| Overall Rating |
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| Description |
| TheCarConnection.com has read some of the best reviews on the new 2008 BMW 3-Series to produce this comprehensive review that covers both the sedan and wagon. TheCarConnection.com’s editors have also driven the BMW 3-Series sedan and wagon models and add their impressions to help shoppers distill the information. |
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| Road Test |
The 2008 BMW 3-Series is BMW’s best-selling vehicle line--a series of compact sport sedans, wagons, coupes, and convertibles. The 2008 BMW 3-Series sedan covered in this review comes with one of two different inline six-cylinder engines, with models designated 328 and 335. The 328’s engine makes 230 horsepower, while the 335 gets the 300-horsepower, twin-turbocharged version. The 328 is available in rear-wheel-drive 328i or all-wheel-drive 328 xi layouts, but the rear-wheel-drive 335i is the only way to pick up the high-performance engine.
Between the two engines, there’s quite a variation--both on paper and in execution--and the 2008 BMW 3-Series has a decidedly different personality with each, but both the 328 and 335 deliver satisfying performance. Each model can be had with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission; steering-wheel paddle-shifters are included with the latter. The 328i sedan with the six-speed manual can reach 60 mph in about six seconds, yet gets 28 mpg on the highway; the 335i provides tremendous thrust from almost any speed and doesn’t have the lag of most turbocharged engines. With near-perfect driving dynamics, the 3-Series threads through corners with great balance and poise--even on rough pavement surfaces. A sign of great suspension tuning, it does so without a sacrifice in ride quality; the 2008 BMW 3-Series has a ride that’s firm, yet absorbent over all but the most threatening potholes and heaves. For a car that provides such engaging handling, the 3-Series tracks well on high-speed highway cruises, too.
read the full bottom line review |
| Positive Points |
- Responsive, smooth, and refined
- Firm but absorbent ride
- Nice, supportive front seats
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| Negative Points |
- Controls not as straightforward as they could be
- Wide center console and narrow footwells
- Backseat space is still too tight for most
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