Next-gen BMW 3-series tech
Engine
The 2011 3-series should get the option of turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. In effect half of one of the new-generation six-cylinder units, a 1.5-litre, three-pot diesel should be good for 150bhp and 220lb ft of torque.
The petrol version should deliver 150bhp and 170lb ft but will be cheaper to build because it won’t need the emissions kit demanded of a Euro 6-compliant diesel engine.
These units should be less expensive to make than a four-pot, as well as offering unparalleled weight distribution, since they will sit virtually in the rear of the engine bay. The 2016 engines may have electric motors to spin the turbochargers up to operating speed.
BMW ‘reinvents the 3-series’
See the BMW 3-series future technology picture gallery
Drag reduction
Insiders say BMW cannot — as a premium car maker — contemplate using ‘pure’ aerodynamic solutions for the car’s upper body. It wants enough flexibility to style the car and knows that faired-in wheels, for example, would not appeal to most buyers.
BMW engineers say about 40 per cent of overall air resistance comes from the proportions and shape of the vehicle. So it’s the remaining 60 per cent that it will concentrate on reducing.
Broken down, 30 per cent of drag is attributed to the wheels and wheel arches, 20 per cent to the underfloor shape and 10 per cent to the flow of the cooling air around the brakes and engine bay.
Air curtain
The big aerodynamic step forward for the 2011 3-series is the ‘Air Curtain’. This uses narrow, upright intakes in the lower bumper which channel air through the bumper and out of a slot inside the front of the wheel well.
As it exits the wheel well, this high-speed airflow runs across the face of the wheel, creating what is in effect a ‘curtain’ over the wheel face.
Smoothing the turbulent flow across this part of the car helps reduce the Cd of a 5-series from 0.28 to 0.27.
Running gear
BMW’s front-engined, rear-drive layout remains, but changes will be needed if the 3-series is to “remain relevant” for the 10 years it will be on sale.
To that end, provision has to be made for some kind of electric hybrid assist on the rear axle (which could be combined with the differential) and space needs to be found for the battery pack and electronic control units.
Engineers will also be challenged by the lightweight three-cylinder engines, which will demand very specific suspension settings.
Autocar - Next-gen BMW 3-series tech
The 2011 3-series should get the option of turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. In effect half of one of the new-generation six-cylinder units, a 1.5-litre, three-pot diesel should be good for 150bhp and 220lb ft of torque.
The petrol version should deliver 150bhp and 170lb ft but will be cheaper to build because it won’t need the emissions kit demanded of a Euro 6-compliant diesel engine.
These units should be less expensive to make than a four-pot, as well as offering unparalleled weight distribution, since they will sit virtually in the rear of the engine bay. The 2016 engines may have electric motors to spin the turbochargers up to operating speed.
BMW ‘reinvents the 3-series’
See the BMW 3-series future technology picture gallery
Drag reduction
Insiders say BMW cannot — as a premium car maker — contemplate using ‘pure’ aerodynamic solutions for the car’s upper body. It wants enough flexibility to style the car and knows that faired-in wheels, for example, would not appeal to most buyers.
BMW engineers say about 40 per cent of overall air resistance comes from the proportions and shape of the vehicle. So it’s the remaining 60 per cent that it will concentrate on reducing.
Broken down, 30 per cent of drag is attributed to the wheels and wheel arches, 20 per cent to the underfloor shape and 10 per cent to the flow of the cooling air around the brakes and engine bay.
Air curtain
The big aerodynamic step forward for the 2011 3-series is the ‘Air Curtain’. This uses narrow, upright intakes in the lower bumper which channel air through the bumper and out of a slot inside the front of the wheel well.
As it exits the wheel well, this high-speed airflow runs across the face of the wheel, creating what is in effect a ‘curtain’ over the wheel face.
Smoothing the turbulent flow across this part of the car helps reduce the Cd of a 5-series from 0.28 to 0.27.
Running gear
BMW’s front-engined, rear-drive layout remains, but changes will be needed if the 3-series is to “remain relevant” for the 10 years it will be on sale.
To that end, provision has to be made for some kind of electric hybrid assist on the rear axle (which could be combined with the differential) and space needs to be found for the battery pack and electronic control units.
Engineers will also be challenged by the lightweight three-cylinder engines, which will demand very specific suspension settings.
Autocar - Next-gen BMW 3-series tech
