The Legend Continues - The New BMW 3 Series

Kuala Lumpur, 28th March 2019 - We are excited today as BMW launches the all new 3 Series in neighbouring Malaysia. But we have already seen the car at the Singapore Motorshow… But we are still excited, and we will tell you why later.

OneShift Editorial Team

03 Apr 2019

This E30 had me at hello....

Where it all began... the 2002

The first of the 3 Series range to be launched in Malaysia is the 330i M Sport. The very same first car we are getting back home. Local BMW dealership, Performance Motors also offers the slightly “softer” Luxury spec car.

The all new G20 3 Series is powered by a 2.0 TwinPower turbocharged four-cylinder unit, delivering 258hp and 400Nm of twist from a low-down 1,550 to 4,400rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. 0-100km/h takes just 5.8 seconds, and top speed is a gentleman’s limited 250km/h. Combined Cycle fuel consumption is listed at a very respectable 15.6km/l, while carbon emissions at 147g/km, is optimised by a particulate filter included in the exhaust treatment system meets the Euro 6d-TEMP standards.

Size-wise, the new car is 4,709mm in length (+76mm), 1,827mm wide (+16mm) and 1,435mm in height (+6mm). A slight increase of 41mm in the wheelbase brings it to 2,851mm, adding to better internal packaging.

Visually, the new car features a wider kidney grille, flanked by sleek LED headlamps, which boasts Bi-LED technology. Slim, three-dimensional tail lights at the rear, with BMW’s new L-shaped design, visually adds some girth to the car’s stance; below them a pair of faux vents on the rear bumper for styling purposes (you cannot escape these in this day and age). The M Sport kitting also sees the car with larger breathers under the headlights, with the utilisation of glossy black plastic, lending to a more expensive feel. The signature Hofmeister kink is interpreted through a frameless section of the rear door quarter glass, a delicate touch, and visually bolstered by an in-set on-body door surround. Singapore gets 19” rims, in-place of the 18” units specced for the Malaysian market to cope with their occasional rougher road conditions.

Hofmeister got a little kinky...

On the inside, BMW had also ditched analogue dials for a fully digital 12.3” instrument panel, styled similar to the one found on the new X5. A 10.25” Controld Display is operated by touch, from the iDrive Controller or from the steering wheel.

The largely publicised BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, think Siri or Google Home for your car. Users can control various vehicle functions such as navigation and air-conditioning simply by interacting with the assistant. The system is also able to pick up on driver habits and preferences, and will make adjustments to the car to suit the driver. In keeping things up-to-date, the Personal Assistant can also be upgraded and updated to ensure that new capabilities are added.

The new Digital Key app also makes the car more readily available to more users, utilising the Near Field Communication (NFC) transmitter of selected Samsung Android smartphones when placed at the door handles, while placing the phones on the car’s charging pad, enables the car to be started.

Parking Assistant is also available on the new 3 Series, which aids in parking the car for you in parallel and perpendicular lots. New to BMW is their Reversing Assist which takes the anxiety of reversing out of tight twisty confines by mapping the route you had previously taken, for up to 50 meters, taking over the wheel for you.

BMW in Singapore will likely be field their stonking 340i, with the straight-six under the hood, a 320i, which will use the tuned-down version of the 2.0 found in this car, and an entry spec 318i, with the 1.5 litre 3 cylinder turbocharged engine in time to come.

Malaysia will only have a German-built 330i, while the rest of their range will be locally built. Singapore will have their entire range built in Munich.

Taking the Bends With the 3 Series

Now the exciting bit! We got a taste of the new 3 Series on the roads surrounding the city; offering up some very lovely twists and turns, and plenty of opportunity to put our foot on the floor. The M Sport suspension (there is an Adaptive M suspension option available) provides a fabulous mix of damping and stiffness to tackle what the Malaysian roads could throw at us; even with the up and down-sloping bends, which would easily unsettle the average car. There is just so much grip, even with quick directional changes with the load shifting from side to side, the car simply remains planted. Acceleration out of a corner can be best described as almost brutally quick. The 3 Series is balanced with 50:50 axle load distribution, which contributes heavily to keeping the car’s handling this sharp; one of the signature traits of the brand.

That 2.0 straight-four up in-front is also able to work all that lovely 400Nm to the rear wheels flawlessly, through a well-spaced 8-speed Steptronic transmission. Apart from Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes, the Sport+ mode reduces the amount of “driver safety-net assistance” you will get, and you can even induce some rear tyre burn as you take off. A variable locking rear differential also enhances the car’s traction and agility.

Bring the car back into normal day-to-day driving speeds, and the 3 Series fulfills all the duties you would come to expect from an executive (sports) sedan.