Recently I had the opportunity to get my hands on a 2011 BMW 535i. This is BMW's latest revision of their popular 5series mid-sized sedan. The redesign of the popular car was necessary after the either love it or hate it comments that plagued the previous generation. The new car looks worlds better with lines that help to deceptively hide its growing waist line. The newest iteration is longer and wider... much akin to previous generation 7series models, but by the design of the car, it looks much smaller. The lines are similar to the newer 7series, just smaller.
The engine is powered by BMWs three liter turbocharged (down to a single twin scroll turbo from the previous twin turbo design) engine. The car provides excellent off the line power with almost no perception of turbo lag thanks to it's unique design. Power is a plenty and torque is available from 1700rpm in the power band to almost red line. What is unique in design is BMW utilizes the turbo design to help boost low end performance and torque but tapers off boost pressure in the higher RPM ranges because the engine already had plenty of punch in that area and added turbo pressure is not necessary.
The engine is mated to a new eight speed transmission which is silky smooth. One could argue that it has too many gears, but at the same time to achieve sports car acceleration while maintaining economical fuel ratings, many gears are needed. And this car accomplishes that, acceleration for a car of this size is more than adequate and with a fuel consumption of over 30 miles per gallon at 70mph, it is enough to keep many happy.
The interior is also revamped to be more spacious while accommodating for the desires of the newer demanding customer. The dash is redesigned with a unique layout featuring illuminated gauges that fall to complete black when powered off. The center console is very functional with common buttons easily reachable and the iDrive controller which quick reach. iDrive speed is quick and navigating the menus is fast and direct.
The ride of the car is smooth and while many have said it feels spongy compared to previous cars, I beg to differ. The car does what it is designed to do... be smooth and responsive and as such, it takes away a little from it's raw nature. As an overall package, it is an excellent car and as such no doubt will outsell it's previous counterpart with ease.
Go drive one, you will be impressed.
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday, August 29, 2009
BMW Performance -- Upgrade your 335i or just buy an M3
This is not really a review, at least not yet (unless someone wants to supply us with a DINAN 335i S2). DINAN has long been a tuner of BMWs and up until recently was available and numerous BMW dealerships (as they were DINAN authorized). However, with BMW bringing their own performance products to the table, some BMW dealerships are starting to drop their partnership with DINAN in favor of installing their own performance products.
This story comes from an interesting question found on the internet. Given the choice, would you purchase a DINAN 335i S2 or a original BMW M3. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1296196. Key arguments against the DINAN 335i S2 is that by the time you put all of the items available from DINAN on a 335, you are within 3-5k of the price of an M3 and you don't get some of the trick items available on the M3. Other claim that buying a DINAN 335i S2 makes you different than the crowd, making you more unique and more of a "sleeper" keeping prying eyes at bay and keeping insurance premiums low (compared to the M3).
So what say you... stop by the link and vote. It will be interesting to see the outcome. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1296196
This story comes from an interesting question found on the internet. Given the choice, would you purchase a DINAN 335i S2 or a original BMW M3. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1296196. Key arguments against the DINAN 335i S2 is that by the time you put all of the items available from DINAN on a 335, you are within 3-5k of the price of an M3 and you don't get some of the trick items available on the M3. Other claim that buying a DINAN 335i S2 makes you different than the crowd, making you more unique and more of a "sleeper" keeping prying eyes at bay and keeping insurance premiums low (compared to the M3).
So what say you... stop by the link and vote. It will be interesting to see the outcome. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1296196
Sunday, May 31, 2009
2009 BMW 335d - Revisted
Was lucky enough to have a BMW 335d available this weekend. I know we already spoke about this car, but it was worthy of a supplement write up because we love diesel so much. The car was unchanged, so everything in the previous article still stands. However, having more time behind the wheel reminds us why we love this car so much. It is still a 3 series and drives as it should.
The diesel power plant is still as wonderful as ever and acceleration between 60-80mph is just intoxicating when you have 425ft-lbs of torque on tap. Most of the time spent driving the car was just spent pushing the go pedal down to feel the wave of torque plant you in the seat. With all of the shenanigans that took place during our revisit to this car, it was still able to achieve a whopping 26 miles per gallon. I have no doubt that with civilized driving, reaching the claimed 36 miles per gallon would be possible.
