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Auto Express Car Reviews
Next gen BMW 3 Series uncovered
Exclusive details and images of next Audi A4-challenger
By Sam Hardy
19th April 2010
Take a look at the BMW that’s really going to put the ‘three’ into 3-Series. These exclusive images show you just how the firm’s new compact executive is going to look – and under its striking body lies a fresh range of engines, including a line-up of super-efficient three-cylinder units.
Together with improved aerodynamics, a hi-tech transmission system and integrated cabin wi-fi, it’s all part of BMW’s plan to offer the most advanced 3-Series ever.
As you can see from these images, good looks are matched to the clever kit. Mixing influences from the original Concept CS – first revealed at the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show – with those of the latest 5-Series Granturismo, the new 3-Series’ front end is sleek and sharp.
Lines from the wide kidney grilles to the windscreen really emphasise the strength of the design around the nose, while in profile, the sculpted sides and kinked C-pillar are teamed with a chunky swage line that cuts through the door handles.
While the 3-Series will keep its famous front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout, hardly anything else will be traditional. Essentially one half of the firm’s new 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine, a new 1.5-litre three-
cylinder unit will be available in petrol and diesel form.
Boosted by turbochargers, both will produce around 150bhp and thanks to their compact size, will offer real advantages in terms of packaging and weight distribution.
Fitted with all the usual EfficientDynamics gizmos – including stop-start and energy recuperation – the new units will make BMW’s current four-cylinder line-up redundant. The diesel is set to return 75mpg and emit less than 100g/km of CO2, for example.
Further up the range, a new 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo unit will offer the performance and soundtrack that BMW buyers have become accustomed too. However, to improve efficiency it will be available with an all-
new eight-speed automatic transmission and stop-start.
The aerodynamics will be improved by enclosing as much of the chassis as possible, managing the flow of air around the wheels and also the cooling air that enters the engine bay. By doing so, the drag coefficient will be reduced to around 0.28.
Inside, the cabin will follow themes from the latest 5-Series, but it will take a huge leap forward with wi-fi. This will allow the 3-Series owners to get up-to-the-minute traffic information from the Internet.
We’ve seen plenty of spy shots of the new generation model in near production-ready form, indicating that a launch isn’t very far away. The new car is set to be revealed in the coming months, with sales starting in early 2011.
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49 Comments
BMW have really lost the plot in their design dept. !! Another ugly duckling...
Yurp, another pig to ignore! Although the tech specs are impressive.
How can BMW make the back of their cars so ugly?
Very poor effort ,BMW should employ some of their bike designers to show some radical design changes.Their bike division is going from strength to strength by using cutting edge design with superb engines.
Private buyers - need to worry?
Personally while not pretty, I prefer it to some BMW' u-'s of late and I am sure like most updates it will do everything slighlty better on the road,however they are hardly exciting in or outside and it appears to me that any new exec these days is similar in and have one thing in commmon, continual tweeks in models may help only company car drivers in mind who get a good 3/3 yr lease deal on new models,whiloe private buyers lose shed loads of cash..But not the private buyers? so for me why buy new? unless your in it for the long term or have money to burn on your favourite piece of Tin?
I look into my crystal ball...
...and see that the new model with the small 3-cylinder will be more expensive to buy than the existing 316i.
WiFi connectivity will be a hugely expensive option, along with Bluetooth and iPod connections.
The cabin plastics will continue the downward quality trend and rear-wheel drive means that when it snows, you need to leave the car at home.
Ugly
Doesn't seem to matter what angle you look at it from, it's another catastrophically ugly car. Are BMW now the worlds ugliest range?
Rethink
I've had four BMWs, three of which have been 3 Series, but this may force me to consider swapping to another marque. Pretty it ain't!
Not official pictures
These are not official pictures from BMW. The new 3 Series will not be expected until 2012.
Everything in this article is purely guesswork.....
oh, and it won't look like that!
Chris Bungle's influence lives on
Nuff said!
Wi-Fi
Your comment on wi-fi "huge leap forward with wi-fi. This will allow the 3-Series owners to get up-to-the-minute traffic information from the Internet" It is not possible for the car to connect with wi-fi as this needs to connect to a hotspot, which a moving vehicle would find difficult. If it provides wi-fi intenally which can be done then another device would have to connect to the car network and access information. This seems complicated when current BMWs with navigation have internet access (that is not safe to use on the move anyway)
Categorical Dislike
The car is visually nauseating. Chris Bangle has single handedly ruined BMW. Post e46,e39,e38 the cars have been unattractive and personally (i know it sounds horrendous) id buy a merc over it. Why don't BMW go back to the styling of the the e30? far prettier car :D
Hmmmm ......
