Right away, the differences from the previous generation 3-Series are vast, especially in M Sport trim. The shape of the headlights is new, and so is everything around them; including the notches below the headlight housing, the angle and size of the kidney grilles, and the air intakes found on the lower portion of the bumper. In the sportiest of trims, the air ducts are considerably more aggressive-looking than in the outgoing model, and even in the more conservative trims, the overall look is still sportier than before. The profile and rear also boast several new design changes, but perhaps the biggest one is the taillights' "L" design. The taillight housings appear to protrude from the body and are somewhat reminiscent of a Lexus taillight, although we won't know what the lighting pattern looks like until the vehicle is officially unveiled.<doc-sep>Without further ado, here is the all-new 2019 BMW 3-Series G20, without any camouflage or obscured in any way. These configurator photos show the car from all angles, in various trims and give a detailed view of its completely redesigned interior complete with digital gauge cluster and new infotainment. 2019 BMW 3 Series Overview First off, the G20 3-Series looks slightly different compared to its predecessor, the F30 - its hood and frontal area just seem more elongated, with the greenhouse set further back. This could be an illusion and can only be confirmed by putting the old and new 3-Series side by side - but it certainly looks like it from these leaked photos. Let’s not forget that this new 3-Series has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor, so the apparent extra front length may be a byproduct of the wheels sitting closer to the corners of the car. Headlights are also another talking point - they’re quite slim and wide, and on their lower edge they have a small bump which is continued by a crease running down the front bumper - it’s really a good look - arguably better than that of the outgoing model. Design-wise, they are actually quite close to those on the Peugeot 308 hatchback, although BMW probably won’t be happy about the comparison - but once you’ve seen the similarity, there’s no turning back. The kidney grille is also worth mentioning here - it’s about the same shape as the one used on the larger 5-Series, but it appears it will have quite different designs for its two intakes, undoubtedly based on the selected trim - some cars have conventional vertical slats, while others seem to have a fancier looking design. From the side, the car’s extra wheelbase is again evident, and it not only looks longer, but also lower and sleeker than before. The “hockey stick” design detail running across the doors (borrowed from the 7-Series) is also quite visible, thanks to a pronounced crease that compliments the more aggressive side skirt design too. The rear deck lid is also shorter with a more pronounced ducktail spoiler built in. Regarding the rear light clusters, they don’t look similar to any current BMW sedan - the closest ones are actually the ones used on the new X4. Moving to the car’s interior, it looks very different from the outgoing model that was launched in 2011 and is now really showing its age inside. The overall design is very clean, uncluttered and fuss-free, packing plenty of changes. First on the list is the fully-digital gauge cluster which is displayed on 12.3-inch screen complemented by a 10.25-inch central display which is also a touchscreen. There’s also a new-style control for the iDrive infotainment and the climate control also gets a new (monochrome) display located in between the two central vents, right below the infotainment. Also judging on this batch of leaked photos, all of which are taken from an online configurator, it looks like there will be wider customization options than ever before, with even more differentiation between differently specced cars. But we can’t know for sure until the car officially debuts, which it will at the Paris motor show that kicks off tomorrow. Further reading Read our full speculative review on the 2019 BMW 3 Series. Read our full review on the 2017 BMW 3 Series.<doc-sep>The new BMW 3-series’ styling has been leaked before its official debut at the Paris motor show. Images surfaced online reveal the car’s fresh look and overhauled interior. The images are taken from a 3-series configurator released early, which shows the car's evolutionary look, with simplified rear end and more dramatic fascia. The shots surfaced online just yesterday. It also confirms the introduction of a rear-wheel-drive M340i M Performance model, which will feature a 365hp version of BMW’s 3.0-litre, inline, six-cylinder, twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine. It will be followed by a four-wheel-drive M340d xDrive M Performance, which is set to receive a 324hp version of the company’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel engine. The 3-series will