New BMW 3 Series Convertible in Depth

Press Release

Supreme muscle: the 3.0-litre diesel in the BMW 3 Series Convertible.

Right from the start, the new BMW 3 Series Convertible is available with BMW’s 3.0-litre diesel combining an all-aluminium crankcase with the latest generation of common-rail fuel injection. A diesel particulates filter placed close to the engine serves furthermore to efficiently reduce exhaust emissions to a new, unprecedented level.

Maximum output of the 3.0-litre diesel in the new BMW 330d Convertible is 170 kW/231 hp, with peak torque of 500 Nm/369 lb-ft from 1,750–3, 000 rpm. Acceleration of the diesel-powered version of BMW’s new 3 Series Convertible to 100 km/h comes in 7.1 seconds, and the car’s top speed is 245 km/h or 152 mph. Average fuel consumption to the EU standard, finally, is just 6.9 litres/100 kilometres, equal to 40.9 mpg Imp.

New automatic transmission with paddles on the steering wheel.

The new BMW 3 Series Convertible comes as standard on all gasoline and diesel models with a six-speed manual gearbox. A six-speed automatic transmission now developed to an even higher level is however available as an option, offering the very best in motoring comfort and immediately following the driver’s commands in dynamically converting superior engine power into supreme driving pleasure. Even more effective hydraulic control, an innovative torque converter, and management software enhanced to a significantly higher standard all interact to ensure a spontaneous reaction to even the slightest movement of the gas pedal with far quicker reaction and gearshift times. And should the driver wish to manually adjust the sporting character of the car’s power transmission, all he has to do is shift gears by means of paddles on the steering wheel.

Modern suspension technology ensuring maximum precision.

Standard drive on the new BMW 3 Series Convertible, with the engine at the front and the drive wheels at the rear, guarantees maximum agility, directional stability and safe handling at all speeds. With engine power being transmitted to the rear wheels, the rack-and-pinion steering with hydraulic power assistance remains free of drive forces at all times.

BMW Active Steering specially tailored to the BMW 3 Series Convertible is available as an option, varying the steering angle individually as a function of road speed. So the same movement of the steering wheel at lower speeds turns the steering transmission and the front wheels of the car further than at high speeds, enabling the driver to manoeuvre at low speeds with minimum effort and movements of the steering wheel, while keeping the car precisely on course at high speeds.

Featuring a double-joint tiebar spring-strut axle made largely of aluminium at the front and a five-arm axle at the rear, the BMW 3 Series Convertible comes with the currently most advanced and sophisticated suspension in its class.
A further significant feature is the car’s high-performance brake system, with BMW becoming the first carmaker in the world to fit its models with a continuous wear indicator providing permanent, ongoing information on the condition of the brake pads.

The 17-inch light-alloy rims featured as standard on the new BMW 3 Series Convertible come on 225/45R17 runflat tyres. As a further feature, the Tyre Defect Indicator permanently monitors air pressure and warns the driver as soon as air pressure in the tyres drops more than 30 per cent below the ideal level.

DSC with enhanced functions for superior safety and performance.

The efficiency and practical benefits of the brake system are enhanced to an even higher level than before by DSC Dynamic Stability Control with its new, innovative functions: On the six-cylinder versions of the new Convertible, BMW’s latest generation of DSC suspension control not only controls the ABS brake function and stability on slippery surfaces by intervening in the brakes and reducing engine power, but also sets off even the slightest fading effect at extremely high brake temperatures. A further function is regular Dry Braking for optimum brake power also in the wet, while Brake Pre-Loading ensures even quicker brake standby whenever required. And in conjunction with Active Steering, DSC Dynamic Stability Control is even able to build up an appropriate but discreet counter-steering effect when applying the brakes on surfaces with different frictional coefficients to give the car greater stability under such circumstances.

Intelligent and torsionally stiff: the bodyshell.

The intelligent combination of innovative and proven materials, together with modem production technology, makes the bodyshell of the new BMW 3 Series Convertible particularly light but at the same time very sturdy and stable. Indeed, BMW’s body development specialists have achieved particularly impressive results in optimising the torsional stiffness of the new open four-seater.

Carefully conceived arrangement and configuration of the car’s load-bearing structures, crash boxes and deformation zones help to keep impact energy well away from the body in all kinds of collisions. Inside the passenger compartment, carefully interacting, centrally controlled restraint and impact-absorbing systems ensure superior safety for all the car’s occupants.
The frontal and head/thorax airbags, belt latch tensioners and belt force limiters are activated by sensor-controlled safety electronics as a function of the type of accident and its severity. The head/thorax airbag integrated on the outside of the seat backrests inflates in a collision from the side over a large area extending from the bottom of the backrest all the way to the upper edge of the headrests, ensuring effective safety and protection at upper body and head level regardless of the occupant’s current seating position.

