by Brian K. White
BMW has always been legendary for comfort, luxury and uncommon performance. My friend in college had one when we worked at the Olive Garden together, and despite its age it was an eye catching car that was easy to drive, comfortable to ride and as pretty as you'd hope for what he could afford. Times have changed and technology has come a remarkable distance, and BMW is still living up to these impossible expectations. The 328 comes in sedan or coupe models with the most obvious disparity (aside from the number of doors) being the addition of a center seat in the back. They're both sporty and come packed with all the amenities and punch you'd expect, even in the base model.
I tested a 328 coupe with no bells or whistles. It had the standard engine, a normally aspirated 2.8 liter V6, and none of the luxury goodies you may consider. It didn't have the satellite radio, power seats, or remarkably easy to use luggage rack (which you can effortlessly add after the fact without so much as scratching your flawless roof line). Despite not having the most tricked out model, I was impressed on every front.
The BMW 328 offers an optional turbo engine which will snap your neck off if you're not paying attention, but the standard engine is still exceptionally fast while still offering economy in the 20+mpg range. The six-speed transmission means you've got appropriate torque for each gear and enough torque to rocket you off to killer speeds while you're not even paying attention.
To put it in perspective, if you hammer first gear, which you should do at least a few times, you'll find yourself in a conundrum when it comes time to shift because you're already over the speed limit, and you've still got five more gears to go.
That's BMW power, right there. They've always been sporty, I'll give them that.
I long had a 1995 BMW 325i Convertible as my daily driver, and it served me well. It was sharp in appearance, sufficiently zippy and much smarter than I was. BMW's impossible reputation isn't just that they make fast, pretty cars, but that they're always ahead of the curve in their engineering. As technology reaches peaks across the spectrum of relevant categories, it gets progressively more difficult to stay ahead, but to my surprise, they've done it.
I had very few complaints of my 1995 BMW, and even fewer of this one. It's quicker, gets better gas mileage, is bigger inside while still smaller outside, lighter, and much tighter in the corners. Mine was nice, but this is a whole different animal.
It still has the trademark styling of a BMW that's always kept them on the forefront of design, but it has forced them to get a bit more clever on the inside. The shape of the cabin means the seat belts are too far back to grab, so once you put the key in, the belt is pushed forward for you to grab it. Passengers can still climb in the back, which is a bit cramped, but not unduly for a coupe, and the driver can still get a hand on the belt to buckle up.
Because it's a BMW, and they're still legendary for their grip on the road, it handles like a charm. I've felt better, but maybe only twice in my life, and the critical difference is that when you're not trying to pull a G-and-a-half in the corners, you've still got a ride as nice as any mid-sized domestic. That's fifty years of tuning the suspension in action, right there.
There is a bit of a learning curve in terms of figuring out the seats (which despite being manual, are perfectly simple and accommodating), the cabin controls (which make sense once you figure them out,) and all the various other goodies the car comes with. Once you get them all nailed, which takes literally an extra fifteen-minutes, you're going to like what you get. Subaru is more intuitive, but not quite as rewarding.
With a starting price at about $33,000 remarkably well equipped plus BMW's unrivaled service and maintenance program, this is hands down the best value I've found in the price range. You know it's going to last you through the life of your payments and come out the other side with flawless maintenance and classic styling. Those are the three things you need to consider when it comes to resale value, and this BMW has them pegged to perfection.