BMW has just unveiled the much anticipated 2012 3-series and there is no disappointment to be had. The new design is much more refined than the last one with clean lines, a more pronounced Hofmeister kink, and more unified grille, a little overbite, and a refined, stylish interior. It looks more modern than the last 3-series, and also looks more like a Bimmer. The new 3-series looks significantly lighter and less bloated despite being a little bigger. Good job Hooydonk!
This fall, when the new 3 will go on sale for the first time, there will be two engine options: a 2.0L TwinPower turbo four and the familiar N55 3.0L TwinPower turbo I6. The 335i will still produce the same excellent 300hp and 300 ft-lbs of torque which will send it to 60mph in 5.5 seconds. The 328i's four pot produces a respectable 245hp and manages a spritely 0-60 of 5.7 seconds. These are both paired with start-stop, brake-energy regeneration, an 88lb weight loss, and an ECO PRO mode which will help to attain much improved fuel economy. In addition, an 8-speed automatic transmission will be available which will offer even better fuel economy.
Sport, Luxury, Modern, and M Sport trim lines will be offered in order to cater to the varying tastes of the buyers. The sport line will feature lots of glossy black bits with some red accents, seen in the driver's view photo in the gallery (along with the awesome heads-up display). The luxury and modern trims replace the gloss black bits with chrome and satin finished aluminum respectively. The M Sport package will remain much as it is now, a Sport package with additional aero elements and a few small performance tweaks.
[via BMW]
