2019 BMW 3 series g20 Thread

[Scooby-Doode]

Originally Posted by VarmintCong

I wanted a Sentra SE-R so bad - the old boxy one (B13?). I would have been happy with an SE. back then I had no money, and by the time I could afford to buy my first car ('97), they were of production.

Yes a 1991 MY B13 SE-R. Fun little car, almost as fast as a Mini Cooper-S mostly because it is a lighter car compared to modern cars. You can still find examples, though most will be rusted out. Some cars are in good condition. Up until 3 years ago I was still searching for the 2002 G20 Sport with a VE already transplanted in it. I will get one eventually, even if it’s a RHD JDM model . By then electric cars will have taken over

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[AVANTI R5]

Rumors


2019 BMW 3 Series Sedan Engine Details

The curtain is about to fall on the sixth-generation 3 Series as BMW is putting the finishing touches on the next iteration of its highly acclaimed sedan. Rumored to debut in October at the Paris Motor Show, the 3er will go on sale in about a year from now and unsurprisingly it’s going to be available with a wide array of gasoline and diesel engines.

Sources close BMW have told Spanish magazine Motor.es the entry point into the gasoline-fed engine lineup will be represented by the 318i with 150 horsepower bringing a 14-hp bump over the current model. Available with either a six-speed manual or an optional eight-speed automatic, the new 318i will come exclusively with a rear-wheel-drive layout.

For those in need of more oomph, the 320i will up the power ante to 204 hp and will give buyers the option of both gearboxes, and either rear- or all-wheel drive. Compared to the existing 320i, its replacement will have an extra 20 hp. A thrifty 320i Efficient Dynamics version seems to be in the pipeline as a 170-hp, RWD-only model with both the manual and the auto.


Exclusively offered with the automatic gearbox, the 330i will grow from today’s 252 hp to 265 hp delivered to either the rear wheels or to both front and rear axles.

The temporary range topper (until the M3’s arrival) will be the M340i as an auto- and xDrive-only model providing 380 hp, which would represent a massive increase over the existing 326-hp M340i.

On the diesel side, we kick things off with the 316d and its 136 hp (20 hp more than before) channeled to the rear wheels via either the manual or the auto. Up next is the 318d rated at 163 hp (+13 hp) and with the same transmissions and RWD-only configuration. Should you want a diesel-powered 3 Series with AWD, you will have to step up to the 320d and its 204 hp. It will have 14 hp more than the current car and will please both worlds by being available with a manual and an automatic.

Hotter diesels will include the 325d and 330d with RWD or AWD and an automatic-only configuration. The former is said to offer 238 hp (up by 14 hp) whereas the later will churn 265 hp (up by 7 hp).

The crown jewel of the diesel 3 Series family will be an M340d expected to produce anywhere between 320 and 340 hp sent to both axles via an eight-speed automatic. It will replace the existing 335d and its 313-hp output.

Of course, these numbers are not official at this point and there could be some small changes here and there. It’s worth mentioning a couple of automatic xDrive plug-in hybrids are on the agenda in the form of the 325e and 330e. These partially electrified 3 Series model will allegedly boast 230 hp and 265 hp, respectively.

Attached below is a table with all the yet-to-be-confirmed technical specifications:

Source: Motor.es via BMWBlog

[AVANTI R5]

BMW engineers have been tasked with ramping up the sporting qualities of the 3 Series when the next-generation model hits the market - and new pictures show the impact this has had on design.


2019 BMW 3 Series G20: more M-Performance versions due
The German firm's seventh-generation model will meld its trademark dynamic ability with improved comfort; warm model will sit below the full-fat M3

BMW Engineers have been tasked with ramping up the sporting qualities of the 3 Series when the next-generation model hits the market - and new pictures show the impact this has had on design.

The brand's best-selling model has long stood out as a driver's favourite among its rivals, largely thanks to the premise of rear-wheel drive and powerful engines. But the future version will take things a step further and be offered with more M-division fettled versions that come with generous boosts in performance.

The first variant will be the rear-wheel drive M340i M Performance which will feature a 360bhp version of BMW’s twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine. It will be followed by a four-wheel drive M340d xDrive M Performance, which is set to receive a 320bhp version of the company’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel engine.

