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Have questions on 2013 3 Series Touring (F31) or ActiveHybrid 3? Ask away.

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You might remember our last FAQ thread regarding the F30 3 Series sedan. BMW is expanding its F3x lineup with two new cars soon - the F31 3 Series Touring and the F30 Active Hybrid 3.

As we'll have the opportunity to learn more about both models soon, it's time for another round of FAQs. So please respond below if there are any questions you have which are not answered in the official information yet. We'll try to get the answers in the coming days.

The F31 3 Series Touring will be available in the US as of Spring 2013 and the Active Hybrid 3 will be available this Fall.

We'll also have a chance to ask questions on the M135i and the F21 1 Series 3-door, so if you have questions on those, please ask HERE.

[BMWCali]

Who has July allocation for an ActiveHybrid 3? I want a July production, but the earliest allocation I can find is September.

[whoever]

Will there be a F31 335 Manual? Please!

[SCBimmerKid]

I'd be interested in drive and ActiveHybrid 3. It sounds like a pretty fast car.

[BMWCali]

Originally Posted by SCBimmerKid

I'd be interested in drive and ActiveHybrid 3. It sounds like a pretty fast car.

Wicked fast.

Yes, it's 300 lbs. heavier than a 335i, BUT it's got 35HP more, the instant torque of the electric motor means more snappy throttle response, AND it has the best weight distribution of any 3 series (or 1 series or 5 series, for that matter). The weight distribution is 49.7% front and 50.3% rear, so it's just ever so slightly less than 50/50 and the 0.3% is in back instead of in front, which should make for an even more precise drive. By comparison, the 335i is 51.5% front and 48.5% rear. The 328i is 49.4% front and 50.6% rear and everyone has been commenting about how much more nimble the 328i seems over the 335i in the corners just because of that slightly better weight distribution. So the ActiveHybrid 3 should be even more impressive in the corners than the 328i because it's got an ever so slightly better weight distribution. And, I think the added weight of the battery so low to the ground in the back on top of the rear axle will help hold it to the ground even more.

Should be an impressive drive and I wouldn't be surprised if it bests both the 335i and 328i for those reasons. And, of course, better fuel economy and an electric-only mode up to 2.5 miles. So when I go out to pickup food from restaurants close-by (just about every restaurant I eat from on a daily basis is within a mile of my house), I can drive 100% in electric mode and not even start the engine.

And those comments about the 328i feeling more confident and precise in corners makes sense because despite it being just 2% difference in weight distribution, it means there's 146 lbs. more up front in the engine bay of the car on the 335i versus the 328i.

That's like me (I weigh around 145 lbs.) sitting on the hood and driving the 335i, versus me not on the hood for the 328i. Using that analogy, I can better understand why people would say the 328 drives better.

[Red Bread]

Any official engine/transmission details for the US F31 yet?

[BMWCali]

Question: Why is the ActiveHybrid 3 300lbs. heavier than the 335i? I just did the math and it can't be only because of the battery. If it was, then the weight distribution would not be as good as it is if all 300 lbs. were in the back under the trunk. Did BMW put extra mass in the engine bay in order to get a good weight distribution balance? There's an electric motor, too, so is that in front or in back? If it's in front, then it makes sense. But if all of the hybrid-related components are in back, those must weigh around 200 lbs. and BMW added 100 lbs. to the front somehow.

[whoever]

I thought 328i8AT is exact 50/50. Hard to beat that, huh?

Personally I wouldn't trust more gadget with BMW reliability record. Less is more.

Originally Posted by BMWCali

Wicked fast.

Yes, it's 300 lbs. heavier than a 335i, BUT it's got 35HP more, the instant torque of the electric motor means more snappy throttle response, AND it has the best weight distribution of any 3 series (or 1 series or 5 series, for that matter). The weight distribution is 49.7% front and 50.3% rear, so it's just ever so slightly less than 50/50 and the 0.3% is in back instead of in front, which should make for an even more precise drive. By comparison, the 335i is 51.5% front and 48.5% rear. The 328i is 49.4% front and 50.6% rear and everyone has been commenting about how much more nimble the 328i seems over the 335i in the corners just because of that slightly better weight distribution. So the ActiveHybrid 3 should be even more impressive in the corners than the 328i because it's got an ever so slightly better weight distribution. And, I think the added weight of the battery so low to the ground in the back on top of the rear axle will help hold it to the ground even more.

Should be an impressive drive and I wouldn't be surprised if it bests both the 335i and 328i for those reasons. And, of course, better fuel economy and an electric-only mode up to 2.5 miles. So when I go out to pickup food from restaurants close-by (just about every restaurant I eat from on a daily basis is within a mile of my house), I can drive 100% in electric mode and not even start the engine.

[BMWCali]

Originally Posted by whoever

I thought 328i8AT is exact 50/50. Hard to beat that, huh?

Personally I wouldn't trust more gadget with BMW reliability record. Less is more.

Grrr.. I f*&*ed up. You're right. It's the 328i MT I was looking at without realizing it. 328i AT is 50/50 so it can't be beat.

