BMW Drops Details On New 3-series

The 3-series is BMW's bread-and-butter mainstream sales model.  They've sold somewhere between 300,000 and a half a million of them a year since the mid-90's, with a history stretching back to 1975.  While BMW is free to come up with whatever "genre-crossing" tripe it feels like, the reason it can do that is on the back of all the money that the 3-series makes them.  It's won more awards - and races - than most people care to count.  So when they make a new one, they're fairly careful to make it better, but not make it a whole lot different.  This is the case with the brand-new 3-series, which is referred to as the F30 internally.  (I'll miss the E-designations.)

Like almost every new car, the F30 is larger than the car it replaces, the E90.  The wheelbase and overall length grow by 1.96 and 3.66 inches, respectively.  Track width is up 1.46" and 1.85" front and rear, while weight is down 88lbs model-to-model over the E90.  There's more room inside, especially in the rear seat, and the trunk is also larger by 20L of storage.  All good.

Styling wise, it's a 3-series.  When your car has one of the most iconic shapes in the modern automotive world, you're not going to turn it into a Nissan Juke.  Despite the dimensional differences, there are still some unmistakable cues.  The Hofmeister kink (the boomerang shape at the rear of the greenhouse) and the general shape of the glass looks almost exactly like the E90.  The gradual rise in body height from front to rear is still there, giving it a poised appearance.

The front is more of a change.  The headlights are flatter and narrower, still curling up towards the outside edges, but now blending into the kidney grills in the middle - a neat extension of BMW's styling language.  The gradual dip towards the center of the grille gives it a bit of a scowl, and the wideset air intakes in the front fascia are reminiscent of the current Z4 to me.

Like the recently released new-generation 1-series, the 3-series will come in a number of different equipment lines to suit different tastes: Sport, Luxury, and Modern - as well as an M-Sport line.  The Sport Line includes a bunch of gloss black trim pieces and two-tone 18" wheels on the outside, while the inside gets black and red trim and stitching with sport seats.

The Luxury line switches out the black gloss trim for chrome, and the grille has 11 slats instead of 8, with monotone 18" alloys.  Inside it's chrome and leather instead of black and red, with polished wood trim and other stuff Lexus buyers will feel at home with.

Modern line has satin-finish aluminum trim on the outside, with a two-tone interior with the same aluminum trim inside.  Think Audi S-package, basically.  The modern line gets a set of 18" turbine-style alloys.

Most attractive is the M-sport line, which gives us a hint as to what the M3 will look like.  There's a specific body kit (BMW still refers to this stuff as an "aerodynamic package") and M-sport 18 or 19" wheels with high-gloss Shadowblack trim outside, while inside there are blue accent stripes, an M-Sport short shifter and M-Sport leather steering wheel, as well as specific seats.  This model also gets lowered, stiffer M-spec suspension, so if you like to flog your 3-series raises hand then this'll be the one to get.

Under the hood, there's some new stuff and some carryover from the E90.  The base model (at least in the US) is still the 328i, but gone is the naturally-aspirated 3.0L I6.  In it's place is BMW's new N20, which is the first four-cylinder to power a 3-series in the US since 1999.  Unlike the 318Ti, though, this 2.0L has some power.  With direct injection and a twin-scroll turbocharger, the 328i makes 240 horsepower at 5,000rpm, 10 more than the outgoing six-cylinder 328i.  More importantly, it makes 260lb-ft of torque from an extremely low 1,250rpm all the way to 4,800 rpm - 60lb-ft more at a lower peak.  It's faster - 0-60 in 5.7s and a top speed of 130, or 155 with the sport package - and more fuel efficient, as well as lighter over the front axle.  Seems like the only thing that will be missing is the characteristic straight-six growl.

If you want some straight six-growl though, there's still the 335i.  It uses the same N55 3.0L I6 as the outgoing model, with the single twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection as well.  Power stands at 300bhp at 5,800rpm and 300lb-ft of torque between 1,200-5,000rpm.  BMW quotes 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, which seems conservative considering a lot of publications clocked the last-generation 335i at under 5 seconds to sixty - we'll see.  Transmission choices for either engine are a 6-speed manual (hooray!) or a new 8-speed automatic that's been slowly spreading it's way across the BMW lineup.  BMW doesn't have any fuel economy numbers for the 328i, but they report that the 335i delivers 29.8mpg with a manual and 32.6mpg with the automatic on the EU cycle; fairly impressive for that fast of a car.

Both models utilize some now-familiar BMW tech.  The 4 and 6 cylinder are both twin-scroll turbos, meaning exhaust gases are split going into the turbo to reduce backpressure and spool delay time.  Valvetronic (variable valve timing) eliminates the need for a throttle body, while double Vanos (variable cam timing) on both intake and exhaust optimizes torque output and emissions.  They're both direct-injected, with pressure on the high side near 2900psi (197bar) allowing a high compression ratio and large amounts of boost.  Good stuff.

