THREE'S BETTER COMPANY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 82

The BMW 3 Series has long ruled mid-sized executive segment and back in 2022 the company's hopes were high for this improved version of the G20 seventh generation design. It was smarter and got a much more sophisticated cabin with a big step forward in media connectivity. Plus smarter looks and extra equipment. All the things you'd expect from a facelift really. Something else you'd expect from this model is rear wheel drive handling purity. It doesn't disappoint in that regard either.

Modelsword count: 18

4dr saloon / 5dr Touring estate (320i, M340i xDrive / 320d, M340d xDrive / M3 Competition, M3 CS)

Historyword count: 353

Think of a really sharp-handling relatively compact sports saloon and it's probable that you're thinking of this car, BMW's 3 Series. Over nearly half a century, it's dominated the segment it first invented and by 2022 upwards of 16 million of them had been sold. This G20-era seventh generation design arrived in 2018 and in its first three years on sale, over 1.1 million were sold. Four years on though, this model faced tougher competition from its German premium rivals, hence the need for the far-reaching update that created the car we're going to look at here. Launched in mid-2022 and built in Munich, Shenyang in China and San Luis Potosi in Mexico, it was known internally within BMW as the 'G20 LCI', those letters standing for 'Life-Cycle update'. Igf you know the earlier version of this G20-era design, it won't take you long on acquaintance to realise the key difference here, the installation of the brand's improved 'Operating System 8' twin-screen system for the dash which really transformed the cabin. The other changes were mainly detail ones. What didn't change much was the engineering, because it didn't need to. By 2002, this model still led its segment and accounted for 14% of BMW's total global sales because of a deserved reputation as the best driver's car in its class, a title it had held ever since the original 3 Series was launched way back in 1975. The more sophisticated CLAR platform BMW borrowed from its larger cars for this G20 design didn't change that. Nor did the mild hybrid electrification the company built into the engine line-up in the years following this MK7 model's launch. There was an update to this G20 LCI model in 2024, when diesels were dropped, the 330e model's PHEV EV range was increased, an upgraded Operating System 8.5 set-up installed in the cabin and chassis tuning tweaks introduced. In 2025, a top M3 CS model with 530PS arrived as the line-up's flagship. This G20 LCI model sold until late 2026 when the MK8 G50-era model was launched. The Touring estate versions of it continued until Spring 2027.

What You Getword count: 538

Even 3 Series regulars may need a little help in identifying the visual changes that in 2022 usefully evolved Saloon and Touring versions of this G20 seventh generation design. You'll want to know about those changes. With every model update, BMW seems to want to tinker with its famous kidney-shaped front grille, which here gained lightly modified contours and added double bars. Further down, the corner intakes were aggressively redesigned, a change more obvious with the sleeker bumper fitted to 'M Sport' variants. These intakes no longer incorporated fog lights, those now built into the slimmer LED headlamp units, which featured daytime running lights in an inverted L-shape. There were no changes worth talking about at the side, where the 4,709mm length remained exactly the same regardless of your choice or Saloon or Touring, though that latter estate model did sit 5mm higher than the sedan. At the rear, the aesthetic changes with this updated model remained uber-subtle. Like the tiny change in exhaust system outlet diameter; the tail pipes with this updated design measured 90 or 100mm (depending on engine variant) and were emphasised like gun barrels with surrounding dark mouldings. Inside up front, for the first time in a 3 Series this updated G20-era model delivered the feel of a proper luxury car, even in the lower echelons of the range. You're surrounded by this updated model's twin screen, chrome-garnished expensively elegant cabin architecture. That added 'BMW Live Cockpit Plus' set-up combines a 12.3-inch instrument display with a 14.9-inch centre screen and was the main change as part of this facelift. Beyond the eye-catching 'Curved Display' media tech, you'll also quickly be struck by the sheer depth of quality on offer in this cabin. All the materials used, even those lower down, are great to look at and touch, with classy stitching, thin ambient lighting colour strips and smart metal finishing that feels rich and up-market. In mainstream models, the seats are upholstered with supple 'Sensatec' stitched man-made leather and they position you slightly lower than you would be in some rivals - another thing that helps in delivering this car's slightly sportier demeanour. Finding the ideal driving position is easy, the supportive seats are very comfortable and standard features like a rear view camera and all-round sensors make town driving easier too. In the rear, there's comfortable space for a couple of adults, but thanks to its slightly longer wheelbase, a rival Mercedes C-Class from this era edges this BMW for rear seat legroom and a non-premium brand contender in this segment - say a Volkswagen Passat or a Skoda Superb - would be much more spacious. The revealed trunk space on conventionally-engined versions of the sedan is 480-litres, 25-litres more than you'd get from a rival Mercedes C-Class. Predictably, with the 330e Plug-in Hybrid variant, that capacity figure takes a tumble - to 375-litres. The conventionally-engined Touring estate versions serve up 500-litres (410-litre in 330e form). When the seats are completely folded in the saloon, you don't get a very flat loading area but things are much better in the Touring variant which with everything flat can offer you up to 1,500-litres of carriage space with a conventional engine, or 1,420-litres in 330e form.

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