New-gen BMW 3-Series spied in India, launch in June 2019

It was at the 2018 Paris Motor Show that we got to see the new-gen BMW 3-Series for the first time.  The sporty sedan from BMW has been reworked completely and is now larger and lighter than before. While it is already known that BMW will officially launch the new-gen 3-Series in India by June 2019, here are the first set of spied images that have been taken at an undisclosed location in India. We believe the cars have arrived in the country for ARAI testing and homologation. Upon its launch in India, the 2019 BMW 3-Series will lock horns with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Audi A4.

This 3-Series sees the newest interpretation of the firm's double-barrel lamps in the form of two L-shaped LED DRLs. The kidney grille is now much more upright and prominent but overall the car seems to follow a more evolutionary design brief. The basic silhouette doesn't seem to have changed a whole lot but specific design touches are more developed than the current car. This can be seen in the complex 3D taillamps, a more sculpted bumper and hood and the slightly upswept bootlid. This is a similar design strategy to what BMW has followed with the latest 5-Series and 7-Series as well but the interpretation here is sharper.

The interiors too have received a complete overhaul. The circular, more organic theme of earlier BMW cars has been replaced with an angular design, like in the new 8-Series and X5. There is a new 12.3-inch all digital instrument cluster and the infotainmant system now comes with a voice-assisted, AI-enabled system like Mercedes' MBUX interface.

The 3-Series also moves to the CLAR architecture, sharing it with the 5-Series. This has led to up to a 55 kg weight reduction. The car is now larger both inside and out, whellbase has grown by 41 mm, and boot space has also grown by 36 litres. The full suite of safety and driver assistance software is available as is a GPS-enabled eight speed automatic gearbox. Adaptive suspension and xDrive AWD are optional extras.

The 3 Series is bigger, wider and longer, sits on a longer wheelbase, and is based on the same Cluster Architecutre platform as the new 7 and 5 Series cars

There are five engine options at launch. The most popular engine option for India, the 320d, now makes 190PS and 400 Nm from a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel motor. This gets to 100 kmph from standstill in 6.8s. The other diesel options are the 318d which makes 150PS and a 330d uses a 3.0 litre staright six diesel motor to make 265PS. The two petrol options are the 320i which makes 184PS from a 2.0 litre four cylinder and the 330i which puts out 259PS and 400Nm again from the same basic motor. We have already driven the 2019 BMW 3-Series and here are out initial thoughts. 

Spied images source: Throttle-Blips