Now that is the best compromise... give up a little bit of throttle response to turn a thirsty car into a long hauler and it still drives and handles like a BMW should.
The diesel power plant is still as wonderful as ever and acceleration between 60-80mph is just intoxicating when you have 425ft-lbs of torque on tap. Most of the time spent driving the car was just spent pushing the go pedal down to feel the wave of torque plant you in the seat. With all of the shenanigans that took place during our revisit to this car, it was still able to achieve a whopping 26 miles per gallon. I have no doubt that with civilized driving, reaching the claimed 36 miles per gallon would be possible.
Now that is the best compromise... give up a little bit of throttle response to turn a thirsty car into a long hauler and it still drives and handles like a BMW should.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
2009 BMW 750Li - First Look
BMW redesigns the 7 ... and it looks impressive and it is packed with technology goodies that will blow the mind. Starting with the nose, it very forward and very flat. It gives an impressive stance. I'm sure lots of that nose adjustment had to due with safety regulations, but they still pulled it off quite nicely. Looking at the headlights, they are trimmed and noted with a new "BMW Dynamic Xenon" logo. Moving around the side, you will see mini camera located in the front bumper. These camera allow you to look right or left as you peak around the corner of possible a tight alley (not that you could really drive this in a tight alley anyway). Stepping further away from the car, you can start to really appreciate it's length. It's long... really long. The doors swing open with heft and one of those wonderful 7er features is that when you swing them open, they don't bounce back or bounce to a preset position. You open it... it stays where you leave it. Slide around to the trunk area and the rear is completely redesigned... some say with a hint of Lexus in mind. Taillights are very similar to the large Lexus sedan and so far the exhaust oval trimmings in the rear bumper. One interesting note is that the exhaust mufflers are not really connected to the exhaust trim and actually site a few inches behind the bumper. You can clearly see them and you can clearly see the exhaust flap that is used to adjust backpressure as needed.
In silver, it is about as bland and bland car be... but it's presence is still hard to miss. I'm not sure if that's because of its size or if that's because of it's shape. Only time will tell. More will come when a vehicle becomes available to drive. Who knows, it has become so technologically advanced, it may drive itself.
In silver, it is about as bland and bland car be... but it's presence is still hard to miss. I'm not sure if that's because of its size or if that's because of it's shape. Only time will tell. More will come when a vehicle becomes available to drive. Who knows, it has become so technologically advanced, it may drive itself.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2009 BMW 335d
d ... What's the "d" stand for? Well, since you asked. It stands for diesel. BMW has finally decided to bring its technology stateside. Somewhere lots of people are rejoicing that they get a decent performing car without suffering at the gas pump. Now, before "you people" start saying well "Diesel gas costs more at the pump." Yes, yes it does. However, you get more miles out of a gallon of diesel gas than you do our of premium gas. When was the last time you got 600 miles to a tank of fuel? So that squashes that argument...
Back to the point at hand... from the exterior, there is no discerning marks that would identify the 335 as a diesel car compared to a 335i. The only difference come to those with detailed eyes when you see a body colored port located in the rear bumper. This port is used to refill the "mystery" fluid that help to keep the diesel fumes from becoming an environmental problem. Every 15,000 miles you need to make a trip to your local BMW dealer and they will refill the container that holds the mystery fluid. Rumor has it that without this fluid, the car will self-destruct... well no it won't, but it will cease to run.
Interior wise little has changed. The only visible change is on the dash here the fuel tank indicator has a diesel indicator over it and the redline is much lower ... at around 4750 RPM. Other than that, the car operates just the same.
Start it up and initially there is a little difference in sound, but soon it settles into a low hum just like any other BMW. Only the most discerning ears will here a difference in tone over a traditional motor. Push the gas pedal and off you go. Like any other car, the power is smooth and effortless. You will see that there is much more torque... 425ft-lbs compared to the 300ft-lbs available from it's cousin. There is a horsepower penalty however, dropping from 300 down to 265. Not really a problem because torque is your friend anyway.
