2012 BMW 3 Series

Gaygle · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:14

J1nxy said:
It looks pretty much the same as an E90 just with the new corporate nose grafted on, side profile is virtually indistinguishable.

This^

from the front wheel arch back, the car looks extremely similar to the E90 LCI. The rear of the F30 looks very similar too.

I must admit, i quite like the layout of the new interior though. Apart from that, a rare-as-rocking-horse poo E90 330i LCI or 335i isn't much different from an F30 328i at all, bar the front end and slightly better MPG figures..

Gaygle · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:15

Oh, and if they have included a 328i from launch, is it likely they'll release an upgraded 330i later in production a la E46.

mrk · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:15

The front end is where the action happens though and that new front is epic. It's height is large in all the right areas and lighting cluster aggressive unlike the E90.

Gaygle · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:17

I will agree, the M-Sport front end is nice! However, the SE - not as nice. But i guess this is in keeping with pretty much all BMW's.

However, the differences in styling excluding the front end just aren't different enough from the E90 LCI. Not that that is a bad thing though as i'm a huge fan of the E90 LCI styling.

mrk · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:19

Ah I am on about the M-Sport yeah, I don't even look twice at the SE of any BMW, all look soft and bland. Same with Mercedes.

[TW]Fox · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:22

Gaygle said:
Oh, and if they have included a 328i from launch, is it likely they'll release an upgraded 330i later in production a la E46.

No.

The only reason there was a 328i and then a 330i for the E46 is the move from an M52 2.8 to an M54 3.0.

The 28i is the new moniker for the higher power version of the 2 litre turbo across the range - from the Z4SDrive 28i to the 528i.

Gaygle · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:25

I see.

Going to miss the straight 6's

Only one left now.

[TW]Fox · 17 Mar 2012 at 21:29

Oddly there is a normally aspirated straight six in the F10. It was introduced last year and is the N53B30 from the E60/E90/E92 and badged 530i.

It is the only remaining normally aspirated six cylinder engine in the BMW model range with the exception of the 125i Coupe/Cab (And the outgoing E91 but that doesnt count).

Django x2 · 17 Mar 2012 at 22:41

[TW]Fox;21495624 said:
It is the only remaining normally aspirated six cylinder engine in the BMW model range with the exception of the 125i Coupe/Cab (And the outgoing E91 but that doesnt count).

Surely there has to be one on the road (F10) for it to be the only remaining NA 3l S6

[TW]Fox · 17 Mar 2012 at 22:41

Lucero said:
Surely there has to be one on the road (F10) for it to be the only remaining NA 3l S6

A good point well made. As much as I love the engine I still don't really understand why it came back. I was very suprised to see it turn up as part of the July 11 engine refresh.

Burned_Alive · 18 Mar 2012 at 08:32

Really like the look of this, when is it released? And how long before we see the coupe?

Does look better with the F10-esque twin 5 spoke wheels though.

[TW]Fox · 18 Mar 2012 at 08:51

Coupe will probably be late 2013, followed by a Cab in 2014.

Ste · 18 Mar 2012 at 12:50

[TW]Fox;21495206 said:
Wow, I don't - that looks awesome.

328i M Sport is looking like an absolutely great car. Great looks, 45mpg, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. Shame everyone will ignore it and buy a diesel.

It's also ~145g CO2, which I am hoping means it makes an appearance on company car lists. The car I can choose seems to be dependant on CO2 and list price... the 328i has lower CO2 than my Golf GTD, so you never know.

Superb car in every way by the looks of things!

Ste · 18 Mar 2012 at 12:54

The interior is also very nice on the M Sport

http://www.bmwcoop.com/2011/10/18/2012-bmw-3-series-gets-the-m-sport-package/

Gaygle · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:06

Now that the big German manufacturers have got the hang of lowering petrol CO2 levels to below diesel levels (as above) and 45mpg, will be see a resurgence of petrol company cars??

Or is the diseasel revolution unstoppable? I certainly hope not.

PMKeates · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:17

Gaygle said:
Now that the big German manufacturers have got the hang of lowering petrol CO2 levels to below diesel levels (as above) and 45mpg, will be see a resurgence of petrol company cars??

Or is the diseasel revolution unstoppable? I certainly hope not.

Unfortunately they've not reduced them to below diesel levels, and critically not the level to equalise the BIK rates. The 328i is 147 g/km 19% BIK vs. 119 g/km 13% for the 320d (the biggest diesel available), so no matter how great the 328i is, it still costs a good deal more for the person that doesn't really care.

They are getting close, though, as can be seen with the F10 528i vs. the F10 525d - the petrol has only a 2% higher BIK rate and 43.5 MPG vs. 58.9 MPG. Once you factor in the higher diesel fuel price, that's only £800 over 25,000 miles pa. The higher P11D value of the diesel also means that the BIK tax difference is only £150. Once you are down to £80/month for a high mileage 40% tax payer to go from a 218hp diesel to a 245hp petrol, it starts to get interesting!

Gaygle · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:40

I've only just noticed - the F30 335i Auto - 39mpg, whereas the 335i manual is 35mpg!

A) This is an all round massive step forward for the 335i
B) Why the massive difference between the auto and manual? Why is it pretty much the opposite of convention?

[TW]Fox · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:43

Gaygle said:
I've only just noticed - the F30 335i Auto - 39mpg, whereas the 335i manual is 35mpg!

A) This is an all round massive step forward for the 335i
B) Why the massive difference between the auto and manual? Why is it pretty much the opposite of convention?

When an automatic vehicle is tested for the EU fuel consumption tests, the car is in Drive and allowed to select its own gears.

When a manual vehicle is tested, the gears to be used are specified.

Therefore it's easier to have gearbox software that lends itself to the testing cycle.

This is what I've heard, anyway.

35mpg is not a massive step forward, infact of all the cars it's the smallest step forward. The E90 already had a combined figure of what, 32mpg?

PMKeates · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:45

Gaygle said:
B) Why the massive difference between the auto and manual? Why is it pretty much the opposite of convention?

Probably because the engine is being kept at a very economical RPM at all times during the tests. As it's a very flexible engine with lots of power low in the rev range, I imagine it spent most of the test at less than 2000 RPM, if not all of it.

Gaygle · 18 Mar 2012 at 14:46

Why didn't this happen before? And why does 320d/328i auto and 320d/328i manual have the same the MPG as each other?