Press Release
Short Version
Curtains open for the new BMW 3 Series Convertible!
The fourth generation of the BMW 3 Series Convertible is making its appearance - and at the same time the new car marks an important premiere in the history of BMW. For this is the first BMW 3 Series Convertible to feature a retractable hardtop protecting the car's occupants from wind and weather. The three-piece roof in lightweight steel plate structure closes fully automatically within just 23 seconds over the passenger compartment, opening a bit faster in precisely 22 seconds and disappearing completely into the rear end of BMW's open two-door.
The retractable hardtop gives the new BMW 3 Series Convertible a truly unique standard of comfort, solidity and value not to be found anywhere else in this segment. And at the same time it preserves the elegance and uniqueness characteristic of this model just like the uniquely open driving experience.
Fascinating innovations are also be found within the engine bay, the new 3 Series Convertible for the first time featuring newly developed six-and four- cylinder power units with direct gasoline injection. The top model in the range is the BMW 335i Convertible, with a Twin Turbo straight-six power unit developing maximum output of 225 kW/306 hp. And when launched in Europe on 24 March 2007, BMW's new open four-seater will also come in the guise of the BMW 330d Convertible featuring a 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine with an all-aluminium crankcase and the latest generation of common-rail fuel injection.
Even at high speeds, the new roof structure ensures an incomparable standard of smoothness and silence inside the car. And the extremely stiff body with supreme torsional stiffness provides ideal conditions for superior agility and dynamism on the road. In terms of flexural stiffness, the new BMW 3 Series Convertible offers the highest standard ever achieved by an open-air BMW. Harmonious weight distribution and the sophisticated chassis and suspension further enhance the sporting characteristics of this unique car.
Open or closed - unmistakable at all times.
The roof structure made up of thee elements provides an ambience within the interior quite similar to that of a coupé. And thanks to the large windows offering superior visibility also when the roof is closed, as well as full lining inside of the roof, the new Convertible provides a bright and exclusive ambience at all times. Compared with the former model, the rear side windows are 30 per cent larger and visibility to the rear has been enhanced by 38 per cent.
After lowering the roof into the rear compartment, the occupants enjoy an atmosphere of truly unlimited openness which has always been typical of the BMW 3 Series Convertible and is borne out in particular in this case by the low shoulder line.
With the roof closed, the greenhouse moved further to the rear becomes another symbol of dynamic performance additionally accentuated by the gentle sweep of the engine compartment lid merging into the low-slung
A-pillar. The roofline gradually moving down to the rear remains slim and slender also around the C-pillar, reaching the rear end in a distinctly visible angle, and therefore giving the BMW 3 Series Convertible its unique look and design even with the roof closed.
An aluminium trim bar extending all round shows clearly where the roof begins, while the functional elements for the roof kinematics are covered by roof trim bars.
A new world at the touch of a button: the retractable hardtop.
The three elements making up the hardtop are lifted electrohydraulically and fully automatically in a smooth, flowing motion, swivelled to the rear and placed in compact arrangement on top of one another in the roof compartment at the back. To take up the roof elements, the rear lid on the Convertible also serving as the roof compartment lid opens up backwards against the direction of travel.
To make full use of the storage capacity available at all times, the roof and luggage compartments are separated from one another by a variable cover. With the roof closed this cover may be folded to the inside to provide even more storage space. And as soon as the cover is lowered again, all the driver has to do is pull back a button on the centre console in order to open up the car.
This process of pulling back the button marks an analogy to the actual movement of the roof itself, which may also be opened and - as an option - closed by remote control from the car's central locking.
Individual character within the BMW 3 Series.
Following the Saloon, Touring and Coupé, the Convertible is the fourth variant within BMW's highly successful 3 Series. But despite this close relationship borne out by many design features and highlights typical of the brand, the Convertible is a genuine individualist. Looking at the front end, for example, the observer will see immediately how new model stands out clearly from its Saloon counterpart, and in a comparison with the BMW 3 Series Coupé, all similarities end at the transition from the engine compartment lid into the A-pillar.
The sporting style of the new Convertible is powerfully borne out by the contours of the long and low-slung engine compartment lid as well as the design of the front air dam and headlights. Indeed, through their looks alone, the headlights give the Convertible a self-confident, highly concentrated appearance.
The new BMW 3 Series Convertible comes as standard with bi-xenon headlights characterised in their round shape by corona rings. This makes the Convertible easy to recognise also at dusk through its striking light rings, showing clearly from the start that this is a genuine BMW. Adaptive Headlights and Bending Lights are available as an option.
Elegance and stretched dynamics.
The side view of the car is characterised in particular by the horizontal orientation of the shoulder-line giving the new BMW 3 Series Convertible particular style and elegance. The extra-voluminous, large wheel arches, in turn, add a powerful touch of sporting performance.
The rear view is also dominated by horizontal lines, the lights integrated in the rear end and the sides of the car being split up into two sections and extending all the way into the rear lid. LED-fed, horizontal light rods, finally, also ensure striking night design from behind.
Flowing lines for a touch of lightness within the interior.