Key to the expansion plan for the seventh-generation 3 Series – set to arrive next year – is the addition of two new M Performance models powered by six-cylinder engines. In a strategy mirroring that undertaken with the latest 5 Series, the new M Performance variants will go on sale shortly after more mainstream versions of the new 3 Series are launched in both saloon and estate body styles. The new derivatives will be offered as either a petrol or a diesel and will bridge the gap in the line-up that presently exists between standard six-cylinder models and BMW M’s range-topping M3 saloon.

The new performance orientated 3 Series models will be targeted at the likes of the Audi S4 quattro and Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic. They will have individual styling touches, their own unique chassis tuning and relatively high equipment levels. Autocar can reveal they will also form the basis for the two-door M440i M Performance Coupé and M440d M Performance Coupé models, which will arrive in showrooms in 2020.

Significantly, the decision to launch the M340d xDrive M Performance model underpins plans by BMW to continue to equip the 3 Series with a full range of three-, four- and six-cylinder diesel engines, despite increasingly tight emissions legislation across Europe, including the spectre of regional bans on diesel cars from entering city centres (some of which may be implemented in Germany).

“The diesel is a critical component in our efforts to reach the 2020 climate targets,” said BMW chairman Harald Krüger. “It is very important in improving the overall efficiency of our future models.”



BMW is pulling out all the stops to ensure the new 3 Series, which goes under the internal codename G20, possesses the stylistic appeal, performance credentials, dynamic ability and overall technical prowess it needs to claw back the gains made by its keenest executive class rivals, most notably the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which officials have described to Autocar as the clear benchmark.

Prototype saloon versions of the new 3 Series spied testing on the roads around BMW’s engineering headquarters in Munich recently indicate it will continue the company’s tradition of evolutionary design change, with an appearance that leans heavily on that of the larger 5 Series, as well as influence from the X2 SUV. The car has a more naturally sporting stance to mirror the changes beneath.

Credit for the design of the new model rests with former BMW brand design boss, Karim Habib, who moved to Infiniti last year.



As the first 3 Series model to be fully honed in BMW’s Munich-based wind tunnel, the G20 is also claimed to match the aerodynamic efficiency of the 5 Series. The most slippery body style is said to have a drag co-efficient of 0.22.

2019 BMW 3 Series spotted testing at the Nurburgring

The new 3 Series has grown in most key dimensions. Nothing is official, but Munich insiders suggest overall length is up by 60mm to around 4703mm. Some 20mm of this is said to be concentrated within a lengthened wheelbase, which has increased to almost 2830mm, up from 2810mm. By comparison, the current C-Class is 4696mm in length and has a 2840mm wheelbase.

The new 3 Series is based on BMW’s latest CLAR (cluster architecture) platform – as used by all recent BMW models – and features a longitudinally mounted engine. In keeping with developments already seen on the larger 5 Series, it benefits from a range of weight-saving initiatives, including the greater use of hot-formed high-strength steel within the main body structure, to cut the already highly competitive kerbweight of today’s sixth-generation model by up to 50kg, despite the larger dimensions.



The volume of 3 Series sales rules out the use of carbonfibre, so there’ll be no Carbon Core structural developments like those seen on the headlining 7 Series.

However, BMW’s body construction specialists suggest the G20 will feature a much larger number of cast aluminium components and a greater percentage of magnesium in load-bearing areas. All told, the weightsaving developments are expected to give the lightest variant in the range, the three-cylinder 318i, a kerb weight of about 1425kg.

Together with the reduction in weight, the CLAR platform is also claimed to bring an improvement in structural rigidity that, in a move similar to that undertaken with the 5 Series, forms the basis for a change in philosophy for the chassis tuning. Recognising a growing customer desire for additional ride comfort, BMW is looking to provide standard versions of the new 3 Series with more compliant properties, in a move aimed at matching the smoothness of its key rival, the Mercedes-Benz C Class.



See what we make of the current generation BMW 3 Series saloon

Expected developments include the adoption of rear air springs on more upmarket models. However, BMW is thought to have ruled out the active four-wheel steering system (that countersteers the rear wheels at lower speeds and parallel steers them at higher speeds in the name of agility), even though the 5 Series is equipped with it.

In a continuation of the Efficient Dynamics program that has seen successive reductions in consumption and emissions across the 3 Series line-up over recent years, BMW plans to bring a series of upgrades to the petrol engine line-up of the new model.

