You’d need to be an anorak to see the changes.

It doesn’t look any different…

You got that right. The ‘new’ 3-series has just been unveiled thanks to an American website that had published the photos ahead of schedule. From the photos, the new 3 looks very, very lightly revised. Aside from the amazing ability to traverse 100km on a single gallon of fuel, the new 3-series isn’t really all that new. Oh and the bonnet and rear LED light assembly are new too.

What’s on the radar for the next few months?

BMW’s indication for the revised 3-series only covers the Touring and the sedan for now. In due time, we’re certain that both the coupe and convertible will be lightly changed too. 

Has the inside changed much?

Unless you think the repositioning of the window lift operating panel counts as a major change, then no. Noticeably, the iDrive has been improved further – like the new 7-series – and includes programmable short-cut keys. Also taken from the 7-series is BMW ConnectedDrive, which allows unlimited internet use from within the car.

Any new engine updates?

Aside from the revised 330d, which uses a brand new 3.0 litre straight six, all the other engines have been carried over from the previous E90 generation – albeit with Efficient Dynamics. Look out for a watered down version of the M3’s seven-speed M-DCT gearbox to be slotted into the 335i.

When is it arriving over here?

By the first quarter of 2009, though we expect the first batch of the new 3-series to be fully imported. We presume that the CKD variant should be in the showrooms by the end of next year.