[14] Bmw 3 Series Wheels In This Year Highlight

Scott Olson/Getty ImagesIan Robertson, head of sales and marketing for BMW, with the 2013 328i.

What is it? Need we ask? America’s most popular Bimmer, beloved of freshly minted lawyers, gets its official world premiere in Detroit. (It was previewed online in October.)

Is it real? At the 2011 Detroit auto show, Mercedes-Benz announced that a 4-cylinder engine would return to the C-Class. BMW is falling in line behind its archrival, with the first four-banger in a 3 Series since the forgettable 318ti hatchback of the ’90s. This is the sixth generation of the sport sedan that BMW introduced to America as a 1977 model.

What they said: The bread-and-butter sedan arrives in showrooms this winter, with all-wheel-drive and ActiveHybrid versions appearing in the fall. Those awaiting further spinoffs must sit tight. “A new coupe and convertible are a ways away,” a BMW spokesman, Thomas Plucinsky, said in an interview last week. “We may see them toward the end of 2013.” Mr. Plucinsky confirmed that BMW would continue to offer a 3 Series wagon in America, to be unveiled this year.

What they didn’t say: The 3 Series represents a major test and a modest risk for BMW, with a new turbocharged 4-cylinder engine replacing the venerable in-line 6 in the basic 328i model. Will buyers embrace a premium German sedan with 4-cylinder power? And can BMW get electric steering right on this go-round, after many critics judged the 5 Series’ electric rack as lacking in road feel?

What makes it tick? Fortunately, that new 2-liter, 240-horsepower TwinPower engine chops nearly a second from the previous 328i’s 0-to-60 time, making the sprint in 5.9 seconds, BMW says. A new 8-speed automatic transmission helps raise estimated fuel economy to a class-killing 24 miles a gallon in the city, 36 on the highway. The 335i, meanwhile, retains the outgoing model’s turbocharged in-line 6.

How much, how soon? Mr. Plucinsky said that shoppers would see the new 3 in late February, starting at $35,795 for the 328i and $43,295 for the 335i, before delivery charge.

How’s it look? Darwin would approve of the 3’s evolution: a bit larger, lighter and roomier than before. Consumers will most likely focus first on the new cabin, which includes the Driving Dynamics performance controls from the 5 , 6 and 7 Series, that reflects BMW’s decision to finally put luxury on a par with performance.

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