By BMW launched the 3 Series Gran Limousine in India at Rs. 57.9 lakh (Ex-Showroom). However, the 3 series will be offered only in the long-wheelbase variant in the country. The manufacturer has pulled its plug on the regular wheelbase 3 series and now it is official that the facelift 3 series will be exclusively available only as the grand limo and the M340i which was launched in December 2022. The 3 series Li is the longest and the most spacious car in the segment.
The car has undergone many changes as the mid-life refresh or in BMWs words LCI ( life cycle impulse ). The car is built to experience the comfort of a luxury cabin and also it has got the pure DNA of BMW to experience the driving dynamics and fun. The exterior styling of the vehicle is very hot and impressive. Now the 3 Series Li gets an exclusive M sports variant as standard and there are no other variants on offer.
The updated front fascia features a new headlight with an inverted L-shaped DRL and the grille is tweaked but it fits well, luckily the grille isn’t oversized. The front bumper gets L-shaped corner vents which make it looks wider and sportier. Over the side, the vehicle hosts new 18-inch wheels and the side gets a muscle line that runs across and the rear of the vehicle looks very sporty with a new diffuser setup.
However, the biggest change comes in the interior. The vehicle now hosts the new design language of the brand inside with the curved single-unit display over the dash that integrates 14.9-inch infotainment and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. The interior gets a brown and black dual-tone colour theme. As always the cockpit is driver-oriented. The centre dash Features sleeker air vents and down to that get the climate controls and at the centre console, the gear liver is replaced with a toggle switch that is nicely laid out. The steering wheel is 3 spoke and it gets the M badging as the M sport Kit is standard. Since the vehicle has a long wheelbase the space at the rear is also huge and comfortable. And the 3 Series cabin is wide and roomy with a panoramic sunroof and wide greenhouse.
To any BMW everything that matters is its engine and driving dynamics. under the hood, the vehicle remains unchanged. The 3 series LI is powered by the 2.0-litre inline 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 255 bhp and 400 Nm of torque and the 2.0-litre inline 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 187 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. Both the engines are matted to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Which enables the car to sprint a quarter mile in just 6.2 seconds in the 330i petrol variant and the 320d diesel sprint 0 to 100 in 7.6 seconds. The weight of the vehicle is equally disturbed at a 50:50 ratio. And also the vehicle ground clearance is improved to 165mm making it quite easy to go through rough patches.
Altogether the 3 series is a great machine on offer. The design of the vehicle is stylish and sporty and it is obviously a head turner but the 3 Series regular wheelbase is only on offer with the M340i and also the 3 series grand limo is offered only in the M sport variant. Somehow the exclusivity of the M sport kit is getting lost in the new 3 series facelift. And the 3 series is a vehicle that should be driven not to be chauffeured hence and the compactness of the 3 series is also Limited to only the top-end M340i.
