New BMW 3-Series

Leather that doesn't heat up? That's crazy talk. Surely you'd need some sort of reflective cow? But those bovine engineers working on BMW's new 3-Series Convertible reckon they've cracked it.

The fourth generation of BMW's open-top four-seater is the first car in the world to be offered with SunReflective seat-cooling leather.

This allows the roof to be left down for prolonged periods without the leather heating up to skin-gluing temperatures.

Apparently it's all thanks to special pigments embedded in the leather that help to reflect infra-red radiation, allowing the seats to remain up to 20-degrees cooler than standard cowskin.

BMW has plumped for a folding hardtop on the new 3-Series Convertible instead of the fabric roof showcased in the 6-Series Convertible and Z4 Roadster. It's one of those three-piece electronically operated fellas, and BMW says it can be raised or lowered in just 22 seconds.

Because the extra stability allows for a larger rear glass windscreen, visibility has also increased by a third compared with the outgoing 3-Series.

The new 3-Series will initially be offered with the choice of just two engines, but they both look like crackers. The 2.5- and 3.0-litre petrol powerplants will both use BWW's High-Precision Direct Injection technology, which combines variable valve technology with a crystal injection system.

All of which allows the 218bhp 325i model to hit 62mph in 7.6 seconds before topping out at 152mph, while retaining fuel economy of 35.8mpg.

And the 335i, with its 306bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre engine, is quicker still. 0-62mph disappears in 5.8 seconds, and while the top speed is electronically limited to a mere 155mph, the aluminium cylinder block will still push out 294.8lb ft of torque from just 1,300rpm.

And yes, there's the option of a six-speed flappy paddle gearshift, if you really must.

Beemer says that a range of other engines, including a three-litre diesel, will be introduced in future.

Prices start at £33,030 for the 325i Convertible, rising to £37,895 for the 335i. You'll pay extra for the chilled leather, though
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© Source: original article on topgear