Does BMW Stay True To Its Roots Or Soften Things Up Further?

The seventh generation of the 3 Series is finally here. Does it stay true to its roots or soften things up further?

- Aatish Mishra

Dawn had just broken over Mumbai when BMW handed over the new 3 Series to me. It rolled up to us, gleaming white against the perpetual grey of Mumbai’s skyline. It looked good — visibly larger than the last one, and certainly more stylish. The G20 3 Series is an entirely new generation right down to the platform, and the design is a testament to that. It doesn’t look like an evolution of the F30, but distinct enough to walk its own path. More importantly, it doesn’t look like a shrunken 5 or 7 Series. At a time when BMW’s rivals (we’re looking at you, Mercedes-Benz) are trying harder and harder to make their entry-level cars look like the flagships, BMW has let good sense prevail and bestowed the 3 Series with its own visual identity. Imagine this car with those megagrilles from the 7 Series — good lord!

I was apprehensive about what the new 3 Series would be like to drive. BMW has been softening their cars at the expense of dynamics — the X5 we recently tested is a case in point. ‘Not the 3 Series too,’ is what I thought before I got into it. It has gotten larger with this generation after all — a whole 76mm on the outside, out of which 41mm is between the axles. It is wider by 16mm and more focus has been placed on comfort with this generation than ever before. Purists moaned and moaned when the new 911 got bigger, but promptly shut up once they drove it. I was hoping it was the same case with this car. The 3 Series has always been a sporty offering, it would be a shame to see that DNA diluted. The underpinnings are completely new for the G20, it is now based on the CLAR platform that we are familiar with from the 5 Series and 7 Series, but the engines remain familiar.