網誌日期：2006-08-08 14:32
It was last Saturday that I had a chance to try on this white body color 323i (Year 2006 with only 1,400 kms on the odometer. It has a black leather interior without sunroof. So my guess it was the basic version. The outlook was fine by me, giving an impression of a heavily downsized 5-series. The proportion was right.
It had a start/stop button so once the key was inserted you need to press the botton to set the engine revving. Sorry it was not only of my favorites. After turning on the air conditioner and the CD, off I went. The interior layout felt extremely solid and spartan, with elements of basic luxuy.
Once on the move, the suspesion and the body structure impressed me because they worked together to provide a very unique combination of ride quality - very stiff and yet quiet and comfortable. The stiffness was perhaps due to the runflat 225/50R16 Bridgestone which has thickened side walls as well as reinforced shoulder areas.
The other special thing about the car was the way the 2.5L in-line six worked with the 6-speed auto transmission. They worked seemlessly. No matter what speed I was in uphill and downhill I was amazed I was always in the right gears and engine revvs. Instant acceleration and torque response were available without an immediate need to kick down. That's wonderful. Engine started to deliver explosive power (in relative terms) once over 4,000 rpm. However there was plenty of smooth and responsive torque between 1,000 to 3,000rpm to pull the car briskly.
Turn-in was immediate and sharp. Despite its weight 323i's steering response and cornering pose were not bad in tight fast corners. Overall the handling could be described as precise and responsive, the BMW way. The steering was weighty and filled with feel.
Compared to the E46 320i (2.2L in-line six) I drove over one month ago, I think the E90 was much better in every aspect, especially in the solidity and refinement in ride, handling and drivetrain, rather than the fancy and superficial bits. The short drive really dispelled all my earlier prejudice on E90. A lot of fine tuning and engineering time had actually gone into the E90.
You may wonder why I had the chance to drive this car. I was asked to deliver the car to its owner from a garage to replace the 2 flat tires because of punctures. Yes, two flat run-flat tires!
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