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| New 3 Series is based on the BMW's CLAR platform, same as the new 5 Series. Gets new sleeker LED taillamps and dual exhaust ports. It is likely to get a longer wheelbase and a roomier cabin. |
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Originally Posted by AlphaKilo
(Post 4438306)
Something coming up this weekend!! keep your eyes and ears open. :) An M340D, yes you read it right! There could be the first ever diesel M but for now this remains a rumour. |
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Originally Posted by wrongturn
(Post 4438332)
G20 renders https://www.bmwblog.com/tag/2018-bmw-3-series/ |
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Originally Posted by rohitoasis
(Post 4438319)
Wasnt the M550D the first Diesel M badged car. The link does not open in my office so probably it describes first M badged 3 series diesel. |
| Spied for the first time today was the full electric G20 3 Series prototype. Telltale signs include a vanity (nonfunctional) grille and skinny tires, as well as the legally required "Electric Test Vehicle" sticker. And while it shows an exhaust, they're reportedly fake and left on the vehicle to deceive. We do not yet have numbers on the range for the electric 3 Series, but considering its competition range from 200-300 miles per charge, that's the likely range we'll see. Our photographer also observed a Tesla 3 being used by the BMW test crew to evaluate against. |
| As background for this taster, however, we were told that it’s a slightly longer and wider car, with a longer wheelbase; and that, having been built on BMW’s Cluster Architecture, it’s made of a higher proportion of aluminium, magnesium and high-strength steel than its predecessor, and is a slightly lighter (up to 55kg) and torsionally stiffer (by 15-20%) car to boot. |
| The new 3 Series’ engine range isn’t likely to change too much, according to project insiders, who admit that — in spite of the uncertainties associated with the future market acceptance of diesel or indeed any sort of non-hybrid powertrain — they haven’t attempted to fix what isn’t believed to be broken. The advancements relevant to the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol 330i they gave us for testing are, we were told, a reasonable guide for what to expect more widely. It benefits from a 7bhp improvement in power (taking it above the 250bhp barrier) and a 37lb ft increase in torque (up to 295lb ft), with incremental like-for-like gains on emissions and lab test fuel economy likely (although as yet unconfirmed). While less powerful versions will come with manual gearboxes as standard, at 330i/330d level and above all will be eight-speed automatics. Selected engines will be offered with xDrive four-wheel drive, and one or two might be xDrive only — although BMW won’t say which at this stage. |
| First impressions? In this configuration, a Giulia probably remains a more compact and lighter-feeling, marginally more incisive and naturally agile saloon. But then, modern BMWs are relatively complicated, more ‘specification-sensitive’ cars than most of their executive rivals; and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that, in just the right mechanical trim, this car could dive and swivel left and right just as keenly as its Italian challenger.It might even entertain better ultimately, given Alfa’s refusal to supply a Giulia with fully switchable electronic aids below the £60k Quadrifoglio level. |
| It does feel a little bit firm at low speeds, and slightly busy over smaller ruts and bumps taken at speed. But it certainly has suspension seemingly capable of working hard within the wheel housings without ruining the level poise of the body until it really needs to. Plenty of Tarmac imperfections are therefore heard but not really felt too much from the driver’s seat — and despite the progressive settings of both spring and damper, the car’s ride frequency feels honest and predictable as the bumps get bigger. The suspension’s outright ability to absorb punishment without running out of travel, meanwhile, is quite remarkable — up there with a really well-sorted hot hatchback. |
| Although the interior of our 3 Series prototype was covered with disguise almost as thoroughly as its exterior, it was possible to note a few themes about the new cabin. For one, it’ll have some surprisingly flashy, ritzy material touches — no doubt in response to the public’s apparent appetite for the more lavish/chintzy (delete according to personal taste) C-Class. There’s certainly more glossy chrome-effect plastic to be found around the air vents than there is in the current 3 Series.Lower down the centre console, it seems as if BMW’s had a rethink on how it presents the car’s drive mode buttons, preferring a row of discreet Comfort, Sport, Eco and DSC Off keys to the old rocker switch of the current car. And up ahead, our prototype had a proper digital instrument screen unlike that of its larger BMW contemporaries, because it doesn’t feature fixed chrome bezels. Although we didn’t have the time to fully explore its modes, that fact alone should greatly add to its flexibility and the number of ways in which the display can be configured. |
| The 3 Series’ passive shocks are different; they ramp up to a secondary firmer setting progressively and only at one extreme of the suspension strut’s range of travel (the rebound end on the front axle and the compression end at the rear). At the front, the effect is achieved though a secondary ring the damper piston has to push against which is governed by a separate hydraulic circuit; at the rear, the piston runs up against a cone-shaped restrictor at the bottom end of the main reservoir. |
| The new generation of the sports sedan is entering the final phase of an extensive programme of testing that every new BMW model must go through as part of its pre-production development. |
| All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 10:50. |