BMW officials confirm an extension of the strategy in use today, with both three and four-cylinder units serving volume-selling 316i, 318i, 320i and 330i models in combination with either standard rear-wheel drive and optional xDrive four-wheel drive on selected variants.



Positioned above them will be a six-cylinder engine offered in both a standard, rear-wheel drive 340i and the aforementioned M340i M Performance guises.

BMW has begun to successively upgrade the petrol engines in each of its various model lines, with the recently revealed 2 Series Active Tourer facelift being the most recent model to bear the tweaks. Measures such as a new injection system, a particulate filter to lower NOx levels, a revised belt drive system and more efficient cooling measures are claimed to bring moderate increases in power and torque.

Together with the reduction in kerbweight promised by the new CLAR underpinnings, the reworked petrol units are also said to offer consumption and emission savings of up to 5% across the model line-up.



Unclear at this stage are BMW’s plans to introduce water injection as part of the raft of revisions. First introduced on the six-cylinder unit used by the M4 GTS, and also tested by Autocar on a prototype version of the smaller three-pot unit fitted to the 118i, the water injection system brings proven performance and efficiency gains. However, it also requires the addition of a water tank close to the engine, which in turn complicates packaging.

Accompanying the petrol units will be range of diesels. Adopting developments first seen on the 2.0-litre unit used by today’s 325d, each new oilburner will receive two-stage turbocharging and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) filter as part of BMW’s efforts to reduce emissions.

At the same time, BMW plans to increase the pressure of the common-rail injection system used by each of its diesel engines from 2000 to 2200 bar in the smaller three-cylinder units and from 2000 to 2500 bar in the four-cylinder engines, with the exception of the unit to be used by the new 325d, which will run pressures of up to 2700 bar.



Autocar’s sources suggest the 1.5-litre three-cylinder powered 316d will gain 21bhp at 136bhp, instead of the 115bhp of today’s model. Above it, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder will continue to be offered in three distinct states of tune, developing an added 13bhp in the 318d at 163bhp, some 14bhp more in the 320d at 204bhp and a claimed 14bhp extra in the 325d at 238bhp.

The Bavarian manufacturer is also planning to equip up to three new 3 Series variants with an upgraded version of today’s 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel. They include the standard 330d and 340d, as well as the aforementioned M340d xDrive M Performance diesel flagship.

The current 3 Series saloon, designated F30, has been on sale since 2012, and the 4 Series (F32) coupé since 2013.

[AVANTI R5]

New 2019 BMW 3 Series previewed ahead of official reveal
The reveal campaign begins: BMW has released the first previews of its crucial new 3 Series, due in the UK next year

The upcoming BMW 3 Series has been officially shown by BMW in a new video released ahead of its Paris motor show, and subsequent official sales launch in 2019.

The video shows the car under construction at its Dingolfing plant, with elements of the car's exterior shown, as well as its interior, in particular its digital dashboard and wide, high-mounted central infotainment screen. The video follows BMW's first preview of the car, showing the outline of the 3 Series under a sheet, with the car's distinctive daytime running lights highlighting extra details. The image first surfaced on BMW forums, but the brand confirmed that the preview is genuine.



The upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-Class rival was most recently spotted in Touring guise, being put through its paces at the Nurburgring ahead of its launch early next year.

Spy photographers captured this camouflaged test mule undergoing high-speed testing, with extra panels riveted in place towards the rear end to disguise the cargo area. It is also sporting the redesigned headlights and taillights that will set it apart from the outgoing model.

The Touring is expected to go on sale shortly after the saloon, which BMW is due to reveal at the Paris Motor Show. Other variants should follow later in the year, with a plug-in hybrid model completing the line-up.

This latest sighting follows photos of a '330e' plug-in hybrid model, which looks like a regular 3 Series but has "Electric Test Vehicle" written on each side.

Further clues include a small lump in the C-pillar disguise, exactly where BMW has traditionally placed the ***8216;eDrive' badge on its plug-in models. The car was also seen later on the same road with its kidney grille blanked off, suggesting an active aerodynamic shutter system may feature on the new car.

First Drive: BMW 3 Series 330i M Sport prototype

Unusually, the 330e was spotted testing alongside a Tesla Model 3 on tow. A fully electric 3 Series is not expected, with that car instead set to be part of the 4 Series lineup. It's a sign, however, that BMW is benchmarking its car's all-electric mode with a similarly-sized full EV.



