The BMW 3 Series Will Soldier On In India As A Really, Really Long Luxo-barge

• The 3 Series Gran Limousine, for now, is available only with M Sport. 

• Luxury Line variant, which was offered before, is now discontinued. 

• You can’t get the regular 2-litre petrol and diesel engines with the standard wheelbase.

• The top-spec M340i was launched earlier in December with the standard wheelbase. 

• 3 Series continues to use 2-litre, 258PS petrol and 190PS diesel automatic powertrains. 

• It’s now priced between Rs 57.9 lakh and Rs 69.2 lakh (ex-showroom). 

BMW has launched the standard variants of the facelifted 3 Series in India which now continues only in the long-wheelbase Gran Limousine guise in M Sport trim. Before this, BMW had launched the facelifted sedan in its standard-wheelbase guise in the range-topping M340i in December 2022. From now onwards, you can’t buy the standard-wheelbase 3 Series with 2-litre petrol and diesel engines. The rival is marginally more expensive than before, and here are the full details:

New BMW 3 Series Prices 

*Pre-facelift model was offered in Luxury Line

The most affordable BMW 3 Series GL petrol is now Rs 20,000 more expensive than before, while the diesel 320 Ld, which was earlier offered in the Luxury Line trim, is now available as M Sport, priced at Rs 3 lakh more. The top-spec M340i is offered in standard-wheelbase form, priced at Rs 69.2 lakh (all prices ex-showroom pan-India).

What’s new in the facelifted 3 Series sedan?

The refreshed 3 Series gets evolutionary changes over its predecessor’s styling. At the front, the bolder grille is flanked by redesigned LED headlamps with sharper DRL signatures that are now upside-down compared to the pre-facelift model. Lower down, the air dam is now larger and the overall bumper design is cleaner and sporty looking. In profile, the M-branded 18-inch alloys give the sedan a sporty stance.

The Gran Limousine has a 110mm longer wheelbase than the standard-wheelbase 3 Series. The design changes are minimal at the rear, limited to the new bumper with side vents, a faux diffuser at the bottom and chrome exhaust tips.

Features 

The new 3 Series is radically different inside, with BMW’s Curved Display taking centre stage on the dashboard. The display combines the driver’s instrumentation screen and infotainment screen with BMW i-Drive 8. Other features include a panoramic roof, 16-speaker, 464-Watt Harman Kardon sound system, ambient lighting, and wireless phone charging. It doesn’t get a full suite of driver-assistance features, but is equipped with a Parking Assistant and other safety features such as multiple airbags and electronic stability control.

Powertrains 

The BMW 3 Series continues to offer 2-litre petrol and diesel engines, and their specs are as follows:  

The most affordable petrol variant is the quicker of the two, owing to its higher 258PS output. Meanwhile, the range-topping M340i has a 3-litre, six-cyllnder petrol engine under the bonnet, producing 375PS. It’s the quickest 3 Series variant, getting from 0-100kmph in 4.4 seconds.

We’ve covered the facelifted 3 Series in more detail in the following stories: 

• Facelifted 2022 BMW 3 Series Breaks Cover, India Launch Expected Soon

• BMW XM Performance SUV And Facelifted M340i Sedan Launched In India

The 3 Series Gran Limousine rivals the Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4. It’s the only model in its segment to boast a long-wheelbase variant, giving it an upper hand over its rivals, offered only as a standard-wheelbase model.