No ti hatchbacks in Germany?

[Ron Katona <ron3b@xxxxxxxx>]

Murray Wilks wonders:
> PS: Just got back from Germany and saw several BMW hatchbacks with 316i
> or 318i badges instead of "ti". Are they ALL not badged "ti" in Europe?
> Just curious...

Well here's more than you ever wanted to know... In Europe (and much of
the world) the car comes in 316i, 318tds, 318ti, and 323ti variants. The
official name of the car has always been the "Compact" (E36/5). North
American owners all tend to call the car the "ti." The very nice 323ti
is only available on the Continent and has a 143 mph top speed. Before
the 323ti, the 318ti with its multi valve rev-happy motor was considered
the performance version of what was otherwise marketed as a commuter
car. In NA, where the 318ti was the only model considered suitable for
our market, the unofficial "ti" nomenclature stuck. I've heard from
others that actual 318ti's are not that common in Germany. 

The 318i Compacts you saw are a bit of a mystery to me. I'm guessing a
rebadging effort by the owner or maybe a mis-sighting if you didn't get
a close look at the badge.
- -- 
Ron Katona mailto:ron3b@domain.elided
This space for rent!

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