New 3 Series with three lines of kit

They say things happen in threes and in the case of the new BMW 3 Series, now available, there are three different lines of trim on offer. They are the Sport Line, Luxury Line and Modern Line. This is the sixth generation of the 3 Series and what is constant across the three lines is some very fine standard equipment indeed.

All engines come with the latest BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and can be combined with an eight-speed transmission, while a six-speed manual is the standard transmission. The Driving Experience Control with Eco Pro mode (which ensures the car is being driven for maximum efficiency), a stop-start function and sports-tuned suspension are also standard.

There are four engines choices on offer - two optimised diesel powertrains, the six-cylinder petrol variant and a new four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Efficiency and cleaner motoring are a priority in the creation of the new 3 Series and the 320d EfficientDynamics variant is the most eco-friendly of the line-up. It boasts combined fuel economy of 68.9mpg and CO2 emissions of just 109g/km. There will be further green advances for the 3 Series when the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 launches next year.

It has also gotten bigger with the track 37mm wider at the front and 47mm wider at the rear, a 93mm increase in length and an augmented wheelbase that has grown by 50mm. Despite this, the new 3 Series is actually 40kg lighter than the predecessor and still it has more room inside for passengers.

There are some cool options too. A full-colour head-up display can project information for the driver on the windscreen. Then there’s lane departure and collision warnings, Surround View with Side View and Top View so you can really see what’s going on around you and the rapidly ubiquitous option of parking assistance to make backing into car park bollards a thing of the past.

And if you want to get really high-tech, the BMW Connected system not only connects the car to Twitter and Facebook but also performs the far more useful function of giving real time traffic updates. There’s also the Advanved eCall which can give emergency services your exact location in the event of an accident - hopefully one that didn’t happen because you were updating your Facebook status at the wheel.

www.bmw.co.uk














By Georgia Lewis

Follow us @TotallyMotor