It may only have a four-cylinder engine but the entry-level 3 Series still delivers plenty of driving thrills.

By Colin Yong. From CarBuyer, Issue 35, Singapore.
 

LET'S GET ONE thing straight from the outset - despite what you might have heard about the 320i's four-cylinder engine being as silky as a six-cylinder unit, it's just not true. At least not when compared to one of BMW's other-worldly new straight-sixes. By all other standards though, the 320i's Valvetronic 2.0-litre powerplant is an amazing piece of work, surpassing many a V6 in terms of smoothness.

The fact also remains that in the Singapore market, it has always been the smaller-engined models that are the volume sellers putting the bread on BMW's table, so how the entry-level 320i performs is of far greater interest. Expecting it to deliver the same on-road thrills as its bigger-engined brother would be unrealistic, but it proves a surprisingly entertaining drive even with 'just' 150bhp (compared to the 330i's 258bhp) on tap.

With plenty of low-end torque to call upon, the car is just about brisk enough to keep up with fast-moving traffic. The six-speed automatic transmission gearbox also performs faultlessly - it shifts smoothly and decisively, and willingly drops a gear or two for extra acceleration whenever you need it. BMW says the 320i will go from 0-100km/h in 9.7 seconds and hit a 215km/h top speed, but these raw figures only reflect the quantity of the car's performance, not its sheer quality.

If there are any lingering doubts that BMW's chassis engineers are a mutant breed who live in the bushes lining race tracks, have coil springs for legs and ingest shock absorber oil for their meals, driving the 320i hard through some bends should clear them up once and for all. This car's dynamic ability is so far ahead of its rivals' that it's not funny, at least not to anyone outside of BMW.

Again, it's the quality rather than the quantity that counts. It isn't that it has so much more grip or can be driven twice as fast through a given corner than anything else ? it's how the various controls feel like they were designed to perfectly complement one another to meet a single goal, which is to maximise the width of the grin on the driver's face.
 

With a smaller and lighter engine in front, the 320i's weight distribution is closer to the ideal 50:50 ratio than the 330i's and this shows up on more challenging roads. The suspension doesn't need to work as hard to control the body's movements.

Experiencing the car flow almost impossibly smoothly from apex to apex is like being at a live magic show, except that in this case you are both conducting the tricks and enjoying the performance. And despite all this, the 320i is amazingly refined when you just want to cruise. The latest-generation run-flat tyres serve up a quiet and calming ride, while wind noise is eerily absent right up to the expressway speed limit.

It's a pity the excellent Active Steering system is available as an option only on six-cylinder 3 Series models, though. Without it, the 320i's steering feels slightly less communicative and less willing to self-centre after making a turn.

This aside, there's precious little wrong with the car and so much that's right. The 320i is a superbly engineered and amazingly complete compact executive sedan that looks set to remain the class benchmark for many years to come.

BMW 330i. Thirty Dancing

By Leow Ju-Len. From CarBuyer, Issue 34, Singapore.
 

NOW I KNOW that God exists, for He has seen fit to give us the BMW 330i. That might seem like a blasphemous thing to say, but I defy anyone to drive it and not come away convinced that any sane cherub would gladly trade his wings in for the keys to a 330i.

CarBuyer has had a crack at the 330i before, of course (see 'BMW Climbs To The Top Of The Three', Issue 22, also available online at www.onemotoring.com.sg), but that test drive involved two lucky jerks who got to indulge their inner hooligans on a skidpan and racetrack in Spain.

Needless to say, they came back with grins you couldn't erase with battery acid. Having sampled the 330i for myself here, I now see what the fuss is all about, and I have the following warning to make: Be very, very afraid for your bank balance if you make the trek down to Performance Motors and venture forth in their demo car. To drive a 330i is to ache with every fibre of your soul for one.

Without revisiting too much ground covered in our first review, here's the basic proposition: the car tops the new 3 Series family, and tackles the main flaws of its predecessor.

Its rear seats are habitable by real adults, the boot has grown to a useful 460 litres in size, and the bland lines of the interior have been edged out by bold swoops and sharp surfaces.

And then the new car builds on the strengths of the last 3 Series, which was comfortably the best driving tool in its class, even in its twilight years.

First, there's the optional Active Steering, the super-smart system which hurries up the steering at low speeds so you can attack bends without flailing your arms like an Italian person in heated discussion, then slows it back down when you're bombing along at high speed, so you don't dart off the PIE when a sneeze causes you to tug at the wheel.

Pair that up with a balanced chassis, tight damping and superlative body control, and the result is a car that assaults corners with a zeal that borders on fanaticism.

The 330i changes direction with such virtuosity that even the most challenging corners are cut down with astonishing aplomb, and where the BMW slices through bends, its rivals bludgeon their way through in comparison. It makes superb use of its tyres, too, generating so much grip as to render your hapless passengers wide-eyed and breathless.

And then there's the engine, a masterpiece whose six-cylinder voice is the equal of anything Pavarotti ever managed.

The urgent, purposeful snarl that rises as you wind the engine to its redline is enough to make the small hairs stand, and it's matched with proper fury, as well.

258bhp and 0 to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds are not figures to sneeze at, but the tangible shove in your back says the engine is brawny enough to back them up. Indeed, the honeyed tones of the engine, the insta-torque responsiveness and ability to feel as unruffled at 7,000rpm as it does at 2,000rpm are probably the aspects of the 330i that crystallise everything BMW does best.

Anyone who has ever had a poster of a car on his wall would, in fact, be highly likely to judge the $54,000 premium for the 330i over a 320i well spent for the noise alone, for - good as the latter car is - as far as how much joy you can expect to extract from a 3 Series is concerned, life begins at 30.

If you can afford to buy, buy with the confidence that you're getting not just the absolute best car in the class, but also one of the finest automobiles ever conceived.