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... buyers will only pay LCT on $134 (the amount above the $57,466 threshold).
BMW's new entry level 3 Series diesel will dodge the luxury car tax.
The sharp pricing when the car goes on sale in March is just one aspect of a concerted push to put the new mid-sized BMW range back in the game against the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
The turbodiesel four-cylinder 318d opens the fight for BMW at $56,400. Its petrol-powered stablemate, the twin-turbo petrol 320i, kicks off at $57,600, meaning buyers will only pay LCT on $134 (the amount above the $57,466 threshold).
That compares to $56,200/$55,700 for the base Audi A4 diesel/petrol models and $60,900/$58,900 for the Mercedes-Benz C200 duo.
The price cuts on BMW's entry level offerings haven't come at the expense of performance or features. The 318d cranks out 105kW/320Nm and goes from rest to 100km/h from rest in 9.3 seconds. The 135kW/270Nm 320i takes 7.6 seconds to spool up to 100km/h.
Standard gear on the 320i includes an eight-speed automatic transmission, colour display with iDrive controller, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, powered front seats, automatic lights and windscreen wipers, front and rear parking sensors and Bluetooth connectivity.
The 318d spec is based on the petrol model, but it misses out on the steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters for the automatic transmission, front parking sensors and runs on 16-inch wheels against the 17-inch rims on the 320i.
BMW describes the duo's performance and fuel economy as class-leading as it looks to regain ground in what company spokesman Piers Scott admits is a core segment. 3 Series sales slipped by almost 17 per cent last year to 4200 units, against more than 6000 C-Class sales and 3100 of the mid-sized Audis.
"It (the slump) was not entirely unexpected given it was a runout year but we are very keen to turn it around, this is a key product for us," Scott says. "We are getting very solid support from head office. Our launch date is only a week behind Europe which is pretty unheard of and shows just how important this range is for us."
BMW managing director Phil Horton expects the new models to have much greater impact in the premium mid-sized segment.
"We have built substantially more value into the standard specification of this new car," he says of the sixth-generation 3 Series. It's been hailed overseas as the best in its class both in terms of value and performance and we expect Australian customers to agree."
The entry level duo will slot in under the already announced 328i, 320d and 335i sedans due to go on sale next month.
3 Series prices
- BMW 318d: $56,400
- BMW 320i: $57,600
- BMW 320d: $60,900
- BMW 328i : $66,900
- BMW 335i : $91,900.
Prestige entry level comparison
| Model | Price | Outputs |
Fuel use (/100km) |
Performance (0-100km/h) |
| BMW 318d | $56,400 | 105kW/320Nm | 4.5 litres | 9.3 seconds |
| Audi 2.0TDI | $56,200 | 105kW/320Nm | 5.8 litres | 9.4 seconds |
| Mercedes C200CDI | $60,900 | 100kW/330Nm | 5.4 litres | 9.2 seconds |
| BMW 320i | $57,600 | 135kW/270Nm | 6.2 litres | 7.6 seconds |
| Audi 1.8T | $55,700 | 118kW/250Nm | 7.2 litres | 8.2 seconds |
| Mercedes C200 | $58,900 | 135kW/270Nm | 7.2 litres | 8.2 seconds |
*The manual-only Audi A4 TDIe costs $53,000, uses 4.6 litres/100km and takes 9.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.