As such, expect a substantial increase in electric range and a minor performance boost with the next 330e, which could arrive early next year. The current car combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an 87bhp electric motor, promising an all-electric range of 25 miles and a 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds.

The 330e is set to become a more crucial model in the range thanks to the drop in demand for diesel models. It's popularity has increased steadily since its introduction to the range in 2017, with more company car buyers opting in thanks to strong efficiency claims and low Benefit-in-Kind payments.

There is even potential for BMW to offer a lower-powered, even more efficient version to plug the fleet-biased gap in the range historically filled by the 320d. That powertrain could use the new three-cylinder engine that'll feature in the 318i and build on it with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack. More variants of the 3 Series will go on sale throughout 2019 after its initial launch.



Previous spyshots had captured a disguised version of the 3 Series Touring testing on public roads in Germany, hinting at how the most practical variant of the G20-generation car will look when it hits roads next year.

Both the Touring and saloon versions of BMW's future model are being engineered to offer even more comfort but not to the detriment of handling. This means the whole range - even sportier versions such as the just-spotted M Sport variant - should be more forgiving on rough surfaces than before.

The motivation for this more comfortable model comes from hot competition from Mercedes-Benz and its rivalling C-Class. Although the 3 Series stands strong as BMW's best-selling model, it's fallen short of the hot-selling C-Class, which sold in 176,915 units to the 3 Series' 129,053 in 2017.

As such, BMW engineers have been tasked with broadening the 3 Series's reach and fighting the C-Class at its own, more comfort-focused game.

Multiple powertrains expected:

The future 3 Series will also be offered with more variants, including new M-fettled versions that feature generous boosts in performance.

The first variant will be the rear-wheel-drive M340i M Performance, which will feature a 360bhp version of BMW's twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine. It will be followed by a four-wheel-drive M340d xDrive M Performance, which is set to receive a 320bhp version of the company's twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel engine.

Key to the expansion plan for the seventh-generation 3 Series is the addition of two new M Performance models powered by six-cylinder engines. In a strategy mirroring that undertaken with the latest 5 Series, the new M Performance variants will go on sale shortly after more mainstream versions of the new 3 Series are launched in both saloon and estate bodystyles. The new derivatives will be offered as either a petrol or a diesel and will bridge the gap in the line-up that presently exists between standard six-cylinder models and BMW M's range-topping M3 saloon.

The new performance-oriented 3 Series models will be targeted at the likes of the Audi S4 quattro and Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic. They will have individual styling touches, their own unique chassis tuning and relatively high equipment levels. Autocar can reveal they will also form the basis for the two-door M440i M Performance Coupé and M440d M Performance Coupé models, which will arrive in showrooms in 2020.



Significantly, the decision to launch the M340d xDrive M Performance model underpins plans by BMW to continue to equip the 3 Series with a full range of three, four and six-cylinder diesel engines, despite increasingly tight emissions legislation across Europe, including the spectre of regional bans on diesel cars from entering city centres (some of which may be implemented in Germany).

"The diesel is a critical component in our efforts to reach the 2020 climate targets," said BMW chairman Harald Krüger. "It is very important in improving the overall efficiency of our future models."



BMW benchmarks C-Class for new 'G20' 3 Series

BMW is pulling out all the stops to ensure the new 3 Series, which goes under the internal codename G20, possesses the stylistic appeal, performance credentials, dynamic ability and overall technical prowess it needs to claw back the gains made by its keenest executive class rivals, most notably the C-Class, which officials have described to Autocar as the clear benchmark.

Prototype saloon versions of the new 3 Series spied testing on the roads around BMW's engineering headquarters in Munich recently indicate it will continue the company's tradition of evolutionary design change, with an appearance that leans heavily on that of the larger 5 Series, as well as influence from the X2 SUV. The car has a more naturally sporting stance to mirror the changes beneath.

Credit for the design of the new model rests with former BMW brand design boss, Karim Habib, who moved to Infiniti last year.



As the first 3 Series model to be fully honed in BMW's Munich-based wind tunnel, the G20 is also claimed to match the aerodynamic efficiency of the 5 Series. The most slippery body style is said to have a drag co-efficient of 0.22.

