Innovate or die.  With cars that are rolling hotbeds of technology, BMW seems to have taken this mantra to heart, as evidenced by their recent overhauling of their cars’ long-time family look, and in installing every new bit of equipment into even their mainstream cars.

On the other side of the equation, few car nameplates have survived more than 40 years of progress, and fewer still have remained true to their original character.  For the BMW 3 Series, the premise has been simple: a compact sedan that is fun to drive.  Simple, perhaps, but not as easy at it sounds.  How do you balance heaping more advanced technology into your car while retaining its core characteristics? 

For starters, the diabolical duo of Chris Bangle & Adrian van Hooydonk have turned down the wick on flame surfacing and oddball shutlines, and turned up the elegance.  The result is a mix of the brash Z4 and the futuristic 5 Series, while improving on both.  It looks clean, elegant, and long.  The trademark short front overhang looks particularly good with the new headlamp design.  The hood bulges flow forward past the revamped twin-kidney grille and deep into the bumper.  A sharp crease in the flank lines up, as usual, with the door handles and into the rear fenders.

The enlarged dimensions mean more interior room in the new 3; even Mandy Moore will find it comfortable to hitch a ride in the back.  The dash remains driver-oriented, with the center console still canted slightly to the left.  A pair of large round gauges tell you all you’ll need to know while driving.  Other countries get an i-Drive monitor and controller, but we’re probably just as well off with the simpler radio and aircon controls.  The starter button is a bit of why-tech, given that you still have to insert the key before you can operate the engine.  (The answer is that with some variants, you can keep the key in your pocket as you approach and enter the car, and just press Start to play.)

Pushing that button fires up one of three engines: a 2.0 inline-4 (150 hp/200 Nm), a 2.5 inline-6 (218 hp/250 Nm), or a 3.0 inline-6 (258 hp/300 Nm).   The inline-4 is adequate for in-town use and won’t disappoint even when overtaking on two-lane country roads.  Double-VANOS variable-valve timing keeps the response crisp.

more >>>