it was the best of times, it was the worst of times
October 15th, 2006I was fortunate enough to sample BMW’s twin turbo engine and the new 3 series coupe today, and the outcome was nothing like I expected.
First up was the twin turbo 6. Punching the gas you understand what your tooth went through when you tied a string to it and a doorknob, then slammed the door shut. Not fierce, not savage, just a sense that one second you’re here and the next you’re somewhere far removed. Lag was not appreciable with the automatic (I’d expect more in the manual) and the engine didn’t feel breathless up top until you’d scaled around 6 grand, a far cry from most light pressure turbos extant (e.g. Audis, which seem to peak before 5K). The revised auto tranny for ‘07 locks out 6th gear in Sport program, something that renders it more temporary than last year’s car – call me a luddite but I preferred having two separate buttons for transmission control: O/D off and sport or normal (then again I miss having 1,2,3, etc. below Drive as well).
BMW has obviously worked hard not only to mask lag but to retain a cultured engine note – I thought I hear a whistle from beneath the hood but it was so brief and muted I might very well have been hearing something else. Direct injection and high compression has revitalized the turbo, and really the only things missing were difficult to remember when you’re being shoved forward on a tidal wave of seemingly effortless torque.
That is until you come back, park, and jump behind the wheel of last year’s 330i. If there is a God, he or she surely had a hand in the creation of this engine: the sound under high load and at high revs makes your toes curl and the way the three stage intake manifold opens in the midrange and then further still for an unexpected sprint to the redline makes this one of the most exhilarating engines ever produced. Yes, I said ever. Not even the 3.2L in the M3 seems as willing to rev, higher redline and all. There’s no doubt the 330i is slower, but it feels faster because it sounds the part and the torque curve feels concave up – then another gear clasps tight and you get to repeat the experience, more drawn out yet no less feral. Ahhh the sound and the fury.
The real disappointment of the day was the 328i coupe. Yes the 15 horses on the top end give the engine a less choked down feel but the real disappointment was the steering. The coupe uses electric assist rather than the sedan’s hydraulic and the difference spoils the experience, makes it feel like you average Malibu or Cobalt. The added lightness around center isn’t the issue – that’s actually an improvement – but the steering goes very light upon initial input, as though you’re suddenly hitting glare ice. Each turn is frustrating because you don’t feel the forces build or the tires dig – your inner and outer ear must strain to figure out what’s going on at the contact patches. As in the sedan the sport suspension somehow manages to ride better (with the Xi falling somewhere in the middle).
To exacerbate the coupe’s inferiority ingress/egress to the rear seat takes ages – first you pull a plastic latch then you push a separate switch and waaaaaaiiiiit for the sat bottom to motor forward. Then after the passenger’s back there you wait for it to motor forward. The manual seats in my E36 take a tenth of the time to operate and they also spring upward to increase access, something the new car doesn’t manage. Adding insult are the fragile arms that hand you the seatbelts – Cadillac’s belt in the seat are a far more elegant solution. The center console also seems a throwback to the gimmicky late 80s (then again many things German do).
The coupe’s composite fenders are a plus, but really they’re there to offset the twin turbo’s extra weight – remember the turbo block is aluminum not magnesium – and the car’s simply too long to be a 3. Its obvious they’re making room for both the upcoming 1 series coupe and the folding hardtop mechanism expected in the new convertible.
I’ve never been so thankful a coupe is offered as a sedan as well. If you buy the Ci, people will look at you and drool at the car’s lines – the nose is one of the prettiest I’ve ever laid eyes on. But especially when you take the higher price into account sedan owners will look at you and laugh at your vanity and stupidity. So will I.