BMW has revealed a subtle but focused facelift for the 3 Series to stay well ahead of the upcoming Jaguar XE sedan. This 3 Series range has restyled front and rear lights, all-new engines and more on-board technology: BMW has also confirmed a Plug-in Hybrid 330e will go on sale in 2016, producing 252hp, 134.5mpg and 49g/km CO2. More significant is the new, improved BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Plus: this matches the green new Jaguar XE diesel by averaging 72.4mpg and emitting 99g/km CO2. It is the first-ever 3 Series to emit less than 100g/km CO2.
Visual changes
BMW has revised the headlights of this 2015 3 Series, offering optional full LED headlights for the first time (they replace the old Xenon lights). On all cars, the ‘eyes’ are further apart and cars without LED lights have two LED daytime driving lights ‘linking’ the lights together. A new front bumper has more sculptural air intakes and there’s a new bumper at the rear too plus full LED lights for all, with more distinctive night-time lighting pattern.
All cars also get new exhausts, with BMW designating engine power by exhaust pipe shape:
- 340i: individual 80mm pipes on both sides
- 320i, 320d and up: dual 70mm tailpipes
- Entry-level cars: single 75mm tailpipe
There’s a new range of alloy wheels and a choice of 16 exterior colours: new ones include Mediterranean Blue, Platinum Silver and Jatoba.
Interior changes
Inside, BMW’s upped the quality interior of the current 3 Series with more chrome highlights and gloss surfaces. There is chrome on the electric windows switches and the air vent controllers and in Luxury, Sport and M Sport models, the swish trim on the dash now stretches back into all four doors. Cupholders in the centre console have been redesigned with a new stowage area in front of them, ideal for smartphones, says BMW. Unlike before, this now has a sliding lid.
Life Cycle Impulse
The 2015 3 Series facelift or, in BMW-speak, ‘Life Cycle Impulse’, or LCII arrives in European showrooms from September and there is no word on its arrival here in Malaysia. We predict early next year as the Jaguar XE will arrive around that time in local showrooms.
This BMW 3-Series will have an almost entirely new engine range, from the new BMW modular engine family. Significantly, this means there’s a new three-cylinder 1.5-litre 318i, a performance based new 340i and a long distance running 320d.
The line-up is as follows:
318i: 136hp
320i: 184hp
330i: 252hp
340i: 326hp
