Behind Wheel Of BMW's New 3 Series

Ahead of new big-selling compact exec’s launch next year,wehit the road in disguised prototype to see if it’s as good to drive as previous models

- Sean Carson

WE’LL see an all-new BMW 3 Series unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October, but ahead of the car’s official launch in the autumn, Auto Express has already had a drive of a prototype next-generation 3 Series saloon.

To give you some insight into just how popular and important a model this is for BMW, the outgoing version (codenamed F30) enjoyed sales of more than 190,000 examples in its final full year in dealers, despite being due for replacement.

In fact, it’s the German firm’s bestselling product, and the UK accounts for a great chunk of that popularity (24,000 of those 190,000 cars in 2017). So its replacement has a lot to live up to, not least on what has traditionally been the 3 Series’ key selling point: how it drives.

On initial impressions the new 2018 3 Series doesn’t do anything to change that. In fact, BMW’s head of application driving dynamics, Jos van As, told us that he and his team wanted it to feel “like a typically old-school BMW” when it comes to perceptions from behind the wheel, and that this was key in outlining the goals for the new project.

Targets

 Those targets have resulted in up to a 55kg weight saving over the outgoing car, thanks to the CLAR cluster architecture platform on which it’s based (this will also underpin a new Touring estate, 4 Series Coupé and M performance models), with BMW’s typical balance still preserved by 50:50 weight distribution.

The track is also 30mm wider than before, while that weight saving has helped lower the centre of gravity by 10mm. Go for the sports suspension and there’s also a 10mm reduction in ride height. These elements all contribute to a claimed improvement in agility – and the new car definitely delivers it.