That swage along the side is grossly exaggerated compared to the disguised photos and most of the rest is pure guesswork.
Patience is a virtue - why not just wait and see what it really looks like
problem is in the rubberband engine
BMW have no vision, they have no inspiration i think they deliberately want to go down hill bigger and fatter is the way to go... oh and off course UGLY as hell. That car is so ugly that it would crack a mirror. No matter which angle you look at it still reminds me of the ugly duckling 7 series. ONE CAR THEY SHOULD HAVE BASED THE LOOK ON is this http://zoosviat.com/autoreader/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/bmw-m1.jpg i rest my case
ARTISTS' IMPRESSION...
This is an artists' impression so don't be too judgmental just yet; the 5 series looked really ugly in Auto Express' artists' impression but the real thing turned out really nice.
However saying all that, I still doubt that BMW can create cars as emotion inducing as Audi. This is a shame really because otherwise BMW build great drivers' cars and so expect the sales to continue increasing.
What's really sad is that the general public always buy dull cars, they just blind follow each other and don't have minds to think with. BMW and VW probably build the most dullest and boring cars yet they make the most sales, why...
oh my god
Chriss bangle is back ,was this new deisgner ,mentored bye bangle..come on bmw.read these comments ....
Hmmm.........
Hardly exciting is it. The comments re wi-fi are of course quite valid. A computer has enough trouble in a static position obtaining a decent wi-fi signal,, never mind a moving target. Sorry BMW, that has a snowball in hell's chance of working anywhere near reliably, if at all.
As for the car itself, BMW are only doing what Audi have done with A4 A6 etc, just changing bits of it and making the shell a bit bigger, the biggest difference here though is that Audi succeeded whereas BMW have failed miserably here. I don't think Audi or Merc have anything to worry about.
addendum to above post
Front end is ok I guess but I'm really not sure about that rump at all.
BMW: Listen to me
I love BMWs, I enjoy fast and fun cars that are also practical. The Ultimate Driving Machine;if you will. Here is my issue: I will not buy any BMW beyond an E46 because they are ugly, and they divert from the target 50/50 weight distribution that was so paramount when the E36 was designed. That is the way it should be. You could re-release the E46 with the tech updates and probably sell more.
At least you would keep the purists happy.
Good job with the tech though. Although 3-cylinders will probably sound odd. Triumph anyone?
Re snappyuk's comment on being stranded if it snows, keep in mind that AWD cars have not been around since the motor vehicle was invented. Most cars throughout the globe are 2 wheel drive. Even today.
Where I live, it snows about 10 days in the year. Both my cars are 2 wheel drive (the VW fwd, the M Coupe rwd). Winter tyres and driving technique are all that's required. While most bmw's can be ordered with awd, it just isn't necessary for 90%+ but is in significant demand nonetheless. A proper set of winter tyres on a 2wd car, in most cases, will out perform an awd car equipped with all-season tyres. This magazine published an article proving this case too.
Audi's are VW's in diguise with a few more bells and whistles. Great product, but minus the driving dynamics of bmw's.
As for styling, it's so subjective. Each iteration outsells its predecessor despite what Internet critics say. Some purists, like myself, would prefer an e30. However, no one in the market for a 3 series today would want a car that small. Hence the 1 series. This isn't a bmw phenomenon either. Ever seen a Corolla lately?
Re snappyuk's comment on being stranded if it snows, keep in mind that AWD cars have not been around since the motor vehicle was invented. Most cars throughout the globe are 2 wheel drive. Even today.
Where I live, it snows about 10 days in the year. Both my cars are 2 wheel drive (the VW fwd, the M Coupe rwd). Winter tyres and driving technique are all that's required. While most bmw's can be ordered with awd, it just isn't necessary for 90%+ but is in significant demand nonetheless. A proper set of winter tyres on a 2wd car, in most cases, will out perform an awd car equipped with all-season tyres. This magazine published an article proving this case too.
Audi's are VW's in diguise with a few more bells and whistles. Great product, but minus the driving dynamics of bmw's.
As for styling, it's so subjective. Each iteration outsells its predecessor despite what Internet critics say. Some purists, like myself, would prefer an e30. However, no one in the market for a 3 series today would want a car that small. Hence the 1 series. This isn't a bmw phenomenon either. Ever seen a Corolla lately?
