China’s BMW 3 Series Is As Big As An American 5 Series

There’s one thing guaranteed to turn on a Chinese car buyer, and you won’t find it under the hood. They love their rear legroom, which is why China’s version of the new gasoline-powered BMW 3 Series is much longer than the one you can buy in Europe or the US. So long, in fact, that its wheelbase is just 1 inch (25 mm) shorter than that of a BMW 5 Series.

BMW hasn’t officially revealed the China-spec sedan yet, but information published on the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website gives us the lowdown. It reveals the Chinese 3 Series measures 191.5 inches (4,865 mm) from bumper to bumper, and rides on a 116.9-inch (2,970 mm) wheelbase. That means it’s 4.3 inches (110 mm) longer in wheelbase than a Western 3 Series, and the same amount longer overall. And not far off its 5 Series big brother. The midsize sedan sold in the US is 199.2 inches (5,060 mm ) long and has a 117.9-inch (2,995 mm) wheelbase.

The Chinese 3 Series is made in Shenyang by the BMW-Brilliance joint venture, and from most angles is generally indistinguishable from the Western car. It has the same design language first seen on the i3 electric 3 Series, though all gasoline 3s ride on an updated version of the CLAR platform found under the outgoing car, not the EV’s Neue Klasse architecture. But the iX3, i3, and 3 Series sold in China have more traditional door handles, due to incoming safety regulations that outlaw hidden handles.

What’s a 325L?

MIIT documents tell us BMW-Brilliance will offer the new sedan in 325L and 330L flavors, the L denoting its longer body compared with the Western car. Both are powered by 2.0L turbocharged inline-4 engines, with the base car serving up 231 hp (234 PS) and a top speed of 145 mph (233 kmh). That’s probably plenty if you plan to spend your life in the back seat, but a 330L upgrade is available for owners who want their drivers to have more fun once they’ve dropped them at the curb. The 330L gets a boost to 283 hp (287 PS) and is quick enough to require a 155 mph (250 kmh) limiter.

In each case, the Chinese car makes more power than the versions sold in the West. Europe’s base 3 Series is a 320, whose 2.0L four-cylinder only puts out 208 hp (211 PS), while America’s bottom-rung car is the 255 hp 330, again running a 2.0L four-cylinder.

But while countries outside of China also get the option of an M350 xDrive with a 437 hp (443 PS) 3.0L inline-6, there’s no mention of the M-lite trim in the MIIT filings, and it may not be offered at all. That’s down to the way China’s tough tax rules punish bigger engines. The 5 percent consumption tax on engines up to 2.0L jumps to 9 percent for engines between 2.0 and 2.5L. The M350’s 3.0L motor would attract a 12 percent levy.

Source: www.carscoops.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.