The 2025 BMW 3 Series sedan and wagon have been given a second lease of life five years after they were launched in Australia, buying more time for the seventh-generation mid-size luxury cars until their all-new replacements appear.
Most BMW models have a life expectancy of around seven years, but the G20-generation BMW 3 Series – first launched in Europe in late 2018 – is now expected to soldier on until 2027, when it will be replaced by the G50 sedan and wagon and joined by the new NA0 pure-electric i3 version, all based on BMW’s next-gen Neue Klasse platform.
Following its substantial 2022 mid-life facelift, the 2025 BMW 3 Series is set to enter production in Europe this July ahead of first Australian deliveries in late 2024.
In other markets, the latest 3 Series refresh – revealed overnight alongside the updated M3 range – brings a bigger range and a new high-voltage battery for the 330e, which can now cover up to 101km on electric power alone.
But the plug-in hybrid 330e was withdrawn from sale earlier this year in Australia, where diesel-powered versions of the 3 Series were axed in late 2019 and have now also been discontinued in Europe.
Australia’s 2025 BMW 3 Series line-up is yet to be announced, but it’s likely to continue to include the 330i with its 190kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and the mightier M340i with its 285kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbo-petrol inline-six.
However, BMW Australia is yet to clarify whether it will finally introduce the German car-maker’s 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, which in the current M340i cuts fuel use but reduces peak power to 275kW.
Externally for the 2025 refresh, BMW has rolled out new 19-inch alloy wheels and nine new paint colours, but it’s inside where most of the changes happen.
Alongside a new steering wheel, fresh air-vents are lifted from the new 5 Series and a new glass veneer material can be optioned for the engine start button, gear selector and infotainment control dial.
The sportier M Sport trim also bags a new flat-bottomed three-spoke steering wheel that gets both a new 12 o’clock marker and a set of illuminated multifunction buttons and paddles.
Speaking of infotainment, the 14.9-inch screen now runs the car-maker’s latest BMW Operating System 8.5 software and offers a customisable row of shortcuts that can be linked to the climate control. The new feature makes up for the lack of physical dials.
New 5G connectivity and an augmented reality view for the sat-nav has also been introduced.
The revised 3 Series also gets Cascade ambient lighting around the air-vents, new M Peformtex velour seats for M Sport models, fresh Vernasca leather seat trim and different dashboard inlays.
With the aim of further improving the driving experience, engineers say they enhanced ride comfort by stiffening up the rear damper mounts and added lighter steering in Comfort mode, while other undisclosed changes are claimed to sharpen up handling.
One perhaps unwelcome change is a new ‘intelligent speed assistance’ function has been added in Europe to comply with future regulations. The new tech will work with the standard traffic sign recognition system to trigger an alert every time the car exceeds the speed limit.
Full Australian details of the refreshed BMW 3 Series are expected to be released in the second half of 2024.
