BMW has revealed updates for the 3-series Coupe and Convertible.
 
You’ll find the usual array of nigh-on invisible styling tweaks (ten points if you spotted the larger kidney grilles and new LED lights) but the big news is under the bonnet. There’s a plethora of new engines, with cleanliness and economy the key aims.
 
Fear not, though, as performance goes unaffected. The range-topping 335i (M3 excepted) gets BMW’s new ‘N55’ engine, which is an advancement of the current twin-turbo six-cylinder 3-litre unit that is found in all of BMW’s 35i petrol cars.
 
It’s lost a turbo, getting a single twin-scroll ‘charger, but still produces the same 302bhp and 295lb ft, with mpg and CO2 usefully raised and lowered respectively. They now sit at 34mpg and 196g/km, lowering the car’s tax band.
 
At the opposite end of the 3-series coupe and drop-top range is a new 320d, a 2-litre four-cylinder diesel offering up 181bhp and 280lb ft and a 7.5sec 0-62mph time alongside very impressive 60mpg and 125g/km sensible figures. That’s better than a Fiat Panda 1.2…
 
There’s also plenty of talk about a new sub-M3 performance car circulating. The 335is will be an adaption of the outgoing 335i. That car’s in-line six 3-litre twin-turbo engine sees its power and torque upped to 322bhp and 369lb ft maximums (the latter on overboost), with the option of a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox that sees it hit 60mph in 5sec – just two tenths of a second slower than the M3 coupe.
 
Whether it makes it to UK and European markets remains to be seen, but keep an eye on evo.co.uk for the latest. The rest of the updated 3-series Coupe and Convertible range goes on sale in the UK this March.
 
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