“For many customers, the BMW 3 Series is the ultimate BMW and a symbol of the BMW brand,” said Heudunk, the current head of design at BMW Group. As the seventh-generation 3 Series is about to debut, people focus on its appearance And the “change” of technology, and the same fascinating thing lies in the “unchanged” of its sports essence, because this kind of persistence has made the success story of the 3 series.
The BMW 3 Series is synonymous with the BMW brand and driving pleasure, and that doesn’t happen out of thin air. From the beginning of its birth, the 3 Series has established a series of engineering design principles and has adhered to them until now, creating a legend of the sports king.
Strong and vigorous posture: The exterior design of the first-generation BMW 3 Series sedan was designed by French designer Paul Braque. The two-door shape is quite sharp, telling the world in the most intuitive way that the BMW 3 Series will be the king of sports. The first-generation 3 Series can provide a wheelbase of 2,563mm with a vehicle length of 4,355mm, and the rear track is 13mm wider than the front track. The classic design features of the BMW brand such as wider rear track. The driver’s position is as close to the vehicle’s center of gravity as possible, bringing a better driving experience. The side C-pillar Hofmeister corner was introduced in the first generation of 3 series. Although each generation of products has evolved, it is always full of bow-like power. The seventh-generation 3 Series has carried out a new interpretation of the classic design features, showing a more sporty and fierce posture. The vehicle looks very dynamic and compact, while the wheelbase has reached the best in class at 2961 mm. The wheelbase of the vehicle is wider, the center of gravity is lower, and the attitude of a master is self-evident.
Driver-oriented cockpit design: The first-generation 3 Series pioneered the design concept of the center console leaning towards the driver’s side, which has become a design highlight of BMW for decades. The driver-oriented design concept has been completely reinterpreted on the new model. For example, the central touch screen is more inclined to the driver’s side, making it easy for all drivers to perform touch operations. The new “function island” style The physical button layout also further improves ergonomics.
Sophisticated and efficient engine: BMW started out and is famous for manufacturing aircraft engines. After entering the automotive field, it has been pursuing the lightness and efficiency of engines, rather than pure horsepower data. The 320i model equipped with fuel injection technology was already available when the first generation 3 Series came out in 1975. The letter “i” in today’s BMW car models is taken from this innovation of direct fuel injection. At the time, one of Europe’s leading car magazines wrote: “Vibrations are reduced to almost zero, the small engine reaches maximum speed with its silky smooth power, and it has the powerful sound of a six-cylinder engine without a hint of flutter or strain. “After more than forty years, the seventh generation of the 3 Series is about to prove it again with the latest engine technology. This is due to the comprehensive innovation of the new four-cylinder engine, including the refinement and optimization of the cylinder head, temperature management system, crankcase, fuel injection system, electronic valve and turbocharger. The matching latest 8-speed automatic manual gearbox has a more compact structure and a wider transmission ratio range, and the connection speed with high-efficiency power is shorter, which further improves the performance of the vehicle. The peak torque of the new engine is up to 50 Nm higher than that of the previous generation, bringing more exciting sports driving fun to the driver. Rear-wheel drive mode: the front wheels are responsible for steering and the rear wheels are responsible for driving, which makes the vehicle more relaxed in acceleration, climbing, continuous line change, etc., and this layout can achieve weight distribution that cannot be achieved by front-wheel drive That’s why F1 cars use rear-wheel drive. Since this power layout is more prone to oversteer, it can also allow skilled drivers to make gorgeous drifts.
50:50 front-rear axle weight distribution: Since the classic fourth-generation 3 Series, BMW has dominated the car world with a 50:50 front-rear axle weight distribution. Don’t underestimate this ratio. The design and tuning of the car pursue this balance, but it is not easy to achieve this, which involves countless trade-offs in material selection and engineering design. There is another advantage, that is, when braking, the overall posture of the body is pressed down instead of dived, and the driving experience is better and the braking distance is shorter, which is safer. In the same class, there has never been a model that has always adhered to this design, only some followers.
Unique chassis adjustment: The big data accumulated by BMW for a century is the basis of perfect adjustment, so that the vehicle can reach the ideal value in the design stage. Engineers will simulate real road conditions and environments, perform data calculations based on customer preferences, and continue to explore data in more extreme states. However, the real essence of BMW tuning is generation after generation of testing and tuning engineers. They seem to have their own secrets. They have accumulated millions of kilometers of tests through repeated tests, careful perception and professional feedback. As a result, various parameters can be finally calibrated to bring the driver the fun of integrating the vehicle with the driver. The seventh-generation 3 Series adopts a unique double-ball-joint spring shock-absorbing strut front axle and five-link independent rear suspension, and brings an innovative “hydraulic rebound limiter”, realizing another breakthrough in chassis technology and an improvement in sporty feeling. promote.
Precise steering: All the above efforts, together with the precise steering system, finally bring the driver immediate power, clear road feeling and precise pointing, making driving fun. The early 3 series used the hydraulic steering assist system, which provided a relatively heavy steering force. After the electronic steering assist system was replaced, the feel was better. It was easier at low speeds and more stable at high speeds.
For nearly half a century, every generation of BMW 3 Series sedans has been called a machine with soul, fully expressing its deep-rooted sports spirit from the inside out, and thus winning the support of more than 15.5 million customers around the world. Loyalty to pure sportiness is the passion of the 3 Series, and it is the foundation for it to stand at the pinnacle of the luxury sports car segment. The upcoming seventh-generation model deserves more expectations.
