BMW announces prices, specs for 2023 3 Series

BMW Australia has announced increased pricing on most variants of the facelifted 3 Series  in return for some additional standard specification and new tech, ahead of the local launch scheduled next month.

The refreshed five-variant line-up kicks off $5400 higher than before at $78,900 before on-road costs for the 320i, mid-spec 330i variants go up $10,100 in price for both sedan and wagon formats and the 330e plug-in hybrid has risen $7100.

Customers going for the $104,900 top-spec, all-wheel drive M340i xDrive come out $8700 better off compared with the pre-facelift equivalent, which a BMW Australia spokesperson clarified was the full-fruit M340i rather than the pared-back Pure variant that has now been dropped.

“We worked to ensure all new 3 Series variants – which have received a raft of key updates – were competitively positioned in the market, including the M340i xDrive, which we appreciate resonates strongly with our customers thanks to its highly effective combination of sharp dynamics, straight-six turbo power and xDrive all-wheel-drive system,” the spokesperson told GoAuto.

BMW says the 3 Series “ushers in a refreshed styling package, advances in digitalisation and enhanced levels of equipment,” and “represents the epitome of driving pleasure and the benchmark for sporting prowess in the mid-size luxury sedan segment”.

As well as tweaked exterior looks and overhauled interior featuring a large curved digital dash and infotainment display with BMW OS 8 software, keyless entry and start with BMW Digital Key and adaptive cruise control are now standard on the entry level 320i. 

Sensatec instrument panel trim, M Sport front seats with adjustable lumbar support are added to the 330i and 330e, while the 330i Touring also gains an electric tailgate.

The most obvious exterior change is to frontal styling, which features new headlights and BMW kidney grille that according to BMW, “heighten style and presence”.

Delving further into the styling changes, we find a new front apron that features more structured surfaces, dynamic lines and large air intakes to add a greater emphasis to the face of both the sedan and wagon.

LED headlights are now significantly slimmer with clear contours and daytime driving lights arranged in an inverted L shape to create a “harmonious and contemporary appearance”.

Adaptive LED headlights, standard on the M340i xDrive, are emphasised by blue accents inside their covers. Blue light effects below the headlight units also give the front end a “striking and elegant appearance in low light conditions”.

The adaptive LED headlights’ functions include a cornering light and non-dazzling matrix high beam as well as dynamic headlight range control and variable light distribution. The remainder of the BMW 3 Series line-up receives full LED headlights with High-Beam Assistant.

Air intakes in black high-gloss positioned below the kidney grille cool the braking system and to the rear, a revised rear apron has more surfaces painted in body colour.

The exhaust’s tailpipe finishers now measure 100 millimetres in diameter for the 320i, 330i and 330e variants. The M340i xDrive is fitted with trapezoidal tailpipes and also gets a mesh design for the kidney grille in a mesh design plus M exterior mirror caps in black high-gloss.

All variants of the new Australian spec 3-series are equipped with the M Sport package as standard, with new design features including bolder front and rear aprons and M alloy wheels in 18- or 19-inch diameter depending on the variant.

The M Sport Package Pro is a new option pack and extends the standard M Sport package with more M high-gloss Shadowline trim, M lights Shadowline and an M Sport braking system with red callipers. 

An expanded range of exterior colours includes Skyscraper Grey metallic and M Brooklyn Grey metallic as part of the M Sport package offering.

Numerous changes and updates have been wrought inside the latest 3 Series across the entire line up.

A new interpretation of what BMW calls a “brand-typical driver focus” is embodied by the standard-fit, curved display that contains a 12.3-inch information screen behind the steering wheel integrated with a second 14.9-inch control display screen to form a single, fully digital and high-resolution unit.

BMW says the new cockpit design “has progressive digitalisation at its heart and enables the number of buttons and controls to be significantly reduced in favour of touch and voice control”.

All models score an automatic and voice or touch controlled three zone climate control system, while a new gear selector lever for the eight-speed automatic transmission is joined on the centre console by the engine start/stop button, iDrive controller, drive mode selector buttons, parking brake and switchgear for other vehicle functions.

The 3 Series accounts for 14 per cent of BMW’s vehicle sales worldwide and more than 1.1 million current generation 3 Series in both sedan and wagon have been sold since 2019 alone and 16 million units sold across all generations since the E30 launched four decades ago.

Here, the 3 Series accounted for 16 per cent of BMW Australia’s total sales volume last year, and 11,848 units of the current generation 3 Series have sold since launch in 2019. BMW has recorded 175,551 BMW 3 Series sales in Australia since VFACTS sales data reporting commenced in 1991.

All engines are 2.0-litre four-cylinder units, except the M340i that has a 3.0-litre straight-six. Each is paired with an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission.

The 320i develops 135kW and 300Nm, with claimed 0-100km/h performance of 7.4 seconds. An extra 55kW and 100Nm is extracted for the 330i, slashing the benchmark acceleration time to 5.9s (6.1s for the heavier wagon).

By combining petrol and electric propulsion, the plug-in hybrid 330e sends 215kW and 420Nm to the rear rubber, dispatching triple digits in 5.8s. With 285kW and 500Nm plus all-wheel drive, the M340i blasts to 100km/h in just 4.4s.

Standard driver aid and active safety equipment includes lane departure warning, lane change warning, front collision warning with brake intervention, rear cross-traffic alert and rear collision prevention.

A reversing camera and Reversing Assistant (which remembers the last 50 metres of driving and can travel these backwards with little driver intervention). From 330i and above, a 360-degree parking camera system is included.

The My BMW App acts as a universal digital interface between the driver and vehicle and for controlling the charging process for the high-voltage battery of the 330e plug-in hybrid model.

2023 BMW 3 Series pricing:

*all prices before on-road costs