The BMW 3-series is one of BMW China’s top selling vehicles but sales could be better if you use the Audi A4L as a measuring stick. The A4′s stretched wheel base makes the car more attractive to those that wish to be chauffeur driven rather than self driven which is a lot of potential buyers in the Chinese market. The last generation 3-series barely had enough room in the back to slide an envelope in, so BMW-China did the obvious and stretched it:
The 320i, 328i and 335i will go into production at BMW’s new factory with Brilliance Auto later this year, to begin with the new 3-series will be imported into China but eventually these cars will be made locally, Chinese consumers will also benefit from the addition of the 335i model being made locally, previously this was only imported into China. The rear leg space addition is more than obvious on the top of the line 335i model which puts it between the Audi A4L and also A6L in terms of size and pricing.
Eventual pricing is expected to start for around 290,000rmb for the base 3-series but will rise to mid 400,000rmb area for the top models.
Looks like a mini 5-series, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…
Wait, am I reading this correctly in that the new 3-series will be larger than the current A4L??
A 335iL for mid-400k sounds very tempting!
What do you guys think of the specific-to-China chrome accents on the rear and sides?
On the sills area? or around the windows towards the rear? Overall, I think its a very handsome car and this is coming from someone who doesn’t particularly like the 3/5 series in sedan form. The Toyota Reiz is still my favorite RWD budget car, when you compare it to anything else on the market you really cant beat it.
Yeah, I was referring to both. I’m generally not a fan of chrome, but I could get used to what they’ve done on the sides. However, I think that chrome strip on the decklid looks out of place. Fortunately, it looks like it can be easily removed.
I clicked “add reply” too quickly…
This new 3 does look like a mini-5, but I’d really like to see one in person. The current 3-series has always looked small to me, and from the photos this appears to be fixed. But as they say, photos can be deceiving.
I also wanted to point out that the new 328i in other markets is using the 2.0T, and presumably the same will be true here. This engine is good for 240hp and 260ft-lb (@1250 RPM!), and according to BMW will do 0-60 MPH in 5.9s with the 8-speed automatic. Sounds like a lot of fun, and really questions my “need” for the 335i.
Is the new 3 stretched much longer than the current 3, and does the LI take that stretched-ness to a new level? I am really struggling to understand how the LI will take on the A4L. The A4L starts at the high 200k segment, where as the LI will likely be 330k +
A STRETCHED BMW 3 series???????
What a great joke in this world…….
As I said before, anything can happens in CHINA !!!!!!
I thought you had the numbers since you wrote that the new 335i is between the A4L and A6L both in terms of size and pricing…
The new 3 is over 3.5″ longer and nearly 2″ wider than the current (E90). The wheelbase is increased by nearly 2″ as well. It is also up to 88lbs lighter than the previous model with equivalent powertrain/equipment.
So yes it is quite a bit stretched over the E90, which has annoyed a lot of BMW-purists. Not sure what the “L” treatment will add to that.
By the way, where are you getting the 330k+ figure for the Li? At least in the US market, the price increase is minimal.
Pricing – Im guessing here by looking over the 2011 pricing for the current 3-series range start at 290k for the base 318 and then shoots up to over 400k for the 2.5L. It will be interesting to see how it is priced, I presume the 2.0T will take the place of the 2.5 whilst the 318 and 320 will still be four cylinder naturally aspirated units.
As for the size no’s – I see so many every day I cant remember them
In other markets, the 320i will also use a turbocharged 2.0L but producing 184PS @500 and 270 NM @1250-4500.
I’m assuming that the same will be true for China. BMW China would be foolish to think that they could continue fleecing their customers with a naturally aspirated 2.0L, especially since many non-luxury are now using turbocharged motors.
Which begs the question if this is just a detuned version of the 245PS motor used in the new 328i, and if so, can it be easily “chipped” to similar performance levels.
Some info on the new 2.0L turbocharged motor used in the 320i and 328i:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N20
The new engine seems very complicated. BMW’s turbo power honestly needs to be more than what they are offering at the moment, it seems that BMW are only playing catch up, when in fact they should be leading the pack.
The 1 series 1.6T is only mildly more powerful than the Buick Excelle 1.6T, the new 3-series is on par with the current VAG 2.0TSI in terms of power, unless you go for the 245bhp model, in which case you might as well just wait for the forthcoming Caddies that have 270bhp 4cyl turbos, or buy the cheaper Buick Regal GS. If you’re hunting for power, it doesn’t seem BMW is the right brand to find it, hopefully the driving dynamics will make up for it.
Of course, I am itching to see the pricing of the Chinese made X1! Would love to see that in the low to mid 300k range with AWD, otherwise Im going to throw my money on a Golf GTI and be done with it.
The wheelbase of the 3Li is increased by 11cm/4.3″ over the non-stretched version. I’m not sure what this does to the overall length, but it sounds like the 3Li is approaching the non-stretched 5-series in terms of interior room?
I just checked (I had to, it was bugging me!) – the length is also stretched by 11cm/4.3″. This puts the wheelbase of the 3Li within 4.8 cm of the non-stretched 5, and length within 16.5 cm.
So for those of you like me who have a hard time justifying the high auto prices here, you can tell yourself that the 3Li is almost like a 5-series… maybe… or maybe not?