Long roll-out for BMW's 3 Series

The first examples of BMW's 3 Series sedan are reaching local dealerships now for a retail launch date of February 25. But BMW revealed earlier this week that not all the variants of the new F30 generation — the sixth generation of its popular sedan since its inception in 1975 — will be available immediately.

The range starts with the diesel 318d at $56,400, and petrol 320i not quite sneaking in under the Luxury Car Tax at $57,600. Above that is another diesel, the 320d at $60,900, with the important new 328i at $66,900 and the storming 335i at $91,900. But of those, only the 320d, 328i and 335i will be on deck for the general public to buy from day one.

BMW Australia's Piers Scott, the company's Head of Corporate Communications, advises that the 320d is likely to be the volume selling model in the range until the petrol-engined 320i arrives. That car — and the 318d entry-level model — will be folded into March production, which rules out either of those vehicles until around June.

Furthermore, the 3 Series Touring (pictured here in disguise) will go on sale in Australia about 12 months from now. As for the coupe and convertible variants, "we're still a good two years away," according to Scott.

And the wait will be longer still for the full complement of M3 variants to reach Australia, which means that Scott was not in a position to tell much about the performance flagship. There has been much speculation about the engine that will reside in the F30 generation M3's engine bay. Scott did hint that we could extrapolate what sort of engine might power the next M3 on the basis of the M5 recently launched here. In F10 form, the new M5 is down two cylinders, but now features forced induction. Likewise, the company's move to twin-turbo fours in lieu of naturally-aspirated sixes for the 320i and 328i (plus 5 Series counterparts) points to turbocharging for the next M3.

But logically, that and the M5 analogy would indicate BMW will migrate from a naturally-aspirated V8 to forced-induction six for the next M3 — and BMW already has an engine like that, powering the 335i. Could it be upgraded for a next-gen M3, with even more power to distinguish the M3 variants from the 335i? Scott didn't seem to think so.

"The performance of whatever the top-engined standard car is, M has always developed bespoke engines with unique M characteristics. I would suggest the M3, being the iconic car that is, will never disappoint on that front."

"Bespoke" seems to be the key word there, but it's also worth recalling the E36 generation of M3 was powered initially by a 3.0-litre inline six, just 200cc larger and the same number of cylinders, same configuration as the 2.8-litre six powering lesser 3 Series models at the time. Who's to say the M3 won't be powered by a larger-displacement version of the 335i TwinPower engine or whatever passes for that in the F30 range by then?

And all that's to say nothing of the 3 Series GT and the ActiveHybrid models in the works...

Further to our pricing story in December, the 318d is powered by a turbodiesel displacing 2.0-litres and developing 105kW of power and 320Nm of torque. Acceleration to 100km/h takes 9.3 seconds and the fuel consumption figure is 4.5L/100km for 118g/km of CO2 emitted — in the NEDC combined-cycle test.

Sharing its architecture with the 318d's powerplant is the engine of the 320d, carried over from the previous 3 Series and offering variable-geometry turbocharging at 1800bar. Also boasting 2.0-litre capacity, the 320d's engine develops peak power of 135kW and 380Nm of torque. In combined-cycle testing it's rated at 4.5L/100km and 118g/km, just like the lower-output engine in the 318d.

The 320i features the lower-powered twin-turbo four-cylinder also found in the 328i. Previously introduced here in the Z4 sports car range, the 2.0-litre petrol engine is one of the N20 family of power units and, in the 320i application, develops 135kW and 270Nm. Fuel consumption is 6.0L/100km and CO2 emissions measure 141g/km. In 328i form, the petrol four develops 180kW and 350Nm, and consumes 6.3L/100km for 118g/km of CO2 emissions in combined-cycle testing. BMW claims that the two petrol fours perform better than the E90-generation sixes the replace.

The 335i continues with the twin-scroll turbocharged petrol six, developing 225kW and 400Nm. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measure 7.2L/100km and 169g/km, respectively. All engines drive through a default eight-speed automatic, although a six-speed manual transmission can be specified by the buyer, at no extra cost.

With fuel consumption below 7.0L/100km for most variants (the 335i being the exception), the 3 Series doesn't attract Luxury Car Tax in standard trim. The one variant that does attract full LCT is priced well above the green car tax-free ceiling anyway, as BMW point out.

BMW is introducing a new 'model line' marketing strategy for the new 3 Series, as it did for the latest 1 Series. Where the smaller car was offered in Sport and Urban model lines, the 3 Series is available in Modern, Sport and Luxury model lines, to make the buyer's decision-making process easier in the dealership. It's the company's argument that buyers can pigeon-hole themselves according to their preferences and cut out the perusal of 60 or 70 per cent of the available options. There's also a 'vanilla' model line, which is not so much a model line at all; more the core vehicle without the differing accoutrements of each respective model line.

Standard kit for all models include ECO PRO mode, electronic differential lock, auto-stop/start, six airbags, remote central locking, stability control, ABS, Brake Assistant, Cornering Brake Control, Dynamic Traction Control and Dynamic Braking Lights. Comfort or convenience features include rain-sensing wipers/auto-on/off headlights, climate control, triple-split folding rear seat, 12V power socket in the centre console, trip computer, Bluetooth connectivity and USB interface for the audio system.