The BMW heartbeat has been the 3 -way heartbeat for half a century – the car that pays the rent in Munich and sets the dynamic agenda of the brand. More than 20 million From them have found houses since the original E21 1975, which not only made the 3 Series the bestseller of BMW, but also made the most popular premium car in the world. In a typical year, the 3 series family still delivers Around 30 percent of all BMW sales worldwideAn astonishing share for a single model line on today’s fragmented market.
Add the X3 – a 3 series in hiking boots – and the picture becomes even brighter. In 2023, the X3 actually displaced the limousine to become BMW’s top individual type sign and improve well over 350,000 units on its own. Together, the 3 and X3 regularly make up almost half of the global volume of BMW and everything from carbon fiber M cars to NEE class EV research. In other words, when the 3 Series BMW’s heart is, the X3 is its second lung – including the entire organism, and the entire organism is fighting to breathe.
The 3 Series did BMW and car fans – their debut at the 1975 Frankfurt show. The E21 of the first generation took the Flinsen Spirit of the Year 2002, added an available Straight-Six rear-wheel drive and the crispy steering and immediately defined what a “driver car” could be.
Up to the E30 of 1982, BMW had learned to give buyers. Four doors? Secure. All -wheel drive 325ix? Yes. A factory convertible, a touring car and of course the original M3, the 2.3-liter four of which contributed to learning touring car title all over the world. The 3 Series was not a model more-was a complete line-up that was still laser focus to focus on handling and feedback.
The E36 of 1990 moved the game again. A new rear rear suspension of the multi-link put the car on the street, while Vanos-Variable-Timing could breathe the straight sixes better and more difficult. The body grew up, but drag went down and the columnless coupé still turns the heads at Cars & Coffee.
Chris Bangle’s 1998 E46 balanced style and substance. Light aluminum parts with shortened fat; DSC kept her on the right track. The selection of the engine ranged from the fuel disorders to the legendary high-impairing S54 in the M3-a motor was still spoken in steamed tones of enthusiasts.
In 2005 the E90 initiated the “efficient dynamics”. Magnesium block six, twin turbo stream, braking regeneration and stop start-tech arrived every year before the rivals. We also gave us the first folding hardtop convertible and the V8 provider E92 M3 with its carbon fiber roof.
The 2012 F30 split the family: the limousine and the car remained 3; The coupé and the convertible became the 4 Series. Turbo charge became standard, an eight-speed ZF car car appeared, and later a plug-in hybrid proved that electrical support and balance with old school can coexist.
Today’s G20/G21 (2019, refreshed 2022-24) keeps tradition alive. A chic 0.23 resistance-coefficient, a curved dual-screen fittings board with a iDrive 8.5 and drive lines from mild hybrid diesel engines up to a 374 hp M340i and a 330e plug-in with an electrical range of up to 100 km. Stroke-dependent dams smooth the journey, while the car can even withdraw from a narrow point by repeating its last 50 meters. The Blue-Sky technology was fun.
While it misses the manual transmission that all other 3 Series failed, the G20 still has something of the same magic that we saw in the E21 all the years ago. It may be bigger and heavier, but the car is still an enthusiastic quality, as we have found in our latest review.
The numbers tell part of the story: more than 20 million sold over seven generations. But like every 3-person OB, the magic is a modest 316 or a carbon roof-M3-Tour-Tour-Tour-Tour, the same clear steering feeling, the balanced chassis and grin-inducing energy. Fifty years later, the benchmark is still the benchmark, which proves that the progress is great, but progress that you can enjoy on a winding road is even better.
