Judge for yourself whether or not the new 2006 BMW 3 Series is as handsome as before. Just make sure to actually visit the BMW dealership and lay your eyes on the sheetmetal in natural light, because the car looks much better in person than in photos. In fact, in our opinion, the only botched element is the front bumper, which contains character lines that continue the bulge in the hood all the way down to the lower air dam, recalling not only current Audis and Volkswagens, but also the beloved Beetle of yore.

Trapezoidal, clear-lens headlights with washers resemble the BMW X3 sport-ute more than the flared “Dame Edna” lamps on the BMW 5 Series. The new BMW 3 Series also avoids the heavy, slab-sided appearance of the 5 Series through the use of four character lines that sweep back to the decklid. They add welcome definition to the rocker panels, the doors, and the rear quarters.

In back, the new 3 Series exhibits modern, tasteful, conventional design, decorated with traditional L-shaped red taillight lenses and punctuated by a chrome-tipped twin-pipe exhaust outlet. Blessedly free of the bustle-butt found on the 6 Series and 7 Series models, the 2006 BMW 3 Series is available in three standard primary colors – red, white, and black – and several optional metallic paint hues.