Re snappyuk's comment on being stranded if it snows, keep in mind that AWD cars have not been around since the motor vehicle was invented. Most cars throughout the globe are 2 wheel drive. Even today.
Where I live, it snows about 10 days in the year. Both my cars are 2 wheel drive (the VW fwd, the M Coupe rwd). Winter tyres and driving technique are all that's required. While most bmw's can be ordered with awd, it just isn't necessary for 90%+ but is in significant demand nonetheless. A proper set of winter tyres on a 2wd car, in most cases, will out perform an awd car equipped with all-season tyres. This magazine published an article proving this case too.
Audi's are VW's in diguise with a few more bells and whistles. Great product, but minus the driving dynamics of bmw's.
As for styling, it's so subjective. Each iteration outsells its predecessor despite what Internet critics say. Some purists, like myself, would prefer an e30. However, no one in the market for a 3 series today would want a car that small. Hence the 1 series. This isn't a bmw phenomenon either. Ever seen a Corolla lately?
Re snappyuk's comment on being stranded if it snows, keep in mind that AWD cars have not been around since the motor vehicle was invented. Most cars throughout the globe are 2 wheel drive. Even today.
Where I live, it snows about 10 days in the year. Both my cars are 2 wheel drive (the VW fwd, the M Coupe rwd). Winter tyres and driving technique are all that's required. While most bmw's can be ordered with awd, it just isn't necessary for 90%+ but is in significant demand nonetheless. A proper set of winter tyres on a 2wd car, in most cases, will out perform an awd car equipped with all-season tyres. This magazine published an article proving this case too.
Audi's are VW's in diguise with a few more bells and whistles. Great product, but minus the driving dynamics of bmw's.
As for styling, it's so subjective. Each iteration outsells its predecessor despite what Internet critics say. Some purists, like myself, would prefer an e30. However, no one in the market for a 3 series today would want a car that small. Hence the 1 series. This isn't a bmw phenomenon either. Ever seen a Corolla lately?
Re snappyuk's comment on being stranded if it snows, keep in mind that AWD cars have not been around since the motor vehicle was invented. Most cars throughout the globe are 2 wheel drive. Even today.
Where I live, it snows about 10 days in the year. Both my cars are 2 wheel drive (the VW fwd, the M Coupe rwd). Winter tyres and driving technique are all that's required. While most bmw's can be ordered with awd, it just isn't necessary for 90%+ but is in significant demand nonetheless. A proper set of winter tyres on a 2wd car, in most cases, will out perform an awd car equipped with all-season tyres. This magazine published an article proving this case too.
Audi's are VW's in diguise with a few more bells and whistles. Great product, but minus the driving dynamics of bmw's.
As for styling, it's so subjective. Each iteration outsells its predecessor despite what Internet critics say. Some purists, like myself, would prefer an e30. However, no one in the market for a 3 series today would want a car that small. Hence the 1 series. This isn't a bmw phenomenon either. Ever seen a Corolla lately?
Who cares......
.... just got divorced so can't afford anything.
hmmm......
This looks like just a computer generated knock-up, so maybe no need to worry just yet!
But it's so frustrating that such engineering excellence has been wrapped in awful clothing for so long thanks to the abomination that was Bangle.
Recent BMWs have showed some recovery since his not-too-soon exit, such as the Z4 and significantly better (but nowhere near perfect) 5 series. Lets hope the new 3 series isn't a step backwards.
eddiesscrumpy
Fell out with BMW with there awful design , still no better and dealerships standards have fallen too I will stick with Audi who now do both much better
Come back Chris Bangle!
It took me a while to get used to Bangle´s 5 series,the 7,and even the Z4,but I recon that they had personality and character,something that the new Z4(bland and feminine...)and every new BMW are absolutely absent.There´s a "lightness" to the design that doesn´t suit the cars character!BMW´s are drivers cars,even if a lot of dumb 1 series owners don´t know they´re driving a rear wheel drive car,and there´s a legacy to respect!The interiors I´m not gonna get started on those...bland bland bland...
Personnaly,I think Mercedes is doing a great job getting all their cars beefed up with macho looks and truly inspiring interiors that remind me of cars from a lost generation,and I think this should have been the direction for BMW...
i don't get u guys
the design hasn't even been out yet. how do u guys know how it looks like.
