BMW has launched the facelifted 3 Series in the UK. It’s fitted with a host of styling and technological improvements that are designed to keep the car’s nose ahead of competitors such as the Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, Alfa Romeo Giulia and Kia Stinger.
The updated BMW 3 Series is available to order now, with prices starting from £36,670 for the saloon and £39,810 for the Touring estate. Buyers have access to a broad range of engines, including a handful of petrol and diesels, a plug-in hybrid option and two M-badged performance variants. The facelifted M3 flagship will soon follow, too.
Styling tweaks include a redesigned front bumper, restyled kidney grilles and slimmer LED headlights. These changes are mirrored at the rear of the car with a fresh set of tail lights and an updated diffuser. M Sport models also get a redesigned set of 18-inch alloy wheels and a different front bumper with narrow side inlets and a mesh grille.
Four more paint finishes have been added to the car’s colour palette, including three different shades of grey and Frozen Tanzanite Blue metallic. BMW also offers a range of around 150 special paint finishes as part of its ‘Individual’ customisation service. Alloy wheels are available in sizes from 17 to 19 inches.
Interior updates
Changes to the cabin are a lot more noticeable. BMW has fitted the 3 Series with its latest ‘Curved Display’ infotainment system, which combines a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen into one unit that spans half the width of the dashboard.
The 3 Series has lost its physical climate control buttons as part of the update. Now, the driver can only programme the cabin temperature by using the infotainment screen or by using the car’s voice recognition system. Thankfully, BMW has retained its iDrive rotary control dial, which should make it easier to navigate the screens on the move.
BMW has also redesigned the 3 Series’s centre console, fitting a new toggle switch in place of a conventional gear selector lever, a touch-sensitive parking brake button and restyled drive mode buttons. The air vents have also been slimmed down as part of this new minimalist design language.
Engines and drivetrains
You have plenty of engine choices, with BMW offering three petrol, two diesels and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with the facelifted 3 Series. The cheapest model in the UK range is the 320i. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine which develops 184hp and 300Nm of torque.
BMW says the engine develops between 145–163g/km of CO2 and that it can return upwards of 44mpg on the WLTP combined cycle. Like every engine in the 3 Series range, it’s only available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, although buyers can choose to swap the standard rear-wheel drive layout for four-wheel drive for an extra £1,550.
Next up in the petrol line-up, there’s the 330i. It features a more potent version of the same 2.0-litre engine that develops 258hp and 400Nm of torque. Maximum claimed fuel economy falls to 43.5mpg due to the extra power, while emissions rise to between 148–167g/km of CO2. Prices start from £40,740.
The only non-performance-oriented diesel available to UK buyers is the 320d. It’s a 2.0-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid unit which produces 190hp and 400Nm of torque. BMW says it’ll return up to 58.9mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 127g/km. Like the cheapest petrol, it can also be specified with a four-wheel drive system. Prices start from £39,515 for the rear-wheel drive model and £41,065 for the xDrive variant.
Eco-conscious buyers can opt for the plug-in hybrid 330e. It features the same 2.0-litre petrol engine as the 320i, but it’s supported by an electric motor and a 12kWh battery pack which bumps power and torque up to 292hp and 420Nm respectively.
BMW says that the 330e will return up to 218mpg on the WLTP combined cycle, while CO2 emissions are claimed to be between 30–45g/km depending on the specification. The battery can store enough electricity for an electric-only range of up to 37 miles – and, like the 320i, the 330e can be specified with either rear- or four-wheel drive. Prices for the former start from £42,610, while the latter is priced from £44,160.
At the top of the line-up, there are two performance models – the M340i and M340d. Both feature turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engines, but the former is powered by petrol, while the latter runs on diesel. Both also come with four-wheel drive as standard and have the same £52,965 starting price.
The M340i produces 374hp and 500Nm of torque, which BMW says is enough for a 0–62mph time of 4.4 seconds. The M340d develops 340hp and a staggering 700Nm of torque – so despite the added weight, it almost matches the petrol’s 0–62mph time at 4.6 seconds. It’s more economical than the petrol, managing almost 50mpg rather than 36mpg.
Technology
No shortage of that here. The facelifted 3 Series features the brand’s Parking Assistant system as standard, which can automatically steer the car into parallel and end-on spaces. The package also includes a reversing camera and a function called Reversing Assistant, which can automatically back-up the car for up to 50 metres.
This system can be upgraded to BMW’s Parking Assistant Plus for a bit more money. This adds a few more functions for the reversing camera and a 360-degree camera with a setting that allows the driver to monitor their car’s surroundings using an app on their smartphone.
Buyers can also specify the updated 3 Series with a semi-autonomous driving mode, which can assume control of the car’s steering, throttle and brakes on the motorway (providing the driver supervises the car).
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