What’s The One Generation Of 3-Series You’d Call Peak BMW?

The compact sedan has been through huge changes since the two-door E21 launched in 1975

                                        https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/                                    

If it’s hard to imagine a world without the BMW 3-series there’s a good reason for that. The badge has been with us for more years than most of us have been alive, 50 years to be precise, and it’s been through a hell of a lot of changes, and seven generations in that time. But which era of Three did it best?

Obviously there’s no point in trying to directly compare an original E21 3-series with the current G20 car, but you can make a judgement call based on how each generation of BMW’s compact sedan fared against its rivals, and which moved the game on in terms of design and engineering. Or maybe simply which one looks so good you’d give anything for thebrandto put it back into production.

Also: BMW Is Killing The M340i For Something That’s More Than A New Name

Take a look at these galleries of the seven 3-series generations and drop a comment below to tell us which one did it best.

E21 1975-1982

BMW

The very first 3-series was more sophisticated than the 02 it replaced, but bears little resemblance to the cars you can buy today. The only E21 body style available was a two-door sedan (though a Bauer semi-convertible came later) and an inline-six didn’t join the party in Europe until 1977. America missed out on the sixes altogether and the M3 was still a decade away. Still, not a bad start.

E30 1982-1994

BMW

BMW played it safe with the design of the E30, which debuted the same year as Ford’s radical, jelly-mould Sierra. But it proved to be the right decision. Despite the cramped rear and tediously low-geared steering the E30 was a hit, helped by key additions like a four-door sedan, and later, diesel and all-wheel drive options, a wagon, the first M3 and a true convertible.

E36 1990-1998

BMW

The 3-series finally embraced aero trends with the E36 and got a trick new multi-link rear axle that massively improved your chances of actually reaching your destination when fanging along fast, wet, twisty roads. A shortie hatchback version, the 3-series Compact, joined the lineup (but with the old E30’s semi-trailing arm suspension) and there were big changes for the M3, too. It abandoned its four-cylinder homologation roots to become a muscular six-cylinder GT that was even available with four doors.

E46 1998-2005

BMW

The E46 took everything that was good about the E36 and wrapped it in an even more handsome package. It’s been almost 30 years after we first clapped eyes on this car it still looks fantastic. Which isn’t to say there weren’t some important updates under the skin. The engines gained Valvetronic variable valve lift, the all-wheel drive option was back having skipped the E36, and the Compact finally got the multi-link rear end. Oh, and as if the stock 3.2-liter M3 wasn’t good enough, BMW gave us the M3 CSL.

E90 2005-2012

BMW

Styling took a backwards step to some eyes, at least until the 2008 facelift, but the E90 changed the course of the 3-series in important ways. It was the first one to get BMW’s iDrive, and the first to benefit from the automaker’s new turbocharged six-cylinder engines. The M3 didn’t go the turbo route, though. Instead it upsized to a 4.0-liter V8, which is still the biggest capacity engine ever fitted to a factory M3.

F30 2011-2019

BMW

By its mid-thirties, the 3-series was still finding new angles to part us from our cash, including spinning the coupe and convertibles off as separate lines under the 4-series/M4 banner. The F30 3-series also gave us the hideous Gran Turismo fastback, a long-wheelbase sedan for China and a plug-in hybrid that wasn’t the only evidence of a strong focus on efficiency. Turbocharging allowed BMW to fit four-cylinder engines that outperformed the sixes they replaced, and meant base cars now came with only three pistons.

Related: BMW’s Next M350 Is Getting A Major Design Overhaul

G20 2019-2026

BMW

It was a case of more of the same, but better, when BMW dropped the G20 at the Paris Motor Show in late 2018. The design was crisper, the body stiffer, the interior roomier, and there was plenty for M fans to get their teeth into. The M3 got an xDrive all-wheel drive option for the first time, though the more powerful Competition trim missed out on the manual transmission available on the base M3. A new M340i made plenty of people wonder if they really needed an M3 at all, and a 2022 facelift ushered in a slick iDrive-intensive digital dashboard.

Neue Klasse 2026-

If you’ve read through our generation summaries you’ll know the 3-series has been through some massive changes in its 50-year career, but the changes coming next year will be the most radical yet. The next Three switches to BMW’s Neue Klasse platform that can handle both combustion and electric powertrains, and the design gets a comprehensive reboot that embraces the modern while paying homage to the BMW’s past. The M3 doesn’t miss out on this game-changing makeover, either. The six-cylinder model is joined by an electric M3 for the first time.

Which is your favorite generation of 3-series and which do you think really moved the game on in terms of design and engineering? Tell us by leaving your vote and a comment below.

BMW