Superior safety in a rollover, in turn, is ensured not only by the extremely stable A-pillars and the frame around the windscreen, but also by a rollover sensor permanently monitoring vertical and horizontal movements of the car.

A central computer also serves in this case to evaluate driving data, moving up the rollbars behind the rear-seat headrests in the event of an impending rollover and at the same time activating the belt latch tensioners on the front seats as well as the head/thorax airbags.

Four seats, lots of space, lots of freedom: the interior.

The new BMW 3 Series Convertible offers four occupants the supreme pleasure of motoring in the open air. The front seats are equipped with integrated belt systems, the centre console extending all the way to the back splits up the rear seat bench into two separate individual seats with generous headroom at the top. In comparison with the former model, the passengers at the rear enjoy 8 centimetres or 3.15´´ more shoulder room and 12 centimetres or 4.75´´ more elbow room.

Access to the rear seats is facilitated by the Comfort Entry function on the front seats, with the seat release lever positioned at exactly the right point at the top on the outside of the backrest.

Offering capacity of up to 350 litres or 12.3 cubic feet, the luggage compartment is also generous in every respect. And even with the roof open, the capacity available is still 210 litres or 7.4 cubic feet, quite sufficient for taking along large hard-shell suitcases or two golf bags.

Yet a further advantage is that the rear part of the passenger compartment may be used as an additional storage area: After tilting down the single-piece rear-seat backrest, the driver and his passengers have the benefit of a large, flat surface simply ideal for transporting even bulky objects without the risk of making the upholstery dirty, let alone causing any damage.

A feature quite unique for a convertible in this segment is the optional opening between the luggage compartment and the passenger compartment measuring approximately 40 centimetres or 16´´ in width. This provides ample space for taking along long objects such as skis, snowboards or golf bags loaded through from the luggage compartment to the rear of the passenger compartment. And obviously, this makes the new BMW 3 Series Convertible particularly well-suited for travelling with a friend and for handling all kinds of transport requirements in everyday motoring.

Indeed, this through-loading facility between the luggage compartment and the passenger compartment is also readily available for practical use when driving with passengers at the rear, an opening for through-loading in the middle of the rear backrest providing additional storage space also with four occupants in the car. And last but certainly not least, folding storage boxes in the inner door panels again provide substantial capacity for taking along all kinds of odds and ends, with the additional advantage of keeping your belongings out of sight from outside the car.

Even clearer, even more intuitive: BMW iDrive with eight favourite buttons.

The new BMW 3 Series Convertible comes with BMW’s trendsetting iDrive control concept masterminding the Navigation, Climate Control, Entertainment and Communication functions. The driver first chooses his settings by means of the iDrive Controller on the centre console, the functions and options chosen then being presented on the Control Display. Eight favourite buttons for any functions the driver or passengers may prefer serve to further facilitate and streamline operation of the system.
So pressing just one single button, the driver is able to retrieve features such as telephone numbers dialled frequently, a frequent destination or his favourite radio station.

Individual and exclusive equipment.

Offering a wide range of safety and comfort equipment, the BMW 3 Series Convertible makes every trip a wonderful experience. And numerous customisation options give the purchaser of a BMW 3 Series Convertible the opportunity to turn this outstanding car into his – or her – very own personal, tailor-made model. Precisely this is why the new BMW 3 Series Convertible is available, over and above its series equipment, with a wide range of high-tech solutions enhancing the car’s audio, navigation and telematics systems – solutions originally developed strictly for luxury performance cars.

Innovative control of the automatic air conditioning specifically tailored to comfort-oriented motoring in the BMW 3 Series Convertible is one of these examples: The automatic ventilation programs selected by way of the iDrive control system are supplemented by an additional mode, the “Convertible� mode, in addition to the three stages “Gentle�, “Medium�, and “Intensive�. With this additional mode, the influence of the interior temperature sensor on ventilation control is intentionally reduced, temperature control and blower intensity being based primarily on the outside temperature and the degree of sunshine instead.

Sunshine without regrets: special leather reflecting infra-red radiation.

One of the options particularly attractive in a convertible is a newly developed, special type of leather for the seat upholstery and interior trim: BMW is one of the first carmakers in the world to use a new process for treating leather surfaces referred to as SunReflective Technology. In this case modified colour pigments serve to reflect the infra-red radiation contained in sunlight, effectively preventing the overheating effect otherwise experienced particularly in perfect weather for open-air motoring. On dark interior colours, the difference in temperature provided by this new leather may be up to 20 °C, while with light colours the surface heating effect is much smaller, anyway, from the start.

