Automobile News

The BMW 3 Series is getting updated with new engine combinations, as well as a slightly different interior and exterior design. The revamped limousine and estate car are starting in September, while the coupe and cabriolet remain unchanged.

The facelift is immediately recognisable with the larger ventilators on the front grill, new headlights, an expanded wheel alignment on the rear axle, and two new indents on the front engine bonnet. The interior gets remade with new colours and materials, while the iDrive interface has received additional buttons and its menu has also been restructured.

The six cylinder diesel motor from the BMW 330d has been redeveloped. Compared to its predecessor, the engine offers 14 additional horse power with a total of 180 kW/ 245 HP, while the fuel consumption has dropped by 0.4 litres to 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres. Nine other engines are also available: five petrol engines with a performance range of 105 kW/ 143 HP to 225 kW/306 HP, as well as four additional diesels with 105 kW/ 143 HP to 180 kW/ 245 HP.

There are more available transmission options than before. The entry level petrol model is also available with a six gear automatic starting September. The otherwise unchanged coupe and cabriolet variants can be ordered with a seven gear double-clutch transmission. Furthermore, the BMW 320d four cylinder diesel engine can now be combined with all wheel drive for the first time. Prices have yet to be released, but will probably start at around £21,700.

The upgraded Maserati Quattroporte, with a gently retouched design, is rolling onto the market this September, together with a new sports version. The successful four-door sports car series is getting crowned with the Quattroporte S, which boasts a 316 kW/430 HP strong V8 petrol engine with 4.7 litres of engine displacement. The standard version’s engine remains the same with 294 kW/400 HP. The car comes with the series standard 6 gear converter transmission; the manual transmission, which was previously offered parallel to the converter transmission, has been discontinued.

As far as appearance is concerned, the upgraded four-door sport limousine has vertical bars on its radiator grill, instead of the horizontal bars found in the previous version; the head- and taillights have also been outfitted extra with LED technology, and the rear view mirrors are constructed more aerodynamically than before. Prices are still unknown; the current model costs around £90,000, so the upcoming sport version will probably be in the £105,000 range.