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By
EWAN KENNEDY
15 December 2008
BMW has given its 3 Series body a midlife makeover to freshen its
appearance. A few months ago we admired it during an extended
drive program out of the marque’s head office in Munich, now we
have had our first look at the ‘3 on Australian roads.
At
the front the famed BMW dual-part grilles are now one-piece units,
rather than using the front edge of the bonnet as their upper
edges. The grilles are larger and use a bolder design, one
that’s complemented by revised headlight designs.
The
bonnet is taller and has four distinctive spears to give the
compact vehicles a strong visual connection to the BMW Z4, perhaps
even the 6 Series coupe and convertibles.
BMW's
stylists have also altered the shape of the side skirts to give a
better tie-in with the look of the style-line that runs through
the upper sections of the doors.
The
rear lights on the new models have a more traditional BMW look
than before, with an elongated ‘L’ in their shape that works
nicely. The rear-light design is similar in the touring wagon to
that of the sedan.
Inside
the ‘3, there are changes to the style of the instrument panel
and trim, with a raft of new colours and materials.
Though
BMWs 3 Series is already a brilliant handler, some minor changes
have been made to the suspension system as part of BMW's
relentless pursuit of perfection. In particular, the alloy wheels
sit on a wider offset to slightly increase the track.
The
full range of new BMW 3 Series sedans and wagons is:
320i Executive 2.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $54,500
(automatic)
320d Executive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $57,500
(automatic)
323i 2.5-litre petrol four-door sedan: $63,200 (automatic)
325i 2.5-litre petrol four-door sedan: $75,900 (automatic)
335i 3.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $54,500 (automatic)
320i Executive 2.0-litre petrol five-door wagon: $57,700
(automatic)
323i 2.5-litre petrol five-door wagon: $67,400 (automatic)
335i 3.0-litre petrol five-door wagon: $111,700 (automatic)
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Marque Publishing Company
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