Re: E46 test drive...ho hum

[John Firestone <john.firestone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

hermanc2@domain.elided (Herman Chan) writes:
>
> overall, IMHO there's no urgent compelling reason for E36 owners to run out
> and buy an E46.  It's just a competent as the E36, if not more so in
> certain areas, and is defintely better built, but the 'gotta have it'
> factor was missing for me.  Will have to see how the M3 turns out...
> 

I drove a E46 318i with standard suspension about a month ago and my
overall reaction was similar. To add to Herman's comments, I found the
steering a bit heavy so that you couldn't quite toss the car around
like either my previous '93 318i or current '96 318is.  I didn't get a
chance to check the air conditioner, but this being Bremerhaven, I did
give the wipers a good workout.  One of these days, I will borrow a
car with a rain sensor and see how that works.

The new 118 PS two-valve motor is a great improvement over the M40 in
my old 318i.  I found it very quiet with about as much torque as the
M44 motor in the 318is, at least to 4000-5000 rpm.  I didn't push the
engine any higher because it was a friend's car and just coming out of
break-in.  Of course, the engines in all these cars are grossly
underpowered for the U.S. market, except perhaps in Montana, but they
could be good fun if you face stiff gas taxes and insurance costs.

Considering how quiet the 5er is, I thought the new 3er generated and
admitted a fair amount of wind noise.  At my usual 170 km/h (105 mph)
cruising speed, the interior noise level did not seem any lower than
in the '96 318is.  I would have liked to test the car's cross wind
drift, as this could be quite severe on the E36 four door, but that
may wait until winter and one of its storms.

What else can I add about E46's?  Most of the cars being repaired at
the dealer's are destined for the Far East, principally Australia, Hong
Kong, Japan and Singapore.  Most are in because of paint damage, but
this is normal. The car that was waiting on a new driver's seat
finally got one and is now on its way: I guess there are some spare
parts out there, somewhere.  A 318i in Titan Silver appears to be a
very popular choice. If you live in one of those countries and don't
want to disappear in the crowd, I might choose another color.

- -John
'96 318is
john.firestone@domain.elided

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