A46
THE VANCOUVER COURIER FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013
dashboard
Continued from page 45
FEATURES
STOP SIGN
Bring the 3 to a stop and a bit of an Achilles heel is exposed: the start-stop system. Yes, this does indeed save fuel, but it’s really quite rough in engagement. Nothing so bad as a Altima Hybrid, but certainly a few steps back of the system that Porsche now offers in its sports cars. As the weather was fairly poor, I had ample opportunity to try out the all-wheel-drive. BMW’s xDrive system differs in feel to competitors in its apparent rear-wheeldrive bias. It’s certainly a pleasure to carve through a corner (though the Luxury Line is a bit too wallowy to make things really pleasant) and if you’re a bit too hasty goosing the throttle, you will overwhelm the systems. Other improvements include a much better ride — some if the added comfort feels like it comes at the cost of body roll. BMW enthusiasts will again want to see if they can stretch to the Sport package.
At just $43,600 to start for a rear-wheel-drive model, the 3-Series is very competitively priced. There’s also a Classic Line which comes with xDrive for just $39,900 — not too many options available on this one. Like any other German manufacturer, start optioning out the car you actually want and the price climbs rapidly. However, the addition of a single package including navigation, parking assist and keyless go for $3,500 and kept my tester just a hair under the 50K mark. Notable available features include BMW Apps, which allows you to update your car down the road just as you would update your smartphone, and a sensor under the rear bumper that can open the trunk if you wave your foot under it when your hands are full. Clever stuff. Observed fuel economy is markedly improved over the old inline engine. Official ratings are at 8.6L/100kms in the city and 5.2L/100kms on the highway. City figures can be improved upon when the start-stop system is active
Noisy engine, body roll and options can add up quickly.
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GREEN LIGHT Strong acceleration, excellent fuel-economy, improved interior space and available all-wheel-drive grip.
THE CHECKERED FLAG Even as BMW moves into an area of broader appeal and more efficient offerings, the 3-series remains the industry benchmark.
COMPETITORS • Cadillac ATS ($35,195) At the press launch for Cadillac’s new small sedan, the BMW 3-series might have been mentioned once or twice. Or several thousand times. Caddy drew down a bead on the 3 and took their best shot. Surprisingly enough, it’s pretty good; in fact, the hat tip has to go to the ATS for the better on-road handling dynamics. Of course, this is Caddy’s first shot and there are some weak points, most notably the shoddy instrument panel and the wonky CUE control interface. Even so, the fact that a Cadillac can run toe-to-toe with Beamer’s best in the twisties says a great deal about GM’s ground-up effort. • Audi A4 ($37,800) If your commute has heavy snow, buy an Audi. If it’s got a curvy road, buy a BMW — or at least, that’s what common sense used to say. These days, Audi’s moved pretty far from its front-drive roots, and the A4 is just as capable of a backroad boogie as the Beamer. While the BMW has the engine edge on paper, the Audi’s 2.0L turbo engine has lovely grunt. It’s a closer race than you’d think. mcaleer.nsnews@gmail.com twitter.com/ brendan_mcaleer
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The seats (above) err on the side of slight firmness. Taken
overall, it’s a handsome machine that’s as loud as a charcoal business suit (i.e. not at all).