The Green New BMW 3 Series

Published Date: 19th Dec 2012

The BMW 3 Series has been crowned What Car? Green Car of the Year 2012 in the executive car category fighting off some tough competition.

The new BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon with its impressive fuel efficiency and emissions (combined fuel consumption of 68.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km) still manages to achieve impressive performance and is able to go from 0-62mph in 8 seconds.

A gear shift indicator helps you drive the car more economically and the higher overall gear ratio enables the new BMW 320d EfficientDynamics to operate with optimum fuel consumption at very low revs. Aerodynamically the 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon has been improved with features like the 5-spoke rims in Aero wheel design, tyres with reduced rolling resistance and a lower chassis.

When the Eco Pro mode is selected, the intelligent system kicks in and helps to reduce fuel consumption focusing on gearbox parameters and acceleration, in addition heating and climate control are adapted for fuel efficiency. The display will actually show which measures are being deployed to improve efficiency.

The Auto Start-Stop function in the new BMW 3 Series Saloon switches off the engine when the vehicle stops in traffic lowering fuel consumption, if the engine has been switched off by the Auto Start-Stop function, engaging the clutch will cause the engine to start up again automatically.

BMW uses various high-tech, lightweight materials. The combination of lightweight construction lowers the overall weight of the vehicle by up to 25% and increases efficiency.