BMW unveils the 7th gen 3-series

BMW has unveiled the 2019 BMW 3-Series at the Paris Motor Show. The sedan is expected to go on sale from March 9, 2019.

The new 3-Series measures 4,709 mm long, 1,827 mm wide and 1,442 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,851 mm and a boot space of 480 litres. Dimensionally, it is 85 mm longer, 16 mm wider and 1 mm taller than the outgoing car. The wheelbase has also been lengthened by 41 mm.

The visual changes include a dual tone bumper with T-shaped air vents, wraparound twin-LED headlights, and a conjoined kidney grille with a chrome border. At the back it gets slim L-shaped tail lights and dual exhausts. The 3-Series rides on 19-inch alloy wheels.

On the inside, the car gets a black and silver dashboard, a 3-spoke multifunction steering wheel, dual screens set up with an optional 10.25-inch infotainment unit, acoustic windshield, 40:20:40 split folding rear seats and an optional sunroof. It also comes with a digital assistant, head-up display, digital key and a reversing assistant with 360-degree cameras.

The 3-Series is offered with a choice of one petrol and two diesel engines. The 320i/330i gets a 2.0-litre twin-turbo petrol developing a max power of 181/255 BHP @ 5,000-6,500 rpm and a peak torque of 300/400 Nm. The 318d/320d comes with a 2.0-litre diesel engine with 148/188 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 320/400 Nm. The sedan will also be offered with a 3.0-litre 6-cylinder diesel unit good for 262 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and a peak torque of 580 Nm, with a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds. The 320d will get four-wheel-drive as an option.

The company claims a 50:50 weight distribution with a 55 kg reduction in weight over the outgoing model. The rigidity has also been increased by up to 50%, while the coefficient of drag is 0.23. The car gets a host of safety features like active cruise control with stop-go function, steering and lane control assist, cross-traffic alert and wrong way warning systems.

An M Sport variant and a 330e plug-in electric hybrid is also planned to be introduced at a later stage.