The 320Li Luxury variant of the BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase (LWB) has been spotted in Malaysia by paultan.org reader Amir Zaheen Minhaj, who managed to take photos of a trailer carrying multiple units of the elongated 3 Series.
We’ve previously speculated that the 320Li Luxury could be introduced here as a more affordable alternative to the 330Li M Sport, which is currently the only variant of the 3 Series LWB you can buy here. While there’s no official confirmation for now, it is a possibility since the 3 Series LWB is locally assembled (CKD) here for our own market as well as for export to Thailand.
In fact, if you remember from a few months ago, the 320Li Luxury was launched in Thailand in September to join the 330Li M Sport that went on sale there much earlier in February. The cars seen on the trailer are likely being delivered to our neighbours far north.
The Thailand-spec 320Li Luxury features a B48 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit that outputs 184 PS (181 hp) from 5,000 to 6,500 rpm and 300 Nm of torque from 1,350 to 4,000 rpm. The mill is mated to an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission which sends drive to the rear wheels, allowing for a 0-100 km/h time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 235 km/h.
As for the kit list, the base variant of the 3 Series Gran Sedan (that’s what the 3 Series LWB is called there) comes with the Luxury Line appearance package that is more restrained than the aggressive look of the M Sport. It also gets 18-inch wheels like the 330Li, but in a multi-spoke design instead of the five-double-spoke look.
Other features include LED headlamps with high-beam assistant, a powered tailgate, Comfort Access keyless entry, a panorama glass roof, black Vernasca leather upholstery, powered front seats with memory function, a Sensatec-lined dashboard, an ambient lighting system, triple-zone climate control, the Live Cockpit Professional system and passive cruise control.
The Thailand-spec 320Li Luxury also forgoes the 330Li’s Driving Assistant suite, so it doesn’t come with AEB, lane departure warning, lane change warning, front collision warning, cross traffic warning and rear collision prevention.
The lighter spec sheet is accompanied by a cheaper price tag, and in Thailand, the 320Li Luxury retails at 2.469 million baht (RM311,730), which is about 17% less than the 330Li M Sport that goes for 2.899 million baht (RM366,103).
Over here, the 330Li M Sport is selling for RM277,164.22 on-the-road without insurance (two-year warranty, full sales tax exemption), so by extrapolation, a 320Li Luxury here could be around the RM230k mark. This is not a definite case, as the extrapolated sum makes a hypothetical, Malaysian-spec 320Li Luxury about the same price as the standard-wheelbase 320i Sport (RM230,763.65), which is highly unlikely.
Keep in mind that the cheapest 3 Series you can buy here – the aforementioned 320i Sport – has more safety features than the Thailand-spec 320Li Luxury, so, if we do get the 320Li, expect it to be priced above the existing 320i Sport. For further context, within the standard-wheelbase 3 Series range, the next stepping point after the 320i Sport in terms of price is the 330e M Sport (RM248,848.985), followed by the 330i M Sport (RM271,212.02). Maybe around the RM240k-RM250k mark then?
GALLERY: G28 BMW 320Li Luxury (Thailand market)
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