The G20 BMW 3 Series LCI: A mid-life refresh for the popular sedan from Munich.

The current generation of the BMW 3 Series, the G20, recently received a mid life refresh or facelift if you prefer, or even "Life Cycle Impulse" as the automaker calls it. The G20 3 Series was first introduced in 2018 at the Paris Motor Show and went on sale in 2019. The G20 3 Series came in with a more grown up design than its predecessor the F30, so much that some would even confuse it for a 5 Series on the roads but, it was and is a good looking car nevertheless. Fast forward 5 years later, the 3 Series has now been refreshed for the 2023 model year with some minor changes on the exterior and a few more on the interior too. Powertrains have remained the same though.

Now, let us get straight to the point, from the front the most noticeable changes are on the headlights, the new hexagonal air intake, new side vents design and a slightly different grille design which BMW says it's more muscular than on the Pre-LCI models. The headlights are now slimmer with a new design for the daytime running LEDs which are now upside down Ls with two of them on each headlights, separated fog lights are now no-longer available on the 3 Series, the turn signals are also integrated on to the LEDs. The side air curtains or air vents are now vertical and slimmer. Overall it is a still a good looking car as it was before but this new one has more aggressive front design even on the SportLine models, that is, the ones without the M-Sport Package. This specific unit here is fitted with the M Light 19" alloy wheels with double spoke styling, finished in silver on the outside and black on the insides which BMW calls bicolor jet black.

 

 

On to the rear, the visible changes are on the rear bumper as the tail-lights have remained the same. The rear bumper now features a bigger diffuser which is finished in high gloss black and stretches to the sides where it integrates the two vertically placed reflectors which used to be just below the tail-lights on the Pre-LCI models. One of the ways you can easily differentiate the LCI models from Pre-LCI.

The 3 Series also gets M Style door lighting or projectors which illuminate a BMW M-like pattern on the ground, it is there to light up your area at night which can help you avoid obstacles lying around.

Inside, the G20 LCI receives quite a drastic change for the infotainment systems but also, minimal to none on other areas of the interior. The car now comes with 12.3 inch instrument cluster for the driver and a 14.9 inch central display screen which seems like one big screen unit. The central screen can be used as a touch screen or controlled with the use of the rotary dial on the centr console or by the steering wheel mounted controls, as for the driver's display, it can only be controlled with the steering wheel mounted buttons. Almost all functions are integrated into the screens now, only the most frequently used and safety related can still be accessed with the use of physical buttons like the volume knob, climate controls and the hazard button.

 

The highlights of the dashboard and the center console are covered in an aluminum trim called rhombocal. Another change in the interior is the elimination of a traditional gear lever that sticks out and is now replaced by a much smaller rocket switch. Ambient lighting with a different colors to choose from is available to lighten the mood. The curved big screen houses BMW's latest operating system, the 8, which can operated through a number of ways including the voice control option and the ones aforementioned. A high quality sound system, Harman/Kardon hi-fi system, comes standard on the 3 Series to give you the best sound experience whilst on the move. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available if you prefer to use the phone's system for various functions over the car's. The operating system can be switched into a smartphone like mode if it happens that you forget your phone at home or somewhere with the personal e-sim. Wireless charging is available too if your smartphone has it so, there will no need to carry the charging cable around.

The G20 makes use of an M-Sport steering wheel with functional paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel. The paddles feel high quality too, well done to BMW for not choosing high quality materials here. The interior, as you would expect from a BMW, feels high quality all round, there really is no use of low quality cheap plastic here.

With engine choices, there are four petrol engines and five diesel engines to choose from in either 4 or 6 Cylinder variants. The specific unit featured here is the 320i which makes use of a 2.0-liter 4-Cylinder engine with around 135 kW of power (184hp) and 300 Nm of torque paired to an 8-Speed automatic transmission which BMW claims should be good for 0-100 km/h sprint in just 7.1 seconds. Top speed is rated at 235 km/h. The 320i should be able to give you a claimed combined fuel consumption of 6,3L/100 km from its 59-liter fuel tank.

For those willing, the range topping M3 is available which is powered by 3.0-liter Straight-6 engine producing 375 kW (510hp) and 650 Nm of torque. Or for those who do not want the M3, the M340i xDrive is available too utilizing a 3.0-liter Straight-6 engine too but with 285 kW and 500 Nm of torque, again, a diesel variant is available too with more torque, the M340d xDrive.

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