BMW 3-Series

The BMW F30 is the vehicle platform (F30 – sedan) on which the sixth family of third generation BMWs was designed. The model replaces the BMW E90 dorestyling. The new model was announced in October (14th) 2011 in Munich. Not so long ago, in 2016, was held restyling. The whole model range is BMW.

Car history

Third-generation BMWs have been produced by a Bavarian company since 1975 (E21). Since then, “thrashka” has become invariably popular not only in European countries, but also in the countries of the American continent.

With the following generations, the vehicle increased slightly in size, but always saved its own sports qualities and the status of a compact premium sedan. But, speaking of the debut car release, it is better to use the word “coupe”.

BMW is probably one of the most successful car manufacturers in Germany. Despite the high sales volumes of E90 sedans (5th generation), the company had to produce the next family of machines, as the management has to follow the laws of marketing. The appearance of the cars, along with the renewal of the model range of automotive companies is changing at intervals of four to five years.

If we take into account the opinion of the creators, they speak about the sedan is very interesting, calling the BMW of the third generation a sports car, which delivers inexpressible pleasure and comfort while driving. Norbert Reithofer, who is the Chief Executive Officer of BMW and also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, was responsible for the presentation of the “thrashka”.

It was a great honor to have a “crack”, because its percentage of the total sales of the company reached 40. And the last 5 families were scattered across the countries in the amount of more than 12 000 000 cars. Despite the fact that the BMW 3 F30 is a little larger than its predecessor, the vehicle’s curb weight is 40 kilograms less.

Model range

• The F30 is the first model from this family. It is a four-door sedan, which is produced since October 2011;
• F31 – variation “universal”, produced since May 2012;
• F34 – Gran Turismo. The car has a sloping lid, which combines a sedan and a wagon. This machine has been produced since March 2013;
• F35 – is an elongated version, which is produced since July 2012, to sell in China;
• F32, F33, F36 – These vehicles have decided to move from the BMW 3 family to the specially designed BMW 4 category in order to increase their prestige. The F32 is a coupe, the F33 is a convertible, and the F36 is a 4-door coupe.

Exterior

As it was mentioned above, the car of German production, if we compare it with the previous model E90, added in size. The length of the Bavarian sedan increased by 93 millimeters. The height has changed by 8 millimeters, and the width and at all – by 6. The wheelbase has also been changed – it has increased by 50 mm. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that now the luggage compartment fits 50 liters more luggage.

It’s worth highlighting the appearance of the new sedan. BMW of 3 series is considered to be a bestseller among premium cars. The nose part of the vehicle pays most attention to itself. Here you can easily read the expressive “look” of predatoryly squeezed headlights, which received a broken shape. It is also equipped with a branded grille, fogproof optics, additional air ducts and a sloping hood. In its place, the branded “nostrils”.

Thanks to these elements, the appearance of the machine with its sporty qualities is successfully created. LED lighting is also available as an option. The headlamps will also look like undertones, making the front part look gloomy and harsh. The car has a low roof and wide rear lights. The German’s side part looks calm and in some classical style. However, what is impressive is the drag coefficient, which is 0.26.

Absolutely all elements have been thoroughly tested in a wind tunnel. With their help it was possible to achieve similar results. The profile of the machine has not received newfangled bursts of ribs, but do not forget what power is hidden behind such an imaginary calmness.

Looking at the doors, you notice that the side now looks more aggressive than its predecessor, and the whole body with a sloping roof now looks athletic. Looking at the aft area of the sedan, it is not difficult to understand that it is smoothly echoes the design solution of early models (5- and 7-series). As for the rear LED lanterns, they are like on the “five”. On the sides they decided to dilute the exhaust system nozzles.

German engineers have provided a couple of top versions of the design – Sport Line and Luxury Line, which differ from the standard version by the changed exterior design. For example, each of the “nostrils” of the radiator grille has 8 vertical strips instead of 11 on the sports version. In addition, there is another bumper with black decorative inserts around the perimeter.

Color spectrum. During the restylings, the Germans were able to significantly expand the color range of the car, introducing several new shades. That’s why today the sedan has 17 different colors. In addition, we decided to add some additional variants of wheel rims. For example, they added universal colors, such as alpine white and black. Also provided with colors with the effect of “metallic”.

Among the latter are white mineral, silver, black sapphire, Havana, grey mineral, red Melbourne, blue imperial, sparkling bronze, Liquid Blue, Estoril Blue.

Individual colours are also available: black metallic, metallic moonstone, metallic blue tanzanite, metallic smoky topaz and metallic white diamond.

Interior

Due to the increase in the size of the new brainchild, the salon has become more spacious. For example, the legroom for passengers sitting in the rear row of seats has increased by 15 millimetres compared to the previous generation. The steering wheel and driver’s seat have a wide range of settings, which allows the driver to sit comfortably with any equipment. The important thing is that the most necessary controls are located at hand.

