Photo: SB Medien
The BMW stand in Frankfurt is not only animated by the presence of the new 7 Series. While the flagship is without a doubt the one that attracts the most attention, there are other world premieres on the set as well. One of them is the new BMW 3 Series.
Following a well-deserved facelift, the best-selling car in BMW’s line-up now has more tricks up its sleeve to keep up with newer rivals in its segment like the C-Class and the up and coming XE from Jaguar as well as the fresh-off-the-boat Audi A4.
Since this is the bread and butter of BMW, the sedan version recently reaching an unbelievable milestone (10,000,000 units built), the Germans made sure that their customers have everything they need inside and out.
That’s how the 3 Series became the latest model from Munich available with optional LED headlights and received the newest engines available from the B family.
Those are the plants that will soon take over, offering modularity unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. BMW claims that they are able to share parts in between various sizes by up to 60 percent. The smallest unit on sale, the B38 3-cylinder 1.5-liter petrol mill is basically half of a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder B58 engine, which is the king of the hill right now.
The B58 is also available on the 7 Series as a matter of fact, its 326 HP animating the entry-level 740i model. Leaving the successor of the N55 behind, let’s take a look at the line-up BMW brought out in Frankfurt.
Amongst the cars, we spotted the first 3 Series powered by a 3-cylinder engine, the 318i. Traditionally, the 318i used to have either 1.9-liter or a 2-liter engine under the bonnet but thanks to turbocharging, you now get a 1.5-liter with three pots that makes 136 HP and 220 Nm (136 lb-ft) of torque.
Sounds familiar? That’s because it’s the same mill as on the MINI Cooper and, after reviewing it a while back, we can tell you that we were definitely impressed on how good it works. The trouble is, the British car is around 200 kilos (440 lbs) lighter than the 3er and that might bring about some issues with the dynamics of the car. But then again, if you’re buying the entry-level 3 Series you can’t really expect it to be a rocket.
Another car on display was the 320d, in Touring guise, just as we expected. That’s because it’s the best selling model in the 3 Series range in Europe and it uses a new B47 engine that has more than enough on the table. With 190 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) on tap, this unit usually gets around 50 mpg (4.7 l/100 km) on average.
The 3 Series facelift is already on sale and deliveries are expected to begin shortly. Prices start from €30,200 in Germany and $33,150 in the US.
Since this is the bread and butter of BMW, the sedan version recently reaching an unbelievable milestone (10,000,000 units built), the Germans made sure that their customers have everything they need inside and out.
That’s how the 3 Series became the latest model from Munich available with optional LED headlights and received the newest engines available from the B family.
Those are the plants that will soon take over, offering modularity unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. BMW claims that they are able to share parts in between various sizes by up to 60 percent. The smallest unit on sale, the B38 3-cylinder 1.5-liter petrol mill is basically half of a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder B58 engine, which is the king of the hill right now.
The B58 is also available on the 7 Series as a matter of fact, its 326 HP animating the entry-level 740i model. Leaving the successor of the N55 behind, let’s take a look at the line-up BMW brought out in Frankfurt.
Amongst the cars, we spotted the first 3 Series powered by a 3-cylinder engine, the 318i. Traditionally, the 318i used to have either 1.9-liter or a 2-liter engine under the bonnet but thanks to turbocharging, you now get a 1.5-liter with three pots that makes 136 HP and 220 Nm (136 lb-ft) of torque.
Sounds familiar? That’s because it’s the same mill as on the MINI Cooper and, after reviewing it a while back, we can tell you that we were definitely impressed on how good it works. The trouble is, the British car is around 200 kilos (440 lbs) lighter than the 3er and that might bring about some issues with the dynamics of the car. But then again, if you’re buying the entry-level 3 Series you can’t really expect it to be a rocket.
Another car on display was the 320d, in Touring guise, just as we expected. That’s because it’s the best selling model in the 3 Series range in Europe and it uses a new B47 engine that has more than enough on the table. With 190 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) on tap, this unit usually gets around 50 mpg (4.7 l/100 km) on average.
The 3 Series facelift is already on sale and deliveries are expected to begin shortly. Prices start from €30,200 in Germany and $33,150 in the US.
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