BMW has added the plug-in hybrid 330e and 330e xDrive to the 3 Series range, with the latest eDrive technology, advanced driver assist and safety systems.
The sedan has a four-cylinder PHEV drivetrain with XtraBoost, offering 288bhp through a combined 2-liter BMW TwinPower engine with 181bhp and an electric traction motor developing 107bhp.
It comes with assistance systems including camera images and data from radar and ultrasonic sensors monitoring the surrounding area, alerting the driver to hazards or minimizing the risk of accidents with corrective braking and steering.
Optional Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go automatically accelerate and slows down to maintain the desired speed set by the driver.
It is operational up to 130mph (210km/h) and can break to a standstill if necessary. It can start automatically, with sensors not only monitoring the vehicle immediately ahead, but the one in front as well.
The 3 Series PHEV comes with Active Guard, Frontal Collision warning with City Collision Mitigation and Lane Departure Warning as standard, and can detect cyclists.
Optional Driving Assistant includes Blind Spot Detection operational from 44-130mph, guiding the car back onto the correct path with a steering input.
Driving Assistant includes Rear Collision Protection and Cross-Traffic Alert, reducing the risk of collisions when reversing into roads that are obstructed from the driver’s view.
The optional Driving Assistant Professional offers assistance systems underpinned by a trifocal camera co-developed with Mobileye, working in conjunction with a front-facing radar.
Driving Assistant Professional also contains Lane Keeping Assistant with Active Side Collision Avoidance.
It emits visual warning signals and causing the steering wheel to vibrate and can use a steering input to help avoid collisions.
Evasion Assistance rounds off Driving Assistant Professional by reacting to pedestrians and Cross-Traffic Alert.
Extended Traffic Jam Assistant deals with stop and go traffic on limited access highways at speeds up to 37mph (60km/h).
It integrates Lane Keeping Assistant, Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go, while a driver attention monitoring camera replaces the need to touch the steering wheel every 30-50 seconds if the driver is looking at the road ahead.
Standard Parking Distance Control sensors at the front and rear provide visual and acoustic warnings to prevent collisions, but Automatic Parking in the optional Parking Assistance Package can automatically park in parallel or perpendicular spaces.