BMW 3 Series review and buyer’s guide
The BMW 3 Series is more than a luxurious, sporty and supremely refined prestige sedan or wagon - it’s also a driving icon. If you want a performance machine that makes you feel like the boss, you can have both comfort and grunt with a 3 Series.
The BMW 3 Series is the benchmark for smart, prestige and a smooth driving experience in either sedan or wagon body.
If you’re shopping for a Mercedes, Audi or Lexus, the BMW 3 Series should be high on your shortlist for its great handling, clever tech and its refined powertrains wrapped in a stylish, sleek body with an interior to match.
And BMW Australia looks after its customers.
Are you moving up in the world and considering buying a luxury car? There are a tonne of options out there right now, but one model that stands out is the BMW 3 Series.
It is a legendary model line that has been evolving for just under 50 years, which means it has extensive experience in this area; luxury mid-size car with true sporting pedigree and exceptional refinement and efficiency. It pulls off the ultimate prestige magic trick of both blending in, but somehow standing out at the same time.
Not everybody wants to be bold and outlandish, but nor do some people want to disappear into the scenery. The 3 Series strikes the perfect balance.
BMW Australia also enjoys a much better reputation for customer support and reliability - as does Lexus - which stands head and shoulders above its rival German brands.
FEATURES & PRICING
All variants come with BMW’s latest and greatest in-car tech, including an advanced curved screen digital dash incorporating two digital screens (14.9-inch main screen and 12.3-inch cluster) merged on one seamless panel. BMW’s iconic iDrive hand controller remains on the console providing easy navigation and operation of the multimedia system.
In Australia, all variants are rear-wheel drive except the flagship M340i xDrive. They all use a ZF-based eight-speed automatic, and the M Sport package is the default specification. The M Sport pack includes proper adaptive suspension and bigger brakes for the 330i, while the M340i steps it up with more aggressive styling tweaks and interior enhancements.
BMW Australia currently offers just three models, excluding the fire-breathing M3. The 330i is the entry variant, priced from $94,700 or $98,900 for the Touring wagon, leaving the M340i as the flagship, priced from not much more, from $106,200.
For that sort of money you could get a top-line Mazda3 Astina sedan with all options (about $46,000, including on-roads) and walk away with enough change to go on a big European holiday with the family (about $20,000), and still have enough change (about $20,000) leftover to fund around 100,000km in fuel in the Mazda. That’s based on the Mazda3’s city consumption rate of 8.5L/100km, too. Just think about that for a second; 100,000km of fuel and a new Mazda3.
But maybe there is more to buying a luxury car than just spending more money? The BMW 3 Series in particular has a strong reputation for providing ‘sheer driving pleasure’ and being the ‘ultimate driving machine’.
ENGINE
The 330i is much the same as the outgoing 320i only the 2.0L turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine is boosted to develop 190kW and 400Nm. It can do the 0-100km/h dash in just 5.9 seconds. Yet, it offers the same fuel economy average of 6.5L/100km.
Out on the road the 330i is seriously quick for what it is. It gets up to speed using progressive yet linear power delivery that’s also very smooth and refined. BMW has managed to craft a neat exhaust note from this engine as well, so it doesn’t sound like a typical four-cylinder unit.
If the engine soundtrack is a high priority to you, the M340i is an absolute aural delight. It features a 3.0-litre turbo straight-six that produces one of the nicest soundtracks in automotive history. Try it for yourself if you don’t believe me.
This is the same engine that powers the current Toyota Supra, producing 285kW and 500Nm. BMW says 0-100km/h can be achieved in just 4.4 seconds, which is actually not far off the previous generation M3. Fuel economy is listed at a very respectable 8.0L/100km.
TRANSMISSION
All models come with a ZF-based eight-speed automatic. ZF is a highly-reputable transmission company based in Germany, and makes gearboxes for a wide variety of car brands, including Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover, and Jeep.
In the 3 Series, the ‘ZF 8HP’ is calibrated to offer decisive and direct shifting, with excellent kick-down response. It’s also very smooth and quiet, suiting the luxury character of BMW perfectly. With paddle-shifters as standard, you can enjoy a more engaging driving experience on a spirited road, and again, the shifts are about as quick as they come for a torque-converter auto.
DRIVING
Regardless of which variant you’re thinking of buying, they all provide a high quality driving feel true to the 3 Series heritage. BMW knows how to do this stuff and has been doing it for decades. And it really does show. After your first drive, you’ll be convinced it is the best driver’s car in its class.