Driving this car, the boat loads of torque is instantly apparent. Ask for more go power and the car obliges. The torque pushes you forward almost making down shifts unnecessary. Highway speeds are easily attained and quite quickly. Once at speed response is almost instant, but from a stop, there is a slight delay while the turbo does what is has to do to build boost. Once you're up to speed though, response is almost instant. The average driver will not know the difference between a diesel and a gasoline powered car. They will notice however when they don't have to go to the gas station nearly as often. And that is a major bonus...
Back to the point at hand... from the exterior, there is no discerning marks that would identify the 335 as a diesel car compared to a 335i. The only difference come to those with detailed eyes when you see a body colored port located in the rear bumper. This port is used to refill the "mystery" fluid that help to keep the diesel fumes from becoming an environmental problem. Every 15,000 miles you need to make a trip to your local BMW dealer and they will refill the container that holds the mystery fluid. Rumor has it that without this fluid, the car will self-destruct... well no it won't, but it will cease to run.
Interior wise little has changed. The only visible change is on the dash here the fuel tank indicator has a diesel indicator over it and the redline is much lower ... at around 4750 RPM. Other than that, the car operates just the same.
Start it up and initially there is a little difference in sound, but soon it settles into a low hum just like any other BMW. Only the most discerning ears will here a difference in tone over a traditional motor. Push the gas pedal and off you go. Like any other car, the power is smooth and effortless. You will see that there is much more torque... 425ft-lbs compared to the 300ft-lbs available from it's cousin. There is a horsepower penalty however, dropping from 300 down to 265. Not really a problem because torque is your friend anyway.
Driving this car, the boat loads of torque is instantly apparent. Ask for more go power and the car obliges. The torque pushes you forward almost making down shifts unnecessary. Highway speeds are easily attained and quite quickly. Once at speed response is almost instant, but from a stop, there is a slight delay while the turbo does what is has to do to build boost. Once you're up to speed though, response is almost instant. The average driver will not know the difference between a diesel and a gasoline powered car. They will notice however when they don't have to go to the gas station nearly as often. And that is a major bonus...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
2008 BMW M5
After 600 miles, the M5 is still just as much fun as the first mile. However, some of the appeal has been lost due to multiple trips to the gas station. That V10 is thirsty ... but you tend to forget about that when you are winding it out past 7000rpm. It gathers speed unbelievably fast and sheds it off equally as fast considering how large it is.
Let's go over the car from the beginning.
The sticker price on this car is just shy of $100k ... is it worth it? If you are looking for an autobahn crushing family cruiser, then the answer is unquestionably without a doubt. The looks of the car have been claimed by many to be less than perfect, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I behold greatness here. The interior while new and modern not typical of BMW's of the past has won me over and finding things is easy and intuitive.
The iDrive system, that many hate... does not phase me one bit. I'm able to use the voice commands and the control knob easily. Maybe this is because I am a computer person, maybe it's just because I spent more than two minutes reading the manual and playing with it ... who knows.
Now the stuff you are really looking for ... the performance. How does this thing drive? It drive good. Thanks for coming reading. Just kidding. The car drives really nice and not too firm. Even in the hardest of suspension settings (there are three -- soft, normal and hard) it is quite tolerable. The power is intoxicating. Getting it moving takes a moment because well, it is heavy and mass requires power to move, but once moving... any sort of acceleration is only a flick of the wrist away. The seven speed SMG unit executes down shifts with lighting speed and up shifts equally as fast. The faster you want to go, the faster it shifts gears. At speed well in excess of common, the car continues to gather speed.
Does anybody need a car this fast ... no. Is it nice to have, you bet! There is nothing like having a car that can haul a family with luggage around and still be able to blitz a mountain pass when you want to.
Let's go over the car from the beginning.
The sticker price on this car is just shy of $100k ... is it worth it? If you are looking for an autobahn crushing family cruiser, then the answer is unquestionably without a doubt. The looks of the car have been claimed by many to be less than perfect, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I behold greatness here. The interior while new and modern not typical of BMW's of the past has won me over and finding things is easy and intuitive.
The iDrive system, that many hate... does not phase me one bit. I'm able to use the voice commands and the control knob easily. Maybe this is because I am a computer person, maybe it's just because I spent more than two minutes reading the manual and playing with it ... who knows.
