BMW spreads the 3 Series six appeal

BMW Group Australia will introduce a 323i sedan in June, priced from $64,800 for the six-speed manual and $67,400 for the six-speed automatic with sequential-manual mode.

Slotting in between the $55,400 320i (with a 110kW 2.0-litre inline four) and $73,000 325i, the 323i uses a detuned version of the latter’s 2.5-litre inline six.

Maximum power drops 30kW to 130kW at 5800rpm and torque falls 20Nm to 230Nm at 3500rpm. When combined with the automatic transmission, the 323i can run from 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.8 seconds and return 8.4L/100km over the government fuel consumption standard.