Best Car Models & All About Cars: 2012 3 Series Convertible

2012 3 Series Convertible

Though the three-Series sedan recently received an entire redesign, the current 3-Series coupe and convertible can solider on unchanged in the mean time. Even with their aging styles, the 2-door three-Series models still give communicative steering, athletic engines and one of the simplest ride/handling balances in the business.

The E92 3-Series convertible is BMW's first model with a retractable hardtop. BMW says this convertible is the proper car for two-person backroad vacation adventures whenever the weather permits. Built on the identical chassis and with the same engine choices as the three-Series coupe, it provides up just a very little weight and bags area in come for the fun of high-down motoring in an all-season automobile.

The only variation between the 328i and 335i models is in the facility plant. The 328i uses BMW's normally aspirated three.zero-liter inline six, offering 230 horsepower at vi,500 rpm and 200 foot-pounds of torque at two,750 rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a normal six-speed manual transmission; a six-speed automatic with fast-action Steptronic gear choice is optional.

The 335i encompasses a new N54 3.zero-liter inline six-cylinder with a single twin-scroll turbocharger, high-precision fuel injection, and an all-aluminum crankcase, pushing the car to sixty mph in simply 5.three seconds. The motor produces three hundred horsepower at five,80zero rpm. Peak toque is three hundred pound-feet, on the market from a mere one,two hundred rpm, all the way up to five,000 rpm.

BMW says the new N54 engine uses the identical displacement because the previous engine, however solely needs one turbocharger as opposed to two. The new N54 single turbo setup also produces the same peak power however with a lower beginning torque curve, as well as better fuel potency and reduced emissions.

For those seeking even additional power, BMW currently offers a 335is Convertible model, gaining twenty horsepower, for a complete of 320 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. The 335is Convertible conjointly features, for the first time ever during a three-Series in the U.S., a seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission (DCT).

There's conjointly no sacrifice to the excellent handling for that BMW is recognized. The automotive is solid on the track at speeds well in way over highway limits, and nonetheless is confident in tight cornering, due to a near-even front to rear weight balance

Stylistically, the three-Series droptop gets new headlamps, LED tail lamps and mirrors, also a widened signature kidney grille with a new chrome frame. The new back and front fascias add a little length to the automobile -- 1.fourteen inches up front and zero.12 inches out back. All Convertibles will now get adaptive Xenon headlamps as customary equipment and the revised lamps gain brighter LED corona rings, a BMW style staple.

Inside, the three-Series Convertible receives some terribly minor updates. New extra wood trim choices are added to the list and also the a number of the formerly black plastic trim takes on a more gray shade. The Convertible's leather trim now comes with a sun reflective pigment to keep the seats cooler when the prime is down -- as a lot of as thirty six degrees Fahrenheit cooler for dark leather.

The folding prime mechanism takes up some trunk house, and the folded prime even more, providing simply concerning enough trunk house for 2 roll-aboard suitcases. But, the rear seat backs neatly fold down to create a useful baggage shelf, therefore every week's vacation within the car can be handled with ease. Fortunately, the hardtop erects in simply a few seconds, so all you've got to do is remember to shut it after you park the automobile so as to keep your bags safe.

The upside to the slightly heavy and house-robbing exhausting-prime roof style is that it closely resembles the planning of a customary coupe when raised while additionally creating for a quieter cabin and a lower probability of leaks on a rainy day.

ABS, stability management and traction control are all normal. Driver and passenger are protected by front, aspect, and knee airbags. Belt latch tensioners and belt force limiters are activated by sensor-controlled electronics based mostly on kind and severity of collision.

BMW conjointly added three new colors to the three-Series Convertible lineup, Deep Sea Blue Metallic, Vermillion Red Metallic, and Mineral White Metallic.

2012 3 Series Convertible