FIRST DRIVE | Fresh-faced BMW 3 Series is bristling with tech

The BMW 3 Series has been a rock-solid premium sedan for decades.

Now, the G20 seventh-generation range has arrived in South Africa with updates, or a Life Cycle Intervention (LCI) in BMW parlance.

It’s available in 318i, 320i, 320d, 330i M Sport and flagship M340i xDrive guises, while the 330d has been dropped from the catalogue.  

Visually, the latest 3 Series has a more imposing and eye-catching design. There’s a new front apron with a deeper recess and thick, L-shaped air intakes in high-gloss black, a redesigned kidney grille and slimmer, standard-fitment LED headlights. The latter also accommodate daytime driving lights, arranged in an inverted L shape. 

The series is available as standard in Sport trim, but styling can be strengthened further with the M Sport package. There is a honeycomb pattern for the kidney grille, a different design for front and rear aprons and M light-alloy wheels in 18-inch format with mixed-size tyres. 

The M340i xDrive also gets a mesh-design kidney grille, M exterior mirror caps in high-gloss black, 19-inch M light-alloy wheels and trapezoidal tailpipes. You can also build up to the optional M Sport package Pro, which brings extended M high-gloss Shadowline trim, M lights Shadowline and M sport brakes with red calipers.  

The exterior colour palette has expanded to include Skyscraper Grey and M Brooklyn Grey metallics as part of the M Sport package, while BMW Individual Frozen Pure Grey and Frozen Tanzanite Blue metallics can also be had. 

Major changes are found inside, where a new curved display is now standard across the range. This is a high-resolution, 12.3-inch information display behind the steering wheel and a 14.9-inch main display in the dashboard.  

BMW’s best-selling model also gains a flush, new transmission selector. The accompanying stack of buttons on the centre console has also been minimised to start/stop, iDrive controller, driving-experience control and parking brake. Voice and touch engagement are now in charge of features.  

The ample space for passengers is unchanged, but three-zone automatic climate control and navigation are now standard across the range, as is park-distance control with front and rear sensors. It’s still a roomy sedan with plenty of toys. 

At the launch drive, we only had the 320d and M340i to experience, starting with the former. It's powered by a four-cylinder turbo diesel with 140kW and 400Nm on tap. The luxury cruising and sports-driving sensations were evident, and the eight-speed automatic transmission used in all models offers silky cog swaps. The plush drive is sensational.  

The diesel engine is no slouch, gathering serious speeds when you are in the mood, and is just as masterful when cornering quickly. BMW claims an impressive 5.0l/100km fuel consumption.

The range-topping M340i xDrive is just as comfortable, but kicks out a more potent 285kW and 500Nm from its 3.0l/ six-cylinder engine that drives all wheels. It bridges the gap between the relatively affordable and conventional 3 Series models and the pricier BMW M athletes. 

Pricing

BMW 318i — R767 894

BMW 318i M Sport — R817 894

BMW 320i — R832,894

BMW 320i M Sport — R882,894

BMW 320d — R880,768

BMW 320d M Sport — R930,768

BMW 330i M Sport — R953,197

BMW M340i xDrive — R1,338,207

All models come standard with a two-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan.