BMW 323i Reviews

There is an off-camber corner near home with a hump at the apex that sorts out the well-suspended from the also-rans.It also causes my wife alarm as some test cars register their compliance to the laws of physics.I'm pleased to report that, despite a few minor styling changes, the new BMW 3 Series still rides that corner better than most cars. My wife also attests to that by a lack of screaming.Good to see that nothing has changed. My wife is still a good gauge of suspension and this is one top-handling car, albeit with a harsh ride these days from the run-flat tyres.What has changed is also good news.The annoying iDrive is now far easier and more intuitive to use and better news still, there is slightly more kit and a lower price - in some models, it's about $1400 cheaper.That's quite an achievement against the dramatic exchange rate shift with the Euro over recent months.BMW Group Australia corporate communications manager Toni Andreevski recently said they had resisted the annual factory price rise.However, he did suggest there could be a rise later in the year, so now is a good time to consider a 3 Series.Additional standard kit now includes leather trim, power-adjustable front seats, alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, fog lamps, park assist, USB/audio interface, automatic airconditioning, trip computer, trick door lighting and Bluetooth connectivity.I recently drove a 320i Executive sedan, which is the "entry level" vehicle in the range, and a 323i Touring (wagon).Both cars handled that infamous corner with a settled suspension, keeping all wheels firmly on the ground, no slip, no tyre squeal, no steering kickback, no screaming wife.There are also no rattles or scuttle shake as you crest that hump. These are solid cars where the doors close with a pleasant and satisfying "thump" that spells good engineering and high build quality.The wagon handles the same as the sedan, despite the extra weight, although there really isn't that much of a wagon area back there. It's almost like what we used to call a fastback or liftback in the 1970s.BMW has always made the 3 Series around the driver with responsive handling and good ergonomics. My only complaint about cockpit ergonomics are that the brake and throttle are too close for my size 11s.BMW cars use run-flat tyres which negates the need for a spare wheel, providing more cargo room. The downside is that the steering feels heavy and the ride is harsh and noisy.Where these cars obviously differ, aprt form the wagon rear, is in the engine.The little 320i with its 1995cc four-cylinder is no match for the in-line 2497cc six-cylinder 323i. Obviously the six has more power and torque and better acceleration.But even if outright performance is not your thing, the four-cylinder is simply annoying as the transmission hunts, flares and constantly changes its mind among the six available ratios as it searched for the correct cog to match your right-foot expectations.On paper, the four-cylinder offers lower fuel economy than the six.The combined highway/city fuel consumption figures for the four-cylinder sedan are 7.9 litres per 100km and 8L/100km for the wagon, while the 323i sedan is rated at 8.5L/100km and 8.9L/100km for the wagon.Yet in reality, because you push the 320i harder to get forward momentum, the figures are a lot closer than that.It hardly seems worth putting up with the annoying transmission indecision and jerkiness for the marginal fuel economy benefits.Which brings me to the greatest achievement in the new 3 Series; the new and improved iDrive.Don't get me wrong. You still have to perform several distracting manoeuvres to achieve a simple operation such as swapping between FM and AM on the radio; a one-touch operation in most cars.However, the future of on-board entertainment and information systems requires a computer and subsequently comprehensive controls. And the best way to deal with these is a centralised control.BMW went out of its way to minimalise this control, but have now relented and added a few buttons around it like their German compatriots. In fact, there are now more buttons surrounding the central controller than its competitors.It is a little confusing at first and certainly not intuitive, but it's a great leap forward.The split-screen facility also makes navigating through the various complex menus much easier.But god bless their hearts, the biggest leap forward is the "back" button so you can return to the previous step if you have screwed things up.The iPod integration is a little strange. Despite it working just fine in the super-cheap