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Over to the passenger compartment, it was more of the same story: the cramped cabin began to envelop me once again. This time though, I thought it wasn't right. It was OK for the driver to have all the controls within reach, but the front passenger space was just too little for me. The knee room was barely enough, and I felt my legs actually touching the glove box. I tried to adjust my seat, but whatever adjustment netted the same result. The back seats, even though they looked cramped, were actually adequate for two people even for long journeys. The headroom with the top down was actually better for the rear passenger and the seats, like the front, feel sporty and well-supportive even at high speeds or bumpy roads. When I started the engine, the BMW's 2.8-liter inline-6 came to life with silky smoothness. The engine was actually quiet at idling, even better sounding than the V6 of the Nissan Cefiro. Revving the engine to around 5,500-rpm the engine presented no hints of unevenness: the result of great engine design and of the most ideal six-cylinder engine layout. Driving the car around, I've quickly noticed the BMW's silky, almost short-throw 5-speed gearbox very entertaining. It went from gear to gear without any hesitation or any 'clunk'. The clutch and gas pedals, though heavy to the feel, were very easy to modulate. In fact, in less than a minute of driving this car, I quickly learned how to use the revs and the engine to launch the car properly, compared to the days I had to learn when I test drove the Nissan Cefiro and the Honda Accord. The engine can deliver its 190 horsepower effortlessly. The car felt smooth even when we broke the 100-km/h mark along C5. The car accelerates without hesitation or change of engine note from 0-60-km/h to even in the excess of 100-km/h (The 2.3-liter Honda Accord begins to show strains when reaching the 120 mark. This car doesn't). The 286 Nm of torque is also felt whenever we try to race against other bright orange Civic SiRs and BMW 325is. Most important of all is that the BMW 328Ci also brakes with the same confidence and effortlessness that it showed in acceleration. The massive disc brakes and ABS provide awesome stopping power without even a hint of steering vibration whatsoever. The steering was generally heavy to the feel compared to Japanese cars, but the car's rear-wheel driving configuration meant that this car corners like no other front wheel drive car. It has the confidence when going into tight S-bends and other sharp bends without losing control or even slipping from one's chosen driving line. The steering gave generous feedback and feel when going over gravel, rocks or loose planks of metal along EDSA. The steering wheel design, though not exactly to my taste provides my hands with great grip and horn controls within reach. And while the steering provided me with feedback I needed, so did the roof. It seems that BMW's structural integrity isn't as good as I thought, as even this car's relatively young 2,121 km age, the roof seems to vibrate a lot even at a median speed of 80-km/h, maybe because it is designed as a convertible anyway. Aside from that small problem, the car seemed to be solid enough. |
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