2006 BMW 3-Series Road Test

Passing the Torch

Keeping up with the Joneses is hard enough, but being the Joneses and therefore expected to be the best year after year must be a real pressure cooker.

Just the same, its not like the territory is particularly new for BMW. Ever since its 2002 was announced in 1968 and quickly proved its potential by winning the European Touring Car Championship at the hands of Dieter Quester, the Bavarian brand has been the sport sedan builder to beat.

After a mid-cycle update that ran until 1976 the 2002 was replaced by BMWs first 3-Series in 1977, the 320i - codenamed E21. The car was a runaway success, selling over 1.3 million globally during its seven year lifespan.

The somewhat boxy 1984 through 1991 E30 was the best selling BMW before the outgoing E46 came along, with more than 2.3 million produced. The E36, which ran from 1992 through 1998, was extremely popular too, upping performance with a sophisticated multilink rear suspension and increasing output to a healthy 192-horsepower in top-line 325i guise.

But it was the E46, arriving in 1999 and currently still available new from the automakers showrooms, albeit in limited supply, that sent the brand over the 3 million mark. BMW has definitely nailed down the sports sedan formula.

What set the E46 apart from its predecessors, and most of its compact sport/luxury rivals, is a variety of bodystyles and drivetrain options. The 2005 3-Series can been had as a five-door wagon, two-door coupe, two-door convertible and, of course a four-door sedan. It offers three engine options, including 2.5-liter, 3.0-liter and 3.2-liter configurations, driving the rear- or all-wheels via three transmission options, a six-speed manual, 5-speed automatic with manual mode, and 6-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG); optimizing one general architecture to produce an entire lineup of fun and functional entry-level premium vehicles.

The new 2006 3-Series lineup seems rather simple in comparison, but of course its single four-door sedan profile and 2.5- plus 3.0-liter duo of engines will soon share the stable with more derivatives, such as a 325i wagon scheduled to become available in rear- and all-wheel drivetrains in the fall. But that is months away yet, making the need for BMW to get yours truly into its new 325i and 330i sedans, that are already starting to arrive at dealerships across the country, priority one.

The automaker chose Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the cars North American press launch, which now makes sense after driving the sensational roads that crisscross the state. Being that my intro to this story has taken more of your time than initially anticipated let me cut to the chase. The 2006 3-Series is better than the outgoing model in every way. It delivers more power, better handling, greater feel of the road, superior braking, way more safety and convenience features, tauter construction, and in my opinion, better styling.

Whoa! Hold on their Mr. Auto Journalist, thems fightin words. OK, Ive read the message boards that have some people still bellyaching that the new 3 shares too many design cues with other Bangle/Hooydonk styling exercises, but these naysayers are few and far between compared to the cumulative gasp of relief heard when the new design was unveiled.

Personally, I like what BMWs design staff has done with the new 3. I was getting pretty bored of the outgoing car, and the new look is fresh and exciting, and dare I say, quite graceful on the open road.

And the open road is not only where the new 3 looks best, but also where it feels best when at the wheel. After a circuitous drive through Pittsburghs suburban countryside, where the cars near perfect suspension setup soaked up rutted roads without pounding its occupants into submission, but rather snaked through winding and undulating roadways with confidence-inspiring precision, we ended up at Beaver Run MotorSports Complex in Wampum, PA.

Cmon, does it get any better than this? Brand new 3-Series BMWs in various levels of trim on a thoroughly engaging road course, it was dreamy. I cant say if it was the car that made me a better driver or if I just happened to be spot on when it came to nailing my braking zones, carving the optimal apex and then bleeding off steering input while exiting the corner, but I felt pretty good about myself when the afternoon was over. I needed a dozen good laps on the track to boost my tortured ego too, after messing up the autocross course so brutally, orange cones flying and tires screeching.

Still, the autocross course, tucked into much tighter confines and featuring strategically laid sand on its surface, specifically designed to reduce traction and cause the cars many driver aids to save the day, brought to light just how nimble, and then just how sophisticated the new 3s chassis is.

In a separate section, a 330i was purposely fitted with a damaged passenger-side rear tire, so that we could test how the car handled with a “flat”. Of course, being that the new 3-Series comes standard with runflat tire technology, I found it quite controllable even through the curves. This is a fantastic benefit to those who would rather not stop on the side of a highway to change a flat tire, a prospect that may not only be inconvenient, but also could pose a danger.

The 3-Series comes with a lot of features in base form, by the way, and its price point is quite good, especially when factoring in its extremely high resale value after three years of ownership. In fact, despite being better in every way the base 3 wont increase in price at all when it goes on sale later this month.

The 2006 325i will start at $30,995, only $1,695 more than the 2005 model, despite featuring an entirely new design, upgraded 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that now makes 215-horsepower compared to the 2005 models 184-horsepower rating, a new six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, enhanced chassis engineering and steering geometry, totally revised interior, and more.

