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My only complaint is that the 3 series falls prey to the cluttering of small buttons on the center console area of the dash. It makes looking for some basic controls such as window switches and door look buttons a chore. Moreover, the air-conditioning controls are a pain to use with its small print and undecipherable decals and acronyms. The same goes for the non-DIN stereo cassette CD-changer system of the 3-series sans the huge power and volume controls. Nonetheless, when everything is set, the air-conditioning is very effective even in midday Manila heat and the 8-speaker system on the 325i is simply superb. Now, towards the meat of the sandwich—driving both cars are two different experiences. Although the regular driver probably won’t notice the handling difference between the 318i and the 325i, in truth they fundamentally behave differently from each other. Starting the 318i is no big deal. A twist of the theft-proof key ignites the 4-pot engine to life. Although the badge says 318i, this car is actually powered by a 1.9-liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4 with 118 bhp at 5500 rpm and 180 Nm of torque at 3900 rpm. Nonetheless, though the engine figures are impressive for a 1.8-liter engine the sound isn’t quite as spectacular. In fact, if you were to close your eyes, the sound wouldn’t be much different from a Toyota Camry at idle. On the other hand, the 325i steals the show—if you have to get a BMW, then you’ll just have to die for their smooth inline-6 engines. This one carries the 193 bhp, 245 Nm 2.5-liter 24-valve inline-6 with single VANOS technology. This engine has a smooth start-up with a hint of a power growl beneath it that is so lacking in any high-revving Japanese engine out there. Although both Bimmers carry the steptronic manual selector, the 318i has to make do with a 4-speed system while the 325i benefits from a more refined 5-speed aumomatic transmission system. Although the 325i has more horsepower and more gears to play with, it is surprisingly sluggish compared to the 318i in terms of acceleration feel. Although the inline-6 could, in real life, be faster, the 318i offered surges of acceleration that gave a feeling of oomph that the smooth 325i just lacked. Nonetheless, both 3-series cars used their power bands quite well and provided the necessary acceleration when needed. The car is best left in full automatic mode, as the steptronic mode still has a long way to go to match with either a computer-controlled automatic or a human-controlled manual. The steptronic has delays when being engaged especially at the higher gears. This slight degree of hesitation robs a bit of excitement from this car. A surprising fact is that the 318i has livelier steering than its bigger brother. In fact, because of the less weight of the 1.8-liter inline-4 at front, the steering is more pointy and a very accurate piece of machinery. The steering communicates well with the road sending just the right levels of information to the driver especially when it comes to the road’s unevenness and bumps that may endanger a person during high speed driving. On the other hand, the heavier mass of the 325i robs the car of some agility points especially during tight cornering and acceleration combinations. Nonetheless, both cars exhibited characteristics that mark it as an A+ for Autobahn cruising. |
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