Now the stuff you are really looking for ... the performance. How does this thing drive? It drive good. Thanks for coming reading. Just kidding. The car drives really nice and not too firm. Even in the hardest of suspension settings (there are three -- soft, normal and hard) it is quite tolerable. The power is intoxicating. Getting it moving takes a moment because well, it is heavy and mass requires power to move, but once moving... any sort of acceleration is only a flick of the wrist away. The seven speed SMG unit executes down shifts with lighting speed and up shifts equally as fast. The faster you want to go, the faster it shifts gears. At speed well in excess of common, the car continues to gather speed.
Does anybody need a car this fast ... no. Is it nice to have, you bet! There is nothing like having a car that can haul a family with luggage around and still be able to blitz a mountain pass when you want to.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
2006 BMW M Roadster
HOOO RAHHHH! Damn... this is a fun car. Granted, this car is not a test mule and is my own personal car, it's hard to give a full writeup as I'm not as likely to beat on my own car without having it properly broken in.
I can say this much so far ... this is going to be a fun car and it's also going to be a handful to drive hard. First of all... give up every notion you have about it being like an M3. It's nothing like an M3. The engine, brake and suspension may be similar, but when it comes to actually making them work in harmony... nothing like the M3.
The biggest thing you notice when you drive this car compared to any other car is the seating position. When you are in this car, you are not in the middle or in the center of all the activity. You are basically following the engine around as you sit in the trunk. Try it, go into your car and sit in the trunk and try driving it around... feels strange yes? It's not a bad thing... just different.
That being said, the interior of the car is purpose built... to drive. No frills, no extra storage space ... no nothing. I think it is one of the few cars where the glovebox is designed to hold just that, gloves ... nothing else. The only storage space you have it behind your right elbow (on US models) where you can store a few nick nacks but nothing large and definitely nothing odd shaped. The rest of the car is assembled, just for you and your briefcase ... or if somebody is lucky (or had paid you a healthy amount of money) a passenger.
Being that the car is new, the engine feels tight, but power output is definitely up there. Way more power feeling than that of say a Porsche Cayman (see the review). Punching the throttle at any part of the RPM band leaves you and your neck fighting the forces of physics trying to push you into the seat. The engine makes harmonious noises... nothing like that of an M3. No chainsaw like rasp, just a nice growl as it surges ahead. With the top down, you can also hear that hint of that marveloous engine growl out of the exhaust as you quickly depart from your current location.
Handling wise... there is definitely understeer preset. However, a stab of the throttle quickly turns that understeer into oversteer. If you are not paying attention, the traction control will jump in and reel you in with extreme vilagence... however, that's no fun, so traction control is off for really playing around (in a safe controlled environment). Be forwarned tho, that tail is very happy when at speed and will twitch and break free quite easily if provoked. Yes there is understeer, but there is also plenty of oversteer that will send you spinning into the scenery if you are not careful. The suspension, while tight is also very comforatle allowing it to soak up most bumps without having to adjust your spinal column. However, toss it into a corner and the suspension sets and the go-kart handling commences.
The brakes are quite potent but are typical BMW brake pads, dust like there is no tomorrow. No high speed braking tests were done because ... in all honesty, I didn't want to have to spend hours cleaning off my wheels from the baked on brake dust that would accumulate. More braking tests will be done after the pads are changed for something more dust friendly.
I can say this much so far ... this is going to be a fun car and it's also going to be a handful to drive hard. First of all... give up every notion you have about it being like an M3. It's nothing like an M3. The engine, brake and suspension may be similar, but when it comes to actually making them work in harmony... nothing like the M3.
The biggest thing you notice when you drive this car compared to any other car is the seating position. When you are in this car, you are not in the middle or in the center of all the activity. You are basically following the engine around as you sit in the trunk. Try it, go into your car and sit in the trunk and try driving it around... feels strange yes? It's not a bad thing... just different.
That being said, the interior of the car is purpose built... to drive. No frills, no extra storage space ... no nothing. I think it is one of the few cars where the glovebox is designed to hold just that, gloves ... nothing else. The only storage space you have it behind your right elbow (on US models) where you can store a few nick nacks but nothing large and definitely nothing odd shaped. The rest of the car is assembled, just for you and your briefcase ... or if somebody is lucky (or had paid you a healthy amount of money) a passenger.
