BMW E90

The 'BMW E90' automobile platform is the fifth generation of the BMW 3 Series range of entry-level luxury/compact executive cars. The car is also available as a station wagon/estate (designated as E91), coupé (E92) and coupé cabriolet (E93). It is the successor to the E46 platform, and was launched in March 2005.

Contents

E46 comparison

Body styles and models

Touring (E91)

Coupé (E92)

Coupé-cabriolet (E93)

Special edition

Awards

References

External links

E46 comparison

The E90 sedan is 49 mm longer, 78 mm wider and 9 mm taller than its predecessor. The wheelbase is longer by 35 mm. Large amounts of aluminium were used in the body work and suspension in an attempt to keep the weight close to previous models; however the E90 weighs between 50 and 150 lbs more than comparable older models. The engine head on N54B30 engines is all aluminum, while the N51 and N52 engines largely consist of magnesium. The piston sleeves are steel.
The E90 also introduced run-flat tires to the 3 Series range. Consequently, cars with run-flats are not equipped with a spare tire.

Body styles and models

Touring (E91)

The station wagon model of the 3-Series is available with both rear-wheel drive and xDrive AWD.

Coupé (E92)

The two-door coupé model of the 3-Series became available in August 2006. It is also the first BMW coupé offered with xDrive. All E92s also come standard with Xenon HID headlights and "retractable seatbelt helpers" that extend from the B pillar to hand you the seatbelt when the key fob is in the ignition and the door is closed. Interestingly enough, the coupé is longer and narrower than its E90 counterpart. The E92 comes with 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 330d, 335d and 330xd models (availability of certain models depends on region; diesels not available to the USDM market until 2008).

Coupé-cabriolet (E93)

First time for BMW, the E93 comes with a retractable hardtop model (rather than a traditional cloth-top convertible). The E93 also no longer has the "retractable seatbelt helpers" that the E92 coupé uses whenever one closes the respective door.

Special edition

The 320si is a special homologation version, built in order to qualify the car for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).^[1] It was released in 2006 and limited to 2,600 units. The 320si uses a modified 4 cylinder engine (N45) different from the standard 320i (N46). Modifications include an increased redline to 7,300 rpm, a shortened stroke (by 2 mm), an increased bore (by 1 mm) and a higher compression ratio (11,0:1). The engine is mostly hand built and does not have Valvetronic, decreasing the number of moving parts. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) takes 8.1 seconds and acceleration in fouth gear from 80 to 120 km/h takes 7.7 seconds compared with a standard 320i which achieves 9.0 and 9.1 seconds respectively. Fourth gear acceleration is comparable to that of the 325i which achieves the 80 to 120 km/h sprint in 7.5 seconds.

Awards

★ In April 2006, the E90 was awarded the World Car of the Year title by a jury of 46 international automotive journalists. The car was praised for its balance between performance and practicality, as well as between style and seriousness. The jury also praised the new diesel engines and the all wheel drive variants.^[2]

★ Car and Driver magazine listed the E90 3-series on their Ten Best list for the 16th time in 24 years of the list's publication.

★ The E90 was named "''Best New Sports Sedan''" in the 2006 ''Canadian Car of the Year'' awards.

★ Top Gear voted it as the ugliest car in 2005.

References

1. World Touring Car homologation special
2. BMW 3-Series declared World Car of the Year

External links

★ Official BMW 3 Series

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