The new 3 Series has grown in most key dimensions. Nothing is official, but Munich insiders suggest overall length is up by 60mm to around 4703mm. Some 20mm of this is said to be concentrated within a lengthened wheelbase, which has increased to almost 2830mm, up from 2810mm. By comparison, the current C-Class is 4696mm in length and has a 2840mm wheelbase.

The new 3 Series is based on BMW's latest CLAR (cluster architecture) platform - as used by all recent BMW models - and features a longitudinally mounted engine. In keeping with developments already seen on the larger 5 Series, it benefits from a range of weight-saving initiatives, including the greater use of hot-formed high-strength steel within the main body structure, to cut the already highly competitive kerbweight of today's sixth-generation model by up to 50kg, despite the larger dimensions.



The volume of 3 Series sales rules out the use of carbonfibre, so there'll be no Carbon Core structural developments like those seen on the headlining 7 Series.

However, BMW's body construction specialists suggest the G20 will feature a much larger number of cast aluminium components and a greater percentage of magnesium in load-bearing areas. All told, the weight-saving developments are expected to give the lightest variant in the range, the three-cylinder 318i, a kerb weight of about 1425kg.

Together with the reduction in weight, the CLAR platform is also claimed to bring an improvement in structural rigidity that, in a move similar to that undertaken with the 5 Series, forms the basis for a change in philosophy for the chassis tuning. Recognising a growing customer desire for additional ride comfort, BMW is looking to provide standard versions of the new 3 Series with more compliant properties, in a move aimed at matching the smoothness of the C-Class.



See what we make of the current generation BMW 3 Series saloon

Expected developments include the adoption of rear air springs on more upmarket models. However, BMW is thought to have ruled out the active four-wheel steering system (that countersteers the rear wheels at lower speeds and parallel steers them at higher speeds in the name of agility), even though the 5 Series is equipped with it.

In a continuation of the Efficient Dynamics programme that has seen successive reductions in consumption and emissions across the 3 Series line-up over recent years, BMW plans to bring a series of upgrades to the petrol engine line-up of the new model.

BMW officials have confiredm an extension of the strategy in use today, with both three and four-cylinder units serving volume-selling 316i, 318i, 320i and 330i models in combination with either standard rear-wheel drive and optional xDrive four-wheel drive on selected variants.



Positioned above them will be a six-cylinder engine offered in both a standard, rear-wheel drive 340i and the aforementioned M340i M Performance guises.

BMW has begun to successively upgrade the petrol engines in each of its various model lines, with the recently revealed 2 Series Active Tourer facelift being the most recent model to bear the tweaks. Measures such as a new injection system, a particulate filter to lower NOx levels, a revised belt drive system and more efficient cooling measures are claimed to bring moderate increases in power and torque.

Together with the reduction in kerb weight promised by the new CLAR underpinnings, the reworked petrol units are also said to offer consumption and emission savings of up to 5% across the model line-up.



Unclear at this stage are BMW's plans to introduce water injection as part of the raft of revisions. First introduced on the six-cylinder unit used by the M4 GTS, and also tested by Autocar on a prototype version of the smaller three-pot unit fitted to the 118i, the water injection system brings proven performance and efficiency gains. However, it also requires the addition of a water tank close to the engine, which in turn complicates packaging.

Accompanying the petrol units will be range of diesels. Adopting developments first seen on the 2.0-litre unit used by today's 325d, each new oilburner will receive two-stage turbocharging and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) filter as part of BMW's efforts to reduce emissions.

At the same time, BMW plans to increase the pressure of the common-rail injection system used by each of its diesel engines from 2000 to 2200 bar in the smaller three-cylinder units and from 2000 to 2500 bar in the four-cylinder engines, with the exception of the unit to be used by the new 325d, which will run pressures of up to 2700 bar.



Autocar's sources suggest the 1.5-litre three-cylinder powered 316d will gain 21bhp at 136bhp, instead of the 115bhp of today's model. Above it, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder will continue to be offered in three distinct states of tune, developing an added 13bhp in the 318d at 163bhp, some 14bhp more in the 320d at 204bhp and a claimed 14bhp extra in the 325d at 238bhp.

The Bavarian manufacturer is also planning to equip up to three new 3 Series variants with an upgraded version of today's 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel. They include the standard 330d and 340d, as well as the aforementioned M340d xDrive M Performance diesel flagship.

