New 2012 BMW 3-Series Caught High-Speed Testing

The F30 BMW 3-Series has been caught high-speed testing with most of its camouflage shed. It is obvious from the various spy photos that the new 3-Series is taking an evolutionary path in terms of styling. BMW tends to adopt this approach for most of its car, where a design theme remains over two generations, in this case the E90 and F30, before undergoing a thorough overhaul.

Although the styling remains familiar, there are sharper lines and greater efficiency across the range. The car looks like a scaled down version of the bigger 5-Series. At the front, it adopts BMW’s bolder new double-kidney grille, while the rear retains most of the old car’s lines. The silhouette is also recognisably 3-Series.

Significant changes are happening under the skin though. BMW will be introducing a range of small displacement 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel turbocharged engines as part of the company’s EfficientDynamics range. A new 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine developing 150hp (112kW) is also scheduled to make its debut. This new engine is claimed to return an impressive 3.77l/100km, while emitting less than 100g/km of polar bear friendly CO₂.

The interior will be more functional than today’s car with better materials, while remaining faithful to the minimalist trend adopted across the company’s range of cars.

The F30 BMW 3-Series is slated to go on sale late 2012.

Source: AutoExpress