RHD E46 Road Test and other E46 trivia

[andrew.j.thomas@xxxxxx]

Hi gang. If you want to know about the latest E46 road test, keep reading.

Slightly old-news now, but Autocar mag in the UK just road-tested a RHD E46
318i, proclaiming a Good Thing (expected), and a better bet than the 328i
(unexpected). Apparently the blunting of the E36's edge better suited the
1.9 four-potter, rather than the 2.8 six, the performance of which did not
suit the rest of the car. The new 1.9 litre engine - sharing its bore and
stroke with the current M44 engine, and fitted with balancer shafts - is a
big improvement on the old 1.8 litre 8-valver we got in Europe.

The car had the same performance as the outgoing E36 318i 8-valve, which
actually posted very good times for a heavy, old-tech 115 bhp saloon (125
mph top whack, 9.4 sec to 60, 28 sec to 100). The power hike (to 118 bhp at
5,500) and torque hike (to 133 lb-ft at 3,900) of the new car is mostly
offset by its increased kerb weight.

And for you trivia fans, BMW is continuing its innovative approach to
advertising engine size; from what I've gathered from the hundreds of
articles I've read, the 316i will not have a 1.6 litre engine or anything
close to it; it'll use the same 118 bhp 1.9 litre 8-valver as the 318i, but
with less kit as standard.

And the same magazine reported that the new E46 M3 will have a 3.4-litre,
340 bhp version of the 3.2 litre 321 bhp Euro six (here's hoping it makes
it to the States this time). Ultimate straight-line performance is supposed
to match the E39 M5. No decision yet on whether the new E46 M3 will be
available with a four-door shell, yet the aticle suggested that an E46 M3
Touring may be on the cards.

Also tested was a LHD Z coupe 2.8, which we don't get in the UK for some
bizarre reason. Autocar reckoned it was a better bet that the Z coupe M,
citing improved throttle response and more resilient handling that provided
better feel.

Here's hoping BMW gets a decent suspension kit out there, or I'll be buying
second-hand from now on... :(

Regards

Andrew T
'95 318is

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