The current 3 Series saloon, designated F30, has been on sale since 2012, and the 4 Series (F32) coupé since 2013.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...w-3-series-g20

[Brahmzy]

Why so long? Why the long front overhang?
Seriously looks like a mini 5 series..

[Genericuser1]

The Ultimate Driving Machine is dead long live TUDM.

[lil'redwagon]

It pretty much looks exactly like the outgoing model. Feels a lot more like a refresh than a new gen.

[heavyD]

Originally Posted by lil'redwagon

It pretty much looks exactly like the outgoing model. Feels a lot more like a refresh than a new gen.

Are there more clear images out there? How could you come to that conclusion based on these pictures?

[AVANTI R5]

The 2019 BMW 3 Series sedan has been officially revealed and it will be the Bavarian brand’ most important release this year – and probably the most significant car to appear at this year’s Paris motor show.

Unfortunately, BMW itself inadvertently leaked images of its new volume-seller on its own configurator just a day before the new mid-size sedan’s official global reveal.

Presenting a clearly evolutionary (surprise, surprise) design philosophy, the new BMW 3 Series will go hunting the newly upgraded Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi’s slow-selling A4, a facelifted version of which also debuted in Paris.

Mainstream versions of the new sedan (320i, 320d and 330i) will arrive in Australia next March, followed by the M340i and 330e plug-in hybrid.

Design features include two side creases instead of one and a barely noticeable rear spoiler integrated into the bootlid, while new technologies include optional laser headlights.

Growing in almost all directions, the all-new car’s wheelbase has been stretched 41mm to 2851mm and its overall length grows 76mm to 4709mm — about a school ruler shy of five metres.

In Europe, the new 3 Series will be offered from launch with two four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines and three diesels – a three, a four and a six – but will also come in two plug-in hybrid versions and will then be rebadged as the i4 and fitted with a full battery-electric powertrain in 2020.

The German mid-sizer is quieter than before, thanks to a raft of sound-squashing features, as well as slipperier through the air, lighter, stiffer in its body and with more interior technology.

One of the new key technologies from its bigger brothers allows the doors and ignition to be operated from a smartphone app, which helps because 3 Series owners won’t have to carry around the smartphone-sized key from the 5 Series.

Insider information

There are even over-the-air (OTA) software updates but only for the infotainment system, which is now run through a high-mounted screen that isn’t quite as clearly double-width as in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class or A-Class, but doesn’t carry the Audi split-level set-up, either.

In fact, it’s almost completely lifted from the interior of the just-launched X5 SUV, which is a good thing, with top-end versions scoring a 12.3-inch high-resolution digital instrument cluster to do the heavy lifting for the driver and a 10.25-inch touch-screen running the infotainment.

The base models have seen the digital instrument cluster screens rise from 2.7 to 5.7 inches, while the infotainment screens have increased in size from 6.5 to 8.8 inches.

There’s now a Personal Assistant, which is BMW’s name for its voice-recognition system because it believes it to be intuitive enough for normal speech to help in most situations.

There are galvanised plastic air-vent surrounds, an airplane wing-style sweep across the front passenger compartment and a deep centre console, all clad in the traditional greys and blacks as the launch interior colours. Even the head-up display screen grows by 70 per cent, with more colour and greater definition.

Its equipment packages will range through the entry Advantage spec to the Sport Line, Luxury Line and the M Sport line, each offering different groups of equipment focused on different style of customers as BMW tries to get to grips with the huge demands of WLTP testing.

It promises to be larger inside, with greater visibility and more shoulder and elbow room up front and more legroom in the back, a switch to a space-saving electric parking brake, a 480-litre cargo area and an optional sunroof that’s 100mm longer.

Power systems – now and later

BMW claims it retains the 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, with the 330i petrol version shedding 55kg to drop down to 1470kg (the four-cylinder 320d is 1450kg), all while pushing up the body’s torsional rigidity by 50 per cent.

It’s claimed that the switch to the firm’s newer CLAR modular architecture (used by the 5 Series and X3) will help it to retain its handling while continuing the comfort-focused ride stance delivered by the 5 Series.

The CLAR architecture allows BMW to slot a host of new-generation powertrains inside the 3 Series, including a full-electric powertrain, plug-in hybrids and mild-hybrid technology.

