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BMW

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What: 2 Series Coupe
Variants: 220i, M240i
When: Q4 2021
How much: From S$170,000 

UPDATE: BMW announced details of the new 2 Series in July. Read our news story for the full lowdown

If you ask us, the best BMW coupe to drive is the 2 Series. Its compactness blesses it with an entertaining agility that the bigger 4 Series (we’ve tested the excellent 420i here) and 8 Series models can’t match. There’s a good chance this year’s all-new car (codenamed G42) will carry that torch. Like before (and unlike all the other 2 Series models), the new Coupe will be rear-wheel drive. That means it’ll be built on the (expensive) CLAR platform that supports everything from the 3 Series up (including the mighty X7).

Expect a big jump in refinement, along with the latest connectivity features and digital displays. We’re guessing (or hoping) it’ll launch with a six-cylinder turbo good for 374hp (in the M240i), with a 2.0-litre, 184hp four-cylinder 220i providing the entry-level model until a cheaper three-cylinder 218i becomes available in 2022.

What: 4 Series Convertible
Variants: 420i, 430i, M440i 
When: March 2021 
How much: From S$245,000 

UPDATE: Check out our review of the drop-top BMW 4 Series right here in sunny Singapore

Last year’s vertical-nostriled 4 Series Coupe gets its topless sibling when the Convertible model arrives around March. Call it the G23 if you want to sound like a BMW insider.

The new 4 Series Convertible has a semi-soft folding roof that actually has a rigid section. BMW says it’s the best of both worlds: better thermal and acoustic simulation than a cloth top, 40 percent lighter than a hard top. It folds way faster than before, too, disappearing in 18 seconds at up to 50km/h. The boot can carry 300 litres when the roof is folded — a good 80 litres more than before.

Mild hybrid engines should be standard, with 420i (184hp), 430i (258hp) and M440i (374hp) variants likely to find their way to Singapore. The Sport Steptronic eight-speed auto has a “Sprint” function for apparently instantaneous acceleration. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will feature, along with the virtual instruments found in all the current BMWs.

What: 4 Series Gran Coupe four-door coupe
Variants: 420i, 430i, M440i 
When: Q4 2021
How much: From S$230,000

UPDATE: Here are all the details of the new BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, which was announced in June

It doesn’t officially exist yet, but BMW is working on the next 4 Series Gran Coupe four-door coupe, codenamed G26. If history is any guide, it will make up the bulk of 4 Series sales, so it’d be silly not to build it, really.

It would be tempting to think of it as a more slinky 3 Series, but along with the sleeker styling expect a raft of suspension changes to make the 4 Series feel like a different animal to drive. Mirroring the Convertible range would give us 430i and 430i versions to start with, with an M440i joining the line-up later. What’s interesting is that BMW apparently hasn’t decided whether to go with an M4 version; maybe the new M3 is supposed to satisfy that buyer.

What: 530e big sedan facelift 
Variants: 2.0 PHEV 
When: Now at BMW World SG 2021
How much: S$$277,888 with COE

The 5 Series got a facelift last year (or “Life Cycle Impulse” if you speak BMW) and now it’s the plug-in 530e’s turn. It receives new front and rear-end styling, new digital features and useful upgrades such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But wait, what’s a plug-in, you ask? It’s basically a 520i plus an electric motor, meaning it pairs a 184hp 2.0-litre turbo with a 109hp motor. The whole lot makes 292hp, which is enough to send the 530e to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.

That’s half a second quicker than a 530i, but the real point is that the plug-in can work without petrol power at all, thanks to a battery pack that gives it 54 to 61km of range according to the WLTP consumption cycle. Want to give up petrol but still have a petrol engine just in case? The 530e is your thing, though our test drive of the refreshed 530i show it’s impressively fuel efficient already.

What: iX3 BEV SUV
Variants: BEV 
When: Q3 2021, previewed at BMW World SG 2021
How much: S$240,000 with COE

Wanna see BMW’s new fully electric X3? It’s in Singapore for BMW World SG until February 18, 2021.

UPDATE: The BMW iX3 has made its debut in Singapore. Here’s our full local review

Hard to believe this is the first new battery electric vehicle from BMW in nearly eight years, but the iX3 is also the figurehead for the brand’s mobility strategy: make a given car available with petrol, diesel, plug-in and pure electric power, and let the customer choose. The iX3 is the latter of those, and its headline figures are 286 horsepower, 0 to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds and enough range to cover 460km — call it 400km to be conservative. It should take less than eight hours to recharge from empty, with a 74kWh battery.

What’s interesting is that it could undercut the equivalent models’ pricing, thanks to the new tax breaks that could chop an extra S$25,000 off its retail price. If it fails to take off, it won’t be a pricing issue.

What: iX large luxury BEV SUV
Variants: electric
When: Q4 2021
How much: S$480,000 with COE 

The iX is practically BMW rebooted: an aluminium and carbon fibre platform, more than 500hp from two electric motors, a 100kWh battery pack, 5G connectivity and a new user interface. It should blitz to 100km/h in under 5 seconds and travel up to 600km on a single charge.

Despite its size (its wheelbase is longer than the X5’s), the iX has a surprisingly slippery shape. Its drag coefficient (a measure of wind resistance) is an extremely low 0.25Cd, and BMW says the aero elements on the front, rear, underbody and wheels add 65km to the car’s range by themselves.

