What's all this about?
BMW has announced a minor suite of upgrades to its 3 Series saloon and Touring estate including subtle exterior tweaks and a more substantial revision of the interior. Beyond that, it’s much the same as before, with similar powertrains and only a handful of new standard features.
What about those design tweaks?
The changes are mostly at the front, with a new front apron and a reworked kidney grille which now has double bars and a slightly different shape. The headlights are now slimmer than before, while the daytime running lights are arranged in an inverted L shape. The rear apron has also seen some work and the whole package sits on 17-inch alloy wheels as standard.
I fancy something a little sportier looking...
In the UK, the new 3 Series will be sold in Sport and M Sport specification, the latter of which features sportier, more aggressive styling. The M Sport package adds 18-inch wheels as standard, chrome accents on the bars of the kidney grille and larger front air vents with a hexagonal and honeycomb pattern. The air vents at the outer edges of the front accentuate the car’s width, and inside there are a few M-specific trim and upholstery touches. All M Sport models except the plug-in hybrids also get bespoke M Sport suspension.
You mentioned something about bigger interior changes?
The 3 Series now gets the same Curved Display screen array currently seen in other BMW models such as the iX and new 2 Series Active Tourer. Combining a 12.3-inch driver’s instrument cluster behind the steering wheel with a 14.9-inch multimedia and control screen to create a single unit, slightly curved and angled ergonomically towards the driver, the Curved Display now gives the interior a much more modern, high-tech look. Aside from that though, the interior revisions are small with little more than the Curved Display, redesigned air vents and a new gear selector for the eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission.
Any changes under the bonnet?
Not too many, and the line-up is much the same as before, opening with the 184hp 320i and running all the way up to the 374hp M340i xDrive with its 4.4-second 0-62mph time. In between though, the 320d and M340d both now get mild-hybrid assistance, which is in addition to the existence of the plug-in hybrid 330e. One other small change is to the 2.0-litre engine in the 330i, which has seen the exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head and an upgraded turbo system meaning it now generates 258hp. In all models, power gets sent to the wheels through the aforementioned eight-speed Steptronic transmission, and all-wheel drive is available as an option on the 320i, 320d and 330e and as standard on the two M models.
Any news on the M models?
Nothing major apart from that addition of mild-hybrid assistance to the M340d. There are still two M models, the mild-hybrid diesel M340d and petrol-powered M340i. With 374hp on tap, the M340i is more powerful than the 340hp M340d, but the latter develops 700Nm of torque, which is 200Nm more than the petrol model.
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Both cars get their own M-specific design elements with a mesh kidney grille, 19-inch wheels and trapezoidal exhaust pipes. LED headlights with blue accents are now standard on both the Touring and saloon, but a carbon-fibre roof can only be optioned on the saloons.
When is the upgraded 3 Series arriving and how much is it?
Production of the updated 3 Series is due to begin in July, meaning it’ll likely arrive in the UK in the autumn. Pricing starts from £36,670 for the 320i and rises all the way up to a starting point of £52,965 for both M cars.
David Mullen - 18 May 2022