Driving the BMW 320i Limited

BMW’s "E90" 3-Series is an amazing car. At its press launch in Spain a year ago, on a long stretch of open road, I saw 230kph on the speedometer before I lost my nerve to go even faster. At the Albacete Race Circuit, a tight racetrack used most of the year for motorcycle racing but perfectly challenging enough to test a car’s handling limits, I got to play with the 3’s tail-happy antics on a simulated ice section, where the car (with traction control turned off) willingly rotated the tail in direct proportion to how deeply I prodded the throttle.

And at the race track itself, I believe I experienced more lateral-G’s and higher cornering speeds in the car than in any other I’ve tested my whole life, on a race track or on the road. It’s hard to forget how well the car is tuned, and how forgiving it is at the limit, when you’ve got no less than BMW Philippines’ Corporate Communications and Marketing director Lito German in the backseat hanging on to a grab handle with one hand and holding my camera in the other while the car fishtails a bit before mercifully slowing down at my moronic attempt to induce power oversteer.

But that was at the helm of a 330i, a 250-horsepower sports sedan that closely apes the performance of the past generation (E46) M3. Locally, the closest-in-spec model is the 325i, which has a not-insubstantial 225-horsepower straight-six engine under the hood, along with a not-insubstantial P3.380M price tag ("Executive"). Now, if you’re of the mindset that BMW’s bread-and-butter sedan should not exceed the three-mill mark, then your best option among the marque’s "entry-level" 3‘s might be the 320i Limited.

It will not electrify your hair like the 330i, or even the 325i. It will not evoke much envy among serious enthusiasts who know their fast cars from AMG to Z06. Here is what it will do: it will give you right-of-way whenever you need to pull out in traffic, it will transport you and your passengers to destinations near and far in typically Germanic efficiency, and it will bring a smile to your face whenever your look around in traffic and survey a sea of identical Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, and those cute little Picantos.

Is it fast? No more so than a Japanese-made executive sedan little more than half its P2.690M asking price. But does it feel exclusive? You bet.

Friends, relatives, and security guards know a snooty car when they see one. On multi-car road trips, relatives secretly wish you’ll select them as your passengers. On a hot weekday, friends jump at the chance to go with you for a midday coffee break several blocks away. They won’t even mind that the sun has turned the leather-lined interior into a furnace. And unless you’re visiting a high-brow subdivision where Bimmers are a dime a dozen, security guards will rarely ever ask for your driver’s license. You can’t get this stuff with a Fortuner!

So what, exactly, does a 320i Limited deliver that evinces such bourgeois behavior from the people around you? It could be the taut bodywork graced by those lovely 17-inch alloy wheels (wearing run-flat tires, no less). It could be the double-kidney grille flanked by those sharply-cut headlamps, topped off with a subtle powerdome on the hood for a confidently arrogant look. Painted black as our test car was, it stood out in traffic as confidently as Jason Statham might in a throng of Pinoy pugilists. It might not have much punch compared to the more affordable choices from the Orient, but you’ll always know you’re much more good looking.

Get in, adjust the telescopic, tilt-adjustable steering wheel just so, and you’re ready to go. The cockpit has a glove-like fit about it that’s all business, although not as confining as the old E46. The beltline is nearly at shoulder-level, sightlines are excellent all around, and apart from the small stereo controls, everything seems perfectly placed for the business of driving.

An AUX jack lets you plug in your MP3 player and do away with the seemingly retro CD player, click the pistol grip-like shifter into "D" and off you go. Primary and secondary controls, from the throttle pedal movement to the click of the wipers, all move with a velvety precision. Of special mention is the Start/Stop button, not really necessary when you think how well ignition keys have been doing the job for decades, but a perfect allusion to how it can start off another good day in the life of the wealthy.

What’s missing from the cabin is emotion, however. The black-and-silver theme looks purposeful, but those weaned on wood trim (real or not) and lighter tones of beige or caramel will find the plasticky interior too stark, "Limited" edition notwithstanding.

Devote your 100% attention to the road and things get much better. In the 120i, the 2.0-liter inline-4 makes for a very satisfying drive, but in the heavier 3, it’s got its work cut out for it. Is it just us, or does 4 cylinders seem too few in a car weighing more than 1,400 kilos? To its credit, the engine is a free-revving unit blessed with a roarty, burbly exhaust and a 6-speed automatic that’s always on the ball.

Given the right impetus and a knack for reading the flow of traffic, you can make good time on most any road, although we’ll bet the soundtrack is more relaxed in V6-powered Camrys and Accords. On the blustery STAR tollway, we coaxed 200kph out of the car before the many little bumps dotting the concrete finally unnerved us into a more stately 150. And to make up for its relative lack of muscle, it returned a little more than 8 kilometers per liter of Shell V-Power (no, Shell is not paying me for this).

Like any other BMW, the car shines best on drives where you need to do a lot of steering and braking and balancing-the-chassis driving. Perfect 50-50 weight distribution makes it a joy on twisty sections, where you can feed in more power mid-corner while other front-wheel drive cars want to plow into the opposite lane. Those low-profile tires with their dense, run-flat sidewalls give a firm ride on uneven concrete, but you’ll love their surefooted nature when you’re driving at 9/10ths.

Strong ABS-assisted brakes give you the utmost confidence on provincial roads, where you’ll need to overtake countless jeeps and trucks and head back into your lane without ramming yet another truck in front of you. Over 300 kilometers of driving in Metro Manila and Batangas, I found the car’s limits to be easily exploitable, trusting the car to never put a foot wrong so long as I didn’t exceed the boundaries of good sense. Passengers also liked the roominess of the cabin relative to the previous generation, and found the ride and firm leather seats to be comfortable enough to doze for a few hours. Or maybe they were just squeezing their eyes shut the whole time I was driving.

On its last day with me, I made it from Batangas to Autohaus Libis in 2+ hours, none the worse for wear despite continuous jousting with lesser cars for the better part of the drive before finally relaxing on the SLEX and enjoying the car’s excellent sound system. The gentleman who received the car for me did a thorough checklist on the car, making me sign a form with the note "Unit Very Dirty" at the bottom. In keeping with its image of class and sophistication, this is one of those cars that you will always want to be shiny, lest people think you are just a rich slob. Or a motoring writer.

It’s not the sports sedan of your dreams, but for everyday driving with the occasional moments of exuberance, it will make you understand why the 3-Series is hailed worldwide as the benchmark for the class.

THE GOOD: Classy, if uncharismatic, styling. Solid, predictable driving dynamics. Vault-like body rigidity. Roomy cabin.

THE BAD: Too much avurdupois for too few horses. The cost of admission. Impersonal cabin design.

THE VERDICT: A premium executive sedan that’ll give its fair share of fun-to-drive for all but the most demanding enthusiasts.