The BMW E46 is the fourth generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW, produced from 1998 when it succeeded the BMW E36 until it was replaced by the BMW E90 in 2006.
The E46 was released in 1998 to worldwide markets (excluding the United States) in the sedan body style. In 1999, a coup? and touring body style became available to all markets, and the sedan was released in the United States. A convertible and hatchback body style was released in 2000, the latter only for Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The E46 experienced enormous success in all markets and was widely considered the performance benchmark of its class. The record selling year for the E46 chassis was 2002, when 561,249 vehicles were sold worldwide. [5]
BMW M GmbH produced a high performance variant of the E46 chassis, designated the M3. This version had a larger, more powerful engine, sportier suspension, a limited slip differential, and various aesthetic modifications. The M3 was released in 2001 and was available only in the coup? and convertible body style. It was offered with two transmissions; a standard 6-speed manual, or an optional sequential manual gearbox.
Design
Exterior design
The E46 was developed as a modern replacement for the ageing and cornered BMW E36 chassis. Design works USA was contracted by BMW to work alongside BMW Group’s in house design team to create the exterior body work. Based on the E36 body shell, the design team put an emphasis on improving aerodynamics and increasing the car’s aggressive stance.
Flexible electronics design
Since the start of production the entire in-car entertainment system (Radio Function, Navigation System, and Television and Telecommunications systems) is based on a very flexible automotive computer system. As a result the E46 models can all be easily upgraded with the newest BMW technologies including BMW’s Bluetooth System; the DVD based Navigation system, as well as BMW’s CD changers that play MP3s
Power train and engine design
An emphasis was put on reducing unstrung weight and increasing structural rigidity rather than increasing power output: the highest displacement model at release, the E46 328, had only 3 horsepower more than the E36 328.To counter this small power increase, the body shell of the E46 was claimed by BMW to be 70% more rigid than the E36’s, and aluminum suspension components were used increasingly in order to decrease unstrung weight. In tune with BMW’s core values, the E46 was released with a front engine rear-wheel drive layout with 50/50 weight distribution. This balance allows for optimal handling in regards to the drive train layout.
