BMW's most important model has always been the entry level 3 Series. The latest incarnation of the favourite Junior Executive saloon is BMW's most cutial replacement after the very succesful 5. Here are details of the new car.

The New Body

The Body of the new E46 is evolutionary rather then revolutionary. But, BMW has included some beautiful details such as the headlamps which have 'scallops' on it's lower section and the new agressive-looking tail lights. Also beautiful is the massively flared wheel archs, gives the little sedan an agressive face. Cd is now down to 0.27 from 0.28. The 3 should generate less wind noise. The Traditional kidney grille is now incorperated into the bonnet as in the 5 and 7. Dimensions wise, the E46 is bigger. It is 4471mm long, up from 4433mm and it is 23 mm taller. Wheelbase has been increased to 2725 to combat critism of the lack of space in the rear of the E36. Overall, the E46 looks better than it's predecessor but more importantly, it's competition.

The New Interior

The E36 has a functional bur drab looking interior. BMW has countered this critisism by giving the new E46 BMW's latest interpetation of the famous 'wave' dashboard. It looks similar to that of the 5 Series. It now has 4 different trims. You have a choice of Wood, Black plastic, Shiny black polished Aluminium or matt chrome titanium. There are also 4 different steering wheels to choose from, with or without the multifunction buttons. All models come wtih steering wheels manually adjustable for reach and height. BMW claims that the new 3 is at least as quiet as the 5.

Technical Specs

The engines of the E36 have been carried over with minor changes made to them. The 6 cylinder engines get steel cylinder liners to combat fuel sulphur. The 8 valve 1.8 litre engine gains 3 hp. Transmissions include a 5 speed manual carried over from the previous model and the already famous Steptronic.

New Safety Features

BMW takes safety as seriously as any other car manufacturer. You can order rear side airbags with the new 3 as well as the new ITS headbag concealed in the headliner. All together, the 3 is available with a total of 8(!) airbags. ASC+T is now standard as well as CBC or Conering braking control. The CBC individually adjusts the presurre of the brakes of the front wheels if the car starts to oversteer when the driver is braking. BMW claims that only the Porsche 911 has got better brakes.