Presenting The All-New 2019 BMW 3 Series

Bigger, lighter, more powerful, and better handling than ever.

Few models are as important for BMW as its universally acclaimed 3 Series sedan, of which over 15 million units have been sold worldwide since 1976. Failure is not an option when it comes time for a complete redesign. The all-new 2019 BMW 3 Series has finally arrived, making its official public debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.

Picking up where the previous F80 generation 3 Series left off, the new G20 3 Series is a bit bigger, more powerful, lighter, packed with impressive technologies, and more dynamic to drive than ever. The new 330i and 330i xDrive are powered by a new twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with 255 hp between 5,000 and 6,500 rpm, while 295 lb-ft of peak torque will kick in from 1,550 to 4,400 rpm.

Compared to the outgoing 330i, the new model has an extra 7 hp and 37 lb-ft. BMW says this is attributed to focused optimization of the TwinPower Turbo system. Zero to 60 mph takes 5.6 seconds. Next spring, the new M340i and M340i xDrive M Performance will arrive with a new version of the straight-six with 382 hp and peak torque of 369 lb-ft. BMW believes it’ll make the sprint from 0-60 mph in just 4.2 seconds. In early 2020, the new 330e will go on sale, details of which are not yet available.

Power for the turbo four and straight-six engines is sent to the rear or all four wheels through an eight-speed sport automatic transmission with paddle shifters. BMW says this updated gearbox features a wider gear spread and an optimized hydraulic control system. The also updated and now lighter xDrive all-wheel-drive system, which remains rear biased, has an improved torque split between the front and rear wheels.

Where the 3 Series has always shined is its chassis. The 2019 3 Series once again has a 50:50 perfect front/rear weight distribution and an increased front and rear track. BMW points out overall body rigidity is up by 25 percent and goes as high as 50 percent in some areas. This improved body and suspension rigidity enables both the M Sport and Adaptive M suspension to be better than ever. The latter combines the M Sport suspension with electronically controlled dampers.

BMW also managed to shave off a total of 121 pounds thanks to increased use of high-strength steels and aluminum. M Sport brakes are also optional, as is the M Sport differential at the rear axle.

The exterior design remains familiar with the long hood, short rear deck, and short front overhangs. However, this 3 Series is 2.9 inches longer, 0.6 inches wider, and 0.5 inches taller than its predecessor. The wheelbase has also been stretched by 1.6 inches and there’s increased track widths of 1.7 inches up front and 0.8 inches at the rear. It rides on standard 18-inch alloy wheels.

Up front is the ever-present BMW twin kidney grill, which has a sleeker design than before, especially as it leads into the standard full-LED headlights. Adaptive LED headlights with BMW’s Laserlight are optional. Notice how the hood is shaped by four contour lines that all flow towards the grill. We particularly like the character lines running through the door handles and extend all the way to the rear. The additional contour line around the side skirts highlights the more sculpted rear wheel arches.

The newly enlarged interior is unlike any other found in previous 3 Series. As part of BMW’s new interior design language, the 2019 3 Series’ larger interior is still very much driver focused, but has a more premium overall look. Past 3 Series models were sometimes noted for not being quite premium enough in an increasingly competitive segment. Not this time.

LED interior lighting is standard and adjustable ambient lighting, with a total of six colors and eleven combinations of brightness and light distribution, is optional.

Higher quality materials are in abundance, such as the optional Vernasca leather upholstery. You’ll notice the instrument panel in general looks more advanced thanks to the instrument cluster and Control Display now forming a single large surfaced screen grouping. Called BMW Live Cockpit, it features an 8.8-inch digital touchscreen and 5.7-inch digital instrument display. The optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional has a massive 12.3-inch display and 10.25-inch touch screen control display as well as iDrive 7.0 (iDrive 6.0 is standard).

Controls not included are now located into more structured panels. One notable change is that the start/stop button is now located in a panel in the center console near the gear shift and iDrive controller knob. A larger head-up display is also new. Buyers will be able to select from a larger selection of optional interior trims, such as aluminum and open-pore wood, and there's more individualization options inside and out.

Shoulder room, headroom, and rear legroom have all been increased. Buyers can also opt for a 16-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system. Standard safety items include Collision and Pedestrian Warning and the optional Driving Assistance Package offers Lane Departure Warning and Lane Change Warning systems.

The 2019 BMW 3 Series 330i and 330i xDrive will go on sale this March with prices starting at $41,195 including destination. The M340i and M340i xDrive will go on sale in Spring 2019.