The front panel was perfectly assembled and not overloaded. As its finishing they decided to use soft and tactilely pleasant plastic together with chrome decorative elements. Behind the steering wheel, the dashboard placed under the unusual visor is clearly visible. The dashboard has a large and a couple of small arrows. The dashboard looks stylish and laconic. The dashboard looks particularly interesting at night when the backlight is on.

The interior of the compact sedan is also full of solutions from the new BMWs of the 1st and 5th series. However, the ergonomic component, as always, is at the highest level. The top of the centre console has a large 8.8-inch multifunctional entertainment system display. The system has a great deal of potential. For example, the display shows the rear view camera image as well as the navigation system maps.

It is convenient that the necessary information about the engine operation is also displayed (current power and torque diagram). With the help of a special BMW Apps application, the smartphone is synchronized with the multimedia system. When everything is connected, the screen, which supports touch input, displays an image from social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also turn on online radio.

As for the soundproofing of the interior of the car, we can safely say that the sound of the engine inside the car can only be heard during intensive acceleration, which is not the case with tires – their noise is heard even at low speed. Therefore, the conclusion is as follows: the noise insulation is at BMW level, but far from perfect. For finishing we decided to use natural leather and soft plastic of high quality.

It’s nice that the seats have customizable side support. The driver’s seat can comfortably accommodate a driver of any build. A little bit earlier engineers did not know how to make the car equally suitable for speed lovers and those who prefer comfort.

And in the end, they managed to combine these two concepts, giving the driver a choice of driving mode. To do this, you just need to reach out and press a single button. The button is responsible for the power steering, throttle, throttle response to the “gas” pedal, gearbox. In addition, the system is able to loosen the grip of the electronic “limiter” stabilization system DSC.

Interestingly, the Germans were able to properly motivate the driver to use ECO mode. They did not encourage him to grow virtual flowers, as other automakers do, but decided to demonstrate the benefits of the saved liters. The display shows how the range has increased over the period of time.

Such modes really work. For example, in Eco Pro mode, the sedan seems to become a meek sheep. It seems that the German can hardly overtake a passing car. The purpose of this mode is to save fuel and, as a result, to demonstrate excellent environmental performance in emissions.

There is no fast acceleration, and the automatic box switches to the next speed earlier. Under the “gas” pedal it seems as if the mat has been put down.

Sport+ mode makes all the “muscles” in the sedan tense. The automatic gearbox resets the speed in a timely manner, supports the arrow of the speed sensor of the power unit slightly below the position “2”, and the backlight acquires color under the rigid speed mode. The machine reacts to the “gas” at lightning speed.

The volume of the luggage compartment, as mentioned above, increased to 480 liters of usable space. The rear seats are folded up to further increase the amount of cargo to be transported. Although, in European countries, the greatest number of universal purchases will take place.

There is no point in looking for a spare part, as engineers continue to install rubber like RunFlat on the “dragons”. An optional non-contact luggage compartment opening system is available. All you need to do is walk under the rear bumper. The boot lid opens and starts to rise.

Specifications

Powertrain

Restyled version of the German sedans, will go with several power units. The first is the BMW 318i, which is a diesel, 1.5-liter engine that produces about 136 horses. The first hundred is overcome by the famous model in 9.1 seconds. The average fuel consumption is about 5.4 litres for every 100 kilometres.

Next comes the BMW 320i, which is a gasoline four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 2.0 liters, which reaches 184 horsepower. It can be accelerated to a speed of 100 km/h with this engine in 7.3 seconds. The maximum speed is 235 km/h. The average gasoline consumption will be 6.4 litres per passport.

The strongest is the BMW 340i. The car is famous for the presence of a gasoline in-line turbocharged 6-cylinder 3.0-liter power plant, which develops 326 horses. The maximum torque is 400 Nm. The first hundred kilometers per hour can be reached in just 5.0 seconds. We decided to keep the speed limit at the same level. It is not possible to say that such an engine is very voracious, as it consumes an average of 7.9 liters per every 100 kilometers.

It’s nice that despite the fact that the power units are not small, the engineers managed to achieve a more modest fuel consumption, even in urban areas. Also, few people know that the appearance of ActiveHybrid 3 took place. The car received a hybrid version. It turns out that the insides fully correspond to BMW ActiveHybrid 5. Among the features – the presence of 306 horses, eight-speed automatic gearbox and 54 hp electric motor. This system consumes about 6.4 liters per 100 kilometers in average mode.

Transmission

All modifications are equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox. However, as a separate option, it is possible to set up an eight-speed automatic ZF, which reduces fuel consumption. If you take and compare the car BMW 335i, then with the automatic box, fuel consumption is reduced by 0.7 liters. The box can be connected to the automatic option Start-Stop, which is included in the standard package of the F30.

