The UK configurator just went live.
We love a good configurator. It’s an easy way for any car nerd to waste hours out of their day, especially when the car configurator in question is for a long-standing automotive favorite like the BMW 3 Series. The new 3er just debuted, bringing with it some refreshing restraint, and a look at what’s new for one of BMW’s longest-standing badges.
While the American configurator for the new 3 Series isn’t up yet, we did manage to find the configurator for the 2023 BMW 3 Series in the UK. In it, we can see a full list of colors, trim levels, engines, and pricing. However, the obvious caveat here is that these are Euro-spec cars so there’ll be pricing and trim level differences. As such, we’ll leave pricing out of it for now. In the US, we expect the model to start at around $41,450.
One of those trim levels is the M320d xDrive. We don’t get that here. Instead, we’ll have an M340i, just like last year. Of course, it does give us some info. Short of the M3, the M320d/M340i gives us a few special colors, like Tanzanite Blue Metallic, and a few of BMW’s “frozen” color schemes.
Those are BMW’s matte colors, like the green on the M5 CS. Here, you can either have Frozen Tanzanite Blue or Frozen Pure Grey. Of course, these will cost a few thousand bucks extra, and there’s also your choice of wheels with this trim level, and that’s likely to be the same story here as it is in Europe. We’ve included a few in the surrounding images.
Inside, the new 3 Series gets BMW’s new iDrive 8 infotainment unit, something that’s also making its way into the M3. Other than that, the configurator allows you to add more technology like lumbar support, heated surfaces, and a head-up display. We imagine some of those options will be standard on US-spec models, like lumbar and a heated steering wheel.
As for the less-interesting base model 3 Series, the color palette stays largely the same, and it likely will on US models as well. In total, there are 12 colors you can choose from, and none of them are too bold. Save for the Frozen options, of course. The base model offers your standard color fare. There’s black, red, white, blue and grey, and that’s it. At least for the UK models, you can’t even add another wheel option. Instead, you’re stuck with the factory 17-inchers.
Inside the base model, your leather colors are rather limited. Only three are available: black, red, or cream, each with your choice of piano black or aluminum-look trim. M models do get a lot more, totaling 9 leather options (including the Alcantara above), and five trim options, including carbon fiber.
The 3 Series is certainly one of the more versatile cars in BMW’s lineup, and it looks like the options list will reflect that. Short of the M320d trim, everything over on the BMW UK site should be available in America, and we’re looking forward to building out our own “Ultimate Driving Machine” (TM).
