BMW 3: return of the king
BMW is looking to return the 3 Series to the top of its segment with the new one. Damien O’carroll goes to the global launch to see if it has.
Although the sedan in general is in decline as SUVS continue their remorseless march to domination, BMW still considers the 3 Series to be one of its cornerstone offerings. After all, more than 15 million sales since 1975 can’t be wrong, right?
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Five years. That’s how long BMW has been working on the new 3 Series. Literally the year after the 6th generation F30 launched, the company was starting work on its replacement.
During that five years the pressure was certainly on BMW too – just two years later the W205 Mercedes-benz C-class landed that not only matched, but actually exceeded the 3 in terms of driving enjoyment, while handily eclipsing it in terms of interior design and quality, Alfa Romeo dropped a thoroughly convincing challenger in the form of the Giulia that was also actually a far more enjoyable steer and even Hyundai landed a blow in the form of the new Genesis G70 that is being described by press in America as more of a 3 Series than the actual 3 Series... worrying times indeed for the Ultimate Driving Machine.
But it seems that BMW was well aware this would probably happen (OK, maybe not the Alfa bit – no-one expected that) and was quietly beavering away on what we now know – after driving it at the global launch – to be one of the most capable, enjoyable and dynamically satisfying cars in its segment. That’s right, it’s back.
The seventh generation G20 BMW 3 Series is all-new from the ground up (save revised engines and transmissions) and its development has focused on regaining that Ultimate Driving Machine title.
Less weight (up to 55kg down), more rigidity (up to 50 per cent in some areas), a wider track (up 43mm front and 21mm rear), a longer wheelbase (up by 41mm) and a perfect 50:50 weight distribution
have all contributed to returning the 3 Series to top form, but the big hero of the day is BMW’S new lift-related damper technology that it has debuted on the 3.
Described by BMW’S lead engineer of driving dynamics, Robert Rothmiller, as ‘‘a damper within a damper’’, the non-electronic set up (although it can be used in an electronic set up and, indeed, is on the forthcoming M340i) features a hydraulic rebound stopper – which is basically a smaller extension on the piston rod – that dives into a slightly smaller inner cone on the top side of the damper.
‘‘So for rebound, when the car is moving upwards, it prevents it from maxing out,’’ said Rothmiller.
‘‘On the rear axle we do not need that much of a rebound – we need compression’’ Which basically means the set up is reversed on the rear.
‘‘We call it the ‘skyhook’,’’ said Rothmiller. ‘‘You’re hooked to the sky and never lose the horizontal position.’’
Where did you drive it?
The global launch was held in the Portimao region of Portugal, a place that not only had a handy race track nearby for an exclusive sneak preview of the M340i xdrive (more of that in another article), but also roads that nicely mimicked New Zealand’s own.
Namely; broken chip seal and unpredictable camber, but with way less maintenance and more potholes.
And both the 330i and 320d we drove at the launch were deeply impressive over all of the road’s unpredictable camber changes and various surface catastrophes.
We didn’t come across anything that could particularly unsettle the 3 or throw it off line, a feat that’s full impressiveness was driven home when we drove an i3 over some of the same roads a day later – broken surfaces that were taken unflinchingly in the 3 Series rattled the i3 (and its passengers) and noticeably threw it off line, much as you would expect them to.
But both 330i and 320d were sharp and agile, with responsive steering (that is a big improvement on the current cars, albeit still a bit distant and video game-ish, as is the current trend) and a front end that dives into corners and steadfastly refuses to let anything unsettle, convincingly marking its return as the Ultimate Driving Machine.
What’s the pick of the range?
Both the 330i and 320d we drove on the launch will be first off the mark when the new 3 arrives in New Zealand and, while we have always enjoyed the torque of a good diesel, the 330i is the clear choice here.
You might notice that the petrol and diesel cars share the same 400Nm torque figure, with the petrol having it spread across a far larger rev range – 1550 to 4400rpm for the petrol and just 1750 to 2500 for the diesel – meaning the petrol effortlessly out-grunts the diesel and is a far more satisfying drive. The handling is equally exceptional in both, but the 330i is more able to make the most out of it, with the 320d running out of breath a little too soon to be truly satisfying.
Standard equipment is broadly similar across both and not wanting in any regard – we simply don’t have the room to touch on all the tech BMW has packed into the new 3, but will just say that the driver assists are deeply impressive.
Then there is the interior (identical in both) which doesn’t look like a massive advance over the old car, but is exceptionally well put together, impressively high quality and has been subtly, but significantly, re-arranged to be far more driver-focused.
Why would I buy it?
Because you have a current 330i and need to trade up. No, really; you need to. While the styling may not be a massive jump (and could even be described as overly fussy in some areas), the driving experience so much improved as to be worth the price of change alone.
Why wouldn’t I buy it?
Because you are waiting for the more powerful models. The M340i is very special indeed and the inevitable M3/M4 could well be genre-redefining things. Then there is the 330e plug-in hybrid that will arrive later in 2019.