IPOH, April 24 – I recently test drove the BMW 320i – after a long wait, and with no test car forthcoming from BMW Malaysia, one of my friends purchased one on his own, and kindly offered it to me for a test drive to Ipoh, despite the fact that it was brand new, and had hardly 300 kilometres on the clock.

If I were to select BMW as my next purchase, the 3 Series would be just about what I would go for – in terms of size, it is neither too big nor too small. What I like about the current F30 model (current model 3 Series) is that it is marginally larger than the previous E90 model, with a longer (at least in looks) front end, and what to me appears as more pleasant overall looks and lines. I like the 5 Series for the interior space, but it size intimidates me. Besides, the price level of a 5 Series is too huge a jump up from the 3.

Within the 3 Series, there is the 316i, which comes with a 1.6 litre engine, the 320i, with a 2.0 litre engine, and the 328i, with the same 2.0 litre engine, but with a higher state of tune. Further up the range, there is the 3.0 litre version (335i), and even further up there is the M3 for the extremely power-hungry enthusiasts.

Which version would be the ideal one for me? From the specifications sheet, you can see that the 316i has an output of 136 horsepower, followed by the 320i at 184 horsepower, and the 328i is the highest of the three at 245 horsepower. Let’s not talk about the 335i, which is priced at a much higher bracket.

As a driver who likes to drive relatively fast, my heart goes out to the 328i, as the 245 horses under the hood appeals to me. I would not consider the 316i at all, simply because if I have to pull a weight (un-laden) of 1,480 kg, I would have some issues, although the top speed of 210 km/h is pretty decent, and a zero to 100 km/h acceleration of 9.2 seconds is actually quite acceptable. That second personality in me that sprouts some horns sometimes demands more.

The 328i, in this case would be my choice; it weighs in at 1,530 kg, hits a top speed of 250 km/h, and does the zero to 100 km/h dash is 5.9 seconds. I could easily live with that.

However, the 320i has its merits too. With the same 2.0 litre engine as the 328i, but tuned more conservatively, and weighing in at 1,495 kg, just 15 kg heavier than the 316i, the 3201 does a top speed of 235 km/h, and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds.

In terms of retail price, the 316i is priced at RM209k, the 320i at 239k, and the 328i is priced at RM293k. For me, the middle path is the 320i, at least for the moment, since I have driven it, and there are certain qualities I like about it.

First off, the new turbo-charged 2.0 litre engine is a huge improvement over that of the naturally aspirated 2.0 litre engine in the predecessor E90 model. With a mere 150 horses on tap, the BMW enthusiasts used to lament about the lack of grunt in the 320i, saying the 325i was a better drive with 218 horsepower. That is perfectly understandable, as the old 320i had a little less power than a Honda Civic 2.0 litre, which was lighter to start with, other things aside.

Looking at the current model F30 320i, which has only 184 horses, would I find it a little under in the power department? That was what I set out to check out in the test drive. Specification-wise, the old E90 325i had a maximum torque output of 250Nm, peaking at 2,750 rpm; in comparison, the F30 320i has 270Nm of torque, available in full from as low as 1,250 rpm, all the way through to 4,500 rpm before it tapers off. Translated to the road, as I discovered during my drive to Ipoh, it makes the 320i a very pleasant car to drive, in terms of get-up-and-go, thanks to the turbo-charger.

Overtaking is a cinch; on the North-South Expressway, all you have to do is to step on the accelerator, and the 320i pulls strongly to get you past most of the vehicles on the road. On trunk roads, the quick acceleration is even more crucial; it is actually safer for the driver as it shortens what my friend terms as TED, which is short for Time Exposed to Danger, or the time you spend on the wrong side of the road when overtaking. Thus as far as engine power is concerned, the 320i passes my test.

In the handling department, there is nothing to complain about; every BMW model is made with handling as a top priority. In fact, my beef with the previous E90 was that the ride was too stiff, giving me the impression that the designers have actually compromised the ride comfort for the sake of road handling.

The current F30 320i is actually a vast improvement, having just about the ideal balance between handling and comfort. As an aside, I will not bother to talk about the interior and creature comforts and other nice things about the 320i – it is a premium car, enough said.

Fuel economy is incredible; on our return trip, with the owner driving at what I would consider ‘normal’ speeds between 120km/h to 140km/h our best average fuel consumption was 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres, as indicated on the on-board display screen.

 I presume the excellent engine tuning and the 8-speed transmission which had the engine barely ticking at slightly over 2,000 rpm at 140km/h in top gear contributed quite a bit here. Having said that, I must state categorically that driving style does have a great impact on the actual fuel consumption, by as much as 30 percent; what we achieved actually proves the BMW 320i is capable of excellent fuel economy, and thus if you want it bad enough, the car will deliver. The good thing is, if you want to have fun, the same car can deliver it too.

Overall, I must say that I am very impressed with the BMW 320i (F30); it delivers enough power for me, handles very well, and if I wish to save fuel, it will do it for me. At his moment in time, I would say that the 320i is a great car, in terms of bang per buck, performance, both in terms of power and fuel economy, and handling. If you are a person that wants a great car, but do not want to spend more than RM250k, then this would be a great option.