1000km Road Test - BMW 3 Series Coupe

BMW'S new E90 two door coupe is the most radical departure yet from the sedan on which it is based. However, it maintains its position as arguably the best sports/luxury coupe on the market.

Value for Money

Pricing

The 323i costs $69,900, the 325i costs $81,500 and the 335i costs $108,500.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited kilometres.

Standard equipment

The 325i includes bi-xenon headlights, 17 inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, base navigation system, six stack CD player, rear park assistance, power adjustable sports seats, automatic air, cruise control, Data Dot security and Bluetooth preparation.

Stability control and eight airbags are also provided.

The 335i features front and rear parking assistance, premium navigation with a larger monitor, TV and voice recognition, premium audio, adaptive headlights, 18 inch alloy wheels, sport suspension and larger brake discs.

Options include: active cruise control $1800; active steering $2700; sport suspension $600; 19 inch alloys $1400-$3800; sunroof $2750; alarm $900; heated front seats $800.

Retained value

The 325Ci automatic retains approx 57 per cent of its price after three years, which is above average.

Design and Function

Ergonomics

The coupe driver faces a dash that's similar to the sedan, with a sweeping, minimalist, designer kitchen look. As usual in luxury car territory, the base model, without the cursor/screen based system for air/audio/communication etc, is much easier to use. Flip out door bins and a centre console box provide more storage than the 5 Series.

The wheel is nicely contoured, with a rim that's not too thick and height/reach adjustment. You sit quite low in the coupe, and vision is good, especially to the rear.

Innovation

The E90 3 Series coupe is built on the same platform, and shares most of its hardware, with the 3 Series sedan. However no exterior body panels are the same.

The 323i and 325i use the same naturally aspirated magnesium/aluminium block 2.5 litre straight six, with infinitely variable valve timing.

In the 323i, it is tuned for 140kW of power at 5900 rpm and 230Nm of torque at 3500-5000 rpm.

In the 325i, outputs are 160kW@6500rpm and 250Nm/2750-4000rpm respectively.

The 3.0 litre straight six in the 335i uses two parallel turbochargers, of different sizes, each of which applies boost to three cylinders.

The smaller, low boost unit is activated from idle, to reduce turbo lag and enhance torque, for low speed driveability.

A more performance oriented higher boost unit joins in at midrange revs, for an even, progressive delivery of power and strong top end performance.

Direct fuel injection is employed to maximise fuel efficiency.

The engine produces 225kW of power at 5800rpm and 400Nm of torque from 1300-5000rpm.

The new six speed ZF sequential automatic is claimed to shift 40 per cent quicker than previously.

The coupe sits lower than the sedan. Suspension is the same MacPherson strut front/five link independent rear layout, with specific spring and damper rates and aluminium componentry at the front.

Brakes feature the latest Bosch stability control enhancements, including pad preload and automatic disc wiping in wet weather. Brake pad wear is continuously monitored and displayed.

The 325i runs on 225/45 17 tyres; the 335i runs on 225/40 18s, both runflats.

Safety

The coupe has not yet been tested by NCAP, but the E90 sedan on which it is based scored five stars out of five.

Security

The 330i sedan, which has similar security features, scored 90.5 out of a possible 120 points in NRMA Insurance security ratings.

Comfort

Excellent by sports coupe standards. BMW does a firm, properly contoured sports seat, which provides all day comfort and support. The coupe's seats are more heavily bolstered, so they hold you securely when cornering. The cushion is also extendable.

Space and practicality

Again, pretty good for a coupe, where there's often just enough space for a credit card and a toothbrush. Rear seat space is also better than the average two door, with headroom to 185 cm and a comfortable seat for two. Foot room under the front seats is a bit tight, and access is tedious because you have to wait for the power operated front seats to move forwards or backwards on their track.

The big boot has a 60/40 split fold rear seat back to extend capacity. The six stack CD is located in here - BMW still can't do a stacker in the dash - along with a first aid kit.

There's no spare. The runflats debate rages on, but it's clear than the latest runflats, here from Bridgestone and Continental, offer much better ride comfort, grip and feedback than the originals of a few years ago. However the low profile tyres on the 335i still produce quite a sharp ride.

If you're not too far from home and/or a BMW dealer, runflats offer convenience and safety. However if you're a regular country driver, a punctured runflat may mean you have to drive hundreds of kilometres at low speed to get home, or wait for a couple of days until a tyre is delivered to your location. Runflats are also expensive, though the price is coming down to the point where it is comparable with premium conventional sports tyres.

Build and finish quality

First class.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

BMW engines are typically at the forefront of efficiency and economy in their classes. Expect around 7 litres/100 km highway and 12-13 litres/100 km city for the 325i and 7-8/14-15 litres/100km respectively for the 335i, with no significant penalty in the automatics. Premium unleaded is recommended.

Performance

If sheer performance is not your absolute priority, the naturally aspirated 2.5 litre six is one of the sweetest, smoothest engines you'll find, with excellent responsiveness as long as you're prepared to use the gearbox.Bottom end pulling power is lacking compared with larger capacity engines.

It drives the automatic 325i to 100 km/h in a claimed 7.6 seconds; seat of the pants says that's about a second optimistic, but still the 325i is no slouch.

BMW's claim for the 335i auto is 5.7 seconds, which is closer to reality. This engine has a similar character to the legendary 3.2 litre 252 kW M powerplant, featured in the Z4 M Roadster test. It doesn't quite have the same mean snarl or hair trigger pedal feel, but it's relentless, all muscle delivery is similar.

The turbo assistance is well disguised. Only a trace of lag is evident when you squeeze the pedal in a high gear, where it takes a moment to get the second turbo on boost.

BMW is offering both engines with the slick, precise six speed manual, which was unavailable on the previous 330Ci coupe. If you like driving, this is the transmission to have.

The six speed auto's shifts are exceptionally fast and smooth, but the optional wheel mounted paddles are too small, it still can't quite work out when to hold 'em and shift' em and in manual mode it does not cede total control to the driver.

Ride

The lower profiles on the 335i's tyres produced a ride that's still a bit too hard for a car that's billed as a sports/luxury drive. The 325i is more compliant and comfortable, especially on our rough roads.

Handling and steering

We'd go so far as to say BMW´s new coupe is one of the best handling cars in the world. It is incredibly responsive, precise and athletic, yet also very forgiving and controllable. It is almost too easy to drive quickly.

The steering requires only that you want to be around the corner and it takes you there.

Braking

No problems here: power, progression, pedal feel and fade resistance are all excellent.

Smoothness and quietness

BMW's straight sixes are silky smooth. Overall refinement is at luxury car levels, though as is often the case tyre noise can be intrusive at highway speeds on coarse local bitumen.

Summary

While the 335i delivers suitably rapid performance, the 325i is arguably the better all round drive. It certainly has a more comfortable ride, is just that bit lighter and more responsive and at the price is very good value.

Test by Bill McKinnon, October 2006.

The writer of this report does not necessarily represent the views of the NRMA and this report is provided for you as an alternative to our own NRMA car reviews.

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