BMW's NEW E90 3 Series

BMW is officially touting the release of its new 2005 E90 3 Series. With much unofficial content available on the web and in magazines, the German carmaker has finally opened up, beginning an immense marketing and information release programme desgined to well and truly welcome the new addition to the beemer fleet.

To be announced officially for the first time in public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2005, the E90 3 Series will be on sale in Australia and other markets towards June-July 2005. Continential European markets, as well as mainland US buyers, may expect a slightly earlier release.

The fifth generation of the highly popular BMW 3 Series will attempt to set the modern benchmark for a dynamic sports sedan with a significant array of new innovations.

Sported for three decades as the ultimate driver's car, with the debut of the E90, the BMW 3 Series adds a treasure chest of impressive, innovative improvements for engine, chassis, safety and driving comfort.

The BMW 3 Series has long been the Bavarian car manufacturer's best selling car, by the far the most popular sight on the roads worldwide for BMW and the 'breadwinner' of the fleet. The continued success of the three series line represents a crucial financial imperative for the BMW group.

For it to fail in the sales race with the Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 - however unlikely - would not bode well for the luxury car maker, and it was well aware of this before undertaking development and design of the new car, known inside BMW as the E90.

With that in mind , the E90 is more conservatively styled than other new BMW's and is prima facie less radical than the Z4 or the 5 Series.

Centred at the crux of BMW's modern design spectrum, the new 3 Series take it's looks from the BMW Z4 and the BMW 1 Series and with some influence from the 5 Series too. The characteristic features are the short overhangs, the greenhouse pushed to the rear, and the long bonnet.

The E90 is noticeably larger inside and out as well and the interior is bright, spacious and generous, reflecting the lifestyle of its target demographic.

At 4520mm, the body of the new BMW E90 3 Series is 49mm longer than the E46 3 Series it replaces. At 1817mm it is 78mm wider and 6mm higher at 1421mm. The wheelbase is stretched 35mm to 2760 mm.

Such increases in size will mean more interior space for most occupants.

The front has a sharp look, with touches borrowed from the six series - particularly in the headlights - while at the rear the tail-lights have adopted a diamond-shaped façade, giving away the distinctive BMW look that previous models sported. In fact, the rear of the vehicle has been criticised for looking �generic', plain and among other things; like something �a cheaper competitor might have cooked up.�

A new joint and crossbar design for the car's load-bearing structure increases body stiffness by 25 per cent, with no weight gain over the E46, which should also improve the vehicle's handling characteristics.

The new BMW 3 Series makes its debut power-driven by a pair economical petrol six-cylinder engines. A further optimised iteration of the famous 2.0-litre four-cylinder slots into the 320i entry model. All are complemented with generous power for their class.

The new R6 in-line 6-cylinder fitted to the top-of-the-range BMW 330i offers an significant output of 190kW - up 20kW on its predecessor - with torque of 300Nm spread evenly between 2500 and 4000rpm. The manufacturer says that the new 3.0-litre R6 is the most powerful and lightest six-cylinder engine in its division.

To reduce weight, BMW has employed magnesium for the first time in large-scale series production, achieving a considerable 30 percent weight saving compared with an all aluminium alloy engine. Magnesium is used for the crankcase, the crankshaft bearings, and on the cylinder head cover.

The amalgamation of Valve-Tronic and double-VANOS spurs the new BMW 330i from 0-100 km/h in a rapid-fire 6.3 seconds. Top speed is limited by the on-board computer to 250km/h.

Despite this extraordinary performance from a compact sedan, fuel expenditure is a meagre 8.7 litres per 100km on the composite EU benchmark.

The 2.5-litre BMW 325i also makes its European first appearance in early 2005 and will come to Australia later in the year. Its new engine produces 160kW @ 6500rpm, with maximum torque of 250Nm available between 2750 and 4250rpm.

The BMW 325i accelerates from 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds with a top speed of 245km/h. The BMW 325i uses just 8.3 litres per 100km on the combined EU cycle.

The BMW 320i picks up a newly optimised version of the advanced 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine, previously available on the E46 318i.

The 320i engine, equipped with double-VANOS variable camshaft adjustment, delivers maximum output of 110kW @ 6200rpm, with maximum torque of 200Nm @ 3600rpm for a wide spread of power and torque.

Thus equipped, the new BMW 320i can accelerate to 100km/h from rest in just 9.0 seconds and has a top speed of 220km/h. Fuel consumption in the EU combined cycle is 7.4 litres for every 100km travelled.

