BMW's new model rush hour starts now!
BY MARTON PETTENDY | 1st Jun 2005
While its most important new model for the decade, the E90 3 Series, hit dealer forecourts last week, at least six other high-profile additions will join the volume-selling compact sedan on sale this year.
BMW hopes to better last year’s record result of more than 5000 3 Series sales by shifting around 5500 examples in 2005 – including both run-out E46 models and the new E90 sedan.
The German marque’s cause will be aided by the mid-range 325i sedan, which arrives here in August, joining the entry-level 320i and flagship 330i sedan launched in May.
Also bolstering its range will be the E90 3 Series Touring, which arrives here in the middle of 2006, a year in which BMW hopes to sell some 6000 3 Series vehicles in Australia.
Expected to again be available only in 320i guise, the 3 Series wagon will be available in Europe with a choice of five petrol engines and one turbo-diesel.
Of course, despite conceding defeat to BMW in the overall luxury market battle for 2005, Mercedes-Benz will do its best to reign on BMW’s parade when its 200kW 3.5-litre V6-equipped C350 sedan arrives on sale here later this year.
While BMW Australia managing director Dr Franz Sauter openly admitted the new C350 engine – which will out-perform the E90 330i’s all-new 3.0-litre R6-series inline six – would give C-class the upper hand on paper, he cautioned: "We’ll have to see how its dynamics compare".
Expected to shift the balance of power back to BMW a little further afield will be a turbocharged version of BMW’s 3.0-litre six, which aims to plug the gap between the current 330i sedan flagship and the M3.
The current E46 M3 offers a 252kW 3.2-litre six, which will make way for a lightweight 4.0-litre V8 based on the 5.0-litre V10 that powers M5/M6 and offering around 300kW of peak power.
The significant performance (and price) increase expected to be realised in the E90 M3 – not due to appear until 2007 – will create a niche for the turbocharged 3 Series, which may come brandishing a new 335i nameplate and similar peak power to the current M3 – around 250kW.
One UK magazine has also speculated that the force-fed 3 Series, which is reported to feature twin-turbos to boost both low and high-rpm torque, will launch with a VW/Audi DSG-style double-clutch transmission to maximise its torque delivery.
Australian BMW officials gave their strongest hint yet that a turbo petrol engine would exist in the E90’s future.
"Turbo is not a priority, but you never know what might happen on some models," Dr Sauter said.
Though he claimed maintaining E46 coupe and convertible sales alongside the new E90 sedan would not be a problem, Dr Sauter said the E90 two-door models would be heavily differentiated from their four-door donor cars when they appeared in late 2006.
A folding steel roof is likely to be a key distinguishing feature of the next-generation 3 Series convertible, which should appear globally after the E90 coupe in early 2007.
Closer to home, BMW’s next newcomer is the facelifted 7 Series, which goes on sale in June. For 2005, BMW’s flagship sedan range will open with the $178,300 740i, which replaces the $6000-cheaper 735i as BMW’s entry-level E65 limousine.
The 735’s 200kW/360Nm 3.6-litre V8 will be retired in favour of a 225kW/390Nm 4.0-litre version, while the 745’s 245kW/450Nm 4.4-litre V8 will also be swapped for a 270kW/490Nm 4.8-litre version in the rather misleading ‘750’ models.
While the long-wheelbase 760Li, which continues with a 327kW/600Nm 6.0-litre V12, will be $14,300 higher at $335,600, the 740Li will be priced at $189,900 (up from the 735Li’s $182,300).
Finally, the 750i and 750Li will be priced at $208,400 and $227,400 respectively (up $7300 and $10,900 on the 745i and 745Li respectively).
Next up will be the new 5 Series wagon, which will arrive here late next month in a single 530i Touring variant priced at $114,800. An optional Sport package will be priced at $118,800.
Featuring BMW’s new 190kW six, it will replace the 530i Touring Executive and 530i Touring Sport last sold here in April 2004, priced at $105,200 and $107,300 respectively.
The 160kW 525i and 190kW 530i sedans will come into line with their 3 Series stablemates, and will not look quite so pedestrian alongside the E60 M5 sedan, which will offer 373kW of V10 power for $226,000.
Rounding out BMW’s hectic 2005 launch schedule is the 190kW six-cylinder 130i sedan (pictured above), capable of 0-100km/h acceleration in a respectable 6.2 seconds and available here in December.
Also on sale from December will be the M6 coupe, which features the same 373kW V10 as M5 and blasts to 100km/h in a claimed 4.6 seconds. Less than 20 examples of the $250,000-plus coupe will be made available in Australia, with a number of high-profile local personalities already having expressed interest.
What's coming from BMW:
320i/330i sedan - May7 Series facelift - June
530i Touring late - June
M5 sedan - late June/July
190kW 530i - July
160kW 525i sedan - July
325i sedan - August
M6 coupe - December
130i variant - December
335i sedan - early 2006
320i Touring - mid-2006
E90 coupe - late 2006
E90 convertible - early 2007
E90 M3 V8 coupe - 2007