A form of perfection

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A form of perfection

Friday, 14 December 2018 | Kushan Mitra

A form of perfection

The seventh generation BMW 3-series is better in every respect to the outgoing model. But can a car possibly be ‘too good’?

It is a matter of pride at BMW headquarters that they were the company that invented the ‘sports sedan’ (or ‘saloon’ depending on where you live). The mid-sized four-door car that has been around since the mid-seventies has formed the basis of the German carmakers identity for four decades. And despite the fact that we are moving to an era where the Sports Utility Vehicle is increasingly taking the spotlight, a trend for which BMW themselves are partially to blame, the 3-series remains iconic and is vital in BMW’s increasingly complicated line-up. So when after 15.5 million 3-series sold over six generations, when the Germans decided to let the global media drive the new seventh generation, they spared no expense flying many of us down to the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

Algarve is stunning, with both smooth highways and wonderful, twisty hill roads as well as the spectacular Portimao Racetrack. And the new 3-series is quite a looker as well. But your first impression of the car is that it is quite large. With pedestrian safety norms and the need for space and increasing automation, this new 3-series feels as large as a 5-series from a decade ago. Of course it isn’t quite as large but the design team, led by Italian Bruno Amantino have added a few design cues to make the car appear larger such as moving the characteristic ‘Hoffmeister-kink’ at the end of the window behind the rear door. These are visual cues that trick your mind into thinking that the car is larger than it is; that said, its physical dimensions are quite large.

The other thing that grabs your eye immediately are the headlights. The new headlight unit on this seventh-generation 3-series is three-dimensional and is designed to be viewed from the above and the sides and not just from the front. As a result of this, BMW has sacrificed their signature ‘corona rings’ headlights and the rings are now like swooshes. This was a very controversial decision but Amantino explained to me that as LED and Laser light technology evolved, there will be even more play with headlights and taillights.

The insides of the car are really quite unfussy, it is not complicated by multiple design cues and styling elements, everything is where it should be. And other than the fact that the light switches are now buttons instead of a dial, which Amantino explained was because most users just kept their lights on ‘automatic’ anyway, the car is well laid out. The new infotainment display panel, is larger and with an excellent resolution as well as touchscreen-enabled, is at the same level as the fully-digital speedometer and tachometer display that makes it far more ergonomic and easier to use. The only issue here being that the tachometer (rev-counter) display is anti-clockwise, in this case, for reasons of symmetry.

Unlike other carmakers BMW has laid off putting too many display gimmicks but make no mistakes, the new 3-series is another level of computer wizardry and gimmickry. So much so that this car is pretty much a robot with wheels and an internal combustion engine and you leave with the feeling that this car has been designed not just with the standard competitors in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 in mind but also the Tesla Model 3. Take for example the fact that up to speeds of 60 km per hour, if your car comes with the full camera and sensor package, it can drive itself. Really, we tried this in an empty parking lot at 20 km per hour and to my Indian driving brain it was very disconcerting but it works. And like other BMW’s in Europe and America it comes with adaptive distance cruise control and lane assist, which keeps you bang in the middle of the lane even when you are driving at European highway speeds of 120-140 km per hour. You cannot take your hands off the wheel (for too long) not so much because the car can’t manage but more for legal liability reasons. If you were to get in an accident when the car is driving, who is to blame? You the person in the driver’s seat, or the car manufacturer or possibly the software developer? Under 60 km per hour, there is a level of trust in the car’s brakes and safety systems that cannot be guaranteed at higher speeds. But that is a debate for another column.

And these are not just the only gimmicks, there is the remarkable reverse assist for example where if you find yourself in a tight dead end, you select reverse gear and press the ‘reverse assist’ control on the display and the car which would have memorised the last 50 metres it travelled, will back straight out unassisted with only your foot on the brake pedal. There is also an assistant for tight space, where there is construction material on the road perhaps plus a lot of traffic. Unfortunately, there is no traffic in southern Portugal so we could try that feature out.

And then there is ‘Hey, BMW’, which is BMW’s intelligent voice-assistant, just like Siri on Apple and Alexa on Amazon devices. This, can’t just find you a destination or change radio stations as earlier voice assistants could, but if you told the car you were tired, it would cycle a ‘refreshing’ programme with the air conditioner. It can open the windows and use the concierge services, if you have that, to book dinner reservations or at least that is the eventual idea. It of course means that the car has to be perpetually connected, but this is the future. You can also give the car any name you want to, you can call it ‘Charlie’ or ‘Mummy’ if you want, and as of now there are no restrictions on names, although it would be weird if you call your car something obscene.

All this even before I start on the drivability of the car. So I drove the 320d and 330i specifications of the car along with driving a M340i prototype at the racetrack. First things first, the engines are slightly more powerful and fuel-efficient as well as pollute less. The differential and gearbox are both light and better. That is what you should expect on any new generation of a car. What one did not expect with this car though was the absolutely astonishing levels of grip on the car, yes it has fatter tires than any 3-series before it but even then, this car grips to astonishing levels. Now, when I asked whether a car can be too good, I meant the fact that driving a BMW, even an entry-level 320d, meant that if you wanted to have a bit of tail-sliding fun every once in a while you could and if you were an enthusiast, this car could easily put a smile on your face. But this one, well, I for one, do not believe that I have the skill levels to push this car to its limits on public roads no matter how deserted. The car is, for all intents and purposes, idiot-proof, that is if you are an idiot and try and drive like a hoon, it will not really let you. Yes, the M340i can be forced to be a bit naughty, but because that has BMW’s Xdrive four-wheel drive system you can’t really push it to the limit. It isn’t as if BMW does not manufacture crazy tail-happy cars, the M2 Competition is an absolute hoot, but it appears that you will have to buy a BMW designed as a crazy car if you want to be a hoon.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that this is a bad car. It is far superior to every other vehicle available in its class today, both inside and outside. And 99 per cent of buyers will want a sedate car with a lot of techno-gimmickry, the Chinese for example, BMW’s most important market today love these gimmicks because they can’t drive like hoons in their police state. And when you are shielded from the outside world by the acoustic (that is, noise-cancelling) windshield once BMW India brings this car to our shores in July, 2019, you will really believe what I thought, that you are inside a robot. This may not be like the flying car you saw in The Jetsons as a kid, it is far better. I drove the future in Algarve and it was quite good indeed.

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