许多人都以为，宝马 3 系就是奔驰里的 C 级，是属于宝马的「A4」，但实际上，宝马 3 系很特别，它比「34C」里的另外两位都要特别的多。
为什么？
你看，C 级可以代表奔驰吗？显然不能，S 级才是奔驰的名片。再看，A4 可以代表奥迪吗？显然也不能，A6 比它更像奥迪的门面。
而 3 系完完全全可以代表宝马，宝马最看重的东西，笔者都能在它身上找到。
今天刚亮相的第八代 3 系也是如此。
代号 G50 的新一代 3 系换上了新世代外观语言，座舱也彻底翻篇。可到了机械部分，宝马的动作显著谨慎得多，发动机依旧纵置，后驱仍然是基础布局，顶配车型继续使用直列六缸。
这一代 3 系变化很大，但宝马最不愿意改掉的，仍旧是驾驶这件事。
给 3 系换一张脸
新 3 系和新世代 i3 看起来很像，座舱也使用了相近的思路，但两车并不同属一个平台。
▲ 左为新世代 i3，右为新 3 系
i3 转向了新世代纯电平台，新 3 系则继续使用升级后的 CLAR 架构。宝马没有把两种动力形式放进同一副底盘里，也就是说，它们虽然长得差不多，实际上却是两台完全不一样的车。
新 3 系在造型上的变化是巨大的，大灯与双肾格栅连成一体，过去两代 3 系那层次复杂的前保险杠线条被去掉，侧面也干净了不少，隐藏式门把手第一次浮现在 3 系上。
有一些外媒已经看过实车了，笔者不妨先听听他们的评价。
Car and Driver 认为，这是近年来 3 系外观变化最大的一次换代，Autoblog 则提到，新 3 系的车头更修长，车身也压得更低，因而同样一套新世代外观放在燃油版上，看起来比 i3 更协调。
车身尺寸也比上一代有所增加。以美规车型为例，新 3 系车长达到 4755mm，比 G20 增加约 38mm；轴距为 2860mm，增加约 10mm。车宽也增加到 1849mm。
车重涨得更显著，330 xDrive 的整备质量约 1773kg，涨了大概 91kg；M350 xDrive 加上了直六发动机之后还来到了 1891kg。
新 3 系的内饰也完全变成了新世代 i3 的模样。
之前那块独立仪表已经不见了，车速等主要信息被放到挡风玻璃下沿的 P-HUD 里，中控台中央是一块 17.9 英寸的异形屏，驾驶员面前的仪表区域被大幅简化。
实体按键自然也比以前更少了，只有换挡、双闪、音量仍然保留了独立的物理控制。
动力上的变化就相对克制了，海外市面的 320、330 继续使用四缸发动机，插混版 330e 也会在将来一年内加入。
最值得展开说的是 M350，它搭载 B58 3.0T 直列六缸发动机，并加入 48V 平台，最大功率约 326kW（437 马力），0-100km/h 加速约 4.1 秒。
底盘的改动也很大，而且不止于 M350，即便是基础的四缸版本，也标配了带液压回弹限位的减振器。另外，宝马还提高了悬架安装点位的强度，前后防倾杆的固定方式、弹簧和衬套等部件也有调整。
宝马也重新调整了前后悬架的几何设定，让转向响应更直接，车身动作也更干脆。Top Gear 表示，新车开起来没有过去那么「黏」，方向也更自然。车辆翻过坡顶时，前轮一旦变轻，驾驶员马上能从方向盘上察觉出来。
也许，和前两代车型相比，3 系已经没那么注重舒适了。
没换平台，不等于没换思路
和全面转向新世代平台的 i3 相比，新 3 系实际上并没有改得特别激进，纵置后驱、CLAR 架构，还有那台 B58 直列六缸发动机，都是笔者熟悉的老配方了。
但宝马保留下来的只是配方，不是过去的做法。
新 3 系继续用 CLAR，并不意味着宝马只是给上一代车型换了一层皮。恰恰相反，把燃油 3 系和纯电 i3 拆成两套平台之后，宝马反而更能放开手脚。
3 系项目负责人 Michael Keigler 之前解释过，3 系不像 5 系和 7 系那样具备充裕的车身空间，如果一副车身既要容纳大容量电池，又要兼顾纵置发动机、变速箱和传动轴，最终必然需要在座舱空间、车身比例和底盘布置之间作出更多妥协。
因而，宝马没有强行让新 3 系和 i3 共用一套底盘。
i3 可以按照纯电车的需要布置电池和电机，3 系则继续围绕纵置动力和后驱布局开发。如此双线并行的思路虽然有着更高的研发成本，但两款车都不必为了迁就另一种动力形式，放弃自己原本可以做得更好的部分，属于是互相成全了。
这也许是 M340 改名叫 M350 的原因——丢掉包袱之后，它变得更强了。
M350 虽然标配 xDrive，但动力分配仍然显著偏向后轴。在 M Sport+ 模式下，只要平台判断车辆仍处于驾驶员可以控制的范围内，就会允许后轮浮现更显著的滑动。
明年上市的时候，宝马还会借助软件更新开放漂移模式，把发动机的动力全部传递到后轮。
这并不是在显示屏里增加一个「漂移模式」按钮那么简单，为了让一辆四驱车真正以纯后驱状态工作，宝马需要重新协调制动平台、后桥差速器、车身稳定平台和转向，整辆车的控制逻辑都发生了变化。
这也是新 3 系真正区别于上一代车型的地方。在新一代 3 系里，过去相对独立工作的动力、制动、转向和车身控制平台，如今被放进了统一的 Driving Stack 中协同运行。
笔者都知道，纯电 i3 用的是以 Heart of Joy 为核心的控制架构，而如今的新 3 系，也具备了属于它的「Heart of Joy」。这项规格的作用很难借助参数来体现，但它却是提高车身响应的关键。这一点对于新 3 系尤其关键。
新 3 系的尺寸比上一代更大，车重也增加了一些，过去依靠紧凑车身和较低重量自然取得的轻快感，现在需要借助更快的转向响应、更精准的车身控制来补上。
对于一辆 3 系来说，这显然比动力上的提高要更吸引人。Top Gear 和 Car and Driver 在感受新车之后，都用了不少篇幅讨论转向、前轮反馈和车身响应。相比之下，437 马力和 4.1 秒的零百加速反而没有成为重点。
当然了，外媒试的毕竟是标轴的 3 系，如果国产 3 系继续加长，那宝马还需要重新处理由此带来的负面影响。
这可能比后排究竟增加了多少腿部空间更值得关注。
本文来源：https://www.ifanr.com/1682682
