Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Our coveted BMW became even more beloved this month when Web developer Andy Chase got hold of the keys. "This is a fantastic car...the finest I've ever driven in terms of build quality, handling and style in one package." It's true; Chase has got the BMW crush -- and he's got it bad. Seriously, he reported having epiphanies over Nicholas Canyon when the Bimmer "purred smoothly up even the steepest of inclines, and emitted plenty of power without sounding or feeling beastly." He even went out of his way to find errands to run, just to have more time alone with the "sleek blue machine." Chase, man, it's just a car.

Our other driver, Brent Romans, played it cool. He said, Yeah, it's a sport sedan. Yeah, it's got a "swell engine." Yeah, it begs you to run it hard. Yeah, fine, fantastic steering. OK, so it's well-balanced, whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Romans drove the BMW immediately after spending three days driving an RX-7 race car, and felt that our BMW had more body roll "but the steering and brakes were worlds better." But still, Romans is a hard sell, claiming the car is "not me" because it's too nice and refined. Anyway, Brent doesn't like to be one of the pack, and in Los Angeles BMWs are everywhere.

The car's ergonomic functions were a bit confusing to our staffers this month, but if you take the time to figure out what all the buttons do, you're rewarded with added convenience. The climate controls remained hard to decipher, and the front windshield defroster wasn't very responsive. And hey, where's our CD player? Contrary to what we reported in October, one can have both the navigation system and a CD player on the 328i, we just forgot to check off "CD player" on our option's list when we ordered the vehicle. Another annoyance was the driver has to choose between using the armrest and one cupholder, but you can't have two drinks and use the armrest simultaneously, since the armrest blocks one cupholder completely when it's down.

While we're griping, Romans resented the fact that he had to actually read a manual to learn how to operate the navigation system. So, instead of going to all that trouble (would 10 minutes really kill ya?), Romans played around with the buttons for awhile and gave up. Later, though, our valiant editor tried again, and got the navigation system to work, but called the directions "wonky." He turned it off and never used it again.

Meanwhile, starry-eyed Chase had a dandy time with the GPS system. He was impressed with the handy feature and found it easy to use once he got used to it. He did comment that it was frustrating that the system had a hard time differentiating between Los Angeles and "cities" that are incorporated within Los Angeles. Basically, if you hit "Sherman Oaks" you get a few streets to choose from, but if you hit "Los Angeles" you get many more options, including the street you desire. Chase also commented on the ease with which the system gets frustrated when you make a wrong turn; in its attempt to recalculate a route for you when there are lots of little streets, the system tells you to "turn left here" even though that may dump you into an unlit 7-Eleven parking lot with broken beer bottles strewn about at midnight.

And Chase, despite his love for the machine, does not have such fond feelings for the machine's spokesperson. He complained that the volume of the GPS woman's voice was set too loud. We looked into this matter and found that the woman's voice is set to the same level as the stereo when the stereo is on. This basically makes sense, but here's the catch. When the stereo is off, you can adjust the voice's volume, but only when she is speaking. Now, if you're kinda busy, because you're like driving or something, and you can't get your right hand to that knob just in time as she says "you have arrived," you're screwed. If you attempt to adjust the volume when she's quiet, nothing happens. She just sits there stoically and refuses to budge. This is not a good thing.

By the way, there's this red translucent plastic knob on the rearview mirror that had Chase confounded. It looks like it has a small LED in it, but he never saw it come on, and wonders if it may light up when the alarm goes off. Actually, this little gadget is the infrared sensor for the remote keyless entry, but Chase thought it was out of place in the refined interior. And while we're talking mirrors, Romans found them to be too small, limiting rear visibility.

As far as the drive goes, Romans reported that the sport package on our car made it impossible to ignore the bumps and potholes. Although some may want a smoother ride, Romans liked the sport-tuned suspension and appreciates the fact that it's an option on the Bimmer for enthusiasts, like himself. Other, more sensitive, uh, souls, can get the stock suspension.

Romans also commented that our BMW's clutch has "led a rather hard life"; with 20,000 miles on the odometer, the clutch still holds, but the pedal is not very reassuring, with no specific engagement point, and a shifter that is "floppier than I thought it would be." But, this tough customer did approve of the well-defined gates and short throws.

Romans liked the BMW's design - finding its curvaceous lines more attractive than the previous-generation 3 Series. Romans also liked the headlight shape, the more muscular fender flares, and the flowing lines on the rear quarters of the car. Our BMW also has larger tires and wheels, which give the car an aggressive look Romans appreciated.

Chase didn't gush about the car's aesthetics, which made us think this might not be just an infatuation, but a deeper, more lasting love -- until he said the 323i seems like a better value, and then, get this, admitted to having an obsession with owning an Audi TT Quattro Coupe. And we thought he was serious about our Bimmer. Let's see when he gets the keys again.

Total Odometer Reading: 20,580
Best Fuel Economy: 24 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 17.9 mpg
Body Damage Repair: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None.