2018 BMW 3-Series

LED foglights and headlights are now standard across the line. Buyers can now paint their 3 in Sunset Orange Metallic and finish the (optional) leather interior in Cognac Brown.

BMW makes it easy to lose an afternoon on its website building the ideal 3-Series. Specifically, there are three body styles – sedan, Sport Wagon, and Gran Touring – four powertrains (not counting the M3), and five trim levels to mix and match. To add to the fun, each trim level has multiple packages and tiers. While not every engine, body style, and trim are compatible, there is still ample leeway for even the choosiest buyer.

Regardless of model or body, all 3s come standard with auto stop/start, an eight-speed automatic transmission, automatic emergency collision notification, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, Bluetooth, and a 6.5-inch infotainment screen with iDrive.

The base engine, found in the 320i, is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. In this trim, it puts out 180 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque, and promises to return 23 miles per gallon city, 35 highway and 28 combined when equipped with the eight-speed automatic. You’ll only find this engine in the four-door sedan body.

The 330i is a step up from the 320i but uses the same 2.0-liter. For this application, BMW corrals some additional ponies, bringing total output to 248 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy unsurprisingly suffers a bit compared to its lower-tiered sibling, with an EPA-estimated 24/34/27 for the auto-equipped car. The most popular setup, BMW offers this more powerful four-cylinder in all body styles.

Springing for the 340i means getting a 3.0-liter, turbocharged six-cylinder. The inline-six, an engine that has long been a cornerstone of BMW’s character, gives the 3-Series 320 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. With the automatic, fuel economy is 21/32/25. BMW currently sells the 340i as a sedan, Sport Wagon, or Grand Touring.

BMW also has on tap two non-traditional offerings: both are 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinders, but one runs on diesel while the other relies on gas, an electric motor, and a lithium-ion battery pack. The diesel-powered 328d puts out 180 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and sips fuel at a miserly 31/43/36. The plug-in-hybrid 330e iPerformance has 258 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque – fully charged, it will return up to 71 MPGe in combined driving, not to mention 14 miles of all-electric range. The 328d is available as a sedan or Sport Wagon, while the 330e is limited to the sedan body.

While the entire 3-Series line comes standard with an eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive, BMW does offer a no-cost six-speed manual and an xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The six-speed is available on all gas-powered sedans, provided they aren’t carrying the all-wheel-drive system. You won’t find it on the Sport Wagon or Gran Turismo bodies, though. All-wheel drive is more broadly available – it’s a $2,000 option on all sedan variants except for the plug-in hybrid, which is rear-drive only, while it’s standard equipment with both the Sport Wagon and GT bodies.

The Sport Wagon body is, unsurprisingly, the most versatile. It offers 27.5 cubic feet of cargo volume with the second-row seats in place, and a maximum of 61.5 cubes with the back seats folded. The GT, with its hunched back and wide-opening semi-hatch, isn’t far behind – there’s a minimum of 24.6 cubic feet and a maximum of 56.8.

Once you’ve chosen your body style and powertrain, the next step in the process requires customers choose from one of the many design packages offered on each trim. While the 330i, 340i, 328d, and 330e share their design packages, the 320i gets exclusive Sport Design and Sport Plus Design packages. The former is the default and is free of charge., while the latter demands $3,550 but adds a sporty body kit, an M suspension, more supportive seats, and one of three 18-inch wheel designs.

The four other trims get some combination of the Sport Line, Luxury, Shadow Sport Edition, and M Sport designs. The Sport and Luxury designs are no-cost items that add either a sporty body kit with black accents or a more restrained body with chrome accents. The Shadow Sport Edition is available sporadically and amplifies the Sport Line’s black accents with smoked taillights, black headlight housings, gloss-black grille surrounds, and black-chrome tailpipes. The M Sport Design is usually the priciest, but comes with real, functional upgrades – look for an M steering wheel in the cabin, a sport suspension, 18-inch M-branded wheels, and an even more aggressive version of the Sport Line’s body kit.

You’re not done yet, though. After choosing a design, BMW offers three equipment tiers although unlike the last step, customers are free to pass on this content. The Convenience Tier adds a sunroof, SiriusXM satellite radio, proximity entry with push-button start, and adjustable lumbar support – typically, this equipment tier is included with the M Sport Design.

Going for the Premium Tier brings adds a head-up display, navigation with real-time traffic, and heated front seats to the Convenience Tier’s gear. Finally, and only available on certain models, is the Executive Tier. It takes the previous two setups and adds adaptive LED headlights with automatic high beams, a surround-view camera system, an automatic parking assistant, and a digital instrument cluster. These packages vary slightly based on the selected trim. There are also an array of standalone options, which we’ll note where applicable.

But before you get to choose from that list, there’s a lone package to grab – the $500 Driving Assistance Package. It’s a worthwhile purchase, adding BMW’s Active Driving Assistant (forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection and lane-departure warning), on top of speed limit recognition.

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