The cabin is pared down and tasteful, and the hexagonal steering wheel gives a hint of its self-driving capabilities — most likely it can pilot itself on highways, but won’t be allowed to unless local authorities say the tech is good to go.

As something of a flagship electric car for BMW as a tech showcase, we think it won’t be cheap. Then again, neither is a Tesla Model X…

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What: M3 Competition high-performance sedan 
Variants: 3.0 inline six turbo
When: Now at BMW World SG 2021
How much: S$460,888 with COE

UPDATE: Here’s our full local review of the new BMW M3 Competition

The new M3 might well be BMW’s first launch of 2021, alongside the new M4. It’s unmistakable new, too, given that unlike the other 3 Series models it gets the vertical grille that’s made the 4 Series Coupe so distinctive and, it has to be side, controversial.

Still, at least no one will ever mistake your M3 for something else.

Nor does the visual aggression stop at the nose: from the rear three-quarters view you’ll catch sight of the broadened fenders, which in turn tell you about the widened tracks. It’s all part of the suspension tuning that goes with the 510hp engine — Singapore gets the Competition variants only, instead of the basic 480hp M3.

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What: M4 Competition high-performance coupe 
Variants: 3.0 inline six turbo
When: Now at BMW World SG 2021
How much: S$465,888 without COE

UPDATE: Read our full local review of the new BMW M4 Competition here

The new M4 Competition will roll into Singapore together with its four-door sibling, with the same 510hp engine and (for the first time) a conventional eight-speed auto. As befits its badge, the M4 benefits from extensive brake and chassis tuning, along with aero-enhancing bodykit and objectively cool stuff like a carbon fibre roof. Likewise, the interior is a sea of carbon fibre, and the M-specific buttons, displays and gear change paddles are a delight.

What: M4 Competition Convertible high performance convertible 
Variants: 3.0 inline six turbo
When: Q4 2021
How much: S$470,000

UPDATE: Here’s the latest news on the BMW M4 Convertible

Just as the 4 Series is set to lose its top, so is the M4. Expect the Competition version to make it to our shores (only the best or nothing for wealthy Singapore drivers), which should give it 510hp. Both the M3 and M4 Competition get to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, but a bit of extra weight for the Convertible could make it slightly slower: call it 4.0 or 4.1 seconds. That’s still mighty quick, of course. Better hang onto your wig when you let rip in this.

What: M5 Competition high performance large sedan facelift 
Variant: 4.4 turbo V8
When: Q1 2021
How much: S$510,000 without COE (estimated)

UPDATE: The facelifted BMW M5 Competition has arrived here as well, and you can check out our review here

As with the rest of the 5 Series range, the M5 Competition gets the latest in terms of looks and digital connectivity. What remains is the savage performance, with the 625 horsepower engine still capable of belting the BMW to 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds. You know you want one. As usual if you want all the tyre-shredding details and juicy bits, we have them here.

What: X3 midsize SUV facelift 
Variant: sDrive20i, xDrive30i, xDrive30e, M40i, M Competition
When: Q4 2021
How much: From S$236,000

UPDATE: Here are all the details of the facelifted BMW X3 in our news story

A busy final quarter of 2021 for BMW will see the launch of an updated X3. The car hasn’t been shown officially but the changes are predictable: reshaped front and rear bumpers, new lamps (hockey stick elements up front like on the new 5 Series, with 3D shapes for the tail lights), and possibly larger kidney grilles that join up in the middle.

Mild hybrid engines with 48-volt motor assist are likely, too, as with the revamped 5. Inside, expect to see a larger central touchscreen and the new digital cockpit that’s on all the latest BMWs.

What: X4 midsize coupe-SUV facelift 
Variants: sDrive20i, xDrive30i, M40i, M Competition
When: Q4 2021
How much: From S$245,000

The X4 gets similar treatment to its more practical sibling, with minor cosmetic changes, new mild hybrid engines and increased digitalisation. LCIs tend to be fairly mild but given that the X4’s grille is relatively small by the standards of today’s BMWs, expect some work there — taller and wider, we’re guessing, and possibly spreading out wide enough to meet the headlights. That’ll help it look properly different from the pre-facelift car, anyway.

Citroen

What: Citroen C4 small SUV
Variants: 1.2 turbo, e-C4 EV 
When: Q3 2021
How much: TBA

You might be confused as to what this is since the ‘original’ C4 has been absent from Singapore for at least five years, and Citroen has a habit of calling everything a C4, from the C4 Cactus crossover, to the Grand C4 Spacetourer MPV (formerly the C4 Grand Picasso). Originally, the C4 was a small hatch, a VW Golf competitor, but it’s all-new for 2020, and it’s morphed into a small coupe-SUV instead, slotting in under the larger C5 Aircross in the Citroen line-up.

Based on the PSA (Peugeot and Citroen) group EMP1 platform, it’s a huge step up from the antiquated second-gen model, with much larger dimensions and a digitised interior. A 1.2-litre variant is confirmed for Singapore, likely with 150hp and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Most interestingly there is also a BEV variant, the E-C4, which has a 50kWh battery delivering a quoted 350km of range, with a 136hp motor and fast charging of up to 100kW. 

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