NEW BMW 3 SERIES:
PUTTING THE SPORT BACK IN SEDANS
DAWN HAD JUST BROKEN OVER Mumbai when BMW handed over the new 3 Series to me. It rolled up to us, gleaming white against the perpetual grey of Mumbai’s skyline. It looked good — visibly larger than the last one, and certainly more stylish. The G20 3 Series is an entirely new generation right down to the platform, and the design is a testament to that. It doesn’t look like an evolution of the F30, but distinct enough to walk its own path. More importantly, it doesn’t look like a shrunken 5 or 7 Series. At a time when BMW’s rivals (we’re looking at you, Mercedes-Benz) are trying harder and harder to make their entry-level cars look like the flagships, BMW has let good sense prevail and bestowed the 3 Series with its own visual identity. Imagine this car with those megagrilles from the 7 Series — good lord!
I was apprehensive about what the new 3 Series would be like to drive. BMW has been softening their cars at the expense of dynamics — the X5 we recently tested is a case in point. ‘Not the 3 Series too,’ is what I thought before I got into it. It has gotten larger with this generation after all — a whole 76mm on the outside, out of which 41mm is between the axles. It is wider by 16mm and more focus has been placed on comfort with this generation than ever before. Purists moaned and moaned when the new 911 got bigger, but promptly shut up once they drove it. I was hoping it was the same case with this car. The 3 Series has always been a sporty offering, it would be a shame to see that DNA diluted. The underpinnings are completely new for the G20, it is now based on the CLAR platform that we are familiar with from the 5 Series and 7 Series, but the engines remain familiar.
The 3 Series will be sold in India with two different engines to start with — one diesel badged the 320d, and the petrol that we were driving, badged the 330i M Sport. Under the hood is a 2-litre petrol hooked up to a twinscroll turbocharger. Outputs are impressive — 255bhp and 400Nm of torque. This is up 6bhp and 50Nm over the last generation. The engine is essentially the same power unit, however there are a few minor updates — the fuel pump generates more pressure, the crankshaft is lighter, there is lesser internal friction and heat is managed better. There’s a new particulate filter to improve emissions too.
Performance is impressive. Step on it and there’s barely any lag to speak of before peak torque kicks in at 1550rpm. It keeps pulling cleanly till 5000rpm where you can feel the torque drop off as you approach the top-end. You could short-shift and keep it in the meat of the rev-range for that constant firm shove, but I wouldn’t recommend you do so. Why? Because the engines sounds so sweet being revved out to the 6800rpm redline. The 330i’s exhaust note isn’t obnoxiously dramatic, but it has a noticeable growl as the revs rise. It constantly reminds you that this little luxury sedan of yours has a potent motor under the hood. The ton comes up in 5.8 seconds so performance isn’t something that is lacking — the 50kg in weight saving certainly helping here. The motor, being a petrol, is refined and there’s all the torque you want without having to deal with diesel clatter. The eight-speed automatic shifts smoothly and quickly, you’re never left wishing you could dump the torque convertor for a DCT.
The engines might have been carried over (not that we’re complaining), but the chassis is all new. That said, BMW has stayed true to the ethos of the 3 Series. All those apprehensions I had were dispersed within minutes of getting into the driver’s seat. You can immediately tell that the steering is direct. It feels extremely accurate and really allows you to place the car as you’d like to on the road. There is weight to it, which is ramped up in Sport and Sport Plus mode, but it doesn’t feel overtly artificial like the car is trying too hard to be sporty. We couldn’t drive this test car too far out of the city so I cannot give you a definitive verdict on how it will handle a properly twisty road, but the first impression I have is that it will fare rather well. It does have proper 50:50 weight distribution and an even wider track (40mm) over the last-gen car on its side, after all.
Ride quality is good too but borders to the firmer side of things. It’s got a certain tautness to it, it’s not as soft as an Audi A4, for instance, but it has trick dampers that allow you comfort without compromising performance. These dampers compress and expand more easily in the middle of their strokes compared to the
The 330i’s exhaust note isn’t obnoxiously dramatic, but it does have a noticeable growl as the revs rise
ends, making them passive dynamic dampers of sorts. They iron out small bumps rather well, and work better at speed as the car doesn’t get floaty but there’s a firm edge to it. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your bent — if you want to relax with a newspaper in the backseat, this isn’t going to be fun but if you’re the kind that likes getting behind the wheel, this sort of communication from the chassis will only keep you happy. It isn’t uncomfortable by any sense of the word, this is still a ‘luxury’ offering and it behaves like one but leans to the sporty end of the spectrum. We like.
Speaking of luxury, the interiors have been given an overhaul too. Space is obviously more thanks to the increase in dimensions — the rear bench has a little more legroom and there is a marginal increase in shoulder room too. The cabin is suitably well appointed. There’s the fully digital information cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system,
The 3 Series dials up the luxury on the inside, but doesn’t stray from its roots
ambient lighting and a larger sunroof than before. There’s also a virtual assistant that you can talk to and command the car to change the music, check engine oil levels or adjust the temperature of the cabin. The cabin of the 3 Series feels the part of an entry luxury sedan. The materials feel expensive and the metallic finish on the dash and centre console are a pleasant change from the wood and leather we usually see in this segment. Quality is top notch, however, I don’t think the cabin looks as exclusive a space as the C-Class. The layout, though driver focussed, doesn’t have the same sense of flash that the C-Class does, but that is a matter of perspective.
How good is the new 3 Series then? I think it is very good. The chassis does justice to the enthusiastic drivetrain and it feels like a proper driver’s car — exactly what a 3 Series should be. It dials up the luxury on the inside, but doesn’t stray from its roots in the process. It sets an even higher benchmark when it comes to sporty dynamics, and gives you a properly involving drive. There’s actually very little to fault! I wish we were given more time with the car, and could have taken it out to a winding road that would do that chassis justice. Well, at least we have got an excuse to ask BMW to send us one again. ⌧