Hyundai i30, this one doesn't supply track names but garbled names such a "ghkd".Surely if Hyundai can get it right...A couple of other grumbles are the seats which feel like the leather is pulled too tight and the centre console which intrudes into the back making it really a four-and-a-half seater, rather than a five-seater.Otherwise, there is good accommodation in the back, a nice big flat boot, plenty of safety equipment and driver aids and I just love the moody blue door handle lights.Despite the extra standard kit, there are, as ever, add-on packages including navigation, DVD, 80GB hard disc drive, TV and M Sport styling and suspension kits which will drive the final price skyward.The 320i sedan costs $54,500, but with metallic paint ($1700), electric glass sunroof ($2920), and navigation system with TV and voice recognition ($6750), the test car cost $65,870.Similarly, the 323i wagon costs $67,400, but the test vehicle, with optional metallic paint, navigation, panorama sunroof glass ($3080), wide tyres ($2200) and aluminium interior trim ($920), cost $82,050.SnapshotBMW 320i sedanPRICE: $54,500 ($65,870 as tested)BODY: 5-seater sedanENGINE: 4-cylinder, 1995ccPOWER: 115Kw @ 6400rpmTORQUE: 200Nm @ 3600rpmECONOMY: 7.9L/100kmCO2 emissions: 191g/km BMW 323i TouringPRICE: $67,400 ($82,050 as tested)BODY: 5-seater wagonENGINE: 6-cylinder 2497ccPOWER: 140kW @ 5900rpmTORQUE: 230Nm @ 3250rpmECONOMY: 8.9L/100kmCO2 emissions: 215g/km

As well, all 320i models get a 5kW power boost to 115kW and the 320d sedan gets a third-generation, common-rail, fuel-injection diesel engine with a 10kW hike to 125kW with a claimed 10 per cent fuel economy improvement. Prices remain the same as before. (See story Page 19)BMW Group Australia corporate communications manager Toni Andreevski said the addition of the 335i Touring, 320i Touring and 320i Executive Touring to the existing 323i Touring would double their sales of wagons from 166 last year.“Touring is considered by many as a second car,” Andreevski said.“We find buyers are more affluent and could probably afford to drive an X5 but don't want an SUV for various reasons. Perhaps the wife doesn't want a four-wheel-drive, or they are a bit more discerning and enjoy the handling and performance of a car, even though the X5 has good driving dynamics.“Four-wheel-drives are getting better all the time but a car is still a car.”And what a car the Touring is, with driving dynamics like the sedan and feeling more taut and nimble than the 335i convertible.The top-of-the-line 335i features the twin turbo high-precision injection unit which was the 2007 international engine of the year.The three-litre straight-six delivers 225kW of power and 400Nm of torque, propelling the vehicle to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.Fuel economy is rated at 9.8 litres per 100km on the combined cycle.It comes in six-speed Steptronic auto only with shift paddles on the steering wheel at $108,600, which is $4100 more than the sedan.The Touring range starts with the six-speed manual 320i at $54,200, which is $3200 more than the sedan.The Executive trim costs an extra $4900.Both models cost $2600 more for the automatic.The two-litre four-cylinder engine delivers 115kW and 200Nm with a 9.3-second sprint to 100km/h and economy of 8L/100km.Standard features are the same as the sedan and include keyless entry/start, auto headlights and wipers, auto climate air, cruise control, Bluetooth interface preparation, six airbags and stability control.The Executive package adds Dakota leather, front fog lights, partial electric seat adjustment, wood or aluminium trim, double-spoke 16-inch alloys and tricky lights that illuminate corners as you turn.The 335i tops the 323i Touring with front parking sensors, 17-inch alloys, adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights with washers, TV tuner, sat nav, 10-speaker sound, full front electric seats and CD changer.There is also a host of quite expensive options. However, these become much more affordable if you buy them as part of the various packages, such as the M pack with bigger wheels, lower and tighter suspension and various badging and trims.The new Touring models look identical to the 323i Touring with a sleek roof line that doesn't appear dowdy as you would expect of what is, basically, a station wagon.However, the cargo area is not huge until you drop the split-fold rear seats, then the long, flat floor becomes quite serviceable.The tailgate is light and doesn't lift so high that short people can't reach it to pull it back down.It is also split so you can just open the top glass