also be offered with more variants, including new M-fettled versions that feature generous boosts in performance. Key to the expansion plan for the seventh-generation 3-series is the addition of two new M Performance models powered by six-cylinder engines. In a strategy mirroring that undertaken with the latest 5-series, the new M Performance variants will go on sale shortly after more mainstream versions of the new 3-series are launched in both sedan and estate body styles. The new derivatives will be offered as either a petrol or a diesel and will bridge the gap in the line-up that presently exists between standard six-cylinder models and BMW M’s range-topping M3 sedan. The new performance-oriented 3-series models will be targeted at the likes of the Audi S4 quattro and Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic. They will have individual styling touches, their own unique chassis tuning and relatively high equipment levels. Autocar can reveal they will also form the basis for the two-door M440i M Performance Coupé and M440d M Performance Coupé models, which will arrive in showrooms in 2020. Significantly, the decision to launch the M340d xDrive M Performance model underpins plans by BMW to continue to equip the 3-series with a full range of three, four and six-cylinder diesel engines, despite increasingly tight emissions legislation across Europe, including the spectre of regional bans on diesel cars from entering city centres (some of which may be implemented in Germany). A recent preview video showed the car under construction at its Dingolfing plant, with elements of the car's exterior shown, as well as its interior – in particular, its digital dashboard and wide, high-mounted central infotainment screen – while the shots show fragments of the car's inside and exterior. These follow BMW's first preview of the car, showing the outline of the 3-series under a sheet, with the car's distinctive daytime running lights highlighting extra details. The image first surfaced on BMW forums, but the brand confirmed that the preview is genuine. The upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-class rival was most recently spotted in Touring guise, being put through its paces at the Nurburgring, ahead of its launch early next year. Spy photographers captured this camouflaged test mule undergoing high-speed testing, with extra panels riveted in place towards the rear end to disguise the cargo area. It is also sporting the redesigned headlights and tail-lights that will set it apart from the outgoing model. The Touring is expected to go on sale shortly after the sedan, which BMW is due to reveal at the Paris Motor Show. Other variants should follow later in the year, with a plug-in hybrid model completing the line-up. This latest sighting follows photos of a '330e' plug-in hybrid model, which looks like a regular 3-series but has “Electric Test Vehicle” written on each side. Further clues include a small lump in the C-pillar disguise, exactly where BMW has traditionally placed the ‘eDrive’ badge on its plug-in models. The car was also seen later on the same road, as well as in the recent preview images, with its kidney grille blanked off, suggesting an active aerodynamic shutter system may feature on the new car. Unusually, the 330e was spotted testing alongside a Tesla Model 3 on tow. A fully electric 3-series is not expected, with that car instead set to be part of the 4-series line-up. It’s a sign, however, that BMW is benchmarking its car’s all-electric mode with a similarly-sized full EV. As such, expect a substantial increase in electric range and a minor performance boost with the next 330e, which could arrive early next year. The current car combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an 88hp electric motor, promising an all-electric range of 40km and a 0-100kph time of 6.1sec. The 330e is set to become a more crucial model in the range, thanks to the drop in demand for diesel models. There is even potential for BMW to offer a lower-powered, even more efficient version to plug the fleet-biased gap in the range historically filled by the 320d. That powertrain could use the new three-cylinder engine that’ll feature in the 318i and build on it with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack. More variants of the 3-series will go on sale throughout 2019 after its initial launch. Previous spy shots had captured a disguised version of the 3-series Touring testing on public roads in Germany, hinting at how the most practical variant of the G20-generation car will look when it hits roads next year. Both the Touring and sedan versions of BMW's future model are being engineered to offer even more comfort but not to the detriment of handling. This means the whole range — even sportier versions such as the just-spotted M Sport variant — should be more forgiving on rough surfaces than before. The motivation for this more comfortable model comes from