Former F1 Driver Joins Fifth Gear Presenting Team

The new series of Fifth Gear will air in September after a three-year hiatus.

After a three-year hiatus, Fifth Gear is finally returning to screens in September. Motoring TV fans may want to free up their schedules towards the end of the year, as the new series of Top Gear and The Grand Tour are also expected to air later this year. Tiff Needell announced Fifth Gear’s comeback last month, but at the time we didn’t know if the show’s previous presenter line-up will also be returning. However, it’s since been confirmed that Jason Plato and Vicki Butler-Henderson will be back on presenting duties, and former host Jonny Smith is also expected to be involved.

Ex-Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok has now announced he will also be joining the team for the new series. This presenter line-up is starting to get as crowded as Top Gear when Chris Evans fronted the show's comeback season. "Very excited to join the team – Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato and Tiff Needell – at "Fifth Gear" for the return of the show!” Chandhok wrote on Facebook. “Thoroughly enjoyed my first day of filming for the new series coming later this year!"

Chandhok currently serves as Williams F1 team's heritage collection driver and reports on Channel 4's F1 coverage in the UK. Photos posted on his Facebook page show Chandhok was filming for the new series at the Anglesea Circuit with a Porsche Cayman and BMW M2, as well as a Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Polo GTI, in what sounds like two of the show’s famous "shootout" segments where cars in similar segments are pitted against each other.

Fifth Gear originally aired on Channel 5 in the UK back in 2002 after the original Top Gear show was cancelled by the BBC. Top Gear hosts Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, and Quentin Willson moved to Fifth Gear, only for Clarkson to revive Top Gear the same year. Top Gear won the ratings war, and Fifth Gear was subsequently cancelled in 2011. A new series of the show then aired on the Discovery Channel, History Channel and ITV 4. The new series will premiere this September on Quest.

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Presenting The 2020 BMW M340i And M340i xDrive: The Most Powerful Non-M3s Ever

How does 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds sound? We thought so.

Set for its North American debut later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the all-new BMW 3 Series is the beginning of a new era for the German automaker’s long-benchmarked luxury sports sedan, now in its seventh generation. And when we say ‘new era’ we also mean the upcoming variants, specifically the next M3. But we’re still at least a year so away from the next M3’s debut.

Today, BMW has released full details for its all-new 2020 M340i and M340i xDrive. In short, they are the most powerful non-M3s of all time. The M340i is, of course rear-wheel-drive while its xDrive counterpart is all-wheel drive. Both are powered by a turbocharged, twin-scroll 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.

Zero to 60 mph takes just 4.2 seconds. To compare, the current and soon to be outgoing M3, with the upgraded Competition Package, offers up 453 hp and 443 lb-ft, a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds. The sole gearbox for North America, as we previously learned, will be an eight-speed automatic. This gearbox does have Launch Control which optimizes traction during acceleration off the line more effectively than before. Prefer doing things manually (because no six-speed manual will be offered)? Use the steering column-mounted shift paddles.

Although AWD is an option, the 340i xDrive remains rear-wheel bias. Selecting Sport and Sport+ driving modes enables additional power to be transferred to the rear wheels when required, such as cornering.

Both RWD and AWD sedans also feature an electronically-controlled M Sport rear differential that not only increases traction, but also improved stability in general. With a near 50:50 weight distribution, overall body rigidity is up by 25 percent, and rises up to 50 percent in certain areas. This further allows the standard M Sport Suspension to do its thing in the best ways possible.

For example, spring rates have been increased by 20 percent without any loss of ride comfort. Overall body weight is down by as much as 121 pounds thanks to increased use of high-strength steels and aluminum.

Buyers can also opt for the Adaptive M Suspension featuring electronically controlled dampers, delivering damping force to each wheel separately thru continuously variable valves. Variable Sport Steering, now standard, is more responsive than ever. M Sport Brakes are also standard fare with four-piston fixed calipers up front and single-piston floating calipers at the rear. Of course, familiar safety functions like dynamic stability control, traction control and ABS brakes are standard as well.

The latest 3 Series is slightly longer, wider, and taller than its predecessor, by 2.9-, 0.6-, and 0.5-inches, respectively, and a 1.6-inch longer wheelbase, but BMW promises the overall athletic character of the sedan is not affected. It’s only been improved. Full-LED headlights are standard and Adaptive LED headlights with BMW Laserlight are optional.

The interior, as we previously noted, is a nice improvement, featuring a completely redesigned instrument cluster and control display. The latest version of iDrive is standard. Official pricing has yet to be revealed for the 2020 BMW M340i and M340i xDrive, but sales are set to get underway next summer.