BMW 320i Sport
There’s only one thing I ever want to know about a new BMW, and that is how it goes around corners. While Audi make great interiors and Mercedes has their Zimmer frame bound customers, BMW are renowned for their ability to build drivers’ cars. So let’s see if the new 3 lives up to the reputation.
The blokes from Munich get off to a good start with the engine line up. The 320i Sport I had the pleasure of driving boasts a two litre turbo charged unit that produces 135kW, meaning it’s good for a 7.3 second sprint to 100km/h. On the flip side, when driven carefully, one can expect fuel consumption around 6.5 litres per 100km.
There’s an eight speed automatic gearbox putting power through to the rear wheels (a very important fact that I’ll touch on later). It’s silky smooth in its power delivery and gear changes are hardly noticeable in normal conditions. That silkiness carries through into the 3’s road manners where bumps and ruts are soaked up effortlessly, thanks to superbly subtle suspension dynamics.
The magic really happens though once you’ve located the little toggle switch down by the gear lever. It operates four driving modes, ranging from “Eco” through to “Sport +”, bringing forth those inherent BMW driving dynamics that have made the company the market leader for sports saloons. Of course mine stayed in at least “Sport” mode for the majority of my test, if not “Sport +” which ramps up the engine responses, sharpens gear changes and dumbs down the traction control.
This leads me to the conclusion that the new 3 is as near to perfectly balanced as one could possibly hope for in a four door saloon, with direct, responsive steering and precision feedback through the very tips of your fingers. While it might sound cliché, you truly become part of the car, sensing its movements and responses. And thanks to the rear wheels being in charge of propulsion, those movements and responses largely involve oversteery type fun.
When you settle back down for the drive to work, or on holiday, you’ll notice the interior of your 3 series is simple, elegant, well laid out and incredibly spacious in both the front and back. And there’s a ginormous boot.
Yes, BMW will charge you for everything other than the steering wheel and those four doors that stop the rain coming in, which feels a bit cheap when you’ve just forked out R410 000 for the base model 320i Sport. But honestly, Audi aren’t exactly giving away the A4 and Mercedes mastered the art of shaking down pensioners when JR Ewing still drove an SL.
Crafting driving machines is as much in BMW’s blood as royalty is in His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge – so truthfully, if you enjoy driving, there can’t even be a moment’s hesitation when considering your next premium sedan.
Price: R 409 600
Engine: 1995cc 4 cylinder turbo charged petrol
Power (kW): 135
Torque (Nm): 380
Acceleration (0-100km/h): 7.3
Top Speed (km/h): 235
Fuel Consumption (l/100km): 6.1
First published in Autodealer KZN