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The next-generation BMW 3 Series isn't that far off, with the sedan expected to debut sometime in 2011 as a 2012 model. Yet the Munich brand isn't sitting on its hands in the meantime – the current 3 Series coupe and convertible are getting a mild refresh and updated powerplants this spring for the 2011 model year. The most immediately noticeable change are headlamp clusters that get a subtle reshaping to go along with a wider grille and reworked lower front fascia. At the rear, the taillamps retain the same shape, but the reflectors are redesigned with some of the light-pipe styling found in other recent Bimmers.

The 3 Series coupe will now be offered with xDrive all-wheel drive, while the 3 Series convertible gets a new solar reflective leather upholstery that BMW claims helps keep seat temperatures down when the lid is open.

The most significant updates come underhood, where the much lauded twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six is being replaced by a new single turbo version. The revised engine, dubbed N55, has recently been launched in the 740i and the 535i Gran Turismo. The twin scroll turbo has dual exhaust inlets that allow the engineers to better balance the pulses coming in to spin up the turbine faster. This is expected to reduce the turbo lag that some drivers complained about with the outgoing twin turbo setup.

BMW also claims it has reduced cold-start emissions by routing all the exhaust gases through a single, larger catalytic converter that heats up faster. On the intake side, the throttle is eliminated thanks to the addition of BMW's Valvetronic variable valve control system. The N55 also gets direct fuel injection. The end result is the same 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque as before, but with a fatter torque curve that maintains its peak from 1,200-5,000 rpm.

2010 bmw 3 series
2010 bmw 3 series
2010 bmw 3 series

he 2010 BMW 3-Series is largely unchanged. These premium-compact cars come as 2-door coupes and convertibles, as well as 4-door sedans and wagons. Convertibles have a power-retractable hard top. The 3-Series model lineup consists of the following: entry-level 328, top-line 335, and high-performance M3. Depending on body style, the 328i comes with rear-wheel drive or with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive. It's powered by a 230-horsepower 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine. Also depending on body style, the 335i is available with rear-wheel drive or AWD. Those models are powered by a turbocharged 300-horsepower 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder. The rear-drive 335d has a 265-horsepower 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline 6-cylinder that is emissions legal in all 50 states. M3 models use a 414-horsepower 4.0-liter V8.

All BMW 3-Series gasoline engines team with a 6-speed manual transmission. Optional on the 328i and 335i and standard on the 335d is a 6-speed automatic. The M3 is available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual that behaves much like an automatic. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, and front-side airbags. Head-protecting tubular side airbags are standard on all but convertibles. Convertibles have rollover bars designed to deploy from the rear headrests if sensors detect an impending tip.

Cars with the optional navigation system get BMW's iDrive that uses a console knob to control entertainment, navigation, communication, and other functions. Available features include steering-linked xenon headlights, BMW's Active Steering that quickens steering response at low speeds, rear-obstacle detection, adaptive cruise control, and BMW Assist service with a wireless cell-phone link.

As the launch date of the new F30 3 Series draws closer, more info will start to appear online and in magazines. It won’t be too awfully long before we start reading first driving impressions and start hearing the moan of fanboix the world over picking apart one aspect or another of the new 3er to complain about.

What BMWBLOG expects the new F30 2012 BMW 3 Series to be is based on what we can discern from press releases, our understanding of BMW’s ‘platform matrix’, and the continuing march forward of EfficientDynamics. As we previously wrote, the latest X3 is a good place to look for insights into the new 3er.

The 3 Series is BMW’s cash cow, subsequently don’t look for exaggerated styling since the 3er has to appeal to an extremely broad market in North America, unlike the 1er, for example. Expect the looks of the car to reflect the styling idioms incorporated in the 7er and 5er. The wheelbase will be stretched a bit, possibly three or so inches, while the overall length of the vehicle should remain under 180 inches. The styling should be crisp, with a minimum of superfluous lines but with subtle detail that is revealed in light and shadow.

The suspension will be the tried and true double-joint spring-strut (MacPherson strut) up front with the multi-link setup in the rear. It works well so there’s no big reason to fiddle with it. Engine options should be the new turbo four cylinder in the 328i and the N55 turbo six in the 335i. Expect the next generation M3 to get a turbo six cylinder also. There’s some hope that the Dynamic Handling Package will be available as an option.

The automatic transmission should be the ZF eight speed (8HP). A manual transmission almost certainly will be available for the 335i at least, if not the 328i. What will interesting is will BMW avail themselves of two other options that the 8HP provides, an eight speed dual clutch gearbox and a hybrid drivetrain (an electric motor nose on the transmission and additional batteries). If a hybrid is done – and we expect it will be, it should be on the 328i and stop/start technology would be included with it.

