision, was not the case in my E36 or E46 or most any of the 20 or so other cars I have driven. Just takes some getting used to.

[isthar]

huh, I never ever thought the side mirrors are an issue.

Oh that's because I have the CF ones

... constructively, I do want to +1 that the A-pillar I find big enough that it can, with bad luck, obstruct almost entirely a vehicle. I just drive aware of it that's all.

[BentZero]

I'm currently in a SUV. The A-pillar is insane and it's something that I have to account for. I didn't notice it in the 2 when I took my test drives. However, I did notice that I had a hard time finding a comfortable position with the seats. I figured that I'll find a comfortable seating position after some extended seat time. I'll find out soon. 11 days.........

[midlifecrisis]

Many newer cars have this issue. I think it's the result of tougher rollover safety standards and the need to have room for airbags. Older cars don't have the obstructed view because their A pillars weren't as thick.

While we may be safer inside our cars as a result, I wonder how many pedestrian and car collisions have been caused by fat A pillars that obstruct the driver's view. Slow moving objects can disappear in the A pillar if you're not careful.

[moldcad]

How many times do I have to stress it's not the A-pillar, but the mirror that obstructs the inside of a tight left curve...

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by moldcad

How many times do I have to stress it's not the A-pillar, but the mirror that obstructs the inside of a tight left curve...

13

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by moldcad

How many times do I have to stress it's not the A-pillar, but the mirror that obstructs the inside of a tight left curve...

Install a sleek side camera to replace the mirror

[DanG]

I don't know what all the fuss is about. My visibility is as good as any other BMW I have owned (which is a lot).