Yahoo Autos 2019 BMW 3-series Comes into Focus
The current-generation BMW 3-series (the F30 to the cognoscenti) is nearing the end of its road, and so the successor models we’re seeing out testing have begun their slow camo striptease. The car pictured here wears the most revealing wrap to date, giving us our best look yet at the 2019 3-series.
Despite the tectonic market shift to crossover SUVs and away from sedans, this model remains hugely important for BMW, so perhaps it’s not too surprising to see how closely its design hews to that of the current car. Among the biggest changes, now more clearly visible, are the reshaped twin kidneys of BMW’s signature grille. Each is more rounded than before-almost oval in shape-and wraps up onto the hood. The lower air intake underneath is centered, rather than stretched out like before, and while the overall shape of the headlamp units is much the same, there’s greater separation within them, creating a more distinct four-headlight appearance. In profile, the new 3-series once again exhibits a short front overhang and a long dash-to-axle ratio, proportions characteristic of its rear-drive layout. As in today’s car, a body-side crease runs through the door handles and continues into the taillights, which are now wider and more three-dimensional and extend further into the trunklid. The car’s roofline is slightly less sedanlike, sweeping more smoothly down to the trunk. It also appears that the wheelbase has grown slightly larger and the rear overhang has shrunk a bit.
The new sheet metal is draped over a new architecture-BMW’s Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform-which retains the rear-/all-wheel-drive layout. Continuity is the watchword under the hood, where we again expect to find a 2.0-liter inline-four and a 3.0-liter inline-six, both turbocharged. A six-speed manual transmission is likely to be retained, along with an eight-speed automatic.
More than its design, though, we’re most anxious to see whether the new 3-series can recapture its dynamic mojo. The current car is still a big kahuna in the sports-sedan arena, but it no longer leads the field as the best-driving car of its ilk. A conservative redesign is fine, as long as the new 3-series moves the needle in driving satisfaction.
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