They probably weighed just about the same at around 2000lbs right!?

It was absolutely the forefather of all these later hits such as the E21, E30 and the quick and nimble yet flashy and comfortable power saloon that would become such a runner in the late 80s. For me though the design language only began to get the proportions right with the E21. The '02 still has lots of ponton bodystyle going on that makes it look somewhat awkward imho.