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Obviously, getting the most out of this advanced powerplant can be a troublesome thing. In the past, it was criticized that the 318i had sluggish off-the-line performance. To cure the problem, BMW revised the transmission, throwing out the old four-speed box for a new five-speed automatic with the Steptronic feature. The engine / transmission combination offered hefty doses of acceleration when needed. The shifting is unobtrusive and natural, feeling almost close to a manual gearbox. Slotting the shifter to the left of ‘D’ makes the 318i enter Sport mode. The engine revs more freely, as if more horses have been given the whip. It shifts commonly at 5,000 rpm, giving the BMW some formidable straight-line power. Montoya wannabes can flick the lever down and watch the needle hit the red—transforming the humble 318i into an entertaining little number. The Steptronic has been recalibrated to mimic manual shifting as close as possible. Though pretty darn close, it still lacks the precision of a computer-controlled automatic or human-controlled manual. The position of the small, lightweight inline-4 enables the 318i to achieve close to even weight distribution, making this car preppy to drive compared to its inline-6 brethren. Cornering stability has vastly improved thanks to increased contact patches courtesy of upgraded Bridgestone Turanza ER30 tires. The Executive variant is now fitted with ASC or Automatic Stability Control as well. These upgrades make the car very stable and reassuring in mountain or city streets, in wet or dry conditions. Upgrades to the 318i’s suspension and chassis system are simple sublime. Combined with the revised steering column with a new geometry and ratio, the new 3 blows away all nitpickers of the previous version’s lack of sporty enthusiasm. The 318i scores a perfect ten as it exhibited characteristics befitting the title ‘sports sedan’. The steering now communicates better with the road, sending the right amount of signals to the driver, especially about the road’s potential dangers such as unevenness or bumps without the feeling of being too boosted. The excellent steering feel works in conjunction with the car’s lightning fast reaction. Though not as precise as a slot car, the 318i exhibited controlled body roll and a well-balanced steering control that’s simply a class of its own. The MacPherson Strut / Double Wishbone suspension layout helped the Bimmer gain enough composure through the tight stuff to match it with sportier cars such as the Subaru Impreza. Nonetheless, unlike the Scooby, the German didn’t give up a millimeter of long-distance touring comfort and luxury for its excellent sporting characteristic. Build quality is standard BMW fare. The car felt rock solid, a testament to BMW Philippines’ local assembly quality (the 316i and 318i are assembled here). However, the 318i Executive tested was not without electronic niggles. During a high speed run at the Coastal Road, the car lost its sync with its transmission. For a while, the car ran on three forward gears—something terrifying when other cars ran at speeds close to 100 km/h. Thankfully, after a re-start a short time later, the transmission seemed to have sorted itself out quite nicely. |
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