F30 BMW 3 Series LCI soon to enter Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: BMW is all set to launch its F30 BMW 3 Series LCI in the Malaysian automotive market, as speculated by the official post on the BMW Malaysia’s page. Additionally, another post made by the company suggested that the following variants will be available, including the 318i Luxury, 320i Sport, 320i M Sport, the 320d M Sport and 330i M Sport.

The LCI here means Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) which is BMW’s term for the facelift. The F30 BMW 3 Series LCI made its debut earlier this year and is a more aesthetically tweaked version of the earlier 3 Series. The al new 3 Series features design enhancements in various departments such as a redesigned front air intake and a new rear bumper. Apart from which the car also features LED daytime running lights, with refreshed internal graphics.

On the inside, the all-new 3 series looks pretty much same. This time, BMW has provided a gloss black tone around the audio control and climate control. Besides that chrome accents can be seen around the air vents, window switches and the power-adjustable seat controls. This time, BMW has also worked on improvising interior compartments adding a sliding lid for the cup holder and an additional storage compartment.

Beneath the bonnet of the all new F30 3 Series LCI lies an all-new engine. The 1.6 litre TwinPower Turbo four-pot engine is replaced with a much refined B38 1.5 litre three-cylinder petrol engine in the base 318i Luxury as well as the 316i models. This engine procures a 136 Hp and 220 Nm cutting CO2 emissions by 13% as compared to the old powerhouse.

However, the 320i gets a B48 2.0-litre petrol engine churning out a maximum power of 184 Hp and 290 Nm (20 Nm up from the outgoing model). The same engine will also be featured in the 330i, although here it is tweaked to deliver higher outputs of 252 Hp/350 Nm compared to 245 Hp/350 Nm in the previous 328i.

The 320d variant reserves itself a B47 2.0-litre diesel mill producing a 190 Hp and 400 Nm of torque to spare over 184 Hp/380 Nm previously. This car hits a century mark on the speedometer in just 7.2 seconds, 0.4 seconds quicker than the earlier model.

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