The Bavarians’ core sedan – the very epitome of ‘BMW’ – gets a subtle but very satisfying mid-life facelift. We try it
Things we like
As satisfying lớn drive as ever New công nghệ slots in with few hiccups Smart styling upgrades resist controversyNot so much
Climate controls sit on the screen these days A cảm biến pricey besides an Alfa or Audi Um, little else…No oto better sums up ‘BMW’ than the 3 Series. Whatever the proliferation of SUVs & EVs – two things the Munich manufacturer majors in – the humble yet handsome sedan remains the very vi xử lý core of what its maker is about. It remains a best-seller, and over 16 million of them have found homes since its inception in 1975. So, BMW would be pretty foolish lớn mess up the formula for this seventh-generation, ‘G20’ 3 Series facelift, right?
Luckily it hasn’t. Perhaps crucially, the kidney grilles have changed in kiến thiết but without growing an inch, keeping the braying mob of aesthetes from knocking up some placards to lớn protest.
In fact, the facelift has broadly cleaned the design up, removing a few creases & curves and generally giving the 3 the vibe of a shrunken 5 Series. No bad thing, in our eyes. Under the skin, meanwhile, changes are limited lớn an influx in digitisation rather than an overhaul of its already incisive dynamic character.
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How much is it, and what vị you get?
The updated 3 Series launches simultaneously as a sedan & Touring (wagon); in Europe, it launches with petrol và diesel powertrains but the latter is not destined for Australia. Prices start at $78,900 for a 320i, which utilises a 2.0-litre engine familiar from plenty of other BMW and Mini products – producing 135kW – while the $93,400 330i packs a 180kW version of the same unit. Both prices are before on-road costs.
Both get a heap of standard equipment, including BMW’s vast new curved touchscreen that grabs the headlines as the biggest change for this G20 update. Electrically adjusted sports seats, adaptive cruise control và park assist are fitted to both, with the 330i getting inch-bigger 19in alloys và leather M thể thao seats as well as adaptive suspension.
The 330e plug-in hybrid costs $97,400 while upping peak power to lớn 215kW, with its equipment in line with the 330i. Topping the range is the $104,900 M340i xDrive, the only all-wheel drive 3 Series to lớn make it to Australia. Again, both prices are before on-road costs.
Its engine is the truly wonderful 3.0-litre straight-six turbo seen in the Z4 & Toyota Supra, here producing 275kW and good for 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds. It also gets a fancy Harman Kardon stereo, heated seats, adaptive LED lights & a sunroof.
BMW has aimed to slimline trims and options lớn make configuring your 3 Series easier, so key options are bunched into simple packs, though they can vary in price depending on which car you’re applying them to.
Among them are the nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnfort Pack, which brings heated seats and the nicer stereo lớn lower-rung models, và the M thể thao Pro pack, which brings M thể thao brakes with red or blue calipers as well as lots of smart exterior thiết kế flourishes, most of them replacing chrome trim with black for a meaner look.
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How vày rivals nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnpare on value?
A nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnparable Mercedes C-Class will cost almost exactly the same, the 320i and 330i taking on their respective C200 and C300 rivals with near-identical power & price figures. It’s almost lượt thích the two car-makers are locked in battle… The Merc arguably has a cảm ứng more showroom cachet owing to its thiết kế being all-new, but the BMW is a sharper handler.
An Alfa Romeo Giulia will be a decent slice cheaper – a 147kW sport starts at $63,950 while a 206kW Veloce is $71,450 (both before on-road costs). It’s a sweet oto to drive but won’t feel as plush or technologically on-the-button as the updated 3 Series.
Going for an Audi A4 would be cheaper, too, prices for a 183kW 45 TFSI S Line starting at $73,500 before on-road costs, but it simply can’t hold a candle lớn the BMW when it nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnes lớn driving appeal.
Interior nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnfort, space và storage
The 3 Series may not look too different on the outside, but inside it’s made a big stride. All models get a vast curved display as standard, running BMW’s latest operating system.
Ahead of you is a 12.3-inch digital dial display that looks cool, but frustratingly it doesn’t really adjust much. It feels like a missed opportunity to vày something wild, but at least it’s clean và legible.
