BMW Has officially released its facelifted version 3 seriesBefore an Australian launch after 2022.
Customer delivery at this stage is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022, with pricing and specification to be announced before launch.
BMW Australia has confirmed that the updated 3 Series will be available locally in both sedan and touring (wagon) formats.
It will still offer 3 Series sedans in the 320i, 330i, 330e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and M340i xDrive variants, and the 3 Series Touring will only be available in the 330i variant.
BMW has confirmed that the updated 3 Series range will continue to be offered with a range of turbocharged engines, but did not say whether the outputs are changing from the outgoing model.
Using existing models as a guide, the BMW 320i is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 135kW of power and 300Nm of torque.
The 330i uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, though 190kW and 400Nm.
The 330e uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder attached to an electric motor for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system with a total system output of 215kW and 420Nm.
The M340i xDrive uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that produces 285kW and 500Nm. This is all-wheel drive, as opposed to the rest of the range which is rear-wheel drive.
An eight-speed ZF-sourced torque converter automatic transmission is still guaranteed to be standard across the range.
Compared to the existing 3 Series, this updated model has a newly designed front fascia with a larger air intake and high-gloss black kidney grille, as well as a slimmer headlight with an inverted L-shaped daytime running light signature.
BMW Australia has confirmed that the 3 Series range will receive full LED headlights with automatic high-beam, while the top-of-the-range M340i will receive xDrive adapted LED headlights.
The back has a newly designed bumper that is painted in more body-color than the outgoing 3 Series. Existing models also have slim tail lights and flared wheel arches.
BMW Australia has confirmed that both the sedan and wagon will receive the updated M Series package as a range of 3 Series range standard.
This package includes 18- to 19-inch Sporty front and rear bumpers and M light-alloy wheels.
The M340i xDrive still gets a distinctive look with a mesh grille insert, trapezoidal exhaust tips and black high-gloss exterior side mirrors.
A new M Sport Package Pro is available here that adds an M Sport braking system across the range with M Hi-Gloss Black Trim, Tinted M Lite and Red Caliper.
New colors available in the 3 Series include Skyscraper Gray Metallic and M Brooklyn Gray Metallic, as well as BMW Individual Frozen Pure Gray Metallic and Frozen Tanzanite Blue Metallic.
Customers can also choose from a range of about 150 additional BMW personal specialty paint finishes.
Inside the new 3 Series, too, BMW has received a significant update with all the models that got the curved display, which emerged on the BMW iX and is now expanding the range.
In the updated 3 Series, the curved dash includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
This curved dash runs the latest BMW operating system 8 which allows software updates and has an intelligent personal assistant. There is also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Beneath this curved dash is a redesigned gear selector with a regression control panel that holds the start / stop button, iDrive controller, drive mode selection button, parking brakes and other vehicle functions.
As standard, all updated BMW 3 Series models come with a tri-zone climate control system that can be touched via voice commands or control display.
There’s also an app that lets BMW 330e PHEV owners remotely control their high-voltage battery charging process.
On the safety front, the updated 3 Series front and rear Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) adopts lane exit warning, lane change warning, rear cross-traffic warning as standard.
Other security equipment such as a semi-autonomous parking aid, surround-view camera and dash-cam are optional.
As mentioned above, the price and specifications of the updated 2023 BMW 3 Series will be announced closer to the local launch date.
More: Everything BMW 3 Series