Road Tests: Long-Term Test

We've completed this test. Click here to see the final results.

BMW makes some of our staff's favorite cars. In fact, the only Bimmer we don't relish driving is the lame-duck 318ti hatchback. The rest of the company's lineup represents a perfect blend of luxury, performance and everyday driveability that has vaulted the marque from 1960s obscurity to 1990s popularity, making BMW the best-selling premium European brand in North America.

Much of that sales success can be attributed to the compact 3-Series of sedans, coupes and hatchbacks. The most affordable BMWs, they are also among the most fun to drive (except the hatch, as noted earlier). For 1999, BMW has redesigned the 3-Series sedan, carrying over nothing from the old car to the new except that exhilarating rush the driver gets when behind the wheel. As the best-selling model in the company's lineup, and a favorite of our readers and staff, we elected to include one of these new sedans in our long-term testing program.

Unlike the majority of American consumers who select the BMW 3-Series, we optioned ours for maximum performance, choosing to eschew luxury goodies for serious driving hardware. This is, after all, one of BMW's ultimate driving machines. We started with a standard 328i equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. Motivation comes from a silky-smooth, dual-overhead-cam 2.8-liter inline six that makes 193 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 206 foot-pounds of torque at 3,350 rpm. BMW says our test car can get from zero to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds. We believe it.

Standard equipment on our car includes, among plenty of other nice features: all-season traction control, four-wheel disc antilock brakes with Cornering Brake Control, a programmable Car &Key Memory system, on-board computer, memory seating, and side airbags for front seat passengers. From this nicely loaded starting point, we added necessities such as Xenon headlights, a navigation system, Harmon Kardon sound system, and the Sport Package, with go-faster goodies like monster 17-inch wheels and tires, sport seats and a stiffer suspension.

We kept the leatherette upholstery (BMW-speak for vinyl), and it has fooled several observers who guess that the car is equipped with real hides. Our car is painted Steel Blue metallic, an extra-cost item, and with the sand-colored interior and meaty seven-spoke alloys, it makes bystanders drool with desire. One item we failed to check on the order sheet was the available in-dash CD player, so, for now, we're stuck with a cassette deck.

Only two lucky drivers in our Los Angeles office have had the privilege of driving our new Three. Feedback has been glowing to date, except for one complaint about tricky clutch modulation. And wouldn't you just guess that before the 328 was in our fleet a week some insensitive Angeleno let a grocery cart roll into the back of the car, denting the trunk lid?

We won't let that single cosmetic flaw spoil our fun. We equipped this car for serious driving, and serious driving it will see. BMWs are known for good times behind the wheel, but not so much for durability. We'll see if the company has improved the latter without sacrificing the former over the course of our two-year test.

Total Odometer Reading: 599 miles
Best Fuel Economy: 21.3 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 11.7 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None