More likely to drop your jaw is the 14.9-inch widescreen in the middle of the car, which can run BMW’s native maps and truyền thông or hook straight up to táo khuyết or android phones. It looks fabulous và its sheer kích cỡ has convinced BMW lớn ditch its odd gesture control system. Some pretty responsive voice control should help ease the pain of anyone dead set on not prodding the screen…
Space is unchanged from before, so the 3 Series remains a roomy, practical car. The Touring is vast in the back & offers up lớn 1510 litres of luggage capacity, accessed via the electric tailgate or nifty, separately opening rear screen.
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All models get an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard and it now operates through a neat little toggle rather than a stick, tidying up the centre console and adding an extra sense of space to lớn the front quarters.
However, it does make locking the transmission in ‘manual’ less of an immediate process than before.
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BMW 3-Series Touring boot
What’s it lượt thích to drive?
Ah, the traditional 3 Series calling card. Khổng lồ sighs of relief all around, absolutely nothing has changed here. The dynamics team relegated themselves lớn tea duties on this project, knowing they already had the class benchmark for handling và that any fiddling might just ruin the 3’s sweet balance of nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnfort và fun.
This remains a oto that steers sharply & grips strongly, but not without a sense of humour if you feel like loosening its electronic shackles và driving a bit harder. The xDrive system of the M340i is very rear-biased, so there’s plenty of fun to lớn be had even outside of purely rear-drive versions.
The pick of the engines – if money is no object – is the scintillating six-cylinder in the M340i. It sounds fantastic, rips right lớn its 7000rpm redline keenly and delivers the appropriate punch for an M-badged sports sedan, stopping just shy of the guts and glory of the full-fat M3.
It’ll be a nicer, less aggressive thing to lớn live with every day while also offering similar performance to lớn M3s of old – at a similar price too, mind.
Standard adaptive suspension and a smart electronic differential ensure its 1800 kilos are kept very keenly in check, while it nhanluchungvuong.edu.vnes with 48V mild-hybrid tech these days, so it’s also cultured and polite when you’re driving through town. It’s a truly consummate all-rounder & demonstrates BMW’s core values beautifully.
Of the other engine options, the 330i is perhaps sweetest but the 330e most intriguing. It’s notably heavier than the pure petrol models but manages its mass just as well, và the novelty of 50 (or more) kilometres of swish, silent running is hard not khổng lồ love. If you can affordably charge up at home or work, it feels a bit of a no-brainer, và its 0-100km/h time is basically on par with the 330i model.
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How is it on fuel?
The BMW 3 Series consumes 95 RON fuel at all levels below the headline M3 (which asks for 98 RON). Fuel consumption varies throughout the engines.
Naturally, the 330e hybrid claims the thriftiest figures from official testing procedures at just 2.2L/100km, though this will vary wildly if you can’t always guarantee a không tính phí socket to lớn get the batteries charged back up to shoulder some of your mileage.
The 320i and 330i quote similar economy – respectively 6.3 & 6.4L/100km – while the higher-performance M340i xDrive claims 7.7L/100km. Given it adds an extra pair of cylinders và driven wheels, that’s an impressively modest climb in fuel consumption & our experience of this engine in daily life suggests it’ll actually better its official figure in mixed use.
How safe is it?
The G20-generation BMW 3 Series was evaluated by ANCAP in 2019, achieving a five-star safety rating. So the same ought lớn stand here given nothing vital has changed about the car’s kiến thiết or structure. There’s plenty of active safety tech as standard, too, with lane-keep assist, a wealth of cameras và park assist fitted to lớn all models.
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VERDICT
Few cars at any price nail their brief with such satisfying precision as a BMW 3 Series. It’s fair to điện thoại tư vấn this one of the true pillars of the automotive world, but luckily BMW knows the cấp độ of heritage behind the badge and has updated the seventh-gen 3 in a sympathetic manner, blending in new giải pháp công nghệ without disrupting the purity – and pleasure – of the driving experience beneath.
Find the cash for a 330e or M340i and you’ll possess one of the most gratifying all-rounders on sale at any level.
