BMW 3 Series 318i Sport review - Autocar
What is it. : Our first introduction to the renewed 3 Series suggested the unthinkable: BMW’s bestseller might just have lost its mojo. The range-topping six-cylinder 340i we pitched against Jaguar’s XE in southern Germany was brutally fast, but perhaps not quite the driver’s car we’d been hoping Munich would deliver. Happily a more recent taste of the car – this time a 320d M Sport on more familiar UK roads and without the unwelcome variable sport steering option ticked – was far more encouraging, and showed the 3 Series to be, in many if not every respect,... But now we’re back on foreign soil, this time in northern Spain, for our first try of the new entry-level 318i – interesting if only because it’s the first time a manufacturer has had the bottle to slot anything less than a four-cylinder engine... You’ll be familiar with the new 318i’s 1. 5-litre three-cylinder turbo motor from our reviews of the Mini Cooper and the 2 Series Active Tourer, where it’s proved rather impressive. As with most three-cylinder-engined cars the 318i’s initial throttle response is somewhat tardy, and even when serving up maximum torque (162lb ft between 1250 and 4000rpm) acceleration never feels any more special than BMW’s 8. 9-second 0-62mph... Source: www.autocar.co.uk
