Comparison: Ground clearance BMW 3{series} vs. competitors 2025
Ground clearance is the distance between the lowest point on a BMW 3er-Reihe's undercarriage and the ground.It is an important factor to consider when driving off-road or in areas with rough terrain, as a higher ground clearance allows this to clear obstacles more easily.With it’s wheelbase of 2851 mm and height of 1440 mm, the BMW 3er-Reihe has a ground clearance of 141 mm. The highest ground clearance you can find amongst similar vehicles has ALPINA XD3 Bi-Turbo (F25 ), which is 71 mm more than the 318d - 212 mm.To give an example, the ALPINA has a 71 mm higher ground clearance compared to the BMW , giving the ALPINA an advantage in this aspect. On the other hand, the worst ground clearance in the " stufenheck" category is the Mercedes-Benz GLC 220 d , which is 123 mm - that makes it 18 mm less than the BMW in question.Height-wise, the BMW outperforms the rival by 199 mm.
Table of contents:
BMW 3{series} - How has the ground clearance changed over the generations?
BMW 3 generations
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2008 ) (3er-Reihe E90/E91/E92/E93 (1. Facelift) 144 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2022 ) (3er-Reihe G20/G21/G80/G81 (1. Facelift) 141 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2024 ) (3er-Reihe G20/G21/G80/G81 (2. Facelift) 141 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2012 (3er-Reihe F30/F31/F34/F80) 140 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2015 ) (3er-Reihe F30/F31/F34/F80 (1. Facelift) 140 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2019 (3er-Reihe G20/G21/G80) 136 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1975 (E21) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1979 ) (E21 (1. Facelift) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1982 (E30) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1987 ) (E30 (1. Facelift) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1990 (3er-Reihe E36) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 1998 (E46) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2000 ) (3er-Reihe E46 (1. Facelift) 0 mm
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3er-Reihe, Model year 2005 (3er-Reihe E90/E91/E92/E93) 0 mm
The difference in Ground clearance between first generation (E21) from 1975 and last generation (3er-Reihe G20/G21/G80/G81 (2. Facelift)) from 2024 is 14.1cm mm.
The ground clearance of the current generation of 3{series} is 141 mm.
Variants
BMW 3 variants: 3 Limousine vs. 3 M Performance Limousine vs. 3 M Performance Touring vs. 3 M3 CS Touring vs. 3 M3 Limousine vs. 3 M3 Touring vs. 3 Touring
The ground clearance compared to other BMW models
BMW 3 vs other current cars by BMW
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X7 221 mm
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X7 M Performance 221 mm
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X6 216 mm
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X6 M Performance 216 mm
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X3 M Performance 216 mm
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X3 216 mm
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X5 214 mm
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X5 M Performance 214 mm
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X5 M 212 mm
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X6 M 212 mm
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X2 207 mm
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X1 205 mm
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X3 M 204 mm
-
X4 204 mm
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X4 M 204 mm
-
X4 M Performance 204 mm
-
iX 202 mm
-
iX M Performance 202 mm
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X2 M Performance 191 mm
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X1 M Performance 189 mm
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2{series} Active Tourer 171 mm
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iX1 170 mm
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iX2 167 mm
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3{series} Gran Turismo 165 mm
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1{series} 156 mm
-
1{series} M Performance 156 mm
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5{series} Touring 155 mm
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5{series} Limousine 154 mm
-
i5 Touring 147 mm
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i5 Limousine 146 mm
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2{series} Gran Coupé 145 mm
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2{series} Gran Coupé M Performance 145 mm
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3{series} Limousine 141 mm
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4{series} Gran Coupé 140 mm
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4{series} M Performance Gran Coupé 140 mm
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3{series} Touring 140 mm
-
i5 M Performance Touring 137 mm
-
i7 136 mm
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i7 M Performance 136 mm
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i5 M Performance Limousine 136 mm
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7{series} 136 mm
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7{series} M Performance 136 mm
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i3s 131 mm
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8{series} M8 Coupé 130 mm
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8{series} M8 Gran Coupé 130 mm
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3{series} M Performance Limousine 130 mm
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3{series} M Performance Touring 130 mm
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4{series} M Performance Coupé 129 mm
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8{series} Gran Coupé 128 mm
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8{series} M Performance Coupé 128 mm
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8{series} M Performance Gran Coupé 128 mm
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2{series} Coupé 128 mm
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2{series} M Performance Coupé 128 mm
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8{series} M8 Cabrio 127 mm
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4{series} Coupé 127 mm
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4{series} M Performance Cabrio 126 mm
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8{series} M Performance Cabrio 125 mm
-
i4 125 mm
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i4 M Performance 125 mm
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4{series} Cabrio 124 mm
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4{series} M4 CS Coupé 123 mm
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3{series} M3 Touring 123 mm
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2{series} M2 Coupé 123 mm
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8{series} Coupé 121 mm
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4{series} M4 Cabrio 121 mm
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3{series} M3 CS Touring 121 mm
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4{series} M4 Coupé 120 mm
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3{series} M3 Limousine 120 mm
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3{series} M3 CS Limousine 119 mm
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5{series} M5 Touring 118 mm
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8{series} Cabrio 118 mm
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i8 Roadster 117 mm
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Z4 Roadster 117 mm
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5{series} M5 Limousine 115 mm
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Z4 M Performance Roadster 114 mm
How does the ground clearance of the BMW 3{series} compare to it's nearest competitors?
BMW 3 vs. similar cars
-
ALPINA XD3 2013
212 mm
-
ALPINA XD4 2021
204 mm
-
DS Automobiles DS 7 2022
190 mm
-
Hyundai ix55 2009
185 mm
-
Hyundai Grand Santa Fe 2013
180 mm
-
Borgward Isabella 1954
175 mm
-
Lada Granta 2013
160 mm
-
Lexus ES 2021
150 mm
-
BMW i5 2023
146 mm
-
BMW 3er-Reihe 2024
141 mm
-
VW Arteon 2020
138 mm
-
BYD Han 2022
130 mm
-
NIO ET7 2022
128 mm
-
Mercedes-Benz GLC 2015
123 mm
Similar cars
2021
• W206
Body type
Sedan
Length
4751 mm
Width
1820 mm
Height
1438 mm
Wheelbase
2865 mm
Boot capacity
455 l
Weight
1625 kg
Doors
4
Ground clearance
97 mm
(-31%)
2023
Body type
Sedan
Length
4650 mm
Width
1860 mm
Height
1438 mm
Wheelbase
2820 mm
Boot capacity
480 l
Weight
1620 kg
Doors
4
Ground clearance
0 mm
(-100%)
2024
• G20
Body type
Sedan
Length
4725 mm
Width
1827 mm
Height
1440 mm
Wheelbase
2851 mm
Boot capacity
480 l
Weight
1875 kg
Doors
4
Ground clearance
0 mm
(-100%)
2023
• G60
Body type
Sedan
Length
5060 mm
Width
1900 mm
Height
1515 mm
Wheelbase
2995 mm
Boot capacity
520 l
Weight
1800 kg
Doors
4
Ground clearance
154 mm
(+9%)
2023
• W214
Body type
Sedan
Length
4949 mm
Width
1880 mm
Height
1468 mm
Wheelbase
2961 mm
Boot capacity
540 l
Weight
1825 kg
Doors
4
Ground clearance
85 mm
(-40%)
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