German Car Forum

BMW Updates the Iconic Sport Sedan and Wagon for 2009
Landlord is standing over my shoulder looking at photos of the updated 2009 BMW 3 Series. "What'd they change?" she asks, squinting to see if there's some detail she missed. "Well, the whole front end is changed," I tell her through the fog of Chanel No. 5 that always enshrouds her. "There are new headlights, new LED turn signals, and..." I say, riffling through the press release, "BMW says the 'contour edges of the side skirts have been set higher and modeled in a more distinctive fashion.'"

"Doesn't look much different to me," she snorts unimpressed. "Well, at least they didn't screw it up."

Landlord may drive a 3 Series but is no 3 Series connoisseur, and the subtleties of the 2009 version of the world's greatest sport sedan are obviously lost on her. But for the legions of Bimmer nuts out there, every change in side skirt contour and turn signal design is big news.

This is, after all, the first significant change to the E90 generation 3 Series since its 2006 introduction. But beneath those surface changes are some real evolutionary developments — not huge leaps, mind you, but developments. And there is one big piece of news — the 335d turbodiesel is finally coming to America.

Elongated for Your Pleasure
In an automotive world that seems to have become obsessed with smaller, more modest vehicles overnight, the freshened styling of the 2009 3 Series sedan and wagon (two-door models won't look any different from the 2008 editions) is intended to boldly emphasize the car's length and width. This is done with a new hood, an aggressively shaped front bumper cover, new headlight buckets and the aforementioned revised side skirts and more pronounced character lines in the front fenders.

The new hood's two additional character lines form a spear that surrounds the BMW emblem and points forward to the reshaped twin-kidney grille, which is now recessed deeper back into the fascia. It's not a prominent spear compared to, say, the raised center section on the hood of a '63 Corvette Stingray, but it does add some belligerence to the E90's lines.

The new bumper cover looks very much like the old one, that is, if the old one had been left out in the sun long enough to melt and sag a bit. BMW has also segregated the round driving lights off in their own finned nacelles to either side.

While the headlight buckets are essentially the same shape as those used on previous E90s, the expected round lamps inside now have corona rings that act as daytime running lights when the 3 Series is equipped with the optional bi-xenon elements (standard on the 335i and optional on the 328i). Models with standard halogen lamps use the corona rings as parking lights. Beyond that, the turn signal lights have a new "graphic, chrome-colored rib structure" with an "oblique orientation" that BMW says "enhances the vehicle's impression of width." Whatever. I now expect people with oblique orientations to soon demand equal civil rights.

Changes in the rear include a slightly (very slightly) reshaped deck lid and new L-shaped monochromatic taillights with LED elements. And BMW has increased the rear track by 0.6 inch, which should deliver increased stability.

If all that isn't enough, then surely the new side mirrors with two character lines in their bodies will inspire your bloodlust and get you to sign that closed-end lease.

Of course there's more.

Inside and iDrive
If the changes on the outside of the 2009 BMW 3 Series rate as subtle, those inside are downright inscrutable.

"Matted chrome" is now used to cover such controls as the start/stop engine button, the ventilation system's rotary knobs and the lighting controls. And the updated, latest version of the dread, menu-driven iDrive system that comes along with the satellite navigation system uses a control knob also finished in "matted precious metal finish."

In fact the iDrive controller itself is slightly smaller than before and is framed by a brace of buttons that act as shortcuts for accessing particular functions without scrolling through dozens of menus, submenus and sub-submenus. The display itself is now a higher-definition 8.8-inch screen and an 8-gigabyte hard drive has been built into the iDrive system for packing audio files into the system.

More intriguing is BMW's new "ConnectedDrive" service that keeps the car in constant contact with the rest of the world through online networks. So far, the fully enabled ConnectedDrive isn't scheduled to be offered in the U.S.-bound 3 Series during 2009 — BMW says the country lacks the necessary technological infrastructure. However, in Germany at least, ConnectedDrive's talents include the ability to surf the Internet through the iDrive system while the car is parked (so there's no reading Inside Line on the autobahn).

Other changes include a new auxiliary audio input jack inside the expanded center console alongside a power outlet and special non-slip recess for iPod addicts. And on the driver-side door panel, the control panel for the power windows and mirrors has been moved back 2 centimeters so, BMW says, "as to enable even more comfortable access."

So if you've always found that your left forearm is 2 centimeters too short to be truly comfortable in the BMW 3 Series, you're out of excuses now. Of course, those of you with forearms 3 centimeters too short may want to protest BMW's inadequate response to your plight. We suggest an online petition.

Mechanically Just as Sweet — but Where's Our DCT?
Freshened styling and a tweaked interior may be nice, but any BMW's soul lies in its mechanical sweetness.

Around the world, BMW has pretty much left the engine choices for the E90 alone.

In the U.S. the 328i sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon return with 230 horsepower from its naturally aspirated 3.0-liter six while the coupe, convertible and sedan will again also be offered as 335i models powered by a twin-turbocharged gas 3.0-liter straight-6 rated at 300 hp. The M3s are heading into 2009 virtually untouched.

However, there is some powertrain news. In Europe (and much of the rest of the world), the 335i coupe and convertible will also be offered with a dual-clutch, computer-controlled seven-speed transmission, which we've already sampled in the 2008 BMW M3 Convertible.

Conceptually similar to VW's Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), BMW's Double Clutch Transmission (DCT) offers the driver either fully automated or manual shifting operation. It also can be manually controlled by a shifter in the center console or paddles behind the steering wheel. The bad news is BMW won't be shipping the DCT over in the 335i two-doors to America during 2009. And it's not saying when — if ever — it plans to do so. Still, we expect it to make a midyear appearance on this side of the Atlantic.

In other transmission news, once again a six-speed manual will still be available on every model with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission as an option.

All-wheel drive will also continue to be an option on the 328i sedan and wagon and the 335i sedan — and now models so equipped will be called "xDrive" instead of having the "x" buried into their name. So what has been the "328xi" will soon be called the "328i xDrive." Got it? Good.

Diesel Do Nicely
Bigger news, however, is the return of BMW diesel power to North America for the first time since the company discontinued the underwhelming 114-hp 524td after a two-year run in 1986.

With 265 hp aboard, the new 335d sedan is more than twice as powerful as that ancient 524td and with 425 pound-feet of torque between 1,750 and 2,250 rpm, BMW is claiming a 0-60 time of just 6.0 seconds despite the fact that a conventional six-speed automatic transmission is standard.

Built around an aluminum block and heads, the new BMW "BluePerformance" turbocharged diesel straight-6 displaces 3.0 liters and uses both a particulate filter and catalytic converter (housed in a common case) to meet air emissions standards in all 50 states. This engine has the potential to revolutionize how diesels are perceived in this country.

Let's see how much of that potential is realized.

Midcycle Thrills
The DCT transmission and BluePerformance diesel engine may attract a few new buyers to the 3 Series, but it's not like BMW has radically altered the E90 in this mid-lifecycle updating. It's still the heart of the company's lineup and still an iconic entry-level luxury and performance platform. In short, BMW didn't screw it up.

Even Landlord could recognize that.
edmunds