BMW 3 Series: Looking Forward, Glancing Back

The next-generation BMW 3 Series is set to make its debut any day now. While its unveiling awaits, looking back at the venerable luxury sport sedan’s heritage provides context for what can be expected for the 2019 model year.

Over six generations the 3 Series has gone through evolution and revolutions in terms of style and has grown significantly in size. Will the next 3-Series take on a retro flair and embody the minimalism of the E21, or go a more radical route with flame surfacing like the E90? Let’s examine every generation of the 3 Series to get a better idea of what could lie ahead.

The first-generation BMW 3 Series (code name E21) made its debut in the United States for the 1977 model year. Its simplistic form, prominent double kidney grille, and circular headlamps set against black fixtures gave the vehicle a purposeful and sporty look.

This design was ahead of its time. Over the next three decades, the minimalist style would prove highly influential as sedan designs became progressively more understated in the 3 Series idiom, with excessive chrome and opera lights falling by the wayside as a sportier and less ornamental design philosophy took hold across the industry.

The second-generation BMW 3 Series (code name E30) made its debut for the 1984 model year in the United States and ushered in an evolutionary design that had a bit more of a substantial presence. Four headlamps adorned a more upright front fascia.

Taillamps increased in size and the trunklid was higher in this generation. Interior dimensions also increased, which drew the compact 3 Series further into the mainstream and contributed to its surging popularity.

1992 brought the third 3 Series (code nam E36), which heralded a more aerodynamic design language. Headlamps were encased in plastic housings and the double kidney grilles were more elegantly incorporated into the front end.

Out back, the taillamps took on a more nuanced form, giving the 3 Series a more aggressive stance. Aprons below the door sills lent a grounded and sporty look to the overall design.

As the millennium approached, so did a new 3 Series. Making its debut for the 1999 model year was the fourth-generation 3 Series (code name E46). While enthusiasts began to grumble that the car had lost some of its excellent steering sharpness with this iteration, the design at least was well executed.

Sharp curves of the previous generation were gently rounded all over the vehicle, lending this generation a very sophisticated aesthetic. However, a significantly higher trunk line and upsized taillamps took away slightly from the hunkered-down look of the prior 3 Series.

This generation would see its coupe and cabriolet come equipped with body-colored rub strips, while the sedan carried on with the traditional black rubber strips.

As the Bangle design era took hold at BMW, it saw the release of the radical 2002 7 Series and polarizing 2006 5 Series. Amid the shakeup, the fifth-generation 3 Series (code name E90) made its debut for the 2006 model year. While its design was not as outlandish as its stablemates, the 3 Series did take on some funky detailing, which coincided with lessened driving dynamics as the model became softer and more mainstream.

Sharp and deep bodyside creases known as “flame surfacing” added definition to the 3 Series, but also removed the subtlety of prior generations. Rub strips were removed altogether, lending the design a clean look, but also increasing visual mass along the sides. On the sedan version, the double kidney grille was bisected along the top, whereby the upper portion was placed on the hood while the remainder was attached to the front fascia. The coupe retained a more traditional, and better-looking, grille treatment.

A mid-generation refresh would see the coupe’s more elegant grille grafted onto the sedan, along with other updates that reeled in some of the quirky design elements to good effect.

A return to BMW’s traditional design language came with the 2012 release of the six-generation 3 Series (code named F30). The brand played it safe with this model and most echoes of the Bangle era with this interpretation.

Aggressively shaped headlamps hark back to the fourth-generation model. The horizontal taillamp design that made its debut on the fifth-generation coupe was carried across the range for this generation and provided a more grounded appearance for the sedan. The sides of the vehicle incorporated more subtle and organic forms compared to the prior generation.

What’s next? BMW has released a teaser of the seventh-generation 3 Series, however the camouflage obscures detailing. An official debut is expected in autumn 2018.

[Images: BMW, Wikipedia]