BMW’s all-new 3 Series goes on sale 2019, starting at $40,200

BMW

On Tuesday, BMW used the Paris auto show to debut an all-new 3 Series. When it goes on sale in 2019, it will be the seventh model to wear the badge, adding to the more than 15 million 3 Series that BMW has sold since 1975. The 3 Series is one of those cars that defines an entire sector—in this case the small sporty sedan. But it’s a sector that’s dying out, as customer tastes shift to the convenience of the crossover. So BMW has sharpened up the attributes that made the 3 Series a name in the first place.

There’s a lot that’s new about the latest version, known to BMW nerds as the G20. The first to arrive on these shores next March will be the $40,200 330i (in rear wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive variations), both powered by a new iteration of BMW’s 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine. (No, BMW’s naming scheme makes no sense anymore.) With 255hp (190kW) and 295lb-ft (400Nm) of torque, it’s a little more powerful and a fair bit more torquey than the outgoing engine.