Theimportant questions on the BMW328i
Where does it come from?
Off a ro-ro ship in Durban harbour, all the way from Bavaria, Germany.
What does it cost?
It all depends on how many extras you want. The basic price for the eight-speed Sports Automatic Transmission Steptronic we drove is R474 500, but it came with the optional satellite navigation linked to the iDrive, which adds R14 200 to the cost. Other extras included were gearshift paddles and driving dynamics control (R25 100), park assist (R12 000), full-colour head-up display with GPS information on the speed limits (R14 700), park distance control (R7 500), rear-view camera (R4 400), and an electric sunroof (R10 000). This took our test model’s price to well over R560 000.
Who are the competitors?
Check out Audi’s A4 2,0T FSI quattro S-tronic (basic price R456 500) and the Mercedes-Benz C250 (basic price R482 500).
The Audi comes with standard all-wheel drive, and I respect the efficiencies of the continuously variable transmission on the front-drive models. Like BMW, the Merc also went smaller, offering a 1,8-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder with a seven-speed automatic box.
Will the 328i make me look sexy?
Very — especially to other men who can do the sums.
How is the ride?
The 328i Sport gives classic BMW handling. For newcomers, classic BMW handling feels like a kickboxer looks at the start of a fight: poised with the centre of gravity in the middle. The low profile does give rather a lot of feedback, but four settings allow the driver to opt for various shades of economic or sporty driving, with the most extreme setting turning the electronic stability off.
This is when the 328i will get tail happy, but with 350 Nm of torque on tap from 1 750 rpm, it can be made to drift too.
What engine has it got?
Instead of the usual six-cylinder, BMW opted to go down to 1 997 cc, with a twin-scrolling turbo and clever camshafts controlling 16 valves.
Like the 2,0 TFSI from Audi, advanced electronics in the smaller BMW block ensure that it still boxes in the straight six class, but it now punches harder than the legendary box Beemer.
Is it a good for family use?
It has the leg room in the rear for teenagers, as well as the fuel economy (about 10 km/litre during our tests) to make it frugal. Rather than the optional R10 000 sunroof, spend some money on BMW’s “through-loading system”, which is a rear bench with 40:20:40 split for R3 100.
What did I like and dislike most?
I liked the smooth way the electronic stability programme rescues you in hairy moments, the 10 km/litre in mixed driving, the poised handling, the music player playing all file formats, and the rear leg room.
I still dislike BMW’s traditional narrow pedal spacing, and I hated the non-electric bucket seat. Its hard thigh supports made me feel fat, while a pull on the main lever sent me plummeting down to sit like a rapper, instead of up to a more commanding seat height.
The optional electric front seats with lumbar support for the driver (R3 550) will be a good add on.
What do the hair-splitters say?
Edmunds Insideline.com exhaustively tested the BMW 328i against the Merc C250 and Audi A4 with two weeks and hundreds of kilometres of road and track testing.
Their objective handling tests concluded, largely in favour of the four-wheel drive Audi, which had the quickest slalom speed and best lateral acceleration at 0,92 g.
The 328i and C250 were much the same in these tests.
The BMW was 0,8 km/h faster in the slalom than the Benz, and both pulled 0,88 g around the skid pad.
Insideline concludes: “The Audi’s superior grip showed itself again in our braking test, where it stopped from 96 km/h in only 32,91 metres.”
The C250 added a bonnet length to this and 328i a whole 2,1 metres before coming to a standstill.
In the eye-blink that collisions occur, the Audi’s stopping distance will be the vote swinger for me.
Where does it come from?
Off a ro-ro ship in Durban harbour, all the way from Bavaria, Germany.
What does it cost?
It all depends on how many extras you want. The basic price for the eight-speed Sports Automatic Transmission Steptronic we drove is R474 500, but it came with the optional satellite navigation linked to the iDrive, which adds R14 200 to the cost. Other extras included were gearshift paddles and driving dynamics control (R25 100), park assist (R12 000), full-colour head-up display with GPS information on the speed limits (R14 700), park distance control (R7 500), rear-view camera (R4 400), and an electric sunroof (R10 000). This took our test model’s price to well over R560 000.
Who are the competitors?
Check out Audi’s A4 2,0T FSI quattro S-tronic (basic price R456 500) and the Mercedes-Benz C250 (basic price R482 500).
The Audi comes with standard all-wheel drive, and I respect the efficiencies of the continuously variable transmission on the front-drive models. Like BMW, the Merc also went smaller, offering a 1,8-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder with a seven-speed automatic box.
Will the 328i make me look sexy?
Very — especially to other men who can do the sums.
How is the ride?
The 328i Sport gives classic BMW handling. For newcomers, classic BMW handling feels like a kickboxer looks at the start of a fight: poised with the centre of gravity in the middle. The low profile does give rather a lot of feedback, but four settings allow the driver to opt for various shades of economic or sporty driving, with the most extreme setting turning the electronic stability off.
This is when the 328i will get tail happy, but with 350 Nm of torque on tap from 1 750 rpm, it can be made to drift too.
What engine has it got?
Instead of the usual six-cylinder, BMW opted to go down to 1 997 cc, with a twin-scrolling turbo and clever camshafts controlling 16 valves.
Like the 2,0 TFSI from Audi, advanced electronics in the smaller BMW block ensure that it still boxes in the straight six class, but it now punches harder than the legendary box Beemer.
Is it a good for family use?
It has the leg room in the rear for teenagers, as well as the fuel economy (about 10 km/litre during our tests) to make it frugal. Rather than the optional R10 000 sunroof, spend some money on BMW’s “through-loading system”, which is a rear bench with 40:20:40 split for R3 100.
What did I like and dislike most?
I liked the smooth way the electronic stability programme rescues you in hairy moments, the 10 km/litre in mixed driving, the poised handling, the music player playing all file formats, and the rear leg room.
I still dislike BMW’s traditional narrow pedal spacing, and I hated the non-electric bucket seat. Its hard thigh supports made me feel fat, while a pull on the main lever sent me plummeting down to sit like a rapper, instead of up to a more commanding seat height.
The optional electric front seats with lumbar support for the driver (R3 550) will be a good add on.
What do the hair-splitters say?
Edmunds Insideline.com exhaustively tested the BMW 328i against the Merc C250 and Audi A4 with two weeks and hundreds of kilometres of road and track testing.
Their objective handling tests concluded, largely in favour of the four-wheel drive Audi, which had the quickest slalom speed and best lateral acceleration at 0,92 g.
The 328i and C250 were much the same in these tests.
The BMW was 0,8 km/h faster in the slalom than the Benz, and both pulled 0,88 g around the skid pad.
Insideline concludes: “The Audi’s superior grip showed itself again in our braking test, where it stopped from 96 km/h in only 32,91 metres.”
The C250 added a bonnet length to this and 328i a whole 2,1 metres before coming to a standstill.
In the eye-blink that collisions occur, the Audi’s stopping distance will be the vote swinger for me.