A wind deflector developed especially for the new BMW 3 Series Convertible reduces air turbulence within the interior also at high speeds. This new wind deflector is fitted firmly in the rear by way of mounts provided as standard in the side panels and is then moved up into position. Since the rotary knob on the fastening mechanism moves the fastening anchors on both sides of the deflector, one single operation on either the driver’s or front passenger’s side is sufficient to fit the deflector firmly in position.

Description in Brief.

• Fourth generation of the open two-door model based on the BMW 3 Series, for the first time with a retracting lightweight steel hardtop, a three-piece roof construction opening and closing fully automatically, and the roof opening by remote control as a standard feature.

• Undiluted re-interpretation of the classic lines of the BMW 3 Series Convertible, dynamically stretched silhouette, low shoulder line accentuating the openness of the car, low and dynamic rear section.

• Seating position and length of the windscreen frame specifically designed and laid out to provide a unique experience of open-air motoring in the typical style of the BMW 3 Series Convertible, all-round visibility optimised with the car closed, visibility to the rear enlarged by 38 per cent, side windows 30 per cent larger, fully covered roof lining, designed and laid out for perfect qualities at high speeds.

• Weight-reduced, crash-optimised lightweight body, new benchmark for torsional stiffness in a BMW Convertible.

• Wide range of safety features with frontal, head/thorax airbags, belt latch tensioners, belt force limiters, sensor-controlled safety electronics including rollover protection with rollbars moving up automatically when required behind the rear seats.

• Exclusive interior design with sporting and elegant lines, driver-oriented cockpit, high-quality materials, automatic air conditioning tailored to the specific requirements of a convertible, leather upholstery with SunReflective Technology reducing high temperatures on the seats and armrests otherwise caused by sunglare, audio, TV, navigation and telecommunication aerials integrated invisibly into the car.

• Four full-size seats, single seats at the rear separated from one another by the centre console extending back into the rear-seat area, maximum luggage capacity 350 litres/12.3 cu ft (210 litres/7.4 cu ft with the roof open), unusually large variability of luggage space thanks to optional through-loading at the rear.

• New six- and four-cylinder power units, all gasoline engines with direct fuel injection, six-cylinder diesel available from the start upon model launch.

• New six-speed automatic transmission with enhanced gearshift dynamics, transmission connected almost directly to the engine and with optimised gearshift comfort for powerful acceleration and enhanced fuel economy.

Engine variants:

• BMW 335i Convertible: straight-six gasoline engine with Twin Turbo technology and direct fuel injection (High Precision Injection), 2,979 cc engine capacity, 225 kW/306 hp max output,
  400 Nm/295 lb-ft max torque, acceleration 0–100 km/h in 5.8 sec, top speed 250 km/h (155 mph), average fuel consumption to the EU standard 9.9 litres/100 km (28.5 mpg Imp).

• BMW 330i Convertible: straight-six gasoline engine with direct fuel injection, 2,996 cc engine capacity, 200 kW/272 hp max output, 320 Nm/236 lb-ft max torque, acceleration 0–100 km/h in 6.7 sec, top speed 250 km/h (155 mph), average fuel consumption to the EU standard 8.1 litres/100 km (34.9 mpg Imp).

• BMW 325i Convertible: straight-six gasoline engine with direct fuel injection, 2,996 cc engine capacity, 160 kW/218 hp max output, 270 Nm/199 lb-ft max torque, acceleration 0–100 km/h in 7.6 sec, top speed 245 km/h (152 mph), average fuel consumption to the EU standard 7.9 litres/100 km (35.8 mpg Imp).

• BMW 320i Convertible: straight-four gasoline engine with direct fuel injection, 1,995 cc engine capacity, 125 kW/170 hp max output, 210 Nm/155 lb-ft max torque, acceleration 0–100 km/h in 9.1 sec, top speed 228 km/h (141 mph), average fuel consumption to the EU standard 6.6 litres/100 km (42.8 mpg Imp).

• BMW 330d Convertible: straight-six diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase and latest-generation common rail fuel injection, 2,993 cc engine capacity, 170 kW/231 hp max output,
  500 Nm/369 lb-ft max torque, acceleration 0–100 km/h in 7.1 sec, top speed 245 km/h (152 mph), average fuel consumption to the EU standard 6.9 litres/100 km (40.9 mpg Imp).