A little after a leaked brochure gave us our first taste of the lightly refreshed 2011 3-Series Coupe and Convertible models, BMW rushed out an official release and a whole bunch of pictures. For the 2011 model year, the Bavarian automaker's bread-and-butter coupe and cabriolet models receive some minor cosmetic touches and updated powerplants.
The most notable - that is, if you're a hardcore bimmer fan- changes on the outside concern the widened kidney grille, reshaped LED headlamps, front and rear bumpers with restyled lower fascias, new exterior mirrors and finally, reworked tail light cluster with a new color scheme.
According to BMW, these modifications slightly extend the front and rear overhangs by 1.14 and 0.12 inches respectively.
The only change in the cabin concerns the convertible models and the use of sun-reflective technology to mitigate temperatures on leather seating, armrest surfaces, headrests, and gear shifter. BMW says that this new treatment is able to reduce surface temperatures on dark interior colors by up to 20 Celsius degrees (36 Fahrenheit degrees) and by as much as Celsius degrees (27 Fahrenheit degrees)on light-colored upholstery.
In North America (we'll bring you details on the Euro spec models shortly), the 2011 3-Series Coupe and Convertible models will be offered once again in two flavors, the 328i and 335i.
As noted in our previous post, the 2011 335i is fitted with BMW's new twin scroll single turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six, designated N55, that replaces the previous model's N54 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six.
BMW says that even though output has remained the same as before at 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, the new single turbo engine is more responsive, more fuel efficient, and cleaner-running than its predecessor.
The rear-wheel drive 335i Coupe and Convertible accelerate from 0 - 60 mph (96km/h) in just 5.3 (5.5 coupe automatic) seconds and 5.5 (5.7 cabrio automatic) seconds, respectively, when equipped with a six speed manual gearbox.
The all-wheel drive 335i xDrive coupe is slightly faster at 5.2 seconds (5.3 sec for the automatic model).
The 328i's 230 horsepower, 200 lb-ft, 3.0-liter inline-6 engine has been carried over unchanged from the 2010 model.
No word yet on the sporty 335is variants with a tweaked 3.0-liter twin-turbo churning out 322HP that were mentioned in the leaked sales leaflet (click here for details).
In the U.S. and Canada, the 2011 3 Series Coupe and Convertible models will go on sale in Spring 2010, with pricing set to be announced closer to the on-sale date.
37 Comments:
yikes! cubby. not liking it.
rich interior. liking the "tu-tone" interior of the convertible! rich brownish beige with black. super! not crazy about the exterior. looks too "grown up", probably making room for the smaller bimmer to take it's place. cadillac over-sized the cts. now bmw is following caddy. no!
john, do you work 24/7 to keep us informed. lots of breaking news! you're the man, dude! should we take out bmw frustrations on u? lol!
moving into 5-series territory, i say.
bring mthe 320 diesel engines over enough of this futile 300 hp rubbish
I think I accidentally erased my previous comments, as a group of us auto show goers here at a Detroit hotel on vacation from Cornell Univerity are literally fighting over 1 pc attempting to post our individual views of this bimmer we all waited so long for. Damn. We are hoping that it will look better after room service delivers the booze. hehehe... Oh, dude, it looks like a whale! We see 3's all over campus, but in the snowbelt where our school is, Range Roovers and X5's rule. I will take the current BMW, but at graduation time, I need to find something else. What else is there? Damn!
