BMW India has launched the new 3 Series at Rs 41.4 lakh ex-showroom, India. This is the price for the 320d variant while the 330i M Sport comes at a sticker of Rs 47.9 lakh. The 320d Luxury Line is priced at Rs 46.9 lakh. The new BMW 3 Series has grown in dimensions and also gets upgraded versions of the existing petrol and diesel powertrains. The design is sportier and the cabin quality has been taken up a notch.
The car is based on the marque’s new modular CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform that also underpins its bigger siblings. The newer and lighter aluminium components in the chassis have helped reduce overall weight by 55kg compared to the predecessor. The new 3 Series also gets a perfect 50:50 weight distribution.
BMW has bestowed the 3 Series with its own visual identity. The sedan doesn’t get the massive kidney grilles that the new 7 series and the X7 boast of and gets a much sleeker looking unit. In keeping with the sporty character of the car, the 3 series cuts a wide and low-slung figure. The familiar two way split headlamps are highlighted by a notch in the front apron that rises up into the headlight contour. The increased dimensions are noticeable too. The car is 76mm longer, 16mm wider and the wheelbase is 41mm longer.
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Powering the 330i variant is a 2-litre four cylinder petrol engine hooked up to a twin-scroll turbocharger that puts out 255bhp and 400Nm of torque. This is up 6bhp and 50Nm over the last generation helping the sedan sprint to a 100kmph in just 5.8 seconds. The 320d gets the same 2-litre four cylinder turbocharged diesel engine as before that now includes multi-stage turbocharging, which according to BMW results in better efficiency. It makes 188bhp at 4000rpm and a peak torque of 400Nm is produced between 1750 and 2500rpm, getting the car to a ton in 6.8 seconds. Also, BMW has claimed a fuel efficiency of 19.6kmpl for this engine.
Also read the test drive review of the new BMW 3 series here
The interiors too have received thorough updates. The 12.3 inch Live Cockpit Pro digital instrument cluster is new and displays a plethora of information at a glance. Atop the dashboard is a standard fitment of the 10.25 inch control display composed of the iDrive 7 OS. Making its debut in the 3 Series is the BMW Virtual Assistant. Right from ‘How does the ambient lighting work?’ to ‘Is the oil level okay?’ the virtual assistant responds to a host of commands from the driver.
There are a plenty of driver assistance systems too. There’s of course a parking assistant (previously seen on products positioned a couple of segments above the 3-Series like the X5) that looks for parking spots and automatically parks the car parallel or perpendicular to the road using ultrasonic sensors and cameras. The sensors are also used in the collision and pedestrian detection systems.
Here’s how the newly launched Bimmer compares with the C-Class and the A4: Mercedes-Benz C 200 costs Rs 39.9 lakh while the C 220d sets you back by Rs 40.20 lakh. The Audi A4 30 TFSI costs Rs 41.49 lakh while the diesel A4 35 TDI costs Rs 43.39. The C 220d still remains the most affordable among the lot and the 3 Series slots right in between. The 330i M Sport meanwhile undercuts the Mercedes-Benz C 300 AMG Line by around Rs 1.5 lakh.