Once again I have to ask, "Why are these cars not here?"
Not that it matters to me anymore as I'm moving to the UK and will soon
have my pick of all the wonderful diesels there!!
BMW 3-Series
By Andrew Frankel of The Sunday Times
Who can catch it now?
I first drove a car at 150mph exactly 20 years ago. It was a Ferrari. I
can remember the anticipation as the toll booth barrier released me onto
a deserted French autoroute and I booted it. Its 3 litre V8 engine got
me to 135mph fairly quickly but that last 15mph took an age. After
howling at me for what seemed like days, the engine finally pushed the
speedo needle to the magic ton-and-a-half mark.
I did 150mph again last week, but in rather different circumstances.
This time I was not in an Italian supercar but a 2 litre diesel saloon.
Again it took a long time, and I can’t vouch for the accuracy of its
speedo, but what I do know is that, given a sufficiently long stretch of
road, the new BMW 320d will comfortably reach 150mph. Twenty years ago
you’d have struggled to find a 2 litre diesel that would do 100mph.
Such is the pace of change in this industry in general and at BMW in
particular that with the new 3-series BMW finds itself in the curious
position of replacing a car that’s still the best in its class and
selling in massive numbers despite being six years old. Last year in
Britain it outsold the likes of the Vauxhall Vectra and Volkswagen Polo.
Although the coupé, touring and cabriolet models will continue until
they’re gradually superseded over the next two years, the new saloon
will be in the showrooms from March. It is slightly larger in every
direction, considerably less attractive and even more able than the car
it replaces.
The showpiece of the new range is clearly the 320d. It will sell as many
as all the other 3-series models put together and, for the money, it
offers the best value.
In SE trim the 320d costs £24,390, or just £1,800 more than a similarly
specified 320i. Yet it offers more power (163bhp v 150bhp) and better
acceleration (0-62mph in 8.3sec v 9sec). It will also depreciate much
more slowly, but the killer is its fuel consumption: this car, which
even BMW says will do 140mph, will return around 50mpg. The petrol car
can’t get close to 40mpg.
These figures are extraordinary. A shame, then, that such a superlative
engine is fitted to such a disappointing looking car. It’s not ugly like
the 1-series or 7-series. BMW couldn’t afford to risk doing anything
radical to a car responsible for 60% of its sales. If anything, it has
been too conservative. The car is bland on the outside, drab on the
inside and a poor shadow of its sleek looking predecessor. It looks like
a committee car. When I tested it in Spain it attracted very little
attention, even after a couple of hundred miles in and out of Spanish towns.
Once, I got stopped by the police. They had a good look over the car but
even after I had won them over and got chatting they seemed unaware they
were in the presence of perhaps the most important car to be launched in
Europe this year.
BMW has worked hard on the interior and has liberated more leg and
shoulder room in the back. Then again it has largely negated these
advances by reducing headroom. If you’re 6ft or more, the rear of the
cabin will be as off-limits as ever.
But owners of this, the fifth generation of the 3-series, will never sit
in the back and will care rather more about how it drives. And by its
class standards it is exceptional. Quicker and dramatically more refined
than its closest rival, the noisy Audi A4 2.0TDI, it rides and handles
with more aplomb, too. On the motorway the engine remains unobtrusive
even at high speeds and when the roads start to curve you’ll find the
3-series a more willing partner than ever. There’s more grip, the
steering is sharp and full of feel and, in extremis, its manners are
utterly impeccable.
The other 3-series I drove, the £28,455 330iSE, was slightly less
impressive, not least because BMW had chosen to fit it with its ghastly
(and mercifully optional) active steering system. This varies the
steering’s gearing according to road speed with the result that you
never quite know how far the car is going to turn when you move the
wheel. But its new 3 litre 258bhp engine is a masterpiece, hurling this
staid-looking saloon to 62mph in 6.3sec. It would go past 155mph, too,
were it not for electronic intervention.
But the little diesel is the star and the only thing that really
depresses me is that it’s soon to become the weapon of choice for all
those thousands of neanderthal single males who currently use the
3-series as a guided missile in their quest to get from one end of the
motorway to the other faster than anyone else. I can already hear the
drooling.
BMW is not to be blamed for the excesses of its customers. Unlike its
last effort, the deeply disappointing 1-series, BMW has judged the
3-series if not to perfection then certainly to a level damn near to it.
It may look a little dull inside and out, but do not let that mask the
true significance of the new 3-series: the finest small saloon in the
world just got a whole lot better.
Vital statistics
Model BMW 320d SE
Engine type Four-cylinder in line, 1995cc
Power/Torque 163bhp @ 4000rpm / 251 lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 49.6mpg (combined) / 153g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 8.3sec / Top speed: 140mph (officially)
Price £24,390
Verdict The best small saloon in the world
Rating 4/5
The opposition
Model Mercedes C220 CDI Classic SE, £24,650
For Comfortable ride, good handling, frugality
Against Limited performance, too costly
Model Audi A4 2.0 TDI SE, £21,950
For Great-looking and beautifully built
Against Noisy engine, chassis not up to BMW's
Jeff Zedic
Toronto/London
