First Drive: 2016 BMW 3 Series

The 3 Series is to BMW what mealie meal is to most South African families, the staple diet of its portfolio.

Built at the company’s plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, for export and the domestic market, the current model was launched in 2012 and, according to Stefan Neugebauer, head of the 3 Series project, the model accounts for 25% of BMW’s global sales. The sedan’s biggest markets are the US, China, and Germany respectively, while the Touring (station wagon) variant remains popular in Germany.

Scheduled to launch in SA in September this year, we had the chance to drive the updated version in Munich. It will now be available in four engine flavours, including the entry 318i featuring a 1.5l, three-cylinder, turbo charged engine making 100kW and 230Nm; the 320i (135kW and 290Nm); the 320d (140kW and 400Nm); 330i (185kW and 350Nm), 330d (190kW and 560Nm) and the 340i (240kW and 450Nm).

We only got to drive the latter model on the slightly damp roads of Munich. The engine is part of the firm’s new engine family and now features indirect air charge cooling, which aids quicker boost pressure. The difference in performance compared to the engine employed in the brilliant 335i was negligible, which is not a bad thing considering it never felt short-changed in the performance department to begin with.

Other under-the-skin improvements include something called engine-mounted encapsulation said to keep fluid temperatures higher than the ambient temperature, which is beneficial during winter cold starts, in particular, in order to reach the engine’s optimal operation temperature much quicker.

Cosmetically, the model features restyled headlight innards, new front and rear valances and LED-equipped rear lights. Both the 320i and 320d models will now be available with twin pipes as opposed to just one as is the case with the current model.

Neugerbauer added that the model now has better damping and less body roll in corners than the current model, but again one would have to drive both vehicles back to back to discern the differences. Other technological highlights include the standard Connected Drive with Concierge services that allows you to select points of interest such as restaurants, pharmacies, or even the nearest airport while on the move.

Another great feature is the Intelligent Emergency Call, which assists vehicle occupants in the event of a crash. If the airbags are triggered, this system uses the built-in sim card to automatically transmit to a call centre the severity of the crash, the potential risk of injury to the occupants and the vehicle’s location. This information is then used to arrange the best possible emergency response while the call centre stays in contact with the occupants as required.

The manual emergency call function, meanwhile, allows rapid help to be summoned for other road users in emergency situations. According to BMW SA, the model range will further be bolstered next year with the introduction of the plug-in hybrid, dubbed the 340e, while the cosmetic updates will also be immediately available in the M3 sedan too. Notwithstanding that the changes will require an eagle eye to spot, the 3 Series is set to continue to be the dynamic benchmark in its segment.

-Lerato Matebese

*This article first appeared in Business Day Motor News

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