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Road Tests: Long-Term Test
Long-Term Test: 1999 BMW 328i
August 2000
By editors at Edmunds.com
Date Posted 01-01-1999
Having to perform zero service this month was a real
treat for road test editor Dan Gardner. Less time in
the shop and more time winding a car out is nothing
any of us on staff would complain about. This month
Gardner praised our BMW's brakes, steering, and silky-smooth
drivetrain as so many of us have in the past. Unfortunately,
he spent some time traveling, and the BMW was relegated
to garage attendant duty for a portion of the month.
Having recently driven a 323iC, he noticed something
interesting: "The gearing in these cars is quite different.
Our long-termer will go way past 60 mph in second gear,
while the 323 convertible barely gets into the 50s."
We assume that this disparity in gearing must be to
help keep the smaller engine in its sweet spot. Still,
the combo of taller gearing and a more potent engine
kept Gardner happy despite the lack of a convertible
top.
While the gearing and engine were deemed pleasing, the
shifter itself was not. He quips: "The shifter sometimes
feels vague, and I think I know what it is now. It just
doesn't have the proper amount of heft. There's no weighting
inside the ball of the knob to make each throw feel
positive. I know Mazda spent loads of time figuring
out how to weight the Miata's shifter properly. BMW
should follow their lead."
Although the BMW spent a couple of nights parked in
a garage off of Sunset in Hollywood, it was forced to
abstain from "cruising" on the strip. Huge fines back
the new police policy of no cruising, and although it's
cool to be seen in a Bimmer, it's just not worth it.
We thought of bribing the men in blue with a test drive
of our fabulous Bavarian, but they were too busy scribbling
revenue-generating tickets.
At EdmundsLIVE, the BMW 323i and the Lexus IS 300 are
two of the vehicles that consumers can drive in the
entry-luxury segment. This is perhaps the most interesting
match up, since it's clear Lexus has its crosshairs
on the 3 Series. After returning from the event in Chicago,
Gardner was surprised how much better he liked the Lexus
IS 300 compared to the BMW 323i. But a quick ride to
work in the 328i forced him to switch camps again. "The
smaller-engined BMW equipped with an automatic is no
match for the IS. Getting back into our 328 with a manual
reminded me why I'd never buy the Lexus over our long-termer."
And if you remember from our July update, "Jack," the
PR guy, felt exactly the same way. So we guess the score's
now BMW: 2, Lexus: 0, that is if you don't count the
data from the EdmundsLIVE events, where consumers are
driving the Lexus far more often than the BMW. Lexus
definitely has something here, but we're still attached
to our long-termer.
Total Odometer Reading: 30,051
Best Fuel Economy: 19.1 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.6 mpg
Body Damage Repair: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Other Costs: $0
Problems: None
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