The new BMW 3 Series Touring
It achieves a perfect balance between looks, practicality and comfort.
Sportier than the 5 Series Touring, more elegant than the Z4 or 1 Series, it achieves a perfect balance between looks, practicality and comfort…
Everything about it is BMW, and it has kept the overall feel that characterizes this great family. But it’s distinctive too, and isn’t afraid of flaunting its independence. Its sleek, flowing lines give it a more agile silhouette than the 5 Series ; and as the contrast between the concave and convex surfaces is less marked, it is more elegant than the 1 Series or Z4. A long engine hood, the BMW “nostrils”, double round headlights beneath an attractive, slanting curve, and a roof that slopes gently down to the rear… Everything about it infers the contemporary concept of a car. Inside, you’ll find the same approach to modernity and harmony, based on a dual identity : a dynamic vehicle and a comfortable, middle-of-the-range estate car. On the generously-sized dashboard, the controls and displays are all oriented to face the driver : essential functions are grouped together on the steering wheel or very close to it. To optimize visual sensations, the designers have deliberately reduced driving controls and other switches to an absolute minimum. Another distinctive feature in the BMW range is that the palette of colours for the bodywork and interior is unusually wide and mutiplies the possibiities. There are thus four concepts (fabric, leatherette, fabric/leather and leather), twelve colours for the paintwork, three families of tones for the interior (black, grey or beige), eight colours for trims (anthracite, black, grey, beige, quartz, blue, earth and lemon) and four decorative strips (walnut, poplar burr, matte titanium, aluminium with a fine rectilinear polish) : all in all, no less than six hundred and twenty-four harmonious blends of colours.
Under the hood…
With a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, each model in the 3 Series Touring range gains in power ; and they are all fitted with a 6-speed gearbox. The result is silent driving, precise guidance for the gear lever, constant control efforts and a reduction of about 4 % in gas consumption. In this model, the last-generation Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) becomes the key-system for all the on-board electronics. As well as ABS, it covers ASC (Automatic Stability Control), AYC (which also detects any dynamic instability), MSR (which regulates the engine’s resisting torque), CBC (Curve Braking Control), EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), DBC (Dynamic Brake Control), DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) and finally, Trailer Stability Control (which detects any wandering in a trailer and automatically brakes the traction element). Inside the car, both the driver and passenger benefit from a high degree of protection thanks to frontal airbags with two trigger levels, depending on the severity of the collision. At the front of the car, passengers further benefit from an airbag which is integrated into the seat and protects the pelvis and thorax.
By Cécile Olivéro - photos : press.
