2009 BMW 3 Series: New Look, U.S. Diesel Confirmed

If you just plunked down $40,000 for a 2008 BMW 3 Series don’t freak out right now. Sure, the 2009s will have a revised exterior and upgraded interior, but the improvements probably won’t be enough to completely depress owners of the previous generation. The 2009 cars, however, will feature the new generation of iDrive and more handy knobs to control different accessories.

The 2009 BMW 3 series still will consist of 328 and 335 models in both sedan and wagon form. A 335d clean twin-turbo diesel sedan has been officially confirmed by BMW USA. We’re still waiting on news of a U.S. on-sale date and final specs for U.S. models, which we expect to be nearly identical to the 2008s. The new coupe and convertibles haven’t been revealed yet — we probably won’t see them until closer to the Paris Motor Show in September — but they’ll get an optional seven-speed automatic transmission, which won’t be offered in the sedan or wagon.   

Keep reading for a bulleted list of upgrades and a full photo gallery.

2008 BMW M3: Daddy Driven

Now that there’s a little Thomas in the house, the wife and I are no longer DINKs so the way I look at cars I’m reviewing has changed. The addition of a child seat alters the entire framing of how I view the cars in our driveway and how I live with them. I routinely am the one to drop the little guy off for daycare in the morning, and if the test car can’t handle our seat — or I mistakenly leave the extra base in a different test car — my wife is not too happy. That frames the debate: What cars can a dad get away with owning? Obviously a big sedan or SUV will get the job done, but what about the cars dads lust over?

The shiny, white 2008 BMW M3 sedan sure looks like it can handle the task. But does it pass the test?

2008 BMW M3 Convertible

• Competes with: Audi RS 4 convertible
• Looks like: Someone wants their hair blow-dried very, very fast
• Drivetrain: 420-hp, 4.0-liter V-8 with dual-clutch transmission
• Hits dealerships: Late 2008

We’ve been anticipating the new BMW M3 since we took the previous generation around a track. Then we learned there would be both a sedan and coupe version of the M3. How could it get better than that for a performance enthusiast looking for a fun ride? Well, how about a hardtop convertible with nearly the same performance?

That’s what BMW has done with the BMW M3 convertible you see here. It’s only a fraction slower than the coupe, despite weighing more to accommodate the retractable hardtop.

Just like the regular 3 Series convertible, which debuted last year, this is also the first time an M has featured a retractable hardtop.

You can check out our posts on the previous M3s to get more specifics, but the convertible with its top down is surely the stunner of the group. Many more photos below.

2008 Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Diesel BMW X5 xDrive35d, 335d

• Competes with: Mercedes-Benz M320 Bluetec, E320 Bluetec
• Looks like: Identical to the X5 and 335, besides what’s under the hood
• Drivetrain: 265 horsepower, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder
• Hits dealerships: Late 2008

It seems luxury automakers are hopping on the diesel bandwagon long before everyone else. Instead of affordable, high-mileage diesel engines showing up in high-volume models, BMW — like Mercedes before it — is bringing clean diesel to two of its most popular models.

Both the X5 and 3 Series will get a 265 horsepower, 425 pounds-feet-of-torque six-cylinder diesel engine capable of 0-62 mpg in 6.2 seconds. That’s accompanied by a fuel economy of 23/33 mpg city/highway. We like all that torque, but most Americans are looking to diesels for savings at the pump. A gasoline powered 335i gets 17/26 mpg in comparison. That’s roughly 30% better, but the numbers still won’t impress too many greenies. To be fair, a Mercedes E320 Bluetec gets 23/32 mpg. And BMW’s tagline for the effort is “The world’s most sporting inline-six diesel,” so they’re obviously aiming at those torque fans.

For those who remember the old-fashioned diesels of the 1970s and 1980s, BMW delivers this bit about how clean the new diesels are: They’ll emit just 1% of the particulates of a 1983 BMW diesel model. They also meet the most stringent pollution laws, like those in California.

We’ll have more on the two models at the Detroit auto show in two weeks.

Mini, BMW, Infiniti Top Best Resale Value List

Our list of the cars, trucks and SUVs with the best resale value has just been updated, and a lot of familiar names top the list. When we break down resale values by segment, the Mini Cooper, Honda Accord, Infiniti G35/G37, BMW 5 Series and GMC Sierra/Chevy Silverado top their respective segments.

When you take a look at the top 10 resale values overall, it’s the Infiniti G35/G37, Jeep Wrangler and BMW 3 Series taking the top three spots, knocking the Mini Cooper off its previous No. 1 perch.

Which cars rank lowest? The Mazda B2300, Ford Ranger and Suzuki Forenza top that dubious list.

Check out the full rankings below. 

Best Car Resale Values by Class
Best Overall Car Resale Values
Worst Overall Car Resale Values

2 Minute Faceoff: Infiniti G37 vs. BMW 335i

Before we start to tell you about the video above, we’re going to say right now (right now!) that we don’t want to hear any complaints out of you rascally commenters about us comparing a coupe to a hardtop convertible. We know they’re not exactly the same. But we had both cars in the same place at the same time, we had two minutes, we had Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder in a caffeinated state, so we went with it.

There, we feel better now. Oh, and enjoy the video.

