BMW 3 Series 2009 Review

Not so much
>> Can you tell the difference

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine and Drivetrain: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

So the new 3 Series, launched in December 2008 in Sedan and Touring form, is rather important for BMW -- although describing the latest model as "new" is probably gilding the lily -- by any other standards it would be judged as a facelift.

The new model, for all intents and purposes, replicates the previous 3 Series in just about every way apart from sheetmetal tweaks, some internal revisions and a slight widening of the rear track. Of some significance is the appearance of BMW's "newly developed" all-aluminium 3.0-litre turbodiesel sometime in mid-2009. That engine pumps out 180kW and 520Nm with help from its variable geometry turbo.

A revitalised 3 Series after nearly four years of the E90 version was needed by BMW. There has been plenty of interim action from Mercedes-Benz with its latest C-Class (July 2007) and the current, decidedly ascendant Audi A4 introduced in April 2008. The Audi is basically stepping in where the Lexus IS250 appears to be tapering off, displacing the Toyota luxury offshoot comfortably from its position in the sales charts.

With the 3 Series the dominant low-end luxury class player for just about as long as we can remember, the rise of both Benz C-Class and Audi A4 must be something of a worry for BMW. In fact, were it up to just the sedan version to maintain sales the 3 Series would currently be languishing behind both.

So a refreshed model, complete with some range rationalising and a general downwards price adjustment, is what Munich hopes will keep the 3 Series bubbling along at the top of the charts.

Broadly, that's about it for the 2009 3 Series. It's a case of not fixing something that ain't broke...

And, while you might not be able to buy a base 3 Series as cheaply as before, an across-the-board price restructuring means most models are a tad cheaper than they were. In fact only one model has gone up – the 325i, which has a marginally more expensive RRP, up $1130 over the previous model.

The price drops aren't huge, maxing out at $2,200 or so for the 323i. This doesn't mean any real equipment sacrifices except on the base models that no longer get keyless comfort access as standard.

Making Executive grade the base model means that alloy wheels and leather trim are standard across the board and, while manual transmission is still available on all models bar the 320d and 335i, it's now a special-order, no-cost option.

Otherwise, the 3 Series, as far as standard equipment goes, operates in standard BMW mode: most of the gear you'd expect is there, but it's easy to ramp up the end price by ticking a few options. For example, even the 335i fails to get standard metallic paint, while you need to go to the 325i before you get proper, all-way power-adjusted front seats. And a six-disc CD changer is optional across the broad.

But automatic climate control, trip computer, USB/audio interface, Bluetooth mobile compatibility and a multi-function sport steering wheel are standard on all models.

All 3 Series variants also offer M Sport and Innovations packages at extra cost. The former brings 17-inch alloy wheels with asymmetrical tyres measuring 225/45 R17 at the front and 255/40 R17 at the rear, sport seats, M Sport suspension, M multifunction sport leather steering wheel, M doorsills and Aluminium Glacier Silver interior trim.

In the 335i the M Sport pack includes 18-inch alloys with tyres measuring 225/40 R18 at the front and 255/35 R18 at the rear.

The Innovations Package eliminates 330d and 335i and brings Bi-Xenon headlights, high beam assist, a 6.5-inch colour monitor and Business Navigation. In 325i it adds the new 8.8-inch colour monitor with voice recognition, Professional navigation and TV.

The latest four-cylinder 320d's power edges up to 130kW with max torque of 350Nm spread from 1750–3000rpm. The 'old' 320d delivered 115kW/330Nm. The new engine is of the same 'third-generation' turbodiesel family as the 330 and offers substantially more flexibility in the real world – it's trimmed almost a second from the outgoing model's 0-100km/h time to be almost 2sec faster than the petrol version (8.0sec v 9.7sec).

The new all-alloy six-cylinder 330d diesel will also make its way into the 730d that arrives in 2009. It uses a variable geometry turbo, along with third generation direct piezo common rail injection operating with a maximum pressure of 1800 bar. Emissions are controlled by a catalytic converter and a particulate filter that help keep the tailpipe CO2 figure down to 180g/km.