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Many people assume the BMW 3 Series is to BMW what the Mercedes C-Class is to Mercedes—the "A4" of the BMW lineup. But the truth is, the 3 Series is something special, far more distinctive than either of its rivals in the so-called "34C" trio.
Why?
Can the C-Class truly represent Mercedes? Clearly not—the S-Class is Mercedes' calling card. And can the A4 represent Audi? Also no—the A6 fits that role far better.
The 3 Series, on the other hand, fully embodies BMW. Everything BMW holds most valuable can be found in it.
The newly unveiled eighth-generation 3 Series is no exception.
The new-generation 3 Series, coded G50, adopts a new design language outside and a completely revised cabin. But when it comes to the mechanicals, BMW has been noticeably more cautious: the engine remains longitudinally mounted, rear-wheel drive stays the baseline layout, and the top trim continues to use an inline-six.
This generation of 3 Series sees significant changes, yet what BMW is least willing to alter remains the driving experience.
Giving the 3 Series a New Face
The new 3 Series and the new-generation i3 look similar, and their cabins share a comparable design philosophy, but the two cars are not built on the same platform.
▲ Left: new-generation i3, right: new 3 Series
The i3 has shifted to BMW's new-generation pure electric platform, while the new 3 Series continues to use an upgraded CLAR architecture. BMW did not combine the two powertrain types onto a single chassis—meaning that although they look alike, they are fundamentally two different cars.
The new 3 Series brings dramatic styling changes: the headlights and kidney grille are now integrated into one piece, the complex layered lines of the front bumper from the previous two generations have been stripped away, the side profile is much cleaner, and hidden door handles appear on the 3 Series for the first time.
Some foreign media outlets have already seen the car in person, so let's hear their initial impressions.
Car and Driver considers this the most dramatic exterior redesign of the 3 Series in recent years, while Autoblog notes the new 3 Series has a longer, lower-slung front end, making the same new-generation styling appear more cohesive on the combustion-engine model than on the i3.
Body dimensions have also increased over the previous generation. Taking the US-spec model as an example, the new 3 Series measures 4,755 mm in length, about 38 mm longer than the G20; the wheelbase is 2,860 mm, up roughly 10 mm. Width has also grown to 1,849 mm.
Weight gain is even more noticeable: the 330 xDrive has a curb weight of approximately 1,773 kg, an increase of about 91 kg; the M350 xDrive, fitted with the inline-six, tips the scales at 1,891 kg.