half, which is handy for packing or removing light items.There is also a privacy cover that keeps prying eyes off your goodies. This springs back when you open the top part of the tailgate.Rear vision is not too bad for a wagon, but there are rear parking sensors anyway.All Touring models now come with a luggage package that includes a removable watertight folding box, reversible liner with integrated protective cover, luggage compartment nets and dividable storage compartment under the floor.Like all 3 Series, the Touring sits on on runflat tyres, so there is no spare under the cargo floor.With its stiffer sidewalls, runflats may improve handling by preventing the tyre from distorting and rolling on the rims, but they have poor ride comfort.Of course, the higher the profile, the better the ride.The Touring range comes with 16, 17 and 18-inch wheels with the smaller wheels sporting 55 and 50 profile tyres which ride better.The 18s feature 35 profiles which are strictly for smooth roads.BMW 2008 releases* X5 twin turbo diesel 3.0sd in February. X drive will become part of the name. It is the first of the twin-turbo diesel engines for BMW in Australia. It will be quicker than any V8 or V10 competitor except the Audi Q7.* 1 Series 135i and 125i Coupes arrive in May.* 1 Series 135i and 125i Convertibles arrive in June with a 120i Convertible possibly arriving a couple of months after that.* X6 “sports activity coupe” will be here in the third quarter of 2008. The “niche product” will arrive with six-cylinder diesel and petrol twin turbo engines. A V8 twin turbo is a possibility late in the year or early in 2009.

MODEL WATCHThe E36 3 Series arrived in 1991. It was a logical evolution of the successful E30, with fresh new styling that pushed the Munich marque's sporting heritage further.Much of this sporting image was built on the success of the E30 M3 in the European Touring Car Championship, and to some extent on our own race tracks.It gave BMW a clear point of distinction from its arch rival, Mercedes-Benz, giving it a more youthful appeal.Though young people couldn't afford one, they were taking notice of the race triumphs BMW was racking up, so it wasn't surprising when they began buying them as their second-hand value dropped to within their reach.The 318 was the baby model, the most modest in the 3 Series range and therefore the one that first came within budget reach.With its 85kW, 1.8-litre, fuel-injected four-cylinder engine, mostly linked to a four-speed auto transmission rather than then optional five-speed manual, its performance was nothing to write home about.There's no denying it -- the modest numbers resulted in modest performance, with the 0-100km/h sprint requiring 11.3 seconds and the 400-metre dash taking a fairly leisurely 17.9s. Fuel consumption, however, was well under nine litre/100km on average.While it might not have burned up the road, the 318 still had the typical BMW feel. Its power steering was nicely weighted, so it felt connected to the road.The 318 featured independent suspension front and rear and was nicely balanced, but when pushed it would understeer, which disappointed some media pundits who were looking for more lively handling.Brakes were discs all round with ABS for added safety in an emergency. While the 318 was quite well equipped, it lacked a few of the things you might expect of a car in the prestige market segment.It had comfortable seats in an attractive trim, with the option of leather. The steering wheel fell comfortably to hand, and was covered in leather, but there was no adjustment of the rake, which you might expect of a car with its sticker price. Likewise it lacked cruise control, and the sound system was a radio-cassette unit, but it had airconditioning and dual airbags.IN THE SHOPThe 3-Series is generally robust and reliable, but it's now entering the last phase of its useful life with odometer readings climbing into the 200,000 km area.Providing it is serviced, it can still be a good buy, but it's best to avoid cars that haven't got a good and verifiable service record.Engines, transmissions and drive lines are all reliable and give little trouble in the long term if looked after. Like all Euros, brake wear is an issue, so be prepared to replace not only pads on a regular basis but disc rotors as well. Tyre wear tends to be high so be prepared to replace them every 60,000km or so.CRUNCH TIMEA well-balanced chassis delivers agile and responsive handling, which, coupled with four-wheel disc brakes and ABS, deliver good primary safety. Dual front airbags provide protection for front-seat passengers.