BMW 3 Series - Interior, design and technology

The 3 Series is based on BMW’s CLAR (short for Cluster Architecture) platform first introduced on the flagship 7 Series in 2015, and is also used for the 5 Series executive saloon. The car is available as a four-door saloon and a five-door estate, badged 3 Series Touring.

The latest car features an interior that feels like that of the 5 Series and 7 Series. That’s no bad thing, because both those cars have an excellent, high-quality feel to them. The 3 Series has a more driver-centric feel to it than the Audi A4 and is less fussy and more straightforward than the dashboard used in the Mercedes C-Class.

The dashboard design works seamlessly with the new technology on board, which saw a big change with the facelift, thanks to the introduction of BMW’s ‘Curved Display’. This looks like a single ‘floating’ screen, but is in fact a 12.3-inch driver’s instrument panel and 14.9-inch touchscreen in a wide-screen format, running the latest OS 8 software.

Like most rivals, the 3 Series also has a concierge-style ‘Intelligent Personal Assistant’, a voice-controlled set-up that allows you to communicate with the car as you would with Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. Thus, you can adjust the temperature, change the audio settings or talk to the sat nav, among other things. Adjusting the climate control is especially pertinent now the physical controls have been consigned to the touchscreen. If you prefer, you can still use the iDrive controller, which is intuitive and easy to use.

Also now standard is BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional set-up, which includes a 12.3-inch digital dashboard display that allows you to fully customise the information displayed.

The G20 3 Series is instantly recognisable as belonging to the BMW family, but it does seem to be a somewhat evolutionary design. And while the car’s looks are obviously subjective, we feel it’s a little bland from some angles. From the front, it’s instantly recognisable as a BMW with its trademark headlights (LED throughout the 3 Series range) and the kidney grilles remain, but from the rear, it’s perhaps less recognisable as a BMW.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Gone are the days when a 3 Series didn’t even come with a stereo or speakers, as all models are now packed with an array of hi-tech equipment along with USB charging points.

A DAB radio comes as standard, as does three years of free satellite navigation and connected services, which gives you access to BMW Apps informing you about live weather and traffic reports. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity are also standard across the 3 Series range, while the car's Emergency Call system will automatically call the emergency services in the event of a collision.

The stereo, along with many other functions, can be accessed by using the central control display as a touchscreen, as well as via voice commands, or by using the iDrive controller. While it can seem a little bewildering at a glance, those coming from a previous generation 3 Series will have no trouble operating the system, and it soon all becomes second nature once you’ve gotten the hang of it. 

Unfortunately, some physical buttons for the climate control and the heated seats have migrated to the touchscreen, which we find is more distracting to use on the move than before. The Audi A4 retains its knurled rotary air-con dials, which are far easier to get on with and provide a quality feel.

Other criticisms surround the reversing camera, which rotates with the steering lock, and makes it hard to figure out when you’re aligned with a parking space. The digital dials work well enough, but the graphics look a bit fussy, and it isn’t as configurable as the virtual cockpit found on the A4.