Autoexpress rightfully calls 3 the magic number for BMW. It’s BMW’s top selling model and has set the standard in the small-medium sports sedan class for decades. As such, any new 3 series model is always big news and the natural question to come to everyone’s mind is how it compares to its most direct rivals - traditionally the Audi A4 and Mercedes Benz C Class.
No surprise, the F30 comes out on top as it has in all the comparisons so far. See the full details/results at Autoexpress.
Check out some photos from the Revscene Annual Spring Meet 2012, taking place in Vancouver, BC, this past weekend. 1/3 of the cars in attendance wore the BMW roundel.
BMW Classic presents a new short film “Three of a Kind” which will be premiered this week at the Techno Classica 2012 Show in Essen, Germany.
Three generations of 3 series are featured - the E21 coupe, E31 cabrio and E36 M3 (representing the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s).
The EPA has revised the 2012 328i (F30) MPG figures down by 3MPG to 33MPG. According to BMW:
All manufacturers are responsible for testing and submitting fuel economy figures each year to the EPA (based on physical tests following the EPA test cycle on a dynamometer). Occasionally, the EPA will validate the figures that we provide. When this happens, there are sometimes small changes in the published EPA fuel economy figures (usually 1 mpg up or down).
The EPA recently tested the 2012 328i Automatic and obtained a highway mileage result that was 3m pg lower (33mpg versus 36mpg) than the BMW test result. We are very surprised by this result and are currently working to determine how this is possible. The new rating seems abnormally low … CONTINUED
Development continues on the upcoming F34 3 Series GT (Gran Turismo) model, which BMW is testing concurrently with the other future F3x variants - the F32 coupe, F31 touring.
We’ve now spied the GT model with its trunk/tailgate open, revealing its exact trunk line. These photos also confirm what we’ve said earlier - that the 3 series GT will feature a simple hatch function rather than the twin trunk arrangement on the 5er GT.
We also get some more looks at the F34’s retractable spoiler, the first on a production BMW. As seen in the older photos we’ve reposted below, when the spoiler is deployed, we can see the trunk cutout for it to slot into when retracted, for a flat subtle look. Expect this spoiler spoiler to … CONTINUED
Challenge undertakes their F30 development on powertrain and cosmetic parts to see what improvements they can make to the car’s powertrain and other mechanical systems (i.e. exhaust system, intercooler, intake system, oil cooling, etc.).
We recently featured a video of the F30 328i running to 155mph, now watch and compare with this video of the F30 335i doing the same. Both feature very impressive acceleration and gear changes.
The 2012 F30 328i sedan is put to a 0-155mph high speed acceleration test by Option Auto. Watch how the mighty little 2.0L turbo 4 cylinder N20 engine does at the various speeds and RPMs throughout the run on video.
Turner Motorsports has fitted the F30 H&R Springs onto their new F30, giving us the first real life look of the F30 stance after fitting H&R lowering springs.
The H&R lowering springs come in two varieties — Sport Spring and Super Sport Spring, with the latter being a more aggressive lowering.
The H&R Sport Springs (Part #28878-2) lower the F30 by 1.2″ front and 1.2″ rear.
The H&R Super Sport Springs (Part #28877-2) lower the F30 by 1.75″ front and 1.6″ rear.