300hp? Get an "M" version! Diesels in a BMW? Not for me. Worried about fuel economy? Or are you into turbo+diesel for increaded ponies? Still not for a refined Bimmer, imo.
the 3 series price is grown up so the look should also and with competition like the audi a5, the infiniti g, cadillac cts, and lexus is the car is looking more like the classic 6 series
a new bmw's better than sex! but this gal of a bmw is plump. the ragtop (still cloth, eh?) looks the same from the ass end.
keep the price where it is. the current models sells well. what lexus? the toy of an IS? The over priced ES camry (still old version)clone, no less!)? Not the aged GS? certainly not the monster LS or sh*t box hybrid? no one aside from ford strives to be like cadillac. the infiniti G37 is reasonably priced. the a5? bah! poor seller, filler model. the next 6-series will be another one of those silly 4dr coupes, i think.
kinda see the infiniti G37 coupe from the rear. the "G" looks better, imo. it's sleek. the "3", heavy. the infiniti is liquid metal. niiice.
hmm... looks like the convertible roof is steel. sorry to say, but the rear of the silver drop top looks like the current generation chrysler sebring limited hard top 'vert. the chrysler looks nice with it's top down, but a bimmer should look 100x better. it does not.
Someone must say something positive. I think the four door should look far better. A sedan is harder to ruin when made to look bulkier, but from I have seen, one would not be pleased with the 5-Series if one does not like the 2010 7-Series. They look nearly identical. The solution to those could be the 2011 3-Series 4dr.
The interior is straight out of the Audi A5... a big plus. It is less spartan than the current 3-series, but not over-the-top. I love the colors, too. Rich, but still airy... crucial when designing a convertible or "dark" coupe (two doors are obviously often lacking in the windows of a saloon or estate creating claustrphobic conditions, especially in the rear seat). I welcome lots of light in my cars to bring the sunshine in. In upstate NY in wintertime, it is needed. I like the glass roof panels of cars like the Mercedes-Benz S600. My mom drives one. The new Jag has it, the 7-series bimmer does not offer one, even as an option.
the cadillac cts coupe is hotter, even the too boy friends cts-v. the "v" is not as inflated as the 3-series coupe. the caddy is crisp. shocking compared to the cts sedan and cts-v four door (still gaudy, unlike the coupe).
M.UD Yes thats true!
.... Munich ... Unreliable .... Driving.
B .... avarian .... M .... onster .... W .... hy?
Nobody needs it, nobody whants such a Car.
I mean a Worker, not a Rich Snob who thought BMW brings me Image.
It sounds like from the written text above that there is "overhang", generally meaning for visual effect only. if the increase in size meant more interior room, I could understand, as the 3-series has always been snug. As there is no mention of a roomier cabin, there is no point.
i agree that the inside is nicer than the older bmw's i remember riding in.
Do not like the wght. of a hardtop convertible. Even the stylish Chrysler Sebring offers the choice of cloth, vinal or steel. Cannot knock BMW for this, as others are moving in this direction. I imagine that the materials should be getter lighter to improve power and fuel economy. There are a lot of crazy people out there who have been known to rip open cloth and vinal tops to steal the radio or entire car. It happens a lot in South Florida. I have always enjoyed the contrast of a cloth top and different color or shade exterior body. The classic dark blue over white is a favorite on older bimmers. Brown over tan, too.
you idiots! The cts has physical dimentions closer to a 5 series NOT the 3 series. cadillac has nothing yet to compete with the 3.
A fine tuning of the 3-Series patented look. Sophisticate and classy with a sporting mien
I wish they would have spent more time on it's rear treatment which is quite pedestrian. Hard to tell from the herd of appliances out there.
The obnoxious dash blip for the GPS is a detail disaster in and other wise nice flowing dash.
Info/GPS screens should been hidden(Retracted) until employed. An additional small data/GPS screen integrated centrally or tangentially into the instrument cluster would enhance safety and ease of use.
I prefer autos without the Electronics/GPS units, but sometimes they require it to get additional options such as a sunroof or sound systems.
Drives up the price considerably and I'm sure loses some sales at that price point...especially in the new economy.
3Deuce27
I'm not even a big BMW fan but these comments.... none of them make any sense.
I thought people would be more interested in the move to a single twin-scroll turbo in the 335, not unfounded and off-topic comparisons with Cadillac.