On the subject of EfficientDynamics we should expect that weight should be less than or no more than the current 3er. In addition, and here’s where the wailing starts, the 3er will be equipped with electrically assisted power steering. It provides sufficient fuel economy savings to warrant it’s inclusion.
Elements of BMW’s ConnectedDrive should be available as should active cruise control and other electronic safety features that use of the FlexRay bus enables. The development costs of these features needs to be spread across as wide a range of vehicles as possible and the new 3er will benefit from them.

The new 2012 BMW 3 Series will be an evolution of the existing 3. It will appeal to a large number of potential buyers looking for a sporting premium sedan. It will have the power and handling we expect from a BMW, coupled with luxury accommodations and an expansive – or should that read expensive – list of options.

The outgoing BMW 5 Series F10 2011 may have ushered in a dramatic leap forward in terms of dynamics, technology, safety and creature comforts, but it's the previous generation – the E39 – that Bimmerphiles still speak of in hushed tones. The departing E60 may have been a more capable package, but it was also the source of much controversy and hand wringing. Blame Chris Bangle. Blame byzantine iDrive menu structures. Blame spirit-muffling layers of electronics. Hell, blame improved competition or hidebound brand loyalists who refuse to accept the new. No matter whose camp you point the finger at, the 2004-2010 5 Series was a polarizing creature, both aesthetically and from behind the wheel. Despite (or perhaps because of) all this, BMW enjoyed record-setting global sales of the Fiver, suggesting that that the traditionalists had it all wrong.

Still, one look at the new-for-2011 F10 model might reasonably lead you to believe that a bit of mulligan has occurred at the hand of Adrian van Hooydonk and his design team – a toning down of the E60's most divisive elements. To be sure, the E60's Dame Edna spectacles have been consigned to a dusty drawer and the raised "Bangle Butt" has kept its date with Celebrity Fit Club. In the not-so-dearly departed's place is a handsome new sedan that appears simultaneously more in line with the 5 Series' lineage yet firmly set on the future. But to label the sixth-generation Fiver as an aesthetic or strategic regression would be incorrect, van Hooydonk tells us. As he points out, BMW design has a tendency to periodically muscle in with big, bold, design statements – to knock down walls – and in the follow-up model, its stylists can move about a bit more in the clean air made possible by its predecessor. Fair enough – we prepared to check our Weltschmerz at the door and give this new Fiver a shot. Has it all been worked out for the better? BMW invited us to hop a couple of planes to Portugal in order to find out.

The sixth generation of the 5-Series (BMW F10) made its debut on 23 November 2009 as a 2010 model. The Station Wagon/Touring version carries the platform code F11.

The next generation F30 BMW 3 Series shows up again in the front of the lens of spy photographers, but this time, the test mule are revealing slightly more design details. As expected, the new 3er gets a full LED treatment.

At the front, the white Corona ring headlights seem to be slightly longer than the current model with the side indicators placed just underneath the main “character line”. In the back, LED taillights are still mostly covered and the final design and shape are still a guessing game. (More photos at WCF)

The test mule spotted also features the “usual” LED strips in the side mirrors, a common element in early prototypes. But this time, the BMW insider Scott27 states that due to upcoming legislations both in the US and Europe, the side indicators need to be placed higher and more visible. Without a second source to confirm this, we will label it as a rumor for now.

Bmw F30 3 Series
Bmw F30
Bmw F30 Photo
Bmw F30
2012 Bmw 3 Series

We learned in the past that the new 3 Series is built on a new modular platform and design wise, it returns to the “slimmer look”, dynamic lines with squat proportions and short rear overhangs. The typical proportions of a 3 Series remain, but the exterior design is more toned and muscular, bringing some the aggressiveness and design lines seen in the recent models, including the F10 5 Series. An expected move seen across the new BMW design language.

BMW is getting back to basics with clean uncluttered shapes, plus lower and wider kidney grille openings. The sedan model has a longer wheelbase, at least 1.5″ longer than the current generation. The F30 will sport a “pushing nose”, somewhat similar to the E89 Z4 front-end.

BMW will live under the umbrella of EfficientDynamics, and technologies like aerodynamically designed wheels, solar roof panel for extra energy efficiency in the use of interior controls, brake energy regeneration , stop-start technology, and pre-heating technology for the engine, gearbox and differential, will be incorporated into the new model.

Next generation 3-series engine options will include a full range of turbo and naturally aspirated 6-cylinder motors, 4-cylinder motors, and possibly even a new 3-cylinder motor.

The all-star BMW M3 will continue to sport the aggressive and super sporty bodystyle we have seen in the past. The new M3 will also feature a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine producing somewhere around 450 horsepower.