Four choices for Three update

Three petrol sedans and a diesel wagon are incoming from October.

LOCAL pricing and model type choices in respect to the updated BMW 3-Series that announced in internationally in May has been sorted.

BMW New Zealand confirmed today it is sticking with determination aired two months ago that it will take the freshened car in three sedan formats and a single wagon (Touring in BMW-speak).

The latter has a 140kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four cylinder diesel and four-wheel-drive, behind 320d xDrive badging, with $98,500 asked.

The sedans, meantime, are all petrol, two - an entry $89,900 320i and mid-grade $111,000 330e - in 2.0-litre four cylinder rear-drive, the first making 135kW/300Nm and the latter with 215kW/420Nm - and a flagship 275kW/500Nm M340i with xDrive, the sole six-cylinder choice, for $135,400.

All models come with options, including some paint hue choices that range from $3850 through to $9500, and on the entry petrol and diesel wagon, there’s a visibility package that brings a sunroof, parking assist and a luxury instrument panel that costs $3800 on the booted car and $4000 for the wagon.

All but the M340i can achieve a $4500 enhancement pack that upgrades the stereo, window glass and adds a tyre pressure monitor and adaptive LED lights. An M Sport Pro styling ingredient can come to all models, for $1900.

 As reported in May, the impending product - which is due some time from October onward - achieves developments that these build upon more substantial revisions that arrived in 2022, with its mid-life update (a Life Cycle Impulse in BMW-speak).

The electric-assisted 330e achieves a much longer electric pure range, almost doubling from the outgoing car’s cited 62 kilometres, thanks to a battery upgrade.

Exterior design revisions also encompass redesigned 19-inch lightweight alloy wheels for the M Sport package and some new paint finishes.

Inside, there are new steering wheel and air vent designs from the 5 Series, while trim such as the engine start button, gear selector and infotainment control dial can now be optioned in glass material.

The 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen runs updated iDrive 8.5 software, with a customisable row of shortcuts that can be linked to key air-conditioning functions – all of which runs through the screen, with no physical climate controls.

New tech features include augmented-reality views for the satellite navigation, and a 5G SIM for internet connectivity.

All 3 Series variants will also benefit from three-zone climate control, illuminated air vents and redesigned steering wheels, while certain versions will gain a new seat upholstery called BMW Performtex.

Under the skin, BMW claims a "notable increase in comfort" from stiffer rear damper mounts, lighter steering in Comfort mode, and other undisclosed changes.

The 3 Series celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 but this G80 generation, which is expected to stay in production until 2027, will stand as the last of its kind, at least as a combustion engine-prioritised car.

What is effectively the next generation will roll out in 2025 - that’s a 3-Series-sized electric uptake from the highly-acclaimed Vision Neue Klasse concept, using the design study’s platform if not all its styling.