2022 BMW 3 Series Sedan Interior and Cargo

The stark cabin can be dressed up in a few colors to brighten up the atmosphere. On the 330i, SensaTec imitation leather upholstery used to be standard in either Black or Canberra Beige but this year, Cognac (a tan hue) and Tacora Red are available too. The upholstery is now also perforated. For an extra $1,450, buyers can upgrade to Vernasca leather in colors like plain Black, Tacora Red, Black with Blue contrast stitching, or Oyster. Last year's Canberra Beige leather is no longer offered. However, the leather upgrade also requires another $2,595 worth of extras to be fitted, including the Driving Assistance Package and Premium Package. There are plenty of attractive trim inlays to choose from such as open-pore fine wood oak grain, aluminum tetragon, high-gloss fine wood ash Grey/Brown, and aluminum mesh effect. The M340i's SensaTec can be had in the same four colors as the 330i's; on this model, several features of the Premium Package are already standard, so adding the $1,450 Vernasca leather upgrade attracts a lower $2,125 premium for the accompanying compulsory features.

At 17 cubic feet, the 3 Series has one of the bigger trunks in its segment, further adding to its practicality score. By comparison, the Genesis G70 has under 11 cubes of space. The BMW's wide opening and relatively low load-lip are welcome, and a couple of large suitcases can easily be swallowed up. A hands-free trunk lid opening/closing feature is convenient, as are the 40/20/40-split-folding rear seats which can be easily flipped to accommodate longer items.

Interior storage space is another upshot of 3 Series ownership. Although the glovebox isn't large, there are good-sized door bins in all four doors, two cupholders in front, a center console storage compartment, and a fold-down rear-seat armrest that houses another two cupholders.

The BMW 3 Series is equipped to quite a good standard, with features such as power-adjustable front seats with lumbar support, three-zone automatic climate control, a power moonroof, a rearview camera, an auto-dimming interior rearview and driver-side exterior mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers, push-button ignition, power-folding side mirrors, and the Live Cockpit Plus digital instrument cluster. Moving up to the M340i upgrades the instrument cluster to the Live Cockpit Professional, while also adding multi-color ambient lighting in the cabin. All BMW 3 Series models come with safety gear like frontal collision warning, automatic high beams, a fatigue/focus alert function, and LED headlights with a cornering feature. Options include a head-up display, heated front/rear seats, and a heated steering wheel.

On the 330i, the Live Cockpit Plus digital instrument cluster measures 5.1 inches and is supplemented by a central infotainment touchscreen of 8.8 inches. The iDrive 7.0 system is operable by means of voice, a physical rotary controller, or available gesture control. The system has quick processing speeds and the screen clarity is excellent, although it has become a bit more complicated to use than older iterations of iDrive. Included features comprise Bluetooth connectivity, two USB ports, navigation, SiriusXM with 360L and a one-year all-access subscription, and both Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. A 205-watt Hi-Fi system with ten speakers is standard, but a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system is optionally available on the M340i. The M340i also brings with it the larger 12.3-inch Live Cockpit Professional digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch central touchscreen.