BMW upgrades 3 Series two-doors

BMW Australia has announced an upgraded 3 Series Coupe and Convertible line-up that brings with it a $3000 price increase at the bottom-end of both two-door ranges.

However, BMW says the 2012 two-door 3 Series family, which follows the release of the redesigned sixth-generation 3 Series sedan last month, more than compensates for this with specification additions worth at least $3970.

Continuing to open the 3 Series Coupe range is the 320d turbo-diesel manual, which is claimed to bring $4210 of extra value at $69,500 plus on-road costs – $3000 more than before but still $900 less than Audi’s cheapest A5 Coupe, the 2.0 TFSI auto (from $70,400), and $400 less than Mercedes-Benz’s equivalent C250 CDI Coupe auto (from $69,900).

The revised 320d Convertible is also $3000 pricier at $82,500, but is also claimed to offer more than $4200 in extra standard equipment, including 17-inch Star Spoke alloy wheels, the Comfort Access system, adaptive headlights, High Beam Assist and satellite-navigation.

In addition, all 3 Series Coupes and Convertibles – which enter production for Australia this month before arriving here by May – now come standard with adaptive bi-Xenon headlights and LED light elements.

Pricing for the mid-range 325i Coupe and Convertible remains unchanged at $80,850 and $94,600 respectively, with both six-cylinder manual models gaining a claimed $7280 of extra value, including 18-inch light-alloy wheels, adaptive headlights, High Beam Assist, higher-spec navigation and anti-dazzle exterior mirrors.

The six-cylinder diesel 330d, meantime, now costs $97,600 as a coupe and $110,700 in convertible form. That is up $2000 for both models, with a claimed $3970 worth of extra standard fare including 18-inch light-alloy wheels, adaptive headlights, Harman Kardon sound, anti-dazzle exterior mirrors and the ‘Professional’ navigation.

BMW is yet to reveal similar upgrades for its two-door M3 models, but pricing for the top-of-the-line 335i M Sport reduces by more than $5000, with the coupe now priced from $108,600 and the convertible now priced from $121,600.

Both turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol models are claimed to offer more than $7000 of extra value, with additional standard equipment including a Harman Kardon sound system and anti-dazzle mirrors.

“These improvements to the 3 Series Coupe and Convertible ensure that the whole BMW 3 Series range continues to offer exceptional levels of specification and customer value,” said BMW Group Australia managing director Phil Horton.

BMW’s two-door 3 Series models received a midlife facelift in August 2010 and, joining their recently redesigned five-door 1 Series hatchback stablemates, are expected to be replaced by new-generation models by next year.

Sales of the 3 Series Coupe and Convertible dropped 27.5 per cent last year to 1112, accounting for 20.5 per cent of Australia’s $80,000-plus sportscar segment – less than the Mercedes-Benz E-class Coupe/Convertible (25.2 per cent share) but beating the Audi A5 range (19.7 per cent).

BMW 3 Series Coupe/Convertible pricing (plus ORCs):
Coupe
320d	$69,500 (+$3000)
325i	$80,850&nbsp
330d	$97,600 (+$2000)
335i M Sport	$108,600 (-$5150)
Convertible
320d	$82,500 (+$3000)
325i	$94,600
330d	$110,700 (+$2000)
335i M Sport	$121,600 (-$5300)