BMW 3 Series Sedan

The interiors are draped with Alcantara while the steering wheel is leather dressed and the inserts are touched with a metallic finish. The front row Sports seats are complemented with headrests. The second row seats are split fold and every seat inside cabin (driver and passenger) is electric with memory settings. Other features include GPS (Satellite Navigation), 12.3-inch full digital instrument display, head up information display, multi zone climate control, voice recognition technology (‘Hey BMW’ - intelligent personal assistant) and BMW’s exclusive live cockpit professional, gesture control and operating system 7.0. The infotainment and communication package consists of a central navigation display of 10.25 inches, wireless smartphone charging, a 20GB hard drive, wireless Apple CarPlay along with remote operations, a subscription to BMW's online infotainment services for 3 years, a DAB+ digital radio and a 205W 10-speaker sound system. There are also added options in the form of the Luxury Line and M Sport packages.

The car gives off an athletic and aggressive stare with its bi-colour polished alloys, elegant muscular proportions, handsome metallic blue shade, and the classic kidney grille. It has got both front and rear power windows, an electric anti-glare rearview mirror, and rain-sensing wipers. The headlights are LED high beam auto dipping while the tail torch is LED tinted.

The engine delivers a smooth and refined drive that is comfortable at about any speed or riding condition. An M Sport differential can be mated to the rear axle for an added sporty edge. There is also an adaptive M suspension which kind of fails to keep up with the word ‘adaptive’ owing to its inability to adjust effectively to the different drive modes - Comfort, Adaptive, Eco and Sport.

The base variant Sedan 320d is equipped with a 2.0-litre four-pot diesel engine, which can offer a maximum power of 190 hp and peak torque is 400 Nm. It takes just 7.1 seconds to complete 0 to 100 kmph sprint and can provide a maximum speed of 240 kmph. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

On the other hand, the Sedan 330i gets a 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine. It pushes out 258 hp of maximum power along with 400 Nm of peak torque. The car takes 1.3 seconds less than the base variant to accelerate up to 100 kmph, starting from 0 kmph. The maximum speed that the car can achieve is 250 kmph. The engine is paired with an eight-speed Steptronic transmission.

The BMW comes with driver and passenger airbags, head airbags for first row and second-row seats and an additional side airbag for the front seaters. It has lap-sash seatbelts for all five seats along with pretensioners and load limiters for front-seat occupants. The emergency safety attributes include rear collision warning, brake assist, rear cross-traffic alert (during reversing of the vehicle), brake emergency display (in case of stoplights or possible hazard) and braking control for crash avoidance. Vehicle control features include electronic stability control, traction control, corner braking, ABS (anti-lock braking system) and hill holder. It is also equipped with a range of driver assistance features comprising of forwarding collision warning, lane departure warning, fully automated parking assistance, park distance (both rear and front), rear camera and blind spot sensor. The car is brought to halt using ventilated front and rear brakes and added electric park brakes. The 3 Series has a 2019 ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) rating of 5.

Apart from a sharp exterior design, deluxe interiors, impressive tech attributes and a powerful 6-cylinder turbo engine the 3 series has an overstated fuel spec, a buggy infotainment system, lack of feedback from the steering and average ride characteristics. Still, the overall verdict for the BMW is a positive one as the performance of the 2-litre TwinPower overshadows every other shortcoming of the sedan.