The interior of the new 3 Series has also been completely reshaped to resemble the new-generation i3.
The former standalone instrument cluster is gone. Key information such as speed is now displayed on a P-HUD projected at the base of the windshield, while the center console features a 17.9-inch uniquely shaped touchscreen. The area in front of the driver has been greatly simplified.
Physical buttons are naturally fewer than before; only gear selection, hazard lights, and volume retain dedicated physical controls.
Changes to the powertrain are relatively restrained. The overseas-market 320 and 330 models continue to use four-cylinder engines, and the plug-in hybrid 330e will join the lineup within the next year.
The M350 deserves the most attention. It is powered by the B58 3.0T inline-six engine combined with a 48V mild-hybrid system, producing around 326 kW (437 hp) and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 4.1 seconds.
Chassis revisions are substantial and extend beyond the M350—even the base four-cylinder model now comes standard with hydraulic rebound-limited dampers. BMW has also strengthened the suspension mounting points, and adjustments have been made to the front and rear anti-roll bar fixings, springs, and bushings.
BMW has also retuned the front and rear suspension geometry for more direct steering response and crisper body control. Top Gear notes the new car feels less "muddy" to drive than before, with more natural steering feel. When the car crests a bump, the driver can immediately sense the front wheels losing contact through the steering wheel.
Perhaps compared to the previous two generations, the 3 Series no longer prioritizes comfort as heavily.
Not Changing Platform Doesn't Mean Not Changing Philosophy
Compared with the i3's full shift to the new-generation platform, the new 3 Series is actually not particularly radical: longitudinal rear-wheel drive, the CLAR architecture, and the B58 inline-six are all familiar recipes.
But what BMW has preserved is the recipe, not the old approach.
Continuing to use CLAR for the new 3 Series does not mean BMW merely gave the previous generation a fresh coat of paint. Quite the opposite—by splitting the fuel-powered 3 Series and the electric i3 onto separate platforms, BMW has actually freed itself to innovate more boldly.
Michael Keigler, the project leader for the 3 Series, previously explained that unlike the 5 Series and 7 Series, the 3 Series does not have ample cabin space. If a single body had to accommodate both a large-capacity battery and a longitudinal engine, transmission, and driveshaft, compromises would inevitably be required in cabin space, body proportions, and chassis layout.
Therefore, BMW did not force the new 3 Series and the i3 to share a chassis.
The i3 can arrange its battery and motor according to the needs of a pure electric vehicle, while the 3 Series continues to be developed around a longitudinal powertrain and rear-wheel-drive layout. Although this dual-track approach entails higher R&D costs, neither model needs to sacrifice what it could do best in order to accommodate the other's powertrain—both benefit.
This may also explain why the M340 was renamed the M350—freed from its old constraints, it has become stronger.
Although the M350 comes standard with xDrive, power distribution still heavily favors the rear axle. In M Sport+ mode, as long as the system determines the vehicle remains within the driver's control, it allows the rear wheels to exhibit more noticeable slip.
When it launches next year, BMW will also unlock a dedicated drift mode via a software update, sending all engine power to the rear wheels.
This is far more than simply adding a "Drift Mode" button on the display. To make a four-wheel-drive car truly operate in pure rear-wheel-drive mode, BMW had to recoordinate the braking system, rear differential, vehicle stability control, and steering—the entire control logic of the car has changed.
This is also what truly sets the new 3 Series apart from its predecessor. In the new-generation 3 Series, the previously relatively independent powertrain, braking, steering, and vehicle-stability control systems now operate协同 within a unified Driving Stack.
We all know the electric i3 uses a control architecture centered on the Heart of Joy, and now the new 3 Series also has its own "Heart of Joy." The impact of this feature is difficult to convey through specifications alone, but it is key to improving body responsiveness—a factor especially critical for the new 3 Series.
The new 3 Series is larger and heavier than its predecessor, so the effortless lightness once achieved naturally through a compact body and low weight must now be compensated for with faster steering response and more precise body control.
For a 3 Series, this is clearly more appealing than mere power gains. After testing the new car, both Top Gear and Car and Driver devoted considerable coverage to steering, front-wheel feedback, and body response. By comparison, the 437 hp and 4.1-second zero-to-100 km/h figures took a back seat.
Of course, the foreign media tested the standard-wheelbase 3 Series. If the Chinese-market version continues to be stretched, BMW will need to address the resulting negative effects.
That may well be more worth paying attention to than exactly how much extra legroom has been added to the rear seats.