All-new BMW 3 Series breaks cover

MANILA: At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, BMW unveiled the new 3 Series sedan. The much-loved entry-level luxury sedan is now in its seventh generation. There is new styling as well as the enhanced looks. Sales start from early next year. We expect the car to make its way to our Philippines market sometime in mid-2019.

Regarding looks, the car has got smaller kidney grille, but somehow they seem more attractive now. There is a layer of chrome being smattered across everything that you see. The headlights are fully adaptive LED units and by the shape of it, look angry. The fog lights have done a Volvo, in a sense, they appear like Thor’s hammer. The air dam as well as the splitter look much more aggressive than before. Unlike the plain side view of the earlier vehicle, this one has got kinks and creases. One cannot miss the new look 18-inch alloy as well. The visual drama at the rear is the more arresting one. The same Thor hammer lights appear at the back and along with black inserts, look very nice. For the tail lamp, BMW has used a single LED unit, and that lends it a premium appeal too.

Inside the cabin, the 8 Series coupe inspired all-digital instrument cluster has been introduced. This one, like the unit in Audis, gives out navigation, music as well as your speed and fuel readouts. BMW has also added the larger touchscreen infotainment system from the 5 and 7 Series. This one has a more legible layout, and the screen can be split into three fashions, thereby making multiple details clear on the same horizon. The upholstery too looks much premium than before and finding all the buttons and knobs is much easier now. Purists though will hate the fact that the last performance sedan with a manual handbrake is gone. Yes, the BMW 3 Series no longer has a manual handbrake but now gets an electronic one.

Space has gone up too, but a proper road test will tell us if it's usable or not. The new BMW 3 Series gets six engine options and an 8-speed automatic transmission. The 6-speed manual also has been given the boot. Also, out of contention is the naturally aspirated motor. The engine options include two turbocharged four-cylinder petrol, two four-cylinder turbodiesels, one straight-six turbodiesel and petrol units. Xdrive is offered as an option but only for the most powerful straight-six engines.