On the Eco side of things, there are some new features that make the F30 more friendly to the environment and your wallet.  Start-Stop is standard on manual and automatic transmission models, and a lot of the ancillaries only work when they're needed.  The alternator only engages to charge the battery under braking or closed-throttle, and both the water pump and oil pump are electronically controlled.  They also mention the magnetic clutch on the A/C compressor that disengages belt drive when it's off, but I'm not sure if they realize that's a pretty old trick.  On a side note, maybe the fact that the crank pulley on my E36 directly drives the water pump, rear radiator fan, power steering pump, and alternator all the time is the reason I get bad fuel economy.  (Maybe it's my heavy foot.)

There's even high-tech stuff to be found in the transmissions.  The 335i's 6-speed manual uses dry sump lubrication to help deal with the stress of all the torque, and the synchros are carbon-fiber.  The 8-speed automatic is pretty trick too, if that's your thing.  Not any heavier than the outgoing 6-speed automatic, the 8-speed offers a larger overall gear spread with smaller gaps between ratios, meaning automatic cars are both faster and easier on gas than their manual counterparts.  If you order an M-Sport or Sport Line, steering wheel paddle shifters are included as well.

Also in common with the new 1-series is the Driving Dynamics Control switch, which offers four modes: Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+.  These various settings alter throttle response, steering weight, and transmission shift points.  There are also multiple modes for the stability control, basically "On, Halfway On, and Off."  The rear end still uses an electronic brake lock differential function to apportion traction.

Suspension is largely the same as the E90.  MacPherson struts up front (with aluminum uprights, control arms, and hubs for reduced mass), and a 5-link independent rear end in the back with anti-roll bars at both ends were pretty much expected.  Variable-ratio steering is an option on the F30, which allows for easier parking and better highway stability.  The M-Sport suspension package mentioned before has a 10mm lower static ride height, stiffer springs and dampers, and larger roll-bars.  There's also the option of the Adaptive M-Sport suspension, which varies damping rates automatically as well as offering adjustment through the Driving Dynamics switch.

As with the last 3-series, rear wheel drive is standard as God intended, but if you live somewhere with a lot of snow, xDrive AWD is available as well on both the 328i and 335i from mid 2012.  Brakes on the 328i are floating calipers at all four corners, while the 335i gets 4-piston fixed calipers up front for extra braking force.

I suppose I'll mention at this point that BMW will be making a Hybrid version of the 3 series, but don't get your pitchforks and torches out yet.  The ActiveHybrid 3 is based on the 335i with the automatic transmission.  There's an electric motor sandwiched between the turbo six and the 8-speed automatic which offers a maximum power of 55bhp.  Using the black magic of adding gas and electric power, the Hybrid 3 offers a maximum total of 335bhp and 330lb-ft of torque, which means it will likely be a useful amount faster than the regular 335i (thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor) as well as offering 12.5% better fuel economy - 36.7mpg average on the EU cycle.  Much like the Infiniti M35h or 7th-generation Accord V6 Hybrid, this is a Hybrid I can get behind - actually improved fuel economy and noticeably improved performance.  Put down your pitch fork.

The interior is basically what you'd expect from a 3-series: again, no big surprises.  There are some neat features, though.  A full-color heads up display can project things onto the windshield like speed, cruise control settings, navigation commands, and collision and lane departure warnings.  There's a blind spot detection system that probably should've stayed at Volvo, as well as the aforementioned lane departure warning system.  The headlights automatically manage dip and high beams (which is good, because it seems like most BMW drivers are unable) with a light sensor, and adaptive lighting and corner lighting is optional as well.

There's also an optional color backup camera that integrates into the navigation screen, as well as Surround View (which uses two more cameras) to help you avoid touch-parking.  That's all well and good, but what's really cool is how you can open the trunk.  There are motion sensors under the rear bumper.  Imagine walking up to the trunk with two arms full of groceries, and instead of setting them down and digging out your keys, you just wave your foot under the bumper and it pops open.  Of course, you have to get Comfort Access for this feature (keyless entry and start), but I think it's worth it just for that party trick.  And thankfully it only works in park, otherwise all the lowered F30's would be popping their trunks constantly!

With the F30 3-series, BMW has wisely chosen - I hate to beat a dead horse with another dead horse on this phrase - evolution over revolution.  It's still obviously a 3-series.  I can't even really say the old one was getting long in the tooth or lagging behind the competition in some appreciable way, but judging by the specs, the new one will be even better.  Of course, this is just the beginning - they've only released details on one body style (sedan) and three powertrains (2.0L, 3.0L, 3.0L Hybrid).  There will be lots more to come - expect revisions to the diesel lineup (including a probably even faster 335d), more body styles (a Coupe, hardtop convertible, and wagon - along with the possibility of a 3-series GT, hopefully which BMW will cancel).  And of course, the M3 - which is rumored to be housing a twin turbo V6.  Oh dear.  That might be worth getting the pitchforks out for.  The last thing is availability:  the RWD 328i and 335i will be coming to dealers in February 2012, with the AWD models following in summer, and the Hybrid following in the fall.  Stay tuned for pricing and more pictures and data!

Post updated with better quality press photos - first batch was off BMW's Facebook page and low-resolution.  Newer ones are 1600px and expandable!