^ Spot on Matthew. And the question here is has BMW resolved the quality issues it had with the old twin-turbo with the new single-turbo six.
boring
i think all of the chatter demontrates how much people like bmw. personally, american car companies are void of shere "living" classics... current vehicles like the (3,5,7-series bmw's) that are generally improved upon in relatively the "same form" from year-to-year with modest changes made to keep current without relying on flash-in-the-pan trends that will grow out of vogue the next season. i am crtical of the bimmer, only because i love the current design so much! it is much the same as the 2010. i will likely fall back in love with the 3-series once again... in the mean time, it is passion speaking. the spark will come back, i think.
Comparing a Cadillac CTS, whether "right or wrong" has more to do with apples and oranges. The CTS is marketed by dealers to compete with the 3-series while the STS is aimed squarely at the 5-series. A mistake? Yes and no. A notion promoted by Cadillac. Now, that is my experience from work as a car consultant and a customer.
here at 'scoop, we tend to love cars or we would not be checking out the treads as often as many of us. so people's perceptions may not be mutually agreed upon, but are reality to them... to us. post away! i read every post and really enjoy each perspective. :)
oops! cubby? i meant chubby (1st entry). gee, otherwise, that would have meant youthful, i guess. that would be a no. the 3-series looks more grown up. i prefer sleek over beefy. potential owners will not care, but my 1st impression as a critic (aren't we all?), says and continues to exclaim: needless change from trim to tubby. do like the interior!
They look will not keep me from buying one; the price will!
BMW designers still can't get the face right nowadays. Perhaps the car has reached the dead-end of its "twin-kidney" grille design possibility? I think the best BMW face belongs to the M5 of the 1989-1992 model. Those round dual headlights are very masculine and elegant,while clearly identifying the car as a BMW.
^ Amen!
As for it's alleged 'chubbyness' I don't see it and I'm sure any allusion to that would disappear in the flesh.
The "Steel" roof is Aluminum and a shining improvement (Except for trunk space) over the soft top. It's to bad that BMW and other hard drop top manufacturers didn't do it as well as Mazda's masterful Miata top.
The 'Twin-Scroll' engine is old news.
The switch probably had more to do with over heating issues and production costs rather then any enhanced performance, efficiency, or power delivery issues.
The MPG of the Twin-Turbo was already quite impressive even in the 5-series. The EPA was quite conservative in it's ratings as real world results were much better.
In 3000+ mile trip in 2009 535xi wagon one direction along the California and Oregon coasts with a mostly interstate return to Oregon, the Twin-Turbo delivered a wagon load of fun and great mileage. Even carving up the twisty coast roads with panache, the Twin-Turbo delivered tanks over 30 MPG. Chained to 65 MPH on the interstate it delivered one tank of 33 MPG.
The engine and handling of that model BMW was a shear delight and it still brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. For my standards, the perfect 4-up automobile, Efficient power, great handling, exquisite comfort, in a very attractive and practical package. Too bad I can't afford the entry fee.
3Deuce27
they are beautiful..
Eearly to mid 90's were great designs. Even mid eighties. I had a 1984 528e standard and it was just just a blast for 500k miles. It was also a beauty. BMW has maintained pretty much Bangle on everything for the last decade and now they havent really established a new image or tried to give a classic treatment. Double kidney should stay, they just don't implement it as well. I miss the bold round headlights to go with them as well. Now its just a few carves here or there on the front and rear. I think BMW looks more feminine. I want the more agressive or bold look back. Or atleast a design that stands out. To me it just speaks meh, not ugly, just meh.
Who prefers a Cadillac CTS over a BMW deserves his Ford Focus...
It looks vanilla compared to the out going Bangle design. Almost a bit ho hum.
The latest Z4 convertible is designed by two women and it shows!-only rich gay men will be seen driving it. BTW,BMW has a new oversized "crossover" vehicle that they call the x6(I think.)I don't know what to make of it.
Borrowing an X6 now and love it. Thats why I am checking out BMW's. Had one years ago and the X6 is bringing me back. But want a convertible!
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