This isn’t our first sighting of the F31 3 Series Touring M Sport, but it’s the best look yet at the F31 in beautiful Estoril Blue II and M Sport package.
The camouflage tape remains a formality since the F30 3 series sedan M Sport has already been revealed. The F31 touring will share the same front and rear bumpers/diffusers and sideskirts. What’s missing from the test cars so far are the M Sport wheels (Style 400M 18″ or 403M 19″) and M Sport brakes (more info).
The next 3 series touring / wagon is expected to make its debut at the AMI auto show in Leipzig in early June. It should hit the US market sometime in the first half of 2013.
As for F31 variants? North America … CONTINUED
We bring you the first ever track footage of the F31 touring. These F31 3 Series Touring Sport Line models were spotted just this week getting in some test laps at the Nurburgring. It won’t be long now until the F31 reveal (though not much is left camouflaged) so these are the last stages of development being conducted. Despite the extra hatch that the F31 carries, it looks quite nimble handling the challenges of the Nurburgring.
The F31 touring is confirmed to be making a return to the North American market. It will launch in Europe before hitting North American shores. Only BMW knows how long the gap will be, but we don’t expect it to be any longer than a few months. The F31 should launch … CONTINUED
Here are photos from the latest F31 3 series touring sighting. Are we possibly looking at the first indication of a 328i xDrive with manual transmission? When we previously interviewed BMW on which F30/F31 xDrive models would receive a manual transmission, all we were told was that there would be at least one xDrive model with manual transmission. So, *if* this particular F31 is a 328i xDrive model (the front suspension appears to sit a bit higher?), then it would appear that the 328i may be one of the xDrive models to receive a manual transmission option.
The 3 Series Li Long Wheelbase model has just premiered in China (for the Chinese market only), so the next 3 series variant to be introduced will be the F31 touring wagon. We expect it to make its debut at the AMI auto show in Leipzig, Germany in early June.
Seen here are FEP (final evaluation phase) F31 Sport Line and a F31 Luxury Line models being put through the paces on the Nurburgring.
To repeat, the F31 touring is confirmed to be making a return to the North American market. When will it hit the States? In our interview from the 2012 NYIAS, we learned that the F31 will be available in the European market before it launches into North America. Only BMW knows how long the … CONTINUED
Wagon fans should be smitten over this one. We’ve spied for the first time the F31 3 series touring in M Sport form, in the stunning Estoril Blue II color.
The camouflage remains a formality at this point since the F30 3 series sedan M Sport has already been revealed and the F31 touring will share the same front and rear bumpers/diffusers and sideskirts.
What’s missing from this test car are the M Sport wheels and brakes.
The next 3 series touring / wagon is expected to make its debut at the AMI auto show in Leipzig in early June.
The F31 has been confirmed to be making a return to the North American market. In an interview we had at the 2012 NAIAS with Paul Ferraiolo, Manager, Product Planning … CONTINUED
We’re happy to share the first spyshots of the F33 4 Series Convertible with its top down and in operation. Earlier spyshots suggested that the 4 Series Convertible will retain its folding hard top mechanism, first introduced on the predecessor E93 3 Series Convertible. These spy photos officially confirm this. As far as we can tell, the hard top operation and design is largely similar to the E93’s so we wouldn’t be surprised if this was a takeover from the current car.
That’s where the similarities end in these photos, as the F33 sports unique seat which remind us of the F12/3 6-series seats, and which could signal an upmarket position from the F30 3 series sedan. The exterior is still heavily camouflaged (no, the round rear … CONTINUED
We’ve spied the upcoming 3 series F31 touring again, but this time we get a look at it against the outgoing 3 series E91 touring model. As one can see, the two share similar rooflines and tailgate shapes. However, the F31’s tailgate appears more sculpted, extending out to a more pronounced trunk lip than the E91. The F31’s roof spoiler is also flatter than the E91 roof spoiler, giving the F31 roofline a sleeker shape near the C pillar.
The F31’s side character line is also deeper and longer, extending all the way into the tail lights, unlike the E91’s which ends before reaching the side of the tail lights.
Reviewed together with the F31 rear design patent CGIs (images below), little is left to the imagination as … 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
Perhaps the 3 Series GT (F34) has sportier intentions than most would expect. If the retractable spoiler spotted on this F34 prototype for the first time is any indication, BMW expects the 3 Series GT to be driven with plenty of gusto and not relegated to only people and cargo hauling.
As seen clearly in the photos below, the spoiler is retractable and not fixed. When the spoiler is deployed, we can see the trunk cutout for it to slot into when retracted. Like other cars with retractable spoilers (i.e. Mini coupe/roadster, Porsches), expect the GT’s spoiler to deploy at higher speeds to increase downforce. Besides its functional purpose, the spoiler certainly also adds some sportiness to the aesthetics of the GT’s rear.
Since this … CONTINUED
