BMW Celebrates 40th Birthday Of The 3 Series With World Premiere Of The New Model +VIDEO

BMW 3 Series

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel

BMW 3 Series

MUNICH - May 7, 2015: Today was party time in Munich, where BMW memorialized the 40th birthday of the 3 Series. To add pizzazz to the celebration, the renewed 3 Series made its world debut.

The original 3 Series can be considered as the model that started the sports sedan segment, which has become so popular. That also goes for the ‘3’ itself: one in every four BMWs sold is a 3 Series. Over the years, the Dreier has set the standard for dynamic driving characteristics, as well as for excellent efficiency.

BMW 3 Series

With the renewed model, BMW is going to take fuel efficiency onto the next level, as it will become available with the new generation of 4 and 6-cylinder engines of the new Efficient Dynamic engine family. All motors are teamed to a six-speed manual. One model especially will be interesting for several European markets where owners have to pay tax according to CO2 emission. This is the 163 hp strong 320d EfficientDynamics Sedan. Its diesel engine works together with the 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission to produce an average of 65.7 to 74.3 mpg with 99 grams/km CO₂. Even better is the fuel consumption of the 330e, which will become available next year. With an average of 134.5 mpg, the plug-in hybrid has only 49 g/km CO₂. The 330e will be available in 2016.

BMW 3 Series Touring

Additionally, the 2016 BMW 3 Series has been updated with a minor facelift. We see larger air intakes in the front apron, and the restyled headlights are now ‘touching’ the kidney grille. They are optionally available with full LED lights. At the rear, there is a new apron that enhances the width of the car, while standard LED-lights must add to a sportier stance.

In the interior BMW uses more upscale materials and chrome details for a more premium look and feel. The new center console incorporates a sliding cover to hide the cup holders.

BMW 3 Series

The new 3 Series has a full color Heads-Up Display for all relevant information, and of course the BMW ConnectedDrive range of products and web based services is also available. The optional Navigation Professional features 3D graphics and works considerably faster than the system in the outgoing model.

For three years, navigation maps automatically get free updates and in the owner’s home region, the embedded SIM card allows these updates to take place automatically over the air via the mobile phone network.

The new 3 Series is the first model in its segment, depending on the specifications, to support the fastest current mobile technology standard (LTE). The Parking Assistant now also enables automatic parallel parking, while Auto Park Distance Control also automatically activates the front parking sensors when maneuvering.

An interesting option is the BMW Selective Beam system, which is a camera-based, anti-dazzle high beam assistant that adjusts the car’s lights dynamically to ensure the road is illuminated as good as possible without blinding oncoming traffic and cars travelling ahead. This minimizes the need to use the main beam and at the same time widens the illuminated area in front of the car.

As before, the 2016 model will be available later this year with Sport Line, Luxury Line and M Sport packages. The 2016 BMW 3 Series will be available as Sedan and Touring in the fall.

Please stay tuned for our first drive this summer.