The more I looked at the new BMW 3-Series, the more I got the feeling that design director Chris Bangle was politely told not to mess around too much with BMW’s bread-and-butter model, and thankfully Bangle seems to have heeded the warning.
The new 3-Series exhibits the least controversial design, yet it seems to be the one that the most consideration has gone into. It has an aggressive snout which pays tribute to the performance of the model, sleek lines with nicely rounded wheel arches and an overall aesthetic befitting the lineage of the car. The only thing lacking in the design is the rear. Everything, including the boot and the tail lights, doesn’t seem to fit in with the understated appeal of the car.
My test unit was the automatic version of the 325i (priced at R298 000) with 160 kW of power and 250Nm of torque which BMW claims will do the nought to 100kph sprint in 7,7 seconds and has a top speed of 245kph.
The 325i is an easy car to drive and you quickly become attached to the lively new powertrain which gives you an added hint of confidence when you feel like letting rip.
The automatic gearbox responds very quickly to whatever your driving style might be, and coupled with McPherson struts at the front and a new five-arm axle at the rear, the handling of this model was exceptional. But, the ride became annoyingly choppy over bumpy roads, and for a car as impressive as this in most aspects, it was quite a disappointment.
BMW’s iDrive system, which has been available on the 5- and 7-Series, is now also available in a somewhat revised version on the new 3-Series. While I understand that such technology, which links all the functions in a car from the climate to the navigation into one interface, could very well be the direction in which most car manufacturers are heading, it must also be the cause for a significant number of queries from BMW customers.
Thankfully, you don’t need to use the iDrive system to perform the most basic functions, so instead of spending the better part of a week trying to get to grips with iDrive, I opted instead to spend as much time as I could spare to drive the car.
Currently available in the new 3-Series range are the 320i (with 110kW of power and 200Nm of torque), the 320d (with 120kW and 340Nm), the 325i and the 330i (with 190kW and 300Nm) and they all come standard with run-flat tyres and a tyre pressure gauge which will alert the driver if there is a drop of more than 30% in the tyre pressure. BMW claims that in the event of a puncture, one would still be able to drive the car at 80kph for up to 250km.
The interior of the car is of a high quality, though the fussy one-touch wiper stalk took some getting used to. A welcome addition to the interior is side bolsters for the front seats which hold you firmly in place around the twisties.
Obviously, with the standard run-flat tyres, there is no spare wheel in the boot. In addition to the nets inside the boot, there is also a nifty removable drawer attached to the top of the boot.
The new 3-Series features a range of driver aids such as dynamic stability control (DSC), anti-lock brakes (ABS), anti-skid control, cornering brake control and the optional active cruise control (ACC). The car has six airbags and features a system that wipes water off the discs to allow for better braking in wet weather. And, of course, there is an extensive list of optional extras with everything from bi-xenon headlights to the new active steering unit, which adjusts the steering angle in accordance to your driving speed.
The new 3-Series is in many respects an improvement on the outgoing model and it certainly ups the ante in the compact saloon segment.