The top-line 330i is improved too, featuring all of the 325is upgrades plus an all-new 3.0-liter engine that produces 255-horsepower compared to the outgoing models 225-horsepower rating, while torque is up from 214 lb-ft in the current car to 220 lb-ft. Like the 325i, the 330is base price will rise when it goes on sale, but only by $1,295 to $36,995.

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 brands variable valve timing system.

Both engines pull strongly from takeoff, the 3.0-liter obviously the more athletic of the two. Im 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. Its one of those few cars that has obviously been engineered with significant input from 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 $2,200 Navigation package, up $400 from last years navigation system, but now featuring integrated voice recognition for hands free actuation of ancillary functions. The Nav package also includes iDrive, which is much better than the previous generation.

iDrive is one of those technologies that a lot of journalists just love to hate, but to be fair to those who designed its interface its actually quite easy to use once the initial setup is done. I like the fact that all of the cars systems can be accessed via one fairly large monitor, by toggling a beautifully detailed aluminum control knob and surrounding buttons.

A Cold Weather package, at $1,000, the same price as last years version, adds a ski bag, fold down rear seatbacks, heated front seats and retractable headlight washers.

A Premium package, available on both models, is priced at $2,900 in the new 325i compared to $2,300 in the outgoing car. It features the same power glass sunroof, leather covered 8-way power front seats and drivers side memory, and Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 audio system. The new model also features power folding mirrors in premium guise.

The Premium package for the 330i is priced the same as last years version, at $2,200, and features everything that is available on the 325i Premium package, less the power seats with drivers side memory, which come standard on the 330i. Other Premium features include a universal garage door opener, auto dimming exterior mirrors, drivers seat lumbar support, a compass in the mirror, Dakota leather seats and trim replace Montana leather seats and trim, and a Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 audio system.

The 2006 3-Series is also available with a Sport package, just like the 2005 model. At $1,600, it is $200 more expensive than the outgoing cars, and continues forward with updated versions of the same features, such as sport seats with electrically adjustable seat width, a 3-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and 17-inch alloy wheels, plus a sport suspension. The only difference, feature to feature, is the addition of performance-oriented run-flat tires.

The price of the 330is Sport package has increased from $1,400 in 2005 model year vehicles to $1,600 in 2006, and also features the new run-flat tires.

Other stand-alone options dont rise in price much either, and in the case of the new 6-speed automatic transmissions extra forward gear, offer major improvements in design and engineering. That transmission only goes up by $225 at $1,500 compared to the 2005 models $1,275 optional gearbox, while the Dakota premium leather upgrade will cost $1,450, the same price as the 2005 cars Montana leather package. Park distance control is once again $350, while metallic paint remains a $475 option.

New for 2006 will be adaptive headlights, which point a set of bulbs in the direction the car is turning, active cruise control at $2,200, which will automatically slow the 3-Series down when approaching a slower vehicle, and active steering, a $1,250 feature that essentially adapts the steering ratio to vehicle speed, but its electric-motor-assisted, planetary-gear-motivated rack-and-pinion system is much more sophisticated than conventional speed sensitive steering counterparts, common to luxury cars of all stripes. Steering response to input is much quicker than any other car, at about 1.7 turns lock to lock, making maneuvering into, around and out of tight spaces such as parking lots incredibly easy. To put this in perspective, most cars need about twice that amount to turn the wheel from full left to full right, or about 3.5 turns lock to lock. The reason for this is so steering input isnt too direct at high speeds. At 1.7 turns a car traveling at highway speeds would simply dart off the road with minimal input, not a good thing. Active Steering, however, electronically and mechanically adjusts the ratio to about 4 turns lock to lock when velocities demand.

If you want to go into more detail about exactly what each feature that I mentioned above does, or would like to find out more information about other standard features, make sure and read the preview I wrote about the new 3-Series as featured within this website. I go into painstaking detail, and also spend more time dissecting the cars unique styling.

At that time, however, I spoke about the 3s increased dimensions, but hadnt yet experienced the increased interior room first hand. What a difference a generation makes! The extra space is most evident in the rear seating area, where theres now ample room for two large adults to get comfortable and stay that way over a long journey.

BMW didnt need to upgrade the old models interior quality any, as it was already class-leading. Still, the design has been modified to integrate the optional second navigation binnacle, which sits overtop the center stack. Personally, I like the simple lines of the non-Nav dashboard, but to each his/her own. What matters most, is that the new 3 is every bit as well put together as the old one.

I should also mention that the 325i and 330i will be available with BMWs xDrive all-wheel-drive system in October, which is when the new 3-Series Touring, a sports wagon derivative, will arrive in dealerships. While there is no word on pricing for the 325xi, 330xi or the Touring version, the latter expected in 325i and 325xi derivatives, expect each models final window sticker to remain close to 2005 levels.

But theres no reason to wait for the all-wheel drive version unless youre living on the side of a ski hill. Even then, BMWs traction control and stability control systems are easily up to the task of handling a little ice and snow. If it were my money it would be a rear-drive 330i, as theres no better sports sedan on the market. A new benchmark? Without a doubt.