With high torque and power outputs for a 3.0-litre diesel, the 330d reaches 100km/h in a swift 6.2 seconds yet averages 6.8L/100km average fuel economy. And if you could do it legally, you'd find the 330d maxing out at 250km/h before being electronically stifled.

The petrol line-up includes the 225kW twin-turbo 335i in Sedan and Touring, the sedan-only 160kW 2.5-litre 325i, the 140kW 2.5-litre 323i in Sedan and Touring, and the four-cylinder 115kW 320i, in Sedan and Touring models. The 3 Series Sedan and Touring don't however get the seven-speed twin-clutch "sports automatic" gearbox now offered in Coupe and Convertible 3 Series models.

The across-the-board transmission is BMW's six-speed Steptronic, but only the 330d and 335i get gearshift paddles on the steering wheel to supplement the regular console shifter.

Apart from the wider rear track, the suspension is a carry-over from the outgoing 3 Series with a spring-strut all-alloy arrangement at the front borrowed conceptually from the current 5 Series and a five-link rear end similar to the 1 Series. Run-flat tyres are standard spec across the 3 Series range.

The 3 Series also continues with the availability of BMW's active steering, adaptive Xenon headlights and radar-activated cruise control on all but 320i and 320d. The latter also miss out on the brake-assisted cruise control that is standard elsewhere across the range.

At the back, design cues are limited to new LED indicators and a new bumper moulding, while the profile view shows remodelled side skirts and new rearview mirrors with inbuilt indicators.

Subtle to the extreme is a widening of the rear track, depending on model, by up to 24mm.

Inside, all versions of the 3 Series, from base Executive upwards, get all-leather trim as well as styling revisions an outsider would be struggling to pick. More significant is the availability of a revitalised iDrive with a high-resolution 8.8-inch monitor and an 80-gigabyte hard disk drive able take 8 gigabytes of audio files.

The iDrive controller itself has been smartened up with a new controller and direct-access keys for CD, radio, telephone and navigation.

Inside, BMW has gone for improved ergonomics via things such as better positioning of the driver's side window lifters and mirror adjustment (moved back two centimetres), and a larger storage bin in the centre console. The ergonomically improved iDrive uses a smaller control knob and adds extra push-button functions for easier access.

BMW says the interior trim is more refined "with selected operating elements in a new design and newly harmonised choice of colours and materials." The start/stop button and air conditioning controls get a matt chrome finish while "The needles of the tachometer and speedometer convey maximum precision with their elegant, filigree design, projecting slightly beyond the centre."

Standard are six airbags, active front-seat headrests and a full suite of electronic safety aids that include Dynamic Stability Control, traction control, and ABS brakes (with emergency-stop priming and disc-drying functions from 325i upwards) and rear parking sensors (front and rear on 330d and 335i). The 3 Series also gets a Brake Force Display function that increases the intensity of the LED stoplights on hard brake applications to warn following drivers.

The 3 Series also gets belt tensioners for the rear, as well as front seats, and was designed for optimum Euro NCAP crash test results. Significantly, the BMW is claimed to be one of the first sedans in the world to meet the latest US side impact standards -- the testing for which simulates an impact with a large four-wheel drive vehicle hitting the car above the side sills.

Heading the charge to unseat Munich is the more refined-than-ever Mercedes-Benz C-Class, currently easily outselling 3 Series in sedan sales even though prices are a tad higher. The Benz is generally considered to be a formidably competitive all-rounder in the segment.

And Audi's new A4 is perhaps the company's best-ever volume-seller, striding into contention with a massive sales increase Down Under. With prices generally undercutting BMW equivalents and the availability of all-wheel drive, three diesel engines and numerous transmission options including a multitronic CVT, the Audi is rightly making its presence felt.

The Lexus baby, for all its quality, dynamics and visual appeal, has slipped from grace.

With both Benz and Audi fronting all-new models, the BMW 3 Series is more than ever dependent on the numerous variants to make up numbers.

ON THE ROAD
Read our reviews of the new 335i sedan and Touring here and here here respectively.