After introducing more 48V mild-hybrid diesel models, BMW also announced the arrival of three brand new models in the 1 Series and 3 Series range. Customers will get a new model in the 1 Series range, namely the BMW 120d while the 3 Series range will get another petrol engine for the 318i models in both Sedan and Touring guises. All three cars will be available for order starting March 2020.
The current offerings in the 1 Series range are the 118i, 116d, 118d, 120d xDrive and M135i xDrive M Performance model. Alongside those five you’ll also get a BMW 120d model, now without forcing customers to get all-wheel drive as well. The new 120d will be using the same engine as its all-wheel drive brother, the B47 2-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine with 190 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. According to BMW the 120d will only be available with an 8-speed automatic transmission and will do 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.3 seconds, 0.3 seconds slower than the xDrive version.
The new BMW 318i models are departing from the recipe used for the F30 generation models. Confirming our report, it looks like BMW is dropping the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engines from its line-up. The old BMW 318i used the B38 mill under the hood with 136 HP. The new 318i models are fitted with a 2-liter 4-cylinder B48 engine making 156 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque in both the Sedan and Touring models.
The standard equipment range for the new BMW 3 Series entry model includes an 8-speed Steptronic transmission. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 8.4 seconds for the Sedan and 8.7 seconds for the Touring model. Top speed is 223 km/h (BMW 318i Sedan) and 220 km/h (BMW 318i Touring) respectively. Most likely, the new 318i models will become the new entry-level models.
Prices haven’t been announced yet but, most likely, the new petrol-powered models will be slightly less expensive than the 318d diesel alternatives.
