This new BMW 3 Series has been the biggest news for the Bavarian brand in a long time. It’s the latest version of the brand’s most important car, its best selling car and the car that really made BMW what it is today and the car it sort of built its reputation on. Not only that but this new G20-generation just might be the most radical change fro any 3 Series generation yet. So it’s always interesting to hear what other journalists from the industry have to say about it.
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In this new video from Carfection, from the 2018 Paris Motor Show floor, we get to hear from Henry Catchpole and his thoughts of the new 3 Series.
One area of near constant critique of the new 3 Series has been its new face. Its new headlights are quite dramatically different than the ones they replace, and they now sort of blend into the new and larger Kidney Grilles, a design that’s been maligned by many enthusiasts. However, Catchpole seems to like it quite a bit and we have to agree. Apparently, it’s all part of BMW’s “Precision and Poetry” design language for the new 3 Series. Sure.
Catchpole also talks about how the new 3 Series is bigger — longer, wider, longer wheelbase, wider wheel-track — which provides more interior passenger space as well as trunk space. However, it’s also 55 kilos lighter. So considering that it’s wheelbase is both longer and wider but it’s also lighter, we expect it to handle better.
Inside, Catchpole talks about its interior and some of its features. For instance, the new 3 Series has a digital assistant of its own, much like Mercedes’s new system, and it can apparently control almost any aspect of the car’s cabin. It also can remember a lot of your driving habits and routes. So if you regularly pass through a toll on your morning commute, the 3 Series will automatically disable auto start/stop for that brief toll period and even roll down the window on its own as you approach. If you say “Hey, BMW. I’m getting tired”, it will pump the volume up and drop the cabin temperature to help keep you awake. Clever stuff.
But the 3 Series has never been about clever tech or fancy features. Instead, it’s about driving dynamics. Obviously, none of us have driven production-ready models just yet, so to find out if it has the goods, we’re going to have to wait.
Well, he’s certainly not too excited about the car. Very subjective sort of reporting there.
He’s not the only one. The 3er has devolved into a “meh” car.
Well look, all we have to go on atm is how it looks, and it looks great, so…
I couldn’t disagree more. But if that is how you perceive it, then that is how you perceive it.
Yes, almost 400 hp. in a 340i will be SOOO dull – Z4 #s in a family sedan. And that’s before the actual M(eh)3.
“M(eh)3” hahaha you’re so hilarious! You should never leave this forum!! LMAO
It’s going to be hard to spec a G20 to same spec as F30 (anyways what enthusiast would want all those nannies standard on the G20) to realize that weight reduction claim.
Here’s some base curb weights:
Base G20 330i curb weight: 3,582 lbs
Base F30 330i curb weight (US): 3,501 lbs
Base F30 328i curb weight (US 2016): 3,370 lbs
Base G20 330i xDrive curb weight: 3,764 lbs
Base F30 330i xDrive curb weight (US): 3,706 lbs
Base F30 328i xDrive curb weight (US 2016): 3,635 lbs
Seems like the F30 got porky going from 328i to 330i and the G20 isn’t really that light in its base form. Easy to lose weight when you gain so much weight in the last MY of the F30.
Too long for my liking. BMW has to stop making its models bigger. It’s a pain trying to drive up my condo’s multistorey parking which looks as if it’s designed for vehicles smaller than the F10. The interior design is subjective with me sitting on the fence. They better deliver on their promise for its magical ride.