Suspension

Speaking of the suspension scheme, it has not changed much on the new sedan, but its design component was made of a decent number of aluminum components.

In front of the truck was installed an independent suspension of McPherson type, and behind it was used a five-lever design. Based on the driving characteristics of the BMW 3 F30, it is felt that the vehicle behavior has become sharper and better.

Brake system

Ventilated disc brakes are provided to ensure that the new Bavarian product stops safely. The clearance is 140 millimetres.

Safety

Germans have always paid due attention to ensuring a high level of safety not only for the driver and rear passengers, but also for other road users, including pedestrians. Some of the systems include active cruise control, the Lane Change Warning System and the Lane Depature Warning System, the Collision Warning System (which made its debut on the 3rd generation BMW), and real-time Real-Time Traffic Information. In addition, six airbags, ABS and ESP systems are planned.

Crash test

Price and equipment

The new model of the BMW 3-Series sedan can be purchased in the territory of the Russian Federation in one standard configuration, however, with several available engines to choose from. The most affordable 318i MT6 has a 1.5-liter 136 hp engine. Its price starts at $28260.

The top version is the 340i AT8 xDrive with a 326 horsepower three-liter engine. Among the advantages are six airbags, ABS and ESP systems, dual-zone climate control, standard audio system with MP3 support, full electric package, rain and light sensors, alloy wheels, seat heating function, steering wheel heating (in top models, or more precisely in Luxury Line) and start of the power unit with a button (also in top configuration).

EfficientDynamics technology combines the Start-Stop function, brake energy recovery and an optimal gearshift indicator. The Driving Experience Control not only offers a choice of Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes, but also the ECO PRO. The latter enables you to save fuel with a special driving style.

The Head-Up Display has a colour screen that displays the necessary data on the windscreen in the driver’s immediate field of view. In addition, you can use the Surround View function, which allows you to look at the machine from a height and around it. I have not forgotten the engineering staff to equip the car with a night vision camera and tracking blind areas with the option of reading traffic signs and other things.

Reviews from the owners

Drivers who use a German sedan, “crack”, leave a variety of reviews. However, the overwhelming majority with pleasure shares advantages of this novelty. Almost everybody advises to buy “trash” only in full configuration. Thanks to parktronic, which stand on both sides of the vehicle, it is pleasant and comfortable to park any driver. With the help of automatic long-distance lighting, which has time to like the buyers, who often travel on the highway, it is possible to get rid of the need to switch it in manual mode. Therefore, you do not need to break away from the process of driving the car. Most drivers appreciated the function of adaptive light, which came in handy on dark roads with undrawn shoulders.

Consumers of the German concern decided to include the steering wheel heating system among the necessary functions. It is not a secret for anybody what Russian winters are like. It is just impossible not to say about seats. Everybody already knows that BMW seats are among the best and most comfortable. The photos in this article clearly show it. They perfectly manage to “hold” the driver and passenger. Despite the long journeys, none of those who ride in the “treshka” will suffer from back pain.

Pleasant driving is also provided by a good suspension. It turned out to be elastic – the wheels do not fall and do not go away. The roll is absent. Many people like to make tuning of BMW F30, though, in principle, few people want to change the factory model. BMW F30 engines have always been famous for their quality. They do not occupy reliability. Oil should be filled only with quality oil, the original. It is worth understanding that this German vehicle is not recommended to use on the road.

However, there are disadvantages, which often relate to the electrical components of the machine. Some complain about poor quality painting, assembly and squeaking steering wheel. Some have noticed that the model is afraid of rain. It can then jam the lights and then turn off completely. In car dealerships offer, unfortunately, expensive services, which are often the car does not need. This is a real pumping of money.

The pros and cons

Summing up

As a result, the results of this Bavarian car remain pleasant impressions. It is worth admitting that the BMW company very rarely upset its customers, if at all. Of course, some may start saying that the Germans are not the same. However, still, BMW tries to keep the brand of the image company. It should be admitted that it does it perfectly well. And BMW f30 is a vivid confirmation of this.

The sedan’s appearance just can’t leave anyone indifferent. With all his appearance he shows that he literally wants to cut through the air currents dynamically. The engineering staff was able to equip the model with a lot of electronic systems – good or bad, time will tell.

After all, there are often failures in electronics. Always and in any vehicles that are produced by the Germans, it is very pleasant and comfortable to spend time. Materials have high quality characteristics, ergonomics at the highest level.

Literally everything, even the smallest details, makes you feel good. The steering wheel, front seats and back sofa have a heating function, which is very nice, given the frosty weather in Russia.

Thanks to the small size of the “trash wheel” it feels good in the city stream. A small amount of gasoline consumption can only please. Only some of them do BMW F30 tuning, as, as a whole, it is not necessary.

We advise you to read the article: BMW’s history

BMW 3 F30 photo

Video overview