At home on the track
On the twisted two-lane blacktop of the PCH, overlooking the breathtaking shoreline, the 328i handled brilliantly — which isn’t surprising. The car’s predictability, surgical steering and composed suspension are as dazzling as on the old model.
On the track, it’s just as impressive. The 2.0L turbo gets the car up to speed very quickly, although it’s obviously no match for the 3.0L turbo-6. Steering feel is excellent, body motions are well controlled and you feel confident at pushing the car to the limit of the run-flat tires’ adhesion. When tires do break loose, it likely will be the rear ones, but the 3 easily straightens out with a flick of the wheel in the opposite direction. Quite amusing.
Three different trim lines
You can personalize the 328i and 335i with your choice of three distinct trim lines, which is new to the 3 Series and something that will eventually be spread across the brand’s other products.
They are called Luxury Line, Modern Line and Sport Line, each featuring its own interior trim and highlighting, such as brushed aluminum, burl walnut, contrast seat piping, and red or black contrast strips on the dashboard. All cockpits look more upscale than in the previous 3.
On the outside, each trim line gets its own 18” alloy wheel design and distinct lower-body and kidney grille design elements. The Sport Line is obviously the hottest looking one, with its twin 5-spoke wheels as well as glossy black B-pillars and side mirrors.
The 320i gets a simpler base trim that includes leatherette upholstery, satin silver interior trim and 17” alloy wheels.
As before, there are also countless other option packages to choose from. You can also get new goodies such as a blind-spot monitor, lane-departure warning and BMW Apps, software that connects your iPhone and your car together to keep on Tweeting, Facebooking and listening to music though your wireless data connection. Sorry, BlackBerry and Android users, it’s not available for you yet.
On the twisted two-lane blacktop of the PCH, overlooking the breathtaking shoreline, the 328i handled brilliantly — which isn’t surprising. The car’s predictability, surgical steering and composed suspension are as dazzling as on the old model.
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| The 2012 3 Series Sedan handles brilliantly around the Laguna Seca racetrack. (Photo: Michel Deslauriers/Auto123.com) |
On the track, it’s just as impressive. The 2.0L turbo gets the car up to speed very quickly, although it’s obviously no match for the 3.0L turbo-6. Steering feel is excellent, body motions are well controlled and you feel confident at pushing the car to the limit of the run-flat tires’ adhesion. When tires do break loose, it likely will be the rear ones, but the 3 easily straightens out with a flick of the wheel in the opposite direction. Quite amusing.
Three different trim lines
You can personalize the 328i and 335i with your choice of three distinct trim lines, which is new to the 3 Series and something that will eventually be spread across the brand’s other products.
They are called Luxury Line, Modern Line and Sport Line, each featuring its own interior trim and highlighting, such as brushed aluminum, burl walnut, contrast seat piping, and red or black contrast strips on the dashboard. All cockpits look more upscale than in the previous 3.
On the outside, each trim line gets its own 18” alloy wheel design and distinct lower-body and kidney grille design elements. The Sport Line is obviously the hottest looking one, with its twin 5-spoke wheels as well as glossy black B-pillars and side mirrors.
The 320i gets a simpler base trim that includes leatherette upholstery, satin silver interior trim and 17” alloy wheels.
As before, there are also countless other option packages to choose from. You can also get new goodies such as a blind-spot monitor, lane-departure warning and BMW Apps, software that connects your iPhone and your car together to keep on Tweeting, Facebooking and listening to music though your wireless data connection. Sorry, BlackBerry and Android users, it’s not available for you yet.
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| Three trim lines are now offered in the 328i and 335i: Luxury, Modern and Sport. Photo: Michel Deslauriers/Auto123.com) |