2006 BMW 3-Series Road Test

The top-line 330i is improved too, featuring all of the 325i's upgrades plus an all-new 3.0-litre engine that produces

An all-new 3.0-litre engine produces 255-horsepower compared to the outgoing model's 225-horsepower rating. (Photo: BMW Canada)

255-horsepower compared to the outgoing model's 225-horsepower rating, while torque is up from 214 lb-ft in the current car to 220 lb-ft. Unlike the 325i, the 330i's base price will rise when it goes on sale, but only by $100 to $47,500.

Both new engines are the first in large-scale series production to incorporate magnesium as a main component, a metal that is 30 percent lighter than aluminum. The engines are also the first six-cylinders in the BMW family to make use of Valvetronic, the brand's variable valve timing system.

Both engines pull strongly from takeoff, the 3.0-litre obviously the more athletic of the two. I'm especially fond of the song they sing, as nothing else sounds anything like a BMW when the revs start to climb.

The six-speed manual is perfectly gated, slotting from one gear to the next in precise increments, ideally suited to the nicely weighted clutch pedal. It's one of those few cars that has obviously been engineered with significant input from

The six-speed manual is perfectly gated, slotting from one gear to the next in precise increments. (Photo: BMW Canada)

professional drivers, as the balance of the sum of its parts, the way everything works together in a mechanical synchronicity, is wonderfully unusual.

Over and above the mechanicals, other option groups include the $2,900 Navigation package, priced the same as last year's navigation system, featuring BMW's on-board navigation system with a Canada/U.S. DVD included, plus Voice Control for hands free actuation of ancillary functions. The Nav package also includes iDrive, which is much better than the previous generation.