The 320i and 325i models will come as standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox and the option of a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The 330i will be available as standard with the automatic transmission. An extra gear, closer increments and wider overall spread of ratios allow the driver to extract the most from these engines, particularly at take-off.

The new BMW 3 Series also gains a exceptional feature for this class of premium sport sedan, but one which may divide the faithful. A start/stop push button is combined with the 'Comfort Start" function, where the driver simply presses the starter button in order to fire the engine. All other operations then continue automatically without any further intervention.

Reflecting its inheritance, the new BMW 3 Series is replete with classic BMW characteristics; a longitudinally-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, and perfect axle load distribution of 50:50, combining to deliver superior all-round dynamic agility.

Active steering (available on the current generation 5 series) will be offered as an option on 6-cylinder models, 325i and 330i. Active steering provides a more direct transmission ratio at low speeds and an indirect ratio at higher speeds, thus solving the conflict of interest between agility, stability, and comfort, which conventional steering simply cannot offer.

BMW active steering is enhanced for the new 3 Series by an additional feature particularly important in everyday motoring in poor conditions. When the driver applies the brakes on surfaces with varying frictional coefficients such as icy patches, snow and asphalt, active steering - actively intervening in the steering control - stabilises the car more quickly and more precisely than a regular motorist would ever be able to do.

Other features that will come to the new BMW include DSC, or Dynamic Stability Control. It appears in its latest version to provide safety of the highest standard and on the 6-cylinder models DSC is enhanced with useful functions such as dry-braking of the brake discs on wet roads, Brake Standby with the brakes being alerted by pre-aligning the brake linings, a Start-Off Assistant preventing the car from rolling back when setting off on a gradient (for hill starts), as well as anti-dive control when applying the brakes slowly.

Safety is also an area that BMW is always looking at improving to compete with industry leaders Mercedes and Volvo, and the new E90 3 Series is the safest yet.

It is designed to achieve best results in the EuroNCAP crash test. It is also one of the first cars in the world fully prepared for the extremely demanding side-impact requirements in the USA as well as the US high-speed rear impact test.

In addition to optimised belt systems, the passenger safety system comes as standard with six airbags: front airbags for the driver and front passenger, hip/thorax airbags, and curtain head airbags.

While dual halogen headlights are standard, customers may select bi-xenon headlights with or without an adaptive light function (to see round corners at night) as an option. Featured as standard, two-stage Brake Force Display enlarges the LED brake light area as soon as the driver pushes hard on the brake pedal or when ABS cuts in. Drivers following will instantly recognise this as an indication of emergency braking, giving them vital extra seconds in which to react.

The new BMW 3 Series also comes as standard with run-flat tyres enabling the car to continue for up to 250km after a puncture at a speed of up to 80km/h without destroying the tyre or the rim.

BMW also spent considerable effort ensuring the E90 three series is "modern and harmonious". As with all BMW cars, the cockpit is clearly structured and driver-oriented and the driver zone conveys important information with optimum clarity.

The centre console serves as the comfort zone within perfect reach of the driver and front passenger and superior ergonomics means controlling important features such as the air conditioning and radio is easy, convenient and safe.

Complex systems with high information density are controlled via iDrive, which could become a contentious issue for some buyers, as it historically known to be a very convoluted way of navigating basic HVAC systems. That said, it will be an option bundled with satellite navigation, so drivers won't be forced to figure it out.

For those who do want iDrive, the system can be further optioned with what BMW called Comfort Access, an intriguing idea that renders the conventional ignition key obsolete.

A transmitter referred to as the ID Sensor enables the owner to enter the car and start the engine without even touching the key. And in conjunction with Key Memory, the ID Sensor recalls the seat position, mirrors, automatic air conditioning and radio tuning settings used on the driver's last journey. Very nice.

The wide range of information and entertainment features in the new BMW 3 Series employ DVD data systems, allowing drivers the choice of either the Business or Professional navigation units, available as options. Also optional is the Professional Logic7 HiFi system that provides in-car surround sound.

Details of Australian specification, model line-up and pricing will be announced much closer to local launch in mid-2005, but as it is BMW looks to be on a winner with it's new volume-selling 3 Series, incorporating a new look with new engines and stiffer body, not to mention a plethora of interesting features that should pique the interest of drivers looking at buying a next generation prestige car.