hot competition from Mercedes-Benz and its rivalling C-class. Although the 3-series stands strong as BMW's best-selling model, it's fallen short of the hot-selling C-class, which sold in 1,76,915 units to the 3-series' 1,29,053 in 2017. As such, BMW engineers have been tasked with broadening the 3-series' reach and fighting the C-class at its own, more comfort-focused game. BMW benchmarks C-class for new 'G20' 3-series BMW is pulling out all the stops to ensure the new 3-series, which goes under the internal codename G20, possesses the stylistic appeal, performance credentials, dynamic ability and overall technical prowess it needs to claw back the gains made by its keenest executive class rivals, most notably the C-class, which officials have as the clear benchmark. Prototype sedan versions of the new 3-series spied testing on the roads around BMW’s engineering headquarters in Munich recently indicate it will continue the company’s tradition of evolutionary design change, with an appearance that leans heavily on that of the larger 5-series, as well as influence from the X2 SUV. The car has a more naturally sporting stance to mirror the changes beneath. Credit for the design of the new model rests with former BMW brand design boss, Karim Habib, who moved to Infiniti last year. As the first 3-series model to be fully honed in BMW’s Munich-based wind tunnel, the G20 is also claimed to match the aerodynamic efficiency of the 5-series. The most slippery body style is said to have a drag co-efficient of 0.22. The new 3-series has grown in most key dimensions. Nothing is official, but Munich insiders suggest overall length is up by 60mm to around 4,703mm. Some 20mm of this is said to be concentrated within a lengthened wheelbase, which has increased to almost 2,830mm, up from 2,810mm. By comparison, the current C-class is 4,696mm in length and has a 2,840mm wheelbase. The new 3-series is based on BMW’s latest CLAR (cluster architecture) platform — as used by all recent BMW models — and features a longitudinally mounted engine. In keeping with developments already seen on the larger 5-series, it benefits from a range of weight-saving initiatives, including the greater use of hot-formed high-strength steel within the main body structure, to cut the already highly competitive kerb weight of today’s sixth-generation model by up to 50kg, despite the larger dimensions. The volume of 3-series sales rules out the use of carbon-fibre, so there’ll be no Carbon Core structural developments like those seen on the headlining 7-series. However, BMW’s body construction specialists suggest the G20 will feature a much larger number of cast aluminium components and a greater percentage of magnesium in load-bearing areas.<doc-sep>
The new BMW 3 Series, called G20 in internal carmaker speak, will be shown this week at the Paris Motor Show . However, configurator renders of the new generation car have already leaked online, depicting the car far more detailedly than the official BMW teaser material we've seen so far.The material in this extensive gallery was posted online today on the Bimmerpost forums and quickly circulated widely on the web. They show the G20 3 Series in various trim levels inside out. Posed side by side with the outgoing F30 generation car, we can easily compare changes in the car's design language and features. The crease going from the front fender to the tail lights, underlining the door handles has been banished, with the sides gaining a deeper depression in the bottom portion of the doors. The traditional Hofmeister kink in the C-pillar is retained, but it has received detail changes. As seen earlier, the hood now meets the kidneys, unlike in the F30 predecessor.The overall profile and dimensions of the car are still very much reminiscent of the F30, and there's no mistaking the G20 for anything else than a BMW 3 Series, but the design has been tuned a touch more aggressive. Taillights now have a large graphite colored portion, and the wave in the middle of the headlights serves to visually cut the lights in two, to accentuate the classic BMW four-headlight look. The detail shots also show the new laser lights as an option.Automatic gearshifts are the only shifters shown in the interior renders; amusingly, some of the cabin shots actually lack a gearlever altogether, but that's most likely a render error and not a BMW engineering decision. The center of the dashboard with its large display and heavy-looking bezels is strongly angled towards the driver, and the sport seats seen in the gallery's interior shots are deeply contoured. Virtual, configurable gauges dominate the gauge cluster.The cars in the gallery are said to be the 330i M Sport and M340i models, with the latter one gaining a mesh-style grille in the kidneys instead of the traditional style. The bumpers' air intakes are also rather aggressive-looking, with a more toned-down look in the white Sport Line car also seen here.