Being that the car is new, the engine feels tight, but power output is definitely up there. Way more power feeling than that of say a Porsche Cayman (see the review). Punching the throttle at any part of the RPM band leaves you and your neck fighting the forces of physics trying to push you into the seat. The engine makes harmonious noises... nothing like that of an M3. No chainsaw like rasp, just a nice growl as it surges ahead. With the top down, you can also hear that hint of that marveloous engine growl out of the exhaust as you quickly depart from your current location.
Handling wise... there is definitely understeer preset. However, a stab of the throttle quickly turns that understeer into oversteer. If you are not paying attention, the traction control will jump in and reel you in with extreme vilagence... however, that's no fun, so traction control is off for really playing around (in a safe controlled environment). Be forwarned tho, that tail is very happy when at speed and will twitch and break free quite easily if provoked. Yes there is understeer, but there is also plenty of oversteer that will send you spinning into the scenery if you are not careful. The suspension, while tight is also very comforatle allowing it to soak up most bumps without having to adjust your spinal column. However, toss it into a corner and the suspension sets and the go-kart handling commences.
The brakes are quite potent but are typical BMW brake pads, dust like there is no tomorrow. No high speed braking tests were done because ... in all honesty, I didn't want to have to spend hours cleaning off my wheels from the baked on brake dust that would accumulate. More braking tests will be done after the pads are changed for something more dust friendly.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
2007 BMW 335i Coupe
When you look at the car from the front, it looks good, a bit like a Lexus IS, but substianally enough to not be confused as one. The front is nice, not aggressive, but nice ... very smooth if you will. From the side, the wheels do a good job of filling out the wheels (if you opt for the 18" sport package). Behind the 18" wheels are some complex looking calipers... you can tell those are not ordinary. There is something there requires additional machinery. I'll talk more about the brake drying, rotor wear indicators and panic brake preparation in a little bit. When you look at the rear of the car, you can visibly see that the car is longer. From the back, the car looks subtle, but again, you can see the added length by the visible rake of the rear window and the rear exhaust tips protrude just a little bit too much from the rear bumper. Somebody is going to sue BMW because they will inadvertently get burnt.
As the big door swings open, it is evident that it has BMW heft to it. The front part of the dash looks just like any other E90 3 series. However, that's about it. The center console now stretches all the way from front to bank eliminating the possiblity of a fifth passenger in the rear ... which is fine, nobody should be back there anyway. The passenger comparement has been completely redesigned for accomodate larger adults in the rear seats. I'm guessing that is where the added length went to.
When you close the door, the car utilizes a little arm if you will to push the seat belt forward from the B pillar to the drivers hand without the need to stretch... nice nifty feature, but I see it getting broken easily. Seats are much more supportive over the E90 3series sedan... Lots of bolster to keep you in place.
Insert key, clutch in ... push button start and the engine fires to life. The first words that come to mind are buttery smooth. Tapping the exhaust pedal yields nothing as again it seems throttle response is lacking from idle. Don't know if this is a function of the turbos or just the way the engine is designed... who knows.
Now we are off... Acceleration from a stop is good, very brisk. If you didn't know anything about this car, you would never know it is turbo charged. Full throttle from idle yields plenty of power, but no where near as fast or as powerful feeling as the E46 M3. E46 M3 felt much more brutal. However, that being said, the car does pull strongly. Suprisingly, it'll hit 110 in 3rd gear with ease. The shifts are crisp, but with BMW smoothness. There is no doubt that you are in a uber saloon as you change gears. Each gear change is precise and crisp. Power is available in all gears at all ranges of the powerband. In 6th gear at 40mph, you can mash the go pedal and the engine will pull you forward ... can't really do that in a E46 M3. The more you downshift, the faster you accelerate... but again, feeling of power is better in the E46 M3.