I think the lines are starting to blur between the 328 and the rest of the 3 models. The 328i seems to be 95% of every other 3 for much less money. Driving dynamics are the best and fuel economy is great. But it's not quite as fast as the 335i, the engine doesn't sound nearly as good, and you don't get dual exhaust pipes (you get two close together, but not what I mean). Seems like the ActiveHybrid 3 is the best of all worlds, just for a much higher price premium. The ONLY disadvantage is the 300 extra lbs., but we'll just have to wait and see how it drives because that extra weight being so close to the ground might actually cancel itself out and help with the driving dynamics in ways. I heard the Tesla Model S scored massive points in the corners because it has all of its battery weight so close to the ground.

As for reliability, fingers are crossed on that that everything goes fine. BMW has had some time to work out the kinks with the ActiveHybrid 7 and 5 so hopefully they've got it right now. Mine will be a lease so I'm not worried about having to fork out cash to fix something, I obviously just don't want my car in the shop.

[SCBimmerKid]

Originally Posted by BMWCali

Wicked fast.

Yes, it's 300 lbs. heavier than a 335i, BUT it's got 35HP more, the instant torque of the electric motor means more snappy throttle response, AND it has the best weight distribution of any 3 series (or 1 series or 5 series, for that matter). The weight distribution is 49.7% front and 50.3% rear, so it's just ever so slightly less than 50/50 and the 0.3% is in back instead of in front, which should make for an even more precise drive. By comparison, the 335i is 51.5% front and 48.5% rear. The 328i is 49.4% front and 50.6% rear and everyone has been commenting about how much more nimble the 328i seems over the 335i in the corners just because of that slightly better weight distribution. So the ActiveHybrid 3 should be even more impressive in the corners than the 328i because it's got an ever so slightly better weight distribution. And, I think the added weight of the battery so low to the ground in the back on top of the rear axle will help hold it to the ground even more.

Should be an impressive drive and I wouldn't be surprised if it bests both the 335i and 328i for those reasons. And, of course, better fuel economy and an electric-only mode up to 2.5 miles. So when I go out to pickup food from restaurants close-by (just about every restaurant I eat from on a daily basis is within a mile of my house), I can drive 100% in electric mode and not even start the engine.

And those comments about the 328i feeling more confident and precise in corners makes sense because despite it being just 2% difference in weight distribution, it means there's 146 lbs. more up front in the engine bay of the car on the 335i versus the 328i.

That's like me (I weigh around 145 lbs.) sitting on the hood and driving the 335i, versus me not on the hood for the 328i. Using that analogy, I can better understand why people would say the 328 drives better.

That's awesome! It's stuff like this that gets me excited about the future. If you were to ever purchase a hybrid, I feel like this would be the one to get!

[BMWCali]

Originally Posted by SCBimmerKid

That's awesome! It's stuff like this that gets me excited about the future. If you were to ever purchase a hybrid, I feel like this would be the one to get!

Agreed! I've never considered getting a hybrid before because they were either slow, terrible to drive, looked terrible, or were extremely expensive ($80K+). BMW has managed to solve all of those issues with the ActiveHybrid 3 and that's why I'm interested.

Also, just for the hell of it, I ran some lease numbers on a 328i fully-optioned out like the ActiveHybrid 3 I want. Thanks to the awesome residual on the ActiveHybrid 3, it works out to only $55/month more on a 30 month lease. I was expecting more like a $100/month gap, but it's only 55 bucks. In my opinion, makes the ActiveHybrid 3 a no-brainer. It's $13,000 more than the 328i (the way I spec'd it out) and it only costs $55/month more, which equates to about $4 per $1,000, which is unbelievably good.

[DrivenByE30]

Originally Posted by whoever

Will there be a F31 335 Manual? Please!

Same question, but for the United States, or North America at least...

F31 335i Manual ? Or better Yet: F81 Manual !

[Blake P]

When will the F31 be available to order for US delivery? Is there any more clarity (Spring 2013 is extremely vague and could mean any time between March and May) as to when deliveries will begin? Will M Sport be available at launch?

[yellowllewellyn]

M sport brakes on the m sport pack? Any news yet? Will they be on? Or extra charge?

[southlight]

Originally Posted by Blake P

Will M Sport be available at launch?

This I can answer already. M Sport will be available at launch.


Best regards,
south

[flyga3]

Diesel, diesel, diesel, please? And MANUAL too?

[jaybird124]

Will a LSD become available with BMW Performance Parts?

[jaybird124]

Diesel options available for f31 wagon? (US Market)

[Grendalf]

Originally Posted by whoever

Will there be a F31 335 Manual? Please!

+1 but I could live with 8-AT sport

[AMB]

Originally Posted by flyga3

Diesel, diesel, diesel, please? And MANUAL too?

What he said. I would give BMW all of my money plus my first born for an F31 335d Msport.

[antzcrashing]

given the relatively inexpensive cost of gasoline in the US, how can one justify the up-front premium for a hybrid such as the active hybrid3 versus the petrol 4cyl engine which has very good fuel economy?

[aajami]

I know that BMW has no plans to bring the M135i (or any of the F20 and F21 models) to the States, but I'd love to know why not.