.jpg?p=120209_04:29)
.jpg?p=120209_04:31)
.jpg?p=120209_04:54)
.jpg?p=120209_04:35)
.jpg?p=111221_03:51)
Here’s one for facelift fetishists – the revamped 3-Series coupe and convertible. Get a good squint going, perhaps attach a monocle, and you’ll notice the changes.
Or if you can’t be bothered, allow us to summarise. The kidney grilles are slightly different. The lights now have ‘white LED corona rings and illuminated eyebrows’, or ‘severe eye infection’ as your optician would call it. And below all that there’s a gobbier air intake that makes the car look wider and lower so more people will get out of your way. Or get scooped up. The sideskirts have a new twist and the back bumper is also new.
Underneath all that, BMW’s efficiency pixies have been working hard. The grunty 335i now emits 10 per cent less CO2 and consumes 8 per cent less petrol. And the 320d has now has more oomph – 0-62mph now takes 7.5 seconds rather than 7.9 – while managing a righteous 60mpg.
The Coupé starts at £27,845 for the 320i SE, rising to £52,730 for the full-fat and wonderful M3 (£32,905 to £56,740 for the Convertibles).
Related
- Category:
- Car News
- Top moments of TG telly
- Our most-watched clips
- Hammond’s icons
- BMW M3 (E30)
- First drives
- Caterham 7 Supersport
- Merc C63 Black vs M3 GTS
- In this month’s TG mag
More from Top Gear
Advertisement
Get more Top Gear:
Advertisements
Best of TopGear
-
- First pics: the new BMW M6
- See more pics of the bombastic new BMW M6, complete with a 552bhp twin-turbo V8...
- Fare Game: cabbing in Tokyo
- What's it like to be a cabbie in a city where the streets have no name? We meet a master of the night...
- This is the best supercar dealership... in the world
- We meet the owner of Alain Class motors - and his £80m showroom
- Some highlights from Rally Sweden
- Witness some of the best crashes, jumps and acts of commitment...
- Exclusive: news on the 2015 Focus RS
- Paul Horrell reports on the latest developments for Ford’s explosive hot-hatch
TopGear Video
-
-
- James and Jeremy introduce series 18 of Top Gear! (series 18, episode 1)
- Frankly, no one thought we’d be going this long, least of all us. But somehow we are...
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- Behind the scenes with will.i.am (series 18, episode 1)
- We caught up with will.i.am while he practiced his lap times in our automatic cee-apostrophe-dee.
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- Behind the scenes: Andy's lucky pants update
- We do recommend that you finish your dinner before watching...
- Rating: 5 out of 5
-
-
-
- James and Jeremy introduce series 18 of Top Gear! (series 18, episode 1)
- Frankly, no one thought we’d be going this long, least of all us. But somehow we are...
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- Lamborghini Aventador (Series 17, Episode 6)
- Finally, the mighty Aventador hits the Top Gear test track, and Richard is only too happy to help.
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- Behind the scenes: Andy's lucky pants update
- We do recommend that you finish your dinner before watching...
- Rating: 5 out of 5
-
-
-
- Lamborghini Aventador (Series 17, Episode 6)
- Finally, the mighty Aventador hits the Top Gear test track, and Richard is only too happy to help.
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- The boys’ Botswana special part 1 (series 10, episode 4)
- The team find out whether a banger will get you all the way across Botswana
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
- Jeremy tests the Ford Fiesta (series 12, episode 6)
- Jeremy’s most grown-up car test ever. With added guns and Corvettes…
- Rating: 4 out of 5
-
Advertisement Links
Advertisement
Open Car Bar
What do you think?
Want to comment on this?
beermaniac commented on this article
at 01:43 pm on 18 January 2010
they should have facelifted the horrid 5 series instead
Link to this comment
Report this comment
You are about to report a comment for breaking our Code of Conduct.
Please note, we will not remove a post just because you disagree with what is being said.
This form can only be used for reporting a comment. If you want to contact us please go to our contact us page.
beermaniac commented on this article
at 01:43 pm on 18 January 2010
they should have facelifted the horrid 5 series instead
Link to this comment
Report this comment
You are about to report a comment for breaking our Code of Conduct.
Please note, we will not remove a post just because you disagree with what is being said.
This form can only be used for reporting a comment. If you want to contact us please go to our contact us page.
Afaque commented on this article
at 01:54 pm on 18 January 2010
It looks exactly the same if not slightly uglier!!
Link to this comment
Report this comment
You are about to report a comment for breaking our Code of Conduct.
Please note, we will not remove a post just because you disagree with what is being said.
This form can only be used for reporting a comment. If you want to contact us please go to our contact us page.
VieVentar commented on this article
at 03:32 pm on 18 January 2010
From this angle, and with that lighting, the curvature of the bonnet makes it look like one headlight is higher than the other. Its like an Escher painting with all the talent removed and LED's stuck on instead.
Link to this comment
Report this comment
You are about to report a comment for breaking our Code of Conduct.
Please note, we will not remove a post just because you disagree with what is being said.
This form can only be used for reporting a comment. If you want to contact us please go to our contact us page.
scottneal commented on this article
at 04:10 pm on 18 January 2010
They had no reason to facelift it. They've made it fat. It was the 5 series that needed it. An M3 might shut me up though...
Link to this comment
Report this comment
You are about to report a comment for breaking our Code of Conduct.
Please note, we will not remove a post just because you disagree with what is being said.
This form can only be used for reporting a comment. If you want to contact us please go to our contact us page.