Brakes are beefy. Remember earlier when I was talking about the brake calipers? Well this car comes standard with some nice new braking features. Panic brake preparation - when you snap your foot off the go pedal, it pre-pressurizes the brake system and brings the calipers withing 1mm of the rotor so when you stab the brake, you get INSTANT stopping power and during that time it will maximize braking power without triggering ABS. If you trigger ABS it'll continue to work. The brake system also supports a Brake Dry feature. When driving in the rain, with the windshield wipers active, the brakes will periodically lightly apply the pads to the rotors to dry the pads and rotors so when you need braking power, you won't have to suffer from rain fade on the brake pad/rotor.
When it comes to handling... the car feels good, feels very tight, However, mid corner bumps can upset the chassis giving it an uneasy feeling, not all bumps, but certain bumps sent the chassis into an see-saw effect where you feel a bit unnerved. Loads of grip are available though which provides for lots of driving excitement. Throttle induced oversteer as power is readily on tap. However, by default, the car will understeer if you approach corners too swiftly. Traction control is switch to step in and act if needed.
Basically, it's a nice car... feels great, but it is no M. When the M comes out, expect a review from yours truly.
As the big door swings open, it is evident that it has BMW heft to it. The front part of the dash looks just like any other E90 3 series. However, that's about it. The center console now stretches all the way from front to bank eliminating the possiblity of a fifth passenger in the rear ... which is fine, nobody should be back there anyway. The passenger comparement has been completely redesigned for accomodate larger adults in the rear seats. I'm guessing that is where the added length went to.
When you close the door, the car utilizes a little arm if you will to push the seat belt forward from the B pillar to the drivers hand without the need to stretch... nice nifty feature, but I see it getting broken easily. Seats are much more supportive over the E90 3series sedan... Lots of bolster to keep you in place.
Insert key, clutch in ... push button start and the engine fires to life. The first words that come to mind are buttery smooth. Tapping the exhaust pedal yields nothing as again it seems throttle response is lacking from idle. Don't know if this is a function of the turbos or just the way the engine is designed... who knows.
Now we are off... Acceleration from a stop is good, very brisk. If you didn't know anything about this car, you would never know it is turbo charged. Full throttle from idle yields plenty of power, but no where near as fast or as powerful feeling as the E46 M3. E46 M3 felt much more brutal. However, that being said, the car does pull strongly. Suprisingly, it'll hit 110 in 3rd gear with ease. The shifts are crisp, but with BMW smoothness. There is no doubt that you are in a uber saloon as you change gears. Each gear change is precise and crisp. Power is available in all gears at all ranges of the powerband. In 6th gear at 40mph, you can mash the go pedal and the engine will pull you forward ... can't really do that in a E46 M3. The more you downshift, the faster you accelerate... but again, feeling of power is better in the E46 M3.
Brakes are beefy. Remember earlier when I was talking about the brake calipers? Well this car comes standard with some nice new braking features. Panic brake preparation - when you snap your foot off the go pedal, it pre-pressurizes the brake system and brings the calipers withing 1mm of the rotor so when you stab the brake, you get INSTANT stopping power and during that time it will maximize braking power without triggering ABS. If you trigger ABS it'll continue to work. The brake system also supports a Brake Dry feature. When driving in the rain, with the windshield wipers active, the brakes will periodically lightly apply the pads to the rotors to dry the pads and rotors so when you need braking power, you won't have to suffer from rain fade on the brake pad/rotor.
When it comes to handling... the car feels good, feels very tight, However, mid corner bumps can upset the chassis giving it an uneasy feeling, not all bumps, but certain bumps sent the chassis into an see-saw effect where you feel a bit unnerved. Loads of grip are available though which provides for lots of driving excitement. Throttle induced oversteer as power is readily on tap. However, by default, the car will understeer if you approach corners too swiftly. Traction control is switch to step in and act if needed.
Basically, it's a nice car... feels great, but it is no M. When the M comes out, expect a review from yours truly.
2007 BMW 328i
The E90 328 sedan really suprised me... this car is by no means slow. When I picked up the car... I was expected it to be slow and even slower because it was equipped with an automatic rather than a manual. Talk about pleasantly suprised.
