5 Available upgrades for the BMW 3-Series

By Martin Pretorius 

When the BMW 3-Series first arrived in South Africa in the early 1980s, only two trim levels were offered: Standard and Executive. On top of that, you could add alloy wheels, a sunroof, and power steering, and maybe a M-Technik body kit. 

But oh, how times have changed. The main product expansion began in the mid-1990s, when the “Individual” concept was unveiled, which brought a selection of unusual colours and some more styling add-ons to otherwise quite ordinary BMWs. Since then, we've seen the 3-Series range grow to offer four basic appearance- and equipment packages, with a whole host of optional extras from alloy wheels to entertainment systems to suspension systems. 

We spent some time on BMW's online configurator, and selected five upgrades to make the most of a new BMW 3-Series. Please note that some of the options listed here may need other, supporting upgrades before they can be added to a car's specification sheet. The prices quoted here were current at the time of writing, but are likely to change without notification.

1. The Engine

If you're of a relaxed mindset, the base 318i with its 100 kW and 220 Nm (from a 1.5-litre turbo 3-cylinder engine) will get the job done well enough, but the 3-Series only really begins to come alive with the 320i, which offers 135 kW and 290 Nm (270 Nm with an automatic gearbox) from its smoother, 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo engine. Speed freaks can opt for the 340i, which has 240 kW and 450 Nm, but in the real world a 330i (also a 2.0-litre turbo “four”) with 185 kW and 350 Nm probably offers the optimum configuration for efficiency and performance among the petrol engines. 

Frugally-minded folks can opt for one of the two diesels, with the smaller 320d giving reasonably rapid performance with stunning economy (4.0 ℓ/100 km claimed average), and the 330d offering very strong performance and only marginally worse fuel consumption. Upgrading to the 320i only adds about R32 000 to the 318i's already rather steep base price, so you might as well treat yourself and get a much more satisfying car, although stepping up to the sweet spot (330i) is considerably more expensive.

2. The Wheels

Entry-level 3-Series cars roll on 16-inch alloy wheels. Luxury Line or Sport Line upgrades you to 17-inch items, but even those look a little lost in the generous wheel arches of the F30-generation 3-Series. But don't get too ambitious either, as there are some 19-inch wheel options available as well, which have a tremendous (negative) impact on the car's ride quality – even more so when fitted with any form of Sport suspension. 

Rather settle for the middle ground, and go for one of the very attractive 18-inch wheel options, at a cost ranging between around R8 000 to R14 000. Cars with the M-Sport package comes standard with 18-inch wheels, but they also come with sport suspension...

3. Sport Suspension – if you really want to

It's doubtful that the sport suspension will add much to the experience of driving a 3-Series every day, and it may in fact make the car less pleasant to live with. With that being said, there are some drivers who would gladly sacrifice some comfort to gain a sharper driving experience, and for those folks, the sport suspension will be a must-have item.

This is available in two flavours: M Sport suspension (standard with the M Sport package, optional for the others) is a little stiffer than the standard setup and drops the car 10 mm closer to the ground at a cost of R4 000, while the Adaptive M Suspension costs R15 400, and allows the driver to select different stiffness levels to give an adjustable ride quality. We'd actually recommend ticking the “Adaptive” option box if you can afford it, because it's nice to be able to tailor the car to your mood. 

4. Let there be light

Xenon lights are standard across the range, but BMW also offers excellent adaptive LED lighting. This is a worthwhile add-on (good though the standard Xenons might be, the LEDs are still much better), even though it is quite a pricey option. R17 300 is a sizeable chunk of cash, but it should be stressed that good lighting really is a crucial safety item. Add to this High-beam Assist for fully automatic forward lighting control, at “only” R2 150, and you’ll have the full suite of the most up-to-date lighting options in your 3-Series.

5. Hear, hear!

Make no mistake, the standard 3-Series audio system is pretty decent just as it is, but when you look at the alternative infotainment options available on the configurator, it seems a shame not to indulge a little bit.

First up, there are two upgrades available for the audio system itself. The first upgrade is the hi-fi speaker system at R6 400, while a potent Harman/Kardon surround sound system (R11 400) represents the ultimate in factory 3-Series sound. Navigation is standard across the range, but that can also be updated for R9 300, which brings a larger display screen and 3D map functionality. Then you might want to look at the wireless charging options as well, which start a mere R1 450... Yes, you can really load a 3-Series' pricetag just with infotainment options!

According to the configurator

For interest's sake, we “created” a 330i Automatic in Sport Line trim on the online configurator, and added the following options: Adaptive LED lights with high-beam assist, the Harman/Kardon audio upgrade, big-screen navigation, “415”-type 18-inch wheels, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera (yes, even those are optional), and M Sport suspension – with no special paintwork, upholstery, extra comfort features or body styling pieces added to this virtual car.

This article’s images show you what this virtual car looks like, and gives a complete breakdown of the chosen options. From the bare-bones 318i manual's base price of R 517 100, these specification upgrades bumped the list price to R 754 238.

There we have it: the difference between a poverty-spec 3-Series and a nicely-equipped 3-Series is almost R240 000. That's a lot of money, so choose your options wisely – there's easily another R 100 000 to be added, once you start looking at the heated- and cooled electric seats, or maybe a beautiful pearlescent paint job, or maybe some Individual leather upholstery, or maybe....