The all-electric version will be called the i4, rather than the 3 Series Electric, and is due in 2020 with a range of up to 700km on the tough new WLTP test cycle.



There will also be a pair of plug-in hybrids, with the lead-off 325e arriving with the same combination of a 100kW 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a 65kW electric motor.

It will deliver a combined 165kW of power and 385kW of torque and it’s not ridiculous to think it will run to 100km/h in about 6.8 seconds and on to a 198km/h top speed, while delivering 41km of zero-emission EV running – because that’s what the MINI Countryman plug-in does with the same powertrain.

There’s a strong chance that a faster, stronger 330e plug-in will arrive with an uprated version of the same core powertrain engineering, and both PHEVs will be able to use either a cable or BMW’s upcoming touchless inductive charging system, which will arrive in Europe later this year.

Sweet petrol-powered six-cylinder engines have disappeared from the 3 Series – for now – as BMW launches its cashcow with only a pair of four-cylinder versions.



The entry-level (at least in Europe) will be the 2.0-litre turbocharged four in the 320i, which will reach 100km/h in a claimed 7.2 seconds and top out at 238km/h.

It will arrive with 300Nm of torque from an impressively early 1350rpm to 4000rpm, while its 135kW of power chimes in at 5000 revs and stays there for another 1500rpm, promising a fat strong mid-range with a perky top end.

While the 330i is based on the same engine layout and hardware, it lifts its power output to 190kW at the same revs as the 320i, though its fatter 400Nm of torque arrives a little later, at 1550rpm, and hangs on a little longer, to 4400rpm.

BMW claims it’s strong enough to reach 100km/h in a strong 5.8 seconds and it is limited to 250km/h at its top end.

The faster car barely suffers in economy, though, with its 5.8-6.1L/100km (it’s a range that depends on the tyres, and the bigger the thirstier) compares well with the slower car’s 5.7-6.0L/100km.



The minimum emissions on the WLTP’s combined cycle compares well, too, with the 330i’s 132g/km of CO2 well in the hunt against the slower car’s 129.

The diesel versions are at least headed by a traditional six-cylinder engine, with the 330d bringing a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six into battle.

With 580Nm of torque at 1600rpm and 195kW of power at 4000rpm, it promises enormous strength and a similarly enormous price, eating deeply into the lower end of the 5 Series models.

It will compensate by being the hunter of the 3 Series family, slicing three tenths off the 330i’s sprint to 100km/h to get there in 5.5 seconds.

It also uses just 4.8L/100km and emits 128g/km of CO2, which is pretty good even compared to the four-cylinder 320d’s 4.4L/100km and 115g/km.



Available as both an all-wheel drive xDrive model and a rear-drive sedan, the 320d brings 140kW and 400Nm into battle, with the xDrive version shaving two-tenths off the sprint time of the rear-drive, hitting 100km/h in 6.9 seconds.

The economy king of the 3 Series range will be the 318d, with its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel eking out 4.2L/100km and 112g/km. It has 110kW of power and 320Nm of torque and tops out at 224km/h.

An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard fit for most countries, though there is also a six-speed manual transmission for the 318d and the 320d rear-driver.

Quieter and safer

The CLAR set-up has allowed more than more engine flexibility. There has been a focus on noise reductions inside the cabin, with the thinner A-pillars filled with noise-insulating foam and sound-deadening acoustic glass adopted for the windscreen.

That same glass technology is an option for the side screens, too, while there are also noise advantages from reducing the aerodynamic profile to a drag coefficient of only 0.23Cd.

The CLAR architecture gives it a sophisticated base of a five-link rear suspension and a four-link front-end and new damping systems.

Its options include a firmer M Sport suspension with a lower ride height, the adaptive M suspension with variable dampers, the tauter, grippier M Sport differential and wheels that can grow up to 19 inches.

It also makes a large step forwards in driver-assistance systems with things like collision- and pedestrian warning and braking and the lane-departure warning systems now standard. A huge range of other assistance systems is optional, too.

Parking should also be easier, even though the car is longer, with BMW giving it a parking assistant for both lateral and longitudinal help, plus 360-degree cameras, a reversing assistant and parking sensors at both ends.