2008 BMW M3 Sedan is Coming

• Competes with: Audi RS 4, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
• Looks like: A baby M5
• Drivetrain: 414-hp, 4.0-liter V-8 with six-speed manual transmission
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2008

This spring is going to be a busy one at BMW dealerships. The new 1 Series will debut alongside two powerful versions of the 3 Series. The M3 coupe was announced earlier this year, and today we bring news of a sedan version of the M3. The sedan will feature the same 414-hp engine as the coupe, which is a bump of 15% over the last M3 while getting 8% better fuel economy. Yes, we’re throwing in practicality here. A sedan version of the M3 hasn’t been available since 2000.

BMW says the new M3 maintains a 50/50 weight distribution, using aluminum for components up front to achieve that vaunted balance.

The new M3 will also feature a memory setting for driving settings, much like you would find on many power seats. Instead of seating comfort, however, this MDrive will store preferences for dynamic stability control and modes for steering response, ride comfort and throttle response.

There’s no mention of 0-60 speed — we’re guessing “fast” will be a safe guess — nor price — we’re guessing “expensive” will be a safer guess — yet anticipation still abounds. Check out more photos below.

Reader Review of the Week: 2007 BMW 335i Convertible

We're kind of jealous of this week's winner of the RROTW. While we get to sit behind the wheel of a BMW M3 or 335i for a week or so to review the car, Former M3 Guy from San Diego has owned both BMW two-doors in convertible form. He lists the pros and cons in his review, saying the 335i is a match for the M3 in terms of acceleration, but "probably couldn't quite keep up in the 'twisties,' but on the other hand it is a much more comfortable everyday driver." Our own Mike Hanley recently reviewed the 335i hardtop convertible, and you can find his review here.

Volvo C70 and Saab 9-3 Earn First-Ever Top Safety Pick Designation for Convertibles

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its first crash tests of convertible models. Two of the 10 cars tested earned the organization’s Top Safety Pick designation: the Volvo C70 and the Saab 9-3. What was on the opposite side of the spectrum? The Pontiac G6 convertible scored only an Acceptable grade in frontal crashes and Marginal in side- and rear-impact tests.

Most surprising were the low side-impact scores registered by the all-new BMW 3 Series convertible and the Audi A4 Cabriolet (convertible). Both cars received marginal side-impact scores even though they’re both equipped with seat-mounted head and torso airbags. They also received poor grades in rear crash tests. For a full chart of the results, click below. 

Springtime Alert: New BMW 3 Series Convertible on Sale

The car companies can be weird sometimes. Whenever they debut a new model, there’s a ton of fanfare, extravagant introductions and dozens of photographs showing off the most minute of features. They then pretty much forget all about it, turning their attention to the next new model. Rarely will we hear when the car will actually go on sale.

Today we just happened to be putting together our next New Car Tracker update when we came across the starting prices for the all-new 2007 BMW 3 Series convertible, the company’s first hardtop convertible, which we told you about last year. Oh, and you can go to your local dealer and pick one up right now.

Strange, isn’t it? Anyway, if you’re interested in prices they start at $43,200 for the 328i and $49,100 for the 335i, not including a destination and handling fee of $775. BMW also has a lot of new press photos of the 3 Series droptop we've posted below for those who need a refresher.

Related: 
New BMW 3 Series Convertibles Unveiled

BMW Diesels Arriving in 2008

As the global automotive press flocks to Geneva this week, we’re getting some interesting tidbits that will impact car buyers here in the U.S. Reuters is reporting that BMW will sell diesel versions of its cars and SUVs in the U.S. next year. Roughly 40% of all BMWs sold in the world last year were diesels. Mercedes-Benz has already announced that its new diesel models, called Bluetec, will be sold in the U.S.

We don’t know which models will be offered with diesel engines, but the company’s CEO simply said “Next year we are also going to offer our diesel vehicles in the U.S. ,” which sounds to us like all of them. Currently, BMW offers diesel engines for almost every model, with some, like the 325d shown here, able to hit 62 mph in 7.4 seconds while getting 30.9/45.8 mpg city/highway.

[BMW to Offer Diesel Cars in U.S. Market in 2008, Reuters]

Cars.com Reviews the 2007 Infiniti FX45 and BMW 328i

The latest reviews have just come in. Check out our take on the 2007 Infiniti FX45. Can it stand up to heavy competition four years after it debuted?

Sure, you’ve read a lot about the BMW 335i and its awesome twin-turbo engine, but what about the bread-and-butter 328i? The 3 Series for the masses finally gets the full review treatment it rightfully deserves.

2007 Infiniti FX45 Review
2007 BMW 328i Review

New BMW 3 Series Convertibles Unveiled

BMW has been launching variants of its all-new 3 Series for the past year, and today the latest 3 to debut is the all-new convertible. For the first time, a BMW will feature a retractable hardtop — to keep up with Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Mazda — that can open or close in 22 seconds.

Updated: There will be two convertible models — the 328i and the 335i. The 328i is made for the buyer who just wants the convertible, as the base engine has a conservative 230 hp. The 335i features BMW’s superb 300-hp inline turbo six-cylinder, which we recently tested in a 335i coupe. It can hit 62 mph in 5.8 seconds. There are more power plants planned for the future, but it’s unclear if all the models will make it to the United States.