BMW 3 Series (F30)


The sixth generation of the BMW 3 Series consists of the BMW F30, BMW F31 and BMW F34 compact executive cars. The F30/F31/F34 generation was produced from October 28, 2011 to 2019 and is often collectively referred to as the F30.
For the sixth generation, the coupé and convertible models were spun off to create the new BMW 4 Series nameplate. BMW also introduced a separate hatchback model under the 3 Series nameplate called the '3 Series Gran Turismo'.
The F30 is the first generation of 3 Series to be powered by a range of turbocharged engines exclusively and electric power steering. The F30 also marked the 3 Series' first use of a three-cylinder engine in its 2015 facelift. A new plug-in hybrid F30 model was also introduced in 2016. A long-wheelbase sedan version was sold in China.
The M3 model was introduced in 2014 and is powered by the S55 twin-turbocharged straight-six engine.
In March 2019, the BMW 3 Series was released as the successor to the F30.

Development and launch

The exterior designer for the F30 sedan was Christopher Weil and exterior designer for the F31 Touring was Michael de Bono.
The F30 was unveiled in Munich on 14 October 2011, with market launch and first customer deliveries on 11 February 2012.

Body styles

Sedan (F30)

The F30 sedan debuted at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March 2012 and was the first of the sixth generation 3 Series models to go on sale. Early models included the 328i and 335i and later models including the 330i and 340i. The 320i, 318d, and 316d models were added to the F30 range in March 2012. The 320i EfficientDynamics Edition and 316i were added in autumn of 2012.
In the United States, the arrival of the four-cylinder models marked the first time a 3 Series was sold with a four-cylinder petrol engine, since the E36 318i of the late 1990s. The 328i xDrive and 335i xDrive went on sale in the summer of 2012.

Touring (F31)

The wagon/estate body style was unveiled at the 21st Auto Mobil International held at Leipzig in 2012. This body style has a designation of F31, and the launch models consisted of the 328i, 320d and the 330d. The 320i, 316d and 318d models were added in autumn of 2012.

Gran Turismo (F34)

The 5-door fastback body style has a designation of F34 and is marketed as the 3 Series Gran Turismo, with styling similar to the 5 Series Gran Turismo. Although it features a rear hatchback, the 3 Series GT is not considered a successor to the 1993-2004 3 Series Compact 3-door hatchbacks. The Gran Turismo body style was discontinued for the following generation, the G20 3 series as it proved to be unsuccessful in terms of sales.
At, the F34 is longer than the sedan and Touring models. This extra length is partly facilitated by the longer wheelbase shared with the F35 long wheelbase sedan models. The F34 is also taller than the F30/F31. These increased dimensions result in the rear wheels being located further back and lower with respect to the rear seat, and allows for three full-size rear seats.
The F34 version was unveiled at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in 2013. At launch, the engine range consisted of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines in inline-4 and inline-6 configurations. All-wheel drive was available in the "i xDrive" and "d xDrive" models. The F34 received a facelift in mid-2016, a year after the facelift was introduced for the other body styles of the F30 generation.

LWB sedan (F35)

A long-wheelbase sedan model having a designation of F35, was produced for the Chinese market. The wheelbase is increased by to ; this increases rear knee room by and results in an overall length of. The vehicle was produced in BMW's Shenyang production plant, and has chrome trim on the doors to distinguish it from the regular F30 sedans.
The F35 was unveiled at 2012 Auto China in Beijing. Initial models included the 320Li, 328Li and 335Li. Post-facelift models consisted of the 316Li, 320Li, 328Li, 328Li xDrive and 335Li.

Exterior styling

The F30/F31 has grown in all dimensions compared to its predecessor. The styling is similar to previous generations with a sweeping bonnet, short front overhang, and long wheelbase. Headlamps now connect to a wide kidney grill. Tail lamps also sport a wide "L" shape design seen in many BMW models.

Interior and equipment

In the sedan models, the rear headroom, leg room and shoulder room increased compared with their E90 predecessors.
Options include heated front seats, split-fold rear seats, satellite navigation and a widescreen display in the centre console. The traditional mechanical shift lever was replaced by a shift by wire shifter.
In some markets, three 'trim lines' were available for the F30/F31: Modern line, Sports line and Luxury line. These lines form the base packages upon which extra options could be specified.

Engines

The petrol models initially used the turbocharged 4-cylinder N13, 4-cylinder N20 and 6-cylinder N55 engines. This meant that the 325i and 328i models now used the turbocharged 4-cylinder N20 engine. For the 2016 facelift, the engines were updated to the 3-cylinder B38, the 4-cylinder B48 and the 6-cylinder B58.
The diesel models initially used the 4-cylinder N47 and 6-cylinder N57 turbocharged engines. For the 2016 facelift, the 4-cylinder models were updated to the B47 engine, while the 6-cylinder models retained the N57 engine.

Petrol

Diesel

* In North America, only 328d models are available and use the 4-cylinder engine from the European-specification 320d models.

Transmissions

The available transmissions are:
The M3 version was introduced in 2014. It is powered by the S55 twin-turbocharged straight-six engine. Production of the M3 halted in October 2018.

Special models

ActiveHybrid 3

Based on the 335i Sedan, the ActiveHybrid 3 includes a synchronous electric motor, a lithium-ion battery positioned underneath the luggage area and a 2-zone climate control system with stationary air conditioning. The electric motor generates of torque. The maximum all-electric driving range is, with a top speed of.
The BMW ActiveHybrid 3 was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in January 2012.
The US EPA rated the 2013 ActiveHybrid 3 with a combined fuel economy of, with in the city, and on the highway.

330e iPerformance

The BMW 330e iPerformance is a plug-in hybrid unveiled at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 2015. The first units were registered in Europe by late 2015 and North American sales began in 2016.
The 330e features a four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. The powertrain is rated at a total of and of torque. The United States EPA rated the 2016 BMW 330e energy consumption in all-electric mode at 47 kWh per 100 miles, which translates into a combined city/highway fuel economy of 72 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent . When powered only by the petrol engine, EPA's official combined city/highway fuel economy is.

Model year changes

2013

The facelift versions were released in 2015 for the 2016 model year. Changes include:

Euro NCAP

IIHS

NHTSA

ASEAN NCAP

Marketing

The BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics was the most widely used vehicle in the London 2012 Olympics due to BMW's official partnership.

Production

Production of F30 generation began with the sedan body style on 28 October 2011. Production ended in 2019 with the end of F31 Touring production in June.
The sedan and wagon models were produced in Germany,South Africa India, China and Brazil. The Gran Turismo models were produced at the BMW Dingolfing plant in Germany. Local assembly of complete knock-down kits was used for cars sold in Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand.

Sales

The following are the sales of the 3 Series, according to BMW's annual reports:
YearTotal
2012406,752
2013500,332
2014480,214
2015444,338
2016411,844
2017409,005
Total:2,652,485