With adaptive dampers as standard, the 330i blends sportiness and comfort. However, it is firmer than a traditional luxury tune. A Lexus ES is a lot more comfortable, for example. Even so, this is not jarring or jolty. The suspension can compress and absorb bigger bumps without sending impacts through your backbone. It catches bumps with a distinctive, heavily-braced stance.
Of course, the steering is one of the most attractive elements of any BMW. And the 3 Series is no different. Loads of communication and a nice velvety feel make you want to take the longer, meandering route every time.
The true beauty of the underlying engineering is that it can also, once you’re done with the sportier, more spirited drive, slip straight back into cool-calm-collected business mode when you need to glide into the office carpark undetected. The steering can be weighty enough to offer great apex-glancing responsiveness, but then switch personalities back into Club Lounge mode.
A 3 Series doesn’t make you look like you’re rocking up on Monday with a hangover (regardless of whether you are or not).
It’s not over-styled like a Mercedes, it’s understated without being boring, and there’s even a bit of a stealth fighter about it in terms of what’s lurking under the bonnet and how it presents as you taxi into the corporate carpark and your reserved space.
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INTERIOR
You sit quite low in the cabin (although you can raise the seat) so it feels like a sports car, and you’re surrounded by a sophisticated array of fine materials and patterns that you just don’t get in an equivalent-size Mazda or Hyundai. This is not the mainstream; you’re in the big league now.
Sure, basic plastics are used here, particularly the lower-half of the doors and pillars, but the way it’s all put together, with solid German precision and no annoying rattles or creaks, it does move it up to a different level. Quietness is an actual thing in a 3 Series whereas it’s reduced in the mainstream brands.
The 330i and M340i sedans for the Australian market are built in Mexico. Although Mexico is not usually regarded for its motor vehicle production, all of the processes, parts and suppliers, and quality control are all managed and overseen by BMW. Interestingly, the 330i wagon is made in Germany.
Passenger space in the 3 Series is pretty good. It’s not quite the largest cabin in its class, but it is relatively open and airy, especially in the front. There is a large driveline tunnel and subsequent hump that runs through the middle due to it being rear-wheel drive. And it does intrude on middle-seat space more so than it does in front-wheel drive alternatives. So that's something to consider.
Boot space is listed at 480 litres – not bad for its class. If you need more space but you still want a 3 Series, you’ll need to step up to the 330i Touring. It offers 500 litres or up to 1510 litres with the rear seats folded down.
BMW does offer folding rear seats in the sedan, too, and the poke-through hole is quite large. It has no trouble swallowing a surfboard or other long pieces of equipment.
Anybody with a corner office, or even with their own office, deserves burgundy leather that, somehow, looks edible.
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DRAWBACKS
Prices of new vehicles have been on a rapid rise in the last 12-24 months in Australia. And it’s hurting the mid-to-top end more than anywhere else. Take, for example, the 330i. It started from $70,900 in 2019 and now the same G20 generation starts from a wallet-gouging $94,700. That’s almost $20,000 more for what is essentially the same car as the one from five years ago.
Interestingly, the M340i hasn’t gone up that much. It started from $99,900 when it arrived in Australia in 2019, and then jumped up to $109,000, and now it’s back down to $106,200. Although it is the most expensive variant, in some ways it is the best value considering the additional performance it provides. It’s also fully kitted out in terms of luxuries and features.
MAIN COMPETITOR
The main competitors are the other German veterans, such as the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. They both offer a similar blend of driving dynamics, build quality and luxury, but in different concentrations. BMW is skewed more towards driving and build quality, while the A4 moves more towards practicality and interior space, and the C-Class focuses on fancy technology and luxury.
There are other models in this space, such as the Genesis G70 which brings in extraordinary value for money compared with any of these, and there’s the very comfortable Lexus ES. The fully electric Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, and the ‘soul and passion’ specialist, Alfa Romeo Guilia also compete in this class. Due to issues relating to poor reliability and customer service, neither are worthy of your attention.
CONCLUSION
Regardless of which variant you’re thinking of buying, they all provide a high quality driving feel true to the 3 Series heritage. And they all come impressively equipped.
If it’s the driving experience and performance you want, skip the 330i and dive straight into the M340i – wherever you found that $95k for the 330i, take the time to find an extra $10k from the same source.
Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling medium SUV in Australia, offering good resale value and envious fuel economy. If you need an enormous boot and a simple, functional family vehicle, RAV4 is hard to beat.