Stab the gas pedal from a stop and the car accelerate quite quickly... it may be the smallest of engines available from BMW in the US, but it is quite powerful... enough to earn a mighty mouse title in my book. Accelerating from a stop to highway speeds happens effortlessly as quick and smooth shifts are done with the six speed automatic transmission. Granted, the mighty mouse motor starts to run out of breathe as you enter the triple digit arena, but think of what you are asking for this motor.
Move the shifter over into the sport mode and shifts become that much more crisp and gear changes happen at a much higher RPM. Stab the throttle ever so briefly before entering a corner and the transmission downshifts to a low gear as your proceed to then put the car through the corner.
Disable the first level of traction control and even tho the car does not have a limited slip differential, the brains behind the DSC try to simulate one as you attempt to power yourself out of a corner. With the DSC turned down a bit, power induced oversteer is available at slower speed and if you ask for too much throttle prompting the car to get out of wack, the car steps in to push you back in line. Physics are still very present, but with the DSC on a looser leash, it makes driving this car quite a bit of fun. Disable all of the traction control features and you'll find that the lack of limited slip differential is ever prevalent as the inside tires starts to smoke as you try to power out of corners prompting so quite flagrent tail wagging scenarios... while fun, not fast or comforting.
Even when equipped with the smallest tires available which sport some high profile tires, handling is quite nimble and communication to the drive is still present through the seats and steering wheel. The handling is excellent given this is a base model sedan which is supposed to just be basic transportation for those in the BMW family. The bumps are soaked up with ease, but grip is ever prevalent and with better tires could rival that of some other sport sedans in the class.
The brakes were readily available each and every time they were called upon, however fade did become an issue after a few attempts to drop anchor from highway speed. Feedback was excellent and ABS was extremely effective when needed.
I won't go into the interior details as ... well, most of us have already seen and experienced the interior.
As for options... the 328 is stripped down base model car, no frills... but as transportation, it gets the job done easily. Some options could easily push it up to the price of a 335, so you may want to take a look at what options you are putting on the car as some of them come standard on 335 cars.
Next time around that I am looking for transportation... the 328 will definitely be on the list of cars to get info about. Excellent car!
Stab the gas pedal from a stop and the car accelerate quite quickly... it may be the smallest of engines available from BMW in the US, but it is quite powerful... enough to earn a mighty mouse title in my book. Accelerating from a stop to highway speeds happens effortlessly as quick and smooth shifts are done with the six speed automatic transmission. Granted, the mighty mouse motor starts to run out of breathe as you enter the triple digit arena, but think of what you are asking for this motor.
Move the shifter over into the sport mode and shifts become that much more crisp and gear changes happen at a much higher RPM. Stab the throttle ever so briefly before entering a corner and the transmission downshifts to a low gear as your proceed to then put the car through the corner.
Disable the first level of traction control and even tho the car does not have a limited slip differential, the brains behind the DSC try to simulate one as you attempt to power yourself out of a corner. With the DSC turned down a bit, power induced oversteer is available at slower speed and if you ask for too much throttle prompting the car to get out of wack, the car steps in to push you back in line. Physics are still very present, but with the DSC on a looser leash, it makes driving this car quite a bit of fun. Disable all of the traction control features and you'll find that the lack of limited slip differential is ever prevalent as the inside tires starts to smoke as you try to power out of corners prompting so quite flagrent tail wagging scenarios... while fun, not fast or comforting.
Even when equipped with the smallest tires available which sport some high profile tires, handling is quite nimble and communication to the drive is still present through the seats and steering wheel. The handling is excellent given this is a base model sedan which is supposed to just be basic transportation for those in the BMW family. The bumps are soaked up with ease, but grip is ever prevalent and with better tires could rival that of some other sport sedans in the class.
The brakes were readily available each and every time they were called upon, however fade did become an issue after a few attempts to drop anchor from highway speed. Feedback was excellent and ABS was extremely effective when needed.
I won't go into the interior details as ... well, most of us have already seen and experienced the interior.
As for options... the 328 is stripped down base model car, no frills... but as transportation, it gets the job done easily. Some options could easily push it up to the price of a 335, so you may want to take a look at what options you are putting on the car as some of them come standard on 335 cars.
Next time around that I am looking for transportation... the 328 will definitely be on the list of cars to get info about. Excellent car!
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