PressClub Africa, DOM, East Europe · Article.
The new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo.
Wed Jun 01 00:01:00 CEST 2016 Press Kit
BMW is preparing to launch the latest BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo in time for the start of summer. Blending the elegance of a coupe with the spaciousness of a luxury sedan and the boot capacity of a station wagon, the 3 Series Gran Turismo has developed into a firm fixture of the mid-size class over the last three years. Its biggest sales markets are China, Germany and the USA, and the majority of BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo customers are new to the BMW brand. The new version of the Gran Turismo cuts a visibly sportier figure, and the three petrol and five diesel engines in the range offer noticeably higher output. All the engines are turbocharged and burn up to 14 per cent less fuel. The interior, meanwhile, impresses with its high-quality materials, the new user interface for the Navigation system Professional (taken from BMW’s luxury-class cars) and even better smartphone connectivity.
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Irmgard Arsenschek
BMW Group
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More dynamic looks and an even greater feeling of luxury inside.
At 4,824 millimetres in length, the BMW 3 Series
Gran Turismo is around 200 millimetres longer than the other members
of the BMW 3 Series family. And that takes it close to luxury-class
territory. The design of the new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, which has
been sculpted to visibly greater dynamic effect at both the front and
rear, heightens the impression of class. The new,
standard-fitted LED headlights for dipped and high beam and the LED
front foglamps lend the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo a more sporting
appearance. The car has a visually broader stance on the road. And
the combination of updated LED rear lights and more zestful lines
brings extra brawn to the rear styling.
The interior of the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo has an even more sophisticated feel, thanks to upgraded materials and accents. Extra chrome around the interior controls, and new decorative wood elements, colours and leather trim variants take perceived quality to another new level, while the interior’s haptic and ergonomic attributes have also been further enhanced. Sportiness coupled with the elegance of a coupe, the comfort and convenience of four doors, a seating position raised by 59 millimetres with excellent all-round visibility, and a generous feeling of space have always been key reasons to purchase a BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo. The space argument is particularly persuasive in the rear compartment, where three full-size seats and legroom more familiar from a luxury sedan – courtesy of a wheelbase lengthened by 110 millimetres (now 2,920 millimetres) – await. The large tailgate, meanwhile, opens to reveal a boot offering 520 to 1,600 litres of load space and allowing extremely varied use.
The latest version of the BMW Navigation system Professional will now also be offered in the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo – the first time a mid-size model has been available with the upgraded system. The most important menu items are now displayed in a clear, tile-based style, which makes operating the system even more intuitive. Linking up mobile phones has become more convenient, as smartphones can now also be charged and connected to the car’s external aerial wirelessly via an inductive tray.
New engine family: higher outputs, lower fuel
consumption.
The new generation of engines available for
the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo offer compelling levels of sports
performance, agility and economy. The range consists of three all-new
petrol units developing 135 kW/184 hp to 240 kW/326 hp and five diesel
variants producing 110 kW/150 hp to 230 kW/313 hp – with classical
rear-wheel drive or BMW xDrive all-wheel drive, with manual or
Steptronic automatic transmission (fuel consumption combined: 7.7–4.3
l/100 km [36.7– 65.7 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 175–112 g/km)*.
All the four- and six-cylinder petrol engines and four-cylinder
diesels are taken from the newly developed, modular
BMW EfficientDynamics engine family and enjoy the benefits of
cutting-edge BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. The arrival of the
updated BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo sees the new petrol engines slotting
into this model’s line-up as well. An all-new addition to the diesel
ranks, meanwhile, is the BMW 325d Gran Turismo. The other
four-cylinder diesels have been available to customers since the
launch of the new engine generation in summer 2015.
Considerable efficiency gains have been made with the new engines, despite their increased output. The reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions range from 4.5 per cent in the BMW 318d Gran Turismo to 13,8 per cent for the BMW 320d Gran Turismo. And further improved manual and automatic transmissions, the Auto Start Stop function, Brake Energy Regeneration, on-demand operation of ancillary units and the ECO PRO mode also help the new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo to set the benchmark for fuel economy and emissions.
The BMW 320i Gran Turismo, 318d Gran Turismo and 320d Gran Turismo come as standard with the six-speed manual gearbox, but can also be ordered with the eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission as an option. All other engine variants feature the automatic as standard. And that means three more variants of the car (the BMW 330i Gran Turismo, BMW 340i Gran Turismo and BMW 325d Gran Turismo) are offered exclusively with the efficient Steptronic unit than was the case with the outgoing model. Improvements in efficiency, an increase in ratio spread and a reduction in converter slip during the gear-change process bring about a three per cent drop in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. At the same time, customers can expect both driving comfort and shift comfort to be heading in the opposite direction.
All petrol-engined BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo variants and the diesel-powered BMW 320d Gran Turismo and BMW 330d Gran Turismo can be specified as an option with BMW xDrive. The BMW 335d xDrive Gran Turismo has this all-wheel-drive technology as standard.
A total of 18 engine, transmission and drive configurations are therefore available for the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo.
Three equipment lines to choose from.
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo customers can choose between Sport
Line, Luxury Line and M Sport variants. The Estoril Blue colour
shade is available exclusively for M Sport models. The BMW 3 Series
Gran Turismo is fitted with an extensive selection of
equipment items as standard, including automatic climate control,
keyless engine ignition, Servotronic, six airbags, LED headlights for
dipped and high beam, LED front foglamps, a high-resolution colour
screen with iDrive Controller, a hands-free facility for phone calls –
including a USB port and Bluetooth audio streaming – and a leather
multifunction steering wheel. Greater freedom with interior and
exterior equipment combinations opens up a wider range of
possibilities to customers. Two new metallic paint finishes are
available, as are three new wheel rim designs and additional
upholstery variants and interior trim strips.
* Fuel consumption figures based on the EU test cycle, may vary depending on the tyre format specified.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new passenger cars is included in the following guideline: “Leitfaden über Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which can be obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. Leitfaden CO2 (Guideline CO2) (PDF ‒ 2.9 MB)