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F30 320i review in the October Car and Driver

4K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  Goyo 
#1 ·
One-page review on page 70--not yet available on the C&D website. Article title is 'The Third Power: BMW 320i: even in its most basic permutation, the 3-series's formula still holds." Their test results were with--it appears--the six-speed manual sport package. This page is part of a feature section entitled "BMW's new math," with four articles on the 3-series and 4-series.
 
#2 ·
Since the C&D review is not online yet, here are some highlights. "We can almost hear the sales pitch: 'This 320i is $4550 less than the 328i, and you get the same 2.0-liter turbo engine." That's true, but what your salesperson might not tell you is that you give up 60 horsepower to the 240-up 328i, and the 320i's zero-to-60 time of 6.5 seconds is 0.9 second slower than the 328i's."

"The 320i doesn't start falling significantly behind the 328i until it reaches 50 mph. Fifty-to-seventy passing times are a second slower in the 320i, so the freeway merge requires a bit more planning."

"To improve the driving experience, though, try the $1300 Sport package that adds staggered 18-inch wheels with summer tires and an M-Sport-tuned suspension. A choppier ride is a minor trade-off for quick reflexes and unshakeable stability. We measure 0.87 on the skidpad, which isn't very impressive, but all of that grip is usable on freeway ramps or canyon roads."

"Cut free of frippery, the 320i becomes a car that goads you to play with it instead of the trinkets inside."
 
#23 ·
Having owned driven manuals and autos over the years, I definitely feel for the enthusiasts who love their manuals, even though I no longer find they suit the majority of my needs.

What drives me nuts is the way the car magazines (C&D is probably the worse about this) rag on the auto throughout their reviews. We get it - the articles are written by enthusiasts, but the majority of consumers reading reviews are going to be buying automatics.

:mad:

So it would be nice if the reviewers could simply state something like:

"We certainly would have preferred a three-pedal set-up to fully enjoy this car, but this particular auto is/isn't a good transmission because X and the driving experience overall is Y."
I mean, it's absurd when you hear these reviewers complaining about slushboxes in cars as pedestrian as the Ford Fusion or the Honda Accord. It should remain an available set-up on sport vehicles for the enthusiasts, but the obsession in the automotive press is silly. There are a wide variety of people reading these publications, and the articles would be more useful if we didn't have to endure a rant about the horrors of an automatic transmission ruining the experience for the writer in nearly every car.

Note: this was NOT meant to argue with or attack Nordique - just used the quote above to give context for this rant. :angel:
 
#5 ·
@OP

I'm a subscriber & I have read it 2 nights ago. I don't have the heart to bring up what C&D has said about current F30 in their October issue. Since you read "The Third Power" which is about 320i, did you also happen to digest 1 article preceding it ( Three Goes into Four) & 2 articles after it ( Still the Magic Number? & A Tale of Two 3s )? It's rare to see C&D dedicates a few articles & have some serious unkind words about F30. It makes a lot of sense for folks that have owned multiple 3 series, but might be news to 1st time F30 buyers.

I predict someone will bring up reference to those articles as a new thread within next few days and there goes another forum flame war.
 
#11 ·
@OP

I'm a subscriber & I have read it 2 nights ago. I don't have the heart to bring up what C&D has said about current F30 in their October issue. Since you read "The Third Power" which is about 320i, did you also happen to digest 1 article preceding it ( Three Goes into Four) & 2 articles after it ( Still the Magic Number? & A Tale of Two 3s )? It's rare to see C&D dedicates a few articles & have some serious unkind words about F30. It makes a lot of sense for folks that have owned multiple 3 series, but might be news to 1st time F30 buyers.

I predict someone will bring up reference to those articles as a new thread within next few days and there goes another forum flame war.
Holly cow ! I can see the future ( posted 8 minutes after my prediction) :lmao:> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=721500
 
#7 ·
People have become spoiled by numbers - .87 on the skidpad and 0 to 60's in the 6 second range are fine numbers, and more performance than most drivers will ever use in their 25 mph average speed commutes.

This is akin to what happened in the stereo hi-fidelity market years ago - people began arguing over "harmonic distortion" and "slew rate" numbers so low, no human being could ever hear nor tell the difference from one to another.. It became all about numbers ...

The 320i is probably the most BMW anyone would ever need, and years ago, it would've been the featured bimmer (the early E30's were all 4 cylinder and modestly powered).

Today, people want power, more and more of it ....
 
#16 ·
Agree completely.

My old late-1990's Nissan Maxima with a 5MT would do 0-60 in the mid-6s range, and I considered that to be about perfect. Enough to be entertaining, but not so much that you end up babying it everywhere. I have to baby my 300hp 335i. There's just no place where I live to really give it a good flogging and enjoy it without going out of your way. And yeah, since when is 0.87g on the skidpad not enough? Geez.

Both the auto and the manual 320i are doing 0-60 in the mid to high 6 second range which is more than good enough for me, and of course you know there'll be chips to put on them too. I just don't like the new F30 enough to warrant spending too much for one, but the performance of this 320 is good enough that I'd definitely consider one. Still will probably keep the E93 though.
 
#10 ·
Yep, and after they get 20 inch wheels, they begin complaining about the hard ride and how potholes cause flats ....
 
#15 ·
Nordique, thanks, but you failed to post the best comment of all (IMHO), right after "Cut free of frippery, the 320i becomes a car that goads you to play with it instead of the trinkets inside" it goes "A vinyl-trimmed interior sounds like a hardship, but we suspect that anyone who sits in this BMW will assume the upholstery is bovine-based". "A 6.5-inch display that juts out of the dash will make folks think you paid for navigation".

Cheers,

G.
 
#18 ·
You guys can have your 6.5 second zero to 60 car. No thanks for me. I am enjoying my vehicle, and I absolutely love the additional power I get. Stomp the peddle at 60 and you are going 100 in a flash. Maybe I will do the 335 next time for EVEN MORE POWER!

You weenies complaining about people wanting more horse power and blah blah blah can go back to the 90s. :angel:
 
#20 ·
You guys can have your 6.5 second zero to 60 car. No thanks for me. I am enjoying my vehicle, and I absolutely love the additional power I get. Stomp the peddle at 60 and you are going 100 in a flash. Maybe I will do the 335 next time for EVEN MORE POWER!

You weenies complaining about people wanting more horse power and blah blah blah can go back to the 90s. :angel:
Many years ago, when I took my first Skip Barber course, I was quite amazed by what the instructor could accomplish with a lowly, off-the-shelf FWD Dodge Neon - it really opened my eyes.
 
#28 ·
yeah that's a good point. Alot of people complain about the abilities of the F30 (sport). Yet i wonder how many of those that complain have actually taken the car it ITS limit, not just THEIR comfort limit. I really think most would be surprised/scared if they experienced a F30 with M suspension at its absolute limit. i dont mean to be dramatic about it but when you reach that point where you go past your comfort limit, and learn what the car is actually capable of, is the best feeling in the world to me. Alot of people get nervous and back offf, when the suspension/tires we're far from thier limits.
 
#29 ·
Many F30 buyers are like me. They like to floor it and feel the power. They might take an exit ramp at speed when they have the chance. And when I am feeling good after a long day of work, I will take the back way home and enjoy the fact that I opted for the sport suspension. I never turn off the stability control. I am not looking to drift around corners or track my car.

I just need to get that grin on my face when I am hustling the car a little. My sportline gives me that grin every time!
 
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