BMW 330i
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder petrol, rear drive
Power: 190kW @ 5000-6500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1550-4400rpm
0-100km/h: 5.8 seconds
Weight: 1470kg
WLTP economy: 5.8L/100km
CO2 emissions: 132g/km

BMW 320d
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder diesel, rear drive
Power: 140kW @ 4000rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
0-100km/h: 7.1 seconds
Weight: 1450kg
WLTP economy: 4.4L/100km
CO2 emissions: 115g/km

[Brahmzy]

What's with the weird black things on each of the 4 corners, both front n rear?
Interesting interior design cues. Angular...
I think the new M4 is going to look BA.
Not digging the headlights or grille or entire front end though.

[SCRAPPYDO]

I like it, undoubtedly will consider it, then will go to build one, and get a base 3 series up to 55000 and say F that ****

[Sid03SVT]

Hard pass, but then again, I don't lease cars.

[standardtranny]

Originally Posted by Scooby-Doode

I definitely miss my Nissan Sentra SE-R. I always loathed for a P11 G20, what a sweet car that was especially the 2002 "Sport" edition. Even sweeter would be a P11 with a SR20VE.

My first car was a 2000 5 speed P11 G20t Loved that damn car and ran it until 225k before selling it on Craigslist. Dual wishbone suspension made it handle well but it was rather heavy and underpowered. Still miss it sometimes!

[subyski]

No more manuals available on the normal 3 series models, at least in the U.S. market.

Is the Genesis G70 the only manufacturer with an available MT in this segment?

[kukabuka]

Does BMW still stubbornly not offer Android Auto? As if I needed another reason not to consider one.

[VarmintCong]

Originally Posted by standardtranny

My first car was a 2000 5 speed P11 G20t Loved that damn car and ran it until 225k before selling it on Craigslist. Dual wishbone suspension made it handle well but it was rather heavy and underpowered. Still miss it sometimes!

Yeah, BMW doesn't get that - you need to have some involvement, steering feel etc to make a fun car. You can't just combine a fancy body kit and 350 hp and expect to have the ultimate driving machine.

[AVANTI R5]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

I like it, undoubtedly will consider it, then will go to build one, and get a base 3 series up to 55000 and say F that ****

V
Actually you’ll be getting a 5 series for a starting price of 41200..Think of it as a new E39 same size anyway..

[VarmintCong]

Originally Posted by Brahmzy

Why so long? Why the long front overhang?
Seriously looks like a mini 5 series..

Well, the inline sixes have always been very long, pop the hood and you'll see. 3 series used to be the perfect length, short enough for lively handling, long enough to seat 4 in, well, not comfort but not misery.

Then all their core customers started caring more about rear legroom and trunk space, than steering feel and handling, so the 3 series got longer and longer and longer. And they sell great, so everyone's happy, except enthusiasts. For them, there's used BMWs and P-cars.

The long front overhang could be Euro pedestrian crash standards, dunno.

[Brahmzy]

Originally Posted by VarmintCong

Well, the inline sixes have always been very long, pop the hood and you'll see.

Uh, I’ve owned an I6TT Bimmer. It had the shortest overhang of any car I’ve owned- short n stout. This is purely cosmetic.

[4S-TURBO]

Side profile makes me think last gen Accord. Prolly cuz I will own neither and don’t care to look any harder. Sad ends.

[heavyD]

Originally Posted by kukabuka

Does BMW still stubbornly not offer Android Auto? As if I needed another reason not to consider one.

Poor people generally don't purchase BMW's.

[Sid03SVT]

Originally Posted by heavyD

Poor people generally don't purchase BMW's.

Apparently you've never been to any of the NYC boroughs

[Scooby-Doode]

Longer, silly front grill, weird indentations in the corner of front/rear bumper, what's with that massive cubby under the audio controls, ridiculously over priced, stupid backwards tachometer, but worst of all a huge deal killer "no manual". Watch people start to flock to the E90 and F30 platforms in the used cars segment......

[arghx7]

And the manuals expired. And there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[VarmintCong]

Originally Posted by Brahmzy

Uh, I've owned an I6TT Bimmer. It had the shortest overhang of any car I've owned- short n stout. This is purely cosmetic.

I was talking about the length of the car. A really long car might look weird with a short overhang.

The overhang is probably also a side effect of them shoving so much into the car - there's greater cooling requirements, adaptive headlights etc etc. I think the short overhang is no longer a priority for BMW.