This Is The Bigger, Lighter 'G20' BMW 3-Series
It’s time for the grand reveal of the car we, erm, saw yesterday. Yep, it’s the new ‘G20’ BMW 3-series, which was leaked ahead of the Paris Motor Show because people were somehow able to access the configurator. Oops.
Instead of a bunch of clinical computer-generated images, though, we can now see the car from every angle via a proper set of pictures. And most importantly, we now have stacks of information to pick through.
First up, we now know the 3-series has grown. It’s 76mm longer and 16mm wider than its ‘F30’ predecessor, and yet it’s 55kg lighter. A big chunk of that is made possible by a body-in-white that’s 20kg lighter, while the new aluminium bonnet and front wings shave a further 15kg. The front suspension struts and engine subframe are made from aluminium too, amounting to a 7.5kg saving.
When it came to driving, the F30 was already a long way ahead of much of the competition, but BMW has had a good go at making the G20 even sharper. The front and rear track widths have been increased (by 43mm and 21mm respectively), negative camber has been increased at the front, and Munich’s engineers have stiffened both the suspension mountings and the body itself.
From launch, you’ll be able to choose between the 187bhp, 295lb ft 320d diesel in rear-wheel drive and ‘xDrive’ all-wheel drive forms, and the 254bhp inline-four-powered 330i (which also produces 295lb ft of torque). The 320d completes the 0-62mph sprint in 7.1 seconds, or 6.9 seconds if you spec xDrive. The 330i will do the same in 5.8sec. The most frugal version is the rear-drive 320d with an automatic gearbox, managing an average of 67.3mpg. The 330i still manages a reasonable 48.7mpg, though.
A 330e iPerformance plug-in hybrid will be joining the range eventually, as will a straight-six-powered 340i. And yes, a new M3 is on the cards too.
There’s slightly more room inside, and the boot space has grown by 36 litres to a useful 480. In the front of the M Sport-trimmed versions, you’ll find BMW’s new ‘Live Cockpit Professional’ system as standard, based around a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. There’s also a 10.3-inch central screen running the latest version of iDrive.
Want one? Prices start at £33,610 for the 320d, with the cheapest 330i petrol weighing in at £37,660. Sales kick off on 9 March 2019.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
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Looks almost exactly like the 5- and 7-series. But at least they fixed the hood.
I agree. It’s suffering from the Audi syndrome which makes all em cars look exactly the same.
This 3 series is looks more like X5 than 5/7 series
I dig it. The headlights and fog lamps (especially on the white one) are probably not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but I think it looks pretty good. The rear is also looking pretty good, but the reflectors on the rear bumper seem a bit out if place. I get it, they are federally mandated, but they could have been integrated in either the taillights or the diffuser at least.
The fogs & surrounds on the white one look like ice scrapers.
Tail lights remind me strongly of Lexus. The ‚notch‘ (what is this piece of bumper in the middle of the light called correctly?) in the front lights is obviously stolen from Peugeot.
The rest bores the hell out of me.
As soon as I saw those tail lights I thought Lexus
My thought exactly
I really dont understand the massive jumping in BMW chassis codes. Went from E30, E36, E46 (for the coupes at least) to E92, F30, and now all the way to G20? Does BMW really have that many different chassis now?
Its because the naming system has changed. Firstly, all bodystyles now have their own code. G30 sedan and G31 Touring for example. Secondly M cars now have their own codes, F90 being the M5 version of the G30. Thirdly, the BMW range is so much larger than ever before. Lets take for example, 1994. 3 series, 5 series, 7 series, 8 series. Now: 1 series, 2 series, 2 series tourers, 3 series, 4 series, 5 series, 6 series, 7 series, soon coming 8 series, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, soon to come X7 and the soon coming Z4. Bmw also seems to like to give their biggest sellers nice round numbers like F10, F20, F30, G20 and G30.
Until E90, the sedan, touring and cabrio/coupe had the same code - E46, E39.
I think the E65 is the first to have different codes - E65 SWB, E66 LWB.
Then the E90 with E90(sedan), E91(Touring), E92(coupe) and 93- cabrio.
Actually, maybe the E36 Compact counts as the first? Its internal designation is E36/5, then the E46 was E46/5
I don’t know, think I’ll wait until I see it in the flesh first. Have to say, it doesn’t look quite as bad as yesterday to my eyes at least
Hmmmmmm the Peugeot van wants its headlights back…
Wdym?
“The most frugal version is the rear-drive 320d with an automatic gearbox” So this means it’s available with a manual gearbox?
Yep a six-speed manual is available with both engine options
It starts in 2 days right?
I get that for safety reasons, a new car needs to be chunkier than it was before but come on, the 3 series is supposed to be a small sedan that you can flick around. What’s the point of getting bigger if you’re going to drive it alone most of the time, I bet it’s bigger than a serie 5 e39 was
I like it. The Peugeot - Lexus lights are similar, yet they’re still modernized design elements of BMW’s key design elements (4 round lights up front and L shaped rear lights). People also seem to forget it’s not an M3, so the regular spec car will be a bit more tame and “boring”