BMW wheels out 3 Series Convertible
Newswheel staff :: 24 October 2006 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Coupe, BMW, BMW 3 Series, Europe & UK, US,
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Coupe-cabriolet motoring yours for a price
Previous contender for 2006’s worst kept secret award and a first for BMW, give it up for the 3 Series Convertible, the German outfit’s debut folding hard-top cabriolet. The three-piece folding contraption hurtles up or down in just 22 seconds but comes at a price in terms of cost and kerb weight…
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BMW is bigging up the security and visibility benefits (the latter up by 38 per cent over outgoing 3 Series cabriolet) of the folding hard-top system as well as claiming superior luggage space compared with similar systems from competing brands. 350 litres of storage is available in coupe configuration, dropping to 210 litres with the roof stowed. In what BMW claims is a first for a coupe-cabriolet, the rear seat backrests can also be folded flat to give more storage space.
The Convertible’s other claim to fame is the so-called sun-reflective leather technology. The basic idea is to prevent the leather upholstery from heating up to bottom-baking temperatures in direct sunlight courtesy of special pigments which reflect infra-red radiation. BMW reckons treated areas exposed to the sun remain up to 20 degrees cooler than untreated leather.
Which just leaves the minor matters of prices, engines and performance. At launch, the Convertible range kicks off with the 215bhp, six-pot petrol 325i, yours for £33,030 (the plain old 325i coupe costs £28,090) and tops out with the twin-turbo 335i. So, that’s 306bhp of linear turbo thrust for £37,895 of your money (around £4k more than the 335i coupe). The 325i chalks up the zero-to-62mph dash in 7.6 seconds, soldiers on to 152mph and returns 35.8mpg. And the 335i meat wagon? 62mph is yours in just 5.8 clicks, terminal velocity is electronically limited to 155mph limited and gas guzzling is restricted to a reasonably respectable 28.5mpg on the combined cycle.
A six-speed manual box is standard on both models, with a six-cog auto offered as an option. As for precise kerb weight penalty of the folding roof, BMW is remaining coy. However, factoring in the 6.9 second to 62mph capability of the fixed-roof 325i coupe, we’d guestimate something in the region of 150kg or so.
The 3 Series Convertible gets its first public outing at the Detroit auto show in January with UK sales starting in March. Later in 2007, BMW will fill out the range with further petrol and diesel engines including 2.0-litre four-pot and 3.0-litre six-banger gas guzzlers and a 3.0-litre oil burner.
That folding roof in full! :
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