2008 BMW 328i

2008 BMW 328i

If you’ve read enough of my reviews you’ll know that I’m not the biggest fan of the average BMW driver. The vast majority of people who buy BMWs only buy the car for the badge, and generally people who buy stuff only for the brand value aren’t the nicest people you’ll ever run into because they’re trying hard to show how their life is turning out to be a rounding success compared to yours. The irony about buying a 3-series BMW though is that you’re not actually showing the world that you’re rich and successful… you’re actually telling everyone you’re a bit of a fraud. I mean if you buy the cheaper Toyota Camry, no one will ever inquire about your financial stability, but buying a 3-series somehow raises questions. The reason for this is simple. If you are actually well off and somewhat rich, you’d probably have the larger more comfortable 5-series BMW, but having a 3-series kind of gives the impression that you bought one because you aren’t actually rich but you want to look it. Of course, things are even worse if you get a 1-series!

Fortunately, there’s actually a good car hidden behind that BMW badge. You would be hard pressed to find a car reviewer who doesn’t like driving a BMW 3-series. Most people in this profession use the 3-series as a benchmark in which to measure other cars with, because it’s just that good and BMW has made its name in making sport sedans, so they’re unlikely to ever screw it up. The 3-series has led its class in driving dynamics ever since dinosaurs roamed the planet, and that’s quite a feat. Now though, it must face the ultimate test, because finally, I got my hands on one.

Positives: Now, the 3-series as I’ve said is praised by nearly everyone in the world for its excellent driving ability, and I have to say it’s all absolutely true. Great driving always starts from the steering wheel and the way it feels in your hands, and the BMW 328i has everything right. The steering wheel is fat rimmed, heavy, and very sports car-esque. The steering response is razor sharp and if you turn the wheel even the slightest bit the car will change directions. If you’re a heavy coffee drinker with shaky hands that might seem bad; but if you aren’t, it’s quite a good thing to have because the car will turn exactly to where you point the wheel, and that lets you carve corners with greater precision. Also, every time you take a turn, the steering wheel will give you all the feed back and information you could ever want and it let’s you know that if you wanted to, you could probably go around that same turn about 100 mph faster. Even if you do take a turn at an insane speed, the car doesn’t roll at all, and you never get the sense that you’ll ever overstep the bounds of what the chassis can handle. The car always remains planted and composed, so in the end you’re left with just pure driving fun.

In addition to the fantastic handling, the brake feel is excellent, the throttle response is superb, and the engine has plenty of power for you play around with. However, with 230 hp on tap in a car roughly the same size of a Corolla, I thought the 328i would be a lot quicker than it was. The car is still more than quick enough for the average person but for some reason it doesn’t feel quick, and in my world of avoiding speeding tickets, the feeling of speed is much more important than actual figures.

Another aspect that really adds to the driving experience is the seats which hug you in a race car fashion. If you’re wondering why I think this is a good thing… A. I think it’s more comfortable that way and B. It makes sure you don’t slide out of your seat when you’re cornering too quickly. With that said, if you’re considered to be on the fat side, you may find the seat to be a little… shall we say, non form fitting.

To summarize, I almost couldn’t believe that I was driving a four door sedan, because I’ve driven sports cars that have felt less sporty. I can easily see why the world’s automotive press love this car because this is a genuinely good car to drive. It’s a bit of a shame though that most people who own one probably don’t know just how good a driver’s car this really is.

Negatives: So I’ve established that the 3-series is an excellent car to drive, but unfortunately that’s where the fun ends. Most of what I’m about to complain about I wouldn’t complain about normally, but in a car costing this much, it has to be said. The base price of a 328i is around 32k (my test car was the base model) which is a lot for a small car. You can argue that since the BMW is a luxury car, a lot of the cost can be justified but I really think it can’t because there’s nothing at the 32k level that you can’t find in a mid level Civic. Also, if you do go ahead and add in all the options you’d normally want in a luxury car, you could have purchased a beach house instead.

If you want an example of things that are missing, there’s zero leather in the base model. The seats are made from a fancy vinyl and even the steering wheel lacks cow skin. I can’t think of any other car with some sort of sporting pretension that doesn’t have a leather steering wheel. In fact I can’t think of any car over 20k that doesn’t have a leather wheel. What’s worse is that BMW has added fake stitching to the plastic steering wheel to sort of mimic the leather wheel, which I think makes it feel plain cheap.

Sure this car has power windows and remote locks, but so does every car costing over 20k. Another thing cars costing over 20k have is a power seat, but there isn’t one in the base 3-series! BMW does have a reputation of making nearly everything an optional extra, but wow. If the base car was something like 25k this wouldn’t seem so bad, but it isn’t. Also, this high base price wouldn’t seem nearly as bad if Lexus didn’t make the IS250 because the base IS costs 32k as well, but it has leather everywhere and it has power seats and many other things the BMW doesn’t have as standard.

For the size of this car, the backseats offer reasonable leg room and the trunk size isn’t too bad. In fact I’d call it spacious compared to the Lexus IS, but let’s not forget the simple Toyota Corolla is actually larger all around. Sure the Corolla is in a completely different class, but you have to bear these things in mind when you’re going to be spending this much money on a small car.

Conclusion: So the 3-series is everything that I thought it was… an excellent driving overpriced, tiny car that only makes sense if you care about the badge value or if you just have some extra cash to blow. If you want a proper sports sedan, with leather, with power seats, with GPS etc for around or less than 32k, what’s wrong with a Mazda6 s? Sure the 6 doesn’t drive quite as well as the 3-series but it’s certainly good enough to make you feel like you’re not missing out on anything. Sure saying I drive a Mazda doesn’t have the same wow factor as saying I drive a BMW, but like I said before, no one will ever question how well off you are in a Japanese mid-size, and pretty much no one will think you’re a jerk for driving one.

Summary:

The good: Absolutely excellent to drive

The bad: The price is rather steep

Verdict: If you think the drive is worth the extra money it’s a hard car to fault

Advice: If you really want one, find a good lease offer rather than purchasing one... it's cheaper that way

Random Stats:

Engine: 3.0 Liter I6, 230 hp, 200 lb-ft torque

EPA Fuel Estimates: 19/28