An improvement on Bagles bungles but no beauty winner.
Guess it will have to be an Audi next time round.
"I knew a girl named pandora!"
Thanks for this pic Sam.. Boy have you awakened some confussed admirational jelousy to the horizon. Merging concept lines thatt never reach production onto the outgoing model has tickled the sleeping tiger.. OTHER BRANDS BEWARE! (you earned your school fees)
I'm not all for the wales and tanks or niche market hype that's going on at BMW, rather get on with it man and build the teaser cars! Build this beemer and I'd wan't it.(not expecting to see this)
The Bangel 5 & 7 shocked on launching but flored you the first time they wafted past you with great street cred.(and I felt they toned down the 3 after listing to too much critisism) Growing up I did not expect an already succesful exotic supper model to sing and then Grace Jones did just that.. and smiled all the way to the bank.. AGAIN!
Bring it on BMW.. open the box.
Alfa Romeo will be rubbing their hands with glee.
A pig like this means they'll sell loads of Guilias and Guiliettas, and they'll even make money on every one of these BMWs as BMW use Alfa's diesel technology.
It's Not Real
It's only an artist's impression - and we know how inaccurate they can be! I know I'm going out on a limb here......not, but just imagine a scaled down 5 series and you've pretty much got what the next 3 series will look like.
A MORE ACCURATE IMPRESSION...
Check this link out, it might paint a better picture of the next 3 series.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/251221/bmw_reveals_cls_rival.html
Again autoexpress prooves that...
...it would do anytghing for an article. I am not surprised that 32000 people read this. I'd log in 32000 times just to type that this is not the next 3-series useless photoshop hacks!!! The front lights don't even match tha lines on the camouflage car!
What's next an elephant that flies? Or is it an audi sourced butt ugly "next 1-series" photo?
Show some degnity this ain't the way to increase views or sales or whatever.
Yeap, i wouldn't pay an arm and leg for this
Build It, And They Will Come...
...flocking to Jaguar dealerships to buy an XF...
This is great series which i believe it shall move the performance to comfort which is the order of market. The series needs to be improved on some design can be improved to make more appealing.
[URL=http://www.dburnsdesign.com/contact_main.php] design website
[/URL]
I like it
So there........
Looks so much like 2010 Sonata....albeit kidneys...
MY COMMMENNT
Its differrent ok ,i think it will grow on you ,i tought the last gen 3 was ugly but it did eventuly get better looking ,me thinks!!!!!
it could be worse
it could be worse the new 5series hatchback is the ugliest BMW to date,even eclipsing the X6 a pig of a car.This 3series will still sell like hot cakes they always do,when given the choice on the company car list many will still pick it.
OK guv, I've come to paint this post.. Don't know why you want white, a sickly shade of Jealousy Green would be better mate!
(walks out chuckling to himself... Alfa deisel technology... heh heh heh..)
traceing paper
Thats my opinion ,bmw has lost there design plot why do the make them all look the same. ,another ugly duckling in the pond ,what are the thinking i thought bangle was gone.When i seen the X1 i nearly got sick it looks totaly out of porpotion .I give up on bmw .
COME ON IT'S THE SAME CAR DON'T BE FOOLED !
THIS CAR IS THE SAME AS THE OUT GOING MODEL & THAT SHAPE IS THE SAME AS THE THAT CAME OUT IN 1999/2000 LOOK AT THE SIDE VEIW OF THE WINDOWS, ALL THEY'VE DONE IS REDESIGNED THE FRONT & REAR ENDS PUT NEW DASHBOARDS IN THEM NEW DOORS SIDE SILLS WIDER ARCHERS & PAINTED THEM IN NEWER BETTER COLOUR'S. I WISH THEY WOULD STOP CUTTING COSTS & MAKE A NEWER SHAPE CAR !
Slim Fast Plan
Will these (un)compact executives actually ever get smaller in size?
Now probably not far short of the size of a 7series from 1981!
And nearly as pig ugly!!
Designed by ROVER
At least I know now what happened to the Rover designers, they all got new jobs in Germany at BMW.. YA ZA NEW ROVER FOR ZA STUPID ENGLISH
Leave out the 3 cylinder
Good looking car. Hope you make that 3 liter 6 cylinder block better, the current one is quite weak and cannot sustain tuning. Go with a 1600 3 cylinder turbo if you must, or just keep the new 4 cyliner turbo. The 3 cylinder will not sound good and all the ones I have seen sound quite unbalanced
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