BMW 3 Series Generation F30

And the main thing is that for these 40 years the 3 Series has not lost its driving passion. Sedans, wagons, convertibles and coupes still remain benchmarks of handling and balance of driving qualities in its class. They have several chassis options – basic, sporty or adaptive, with electronically controlled shock absorbers, two variants of 8-speed automatic transmission and a range of turbocharged engines, which after a recent update added a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine! But wait for laughter: it has the same power as the former 1.6 with supercharger – 136 hp and 220 Nm of torque, but it is more economical and accelerates “three” to 100 km/h 0.3 seconds faster – for 8.9 seconds!

Top power is a new in-line 3-liter “six” (no V-shaped schemes, only classics!) from the new modular range, developing 326 hp and 450 Nm. With it, the 3 Series accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, and in fact recently such figures were the destiny of only supercars.

Is it any better? Actually, BMW has something cooler – a sedan M3. Its three-liter turbo engine produces 431 hp and 550 Nm, accelerating a four-door up to a hundred in 4,1 seconds. And this is that case when “downsizing” is only for its benefit. On Nurburgring – the main proving ground of modern sports cars – the new “M3” was 13 seconds faster than M3 E92 with atmospheric V8.