Flowing lines, powerfully tense surfaces and an attractive combination of convex and concave contours determine the design of the interior also in the new BMW 3 Series Convertible. At the top the instrument panel is inclined towards the driver, while the controls and switches for the air conditioning, the audio and navigation unit are also within optimum reach and visibility from the front passenger's seat. The side panels flow smoothly and consistently all the way from the dashboard at the front to the backrests on the two rear seats. The centre console also extends all the way from front to rear, serving at the back as a storage compartment between the two single seats.
Special light effects, colour schemes and the choice of materials in the new BMW 3 Series Convertible provide a unique ambience, the light bar on the inner door and side linings available as an option adding a particular touch of style and class. Handles and switches such as the door handles and gearshift lever are finished in particularly sophisticated metal to ensure an exclusive flair not only in their looks, but also in their touch.
New engines combining superior muscle with enhanced refinement.
The new BMW 3 Series Convertible is available with a wide range of innovations on the drivetrain. All gasoline engines featured in the new Convertible come with BMW's new High Precision Injection, that is second-generation direct gasoline injection ensuring a significant reduction of fuel consumption also in everyday motoring.
In its most sporting and dynamic rendition, the new BMW 3 Series Convertible comes with the world's first straight-six power unit incorporating Twin Turbo technology, High Precision Injection, and an all-aluminium crankcase. Displacing 3.0 litres, this power unit develops a superior 225 kW/306 hp and maximum torque of 400 Newton-metres/295 lb-ft giving the new BMW 335i Convertible truly outstanding driving dynamics at all times.
Through the combination of turbocharging and direct gasoline injection, the top-of-the-range model is also a fascinating example of Efficient Dynamics. Acceleration to 100 km/h in the new BMW 335i Convertible comes in just 5.8 seconds, acceleration from 80-120 km/h in the car's second-highest gear takes a mere 7.1 seconds, this ongoing surge of power then continuing all the way to the top speed of 250 km/h or 155 mph, where electronic speed control cuts in to set a limit.
Average fuel consumption under the EU standard is 9.9 litres of premium fuel for 100 kilometres -equal to 28.5 mpg Imp - that is a standard of fuel economy most impressive for a car of this class and performance.
This extremely efficient enhancement of power and performance on the road is attributable first and foremost to BMW's new system of direct gasoline injection. The benefits offered in this case result above all from the central position of the piezo-injector between the valves and in the immediate vicinity of the spark plug, where the innovative fuel injector opening to the outside is able to distribute fuel in particularly consistent conical arrangement throughout the combustion chamber. This ensures not only even more precise dosage of the fuel/air mixture, but also an appropriate cooling effect allowing a higher level of compression and thus optimising the entire combustion process in
its all-round efficiency.
Yet a further advantage is that High Precision Injection is also suitable for lean-burn operation with particularly efficient dosage of the amount of gasoline in the fuel/air mixture. And thanks to the jet-guided combustion process introduced with High Precision Injection for the first time, the lean-burn mode can be maintained over a particularly wide range of combustion and engine running conditions.
No less than three engines applying this principle are featured in the new BMW 3 Series Convertible.
The two new straight-six power units with High Precision Injection are based on the 3.0-litre with its composite magnesium/aluminium crankcase. Maximum output of the new BMW 330i Convertible is 200 kW/272 hp, peak torque is 320 Newton-metres/236 lb-ft, accelerating the car to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds and providing a top speed limited electronically to 250 km/h or 155 mph.
The exceptional efficiency of BMW's new direct fuel injection is confirmed by average fuel consumption under the EU standard of 8.1 litres/100 kilometres, equal to 34.9 mpg Imp.
The new BMW 325i Convertible comes with BMW's second straight-six 3.0-litre power unit developing maximum output of 160 kW/218 hp and peak torque of 270 Nm/199 lb-ft. Again, the car's performance is truly dynamic in every respect, with acceleration to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 245 km/h. A further particular forte of the new BMW 325i Convertible is average fuel consumption under the EU standard of 7.9 litres/100 kilometres or 35.8 mpg Imp.
A world premiere: four-cylinder with High Precision Injection.
BMW is also introducing direct gasoline injection on its four-cylinder power units, with the new BMW 320i Convertible for the first time featuring a four-cylinder with High Precision Injection. This 2.0-litre develops maximum output of 125 kW/170 hp together with peak torque of 210 Nm or 155 lb-ft.
This superior power accelerates the new BMW 320i Convertible to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds and gives the car a top speed of 228 km/h or 141 mph. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of just 6.6 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 42.8 mpg Imp) clearly demonstrates the progress BMW has achieved also in the area of all-round fuel efficiency.
Apart from the electrical coolant pump operating only when required and the volume flow-controlled oil pump, brake energy regeneration and the automatic engine Start/Stop function also contribute to this superior efficiency. Intelligent alternator control concentrates the generation of electricity for the car's on-board network on the engine overrun and brake application phases, meaning that electric power for the network is generated only under these conditions. The automatic engine Start/Stop function, in turn, serves to switch off the engine when idling. This is done automatically as soon as the car comes to a standstill and the engine is then re-started once the driver presses down the clutch pedal.
As a result of all these improvements serving to maximise the car's efficiency, the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder offers an improvement in fuel economy of up to 20 per cent despite the increase in engine output and performance.
