Excerpts from a lengthy 4Car review. They rated 4 out of 5 starts, no car has ever been awarded a 5 star rating:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/B/bmw/3-series05-/3-series05-.html
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The fifth-generation BMW 3-Series is, without question, the most significant new car launch of 2005. All eyes - not least those worried ones at Audi and Mercedes - are on the car that has dominated the compact executive sector for much of the '90s and Noughties.
Good news for the faithful - the 3-Series remains the best car to drive in the class. The combination of rear-wheel drive and just about ideal weight distribution front to rear invests the 3-Series with superb balance. Driven quickly over twisting roads, the BMW exhibits a neutral manner, giving the driver confidence that the front or rear of the car won't suddenly step out of line. And when grip does finally begin to let go - as we discovered on a private race track - it does so gently and progressively and is very easy to correct.
All 3-Series now use 'run-flat' tyres, which allow the car to be driven for up to 150 miles at 50mph, even with all four tyres punctured. Our previous experience with 5-Series models so equipped suggested that the ride quality suffered as a result. This is less so with the 3-Series, which does manage to ride well in spite of the run-flats.
We tried BMW's new six-cylinder 258bhp 3.0-litre petrol engine. This engine, which is 27bhp more powerful than the one it replaces, claims to be the lightest six-cylinder engine in its class. Performance is outstanding, with 62mph coming up in just 6.3 secs and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph. And the turbine-like smoothness we've come to expect from BMW 'sixes is here in abundance. The standard gearbox is a sweet-shifting six-speed manual, with a six-speed automatic available as an option.
Expect class-leading levels of passive and active safety from the new 3-Series, which has a bodyshell some 25 percent stiffer than the previous car. Six airbags are standard fit, including head 'bags for front and rear occupants. The new model has yet to be put through Euro NCAP crash testing, but all indications are that it will easily achieve the full five-star rating. BMW also claims that it is one of the first cars in the world to be prepared for the tough new side and rear impact requirements in North America.
Other safety measures include, for the first time on a 3-Series, Brake Force Display for the brake lights. In the event of an emergency stop, or when the anti-lock brakes are activated, a larger area of the brake light is illuminated to provide extra warning to following traffic. Other active measures include Brake Standby, which claims to shorten stopping distances by priming the brakes if the driver lifts off the accelerator sharply. And in the Rain Brake Support system improves wet brake performance by occasionally gently pulsing the brakes to prevent water from building up on the brake discs. For safer getaways on hills, Hill Start Assist allows manual transmission cars to pull away smoothly by maintaining brake pressure for a brief time. It works well, too.
For those press-on drivers, there is also Fading Compensation, which applies additional braking pressure when the brakes get very hot, a situation that can provoke fading brake efficiency.
http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/B/bmw/3-series05-/3-series05-.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fifth-generation BMW 3-Series is, without question, the most significant new car launch of 2005. All eyes - not least those worried ones at Audi and Mercedes - are on the car that has dominated the compact executive sector for much of the '90s and Noughties.
Good news for the faithful - the 3-Series remains the best car to drive in the class. The combination of rear-wheel drive and just about ideal weight distribution front to rear invests the 3-Series with superb balance. Driven quickly over twisting roads, the BMW exhibits a neutral manner, giving the driver confidence that the front or rear of the car won't suddenly step out of line. And when grip does finally begin to let go - as we discovered on a private race track - it does so gently and progressively and is very easy to correct.
All 3-Series now use 'run-flat' tyres, which allow the car to be driven for up to 150 miles at 50mph, even with all four tyres punctured. Our previous experience with 5-Series models so equipped suggested that the ride quality suffered as a result. This is less so with the 3-Series, which does manage to ride well in spite of the run-flats.
We tried BMW's new six-cylinder 258bhp 3.0-litre petrol engine. This engine, which is 27bhp more powerful than the one it replaces, claims to be the lightest six-cylinder engine in its class. Performance is outstanding, with 62mph coming up in just 6.3 secs and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph. And the turbine-like smoothness we've come to expect from BMW 'sixes is here in abundance. The standard gearbox is a sweet-shifting six-speed manual, with a six-speed automatic available as an option.
Expect class-leading levels of passive and active safety from the new 3-Series, which has a bodyshell some 25 percent stiffer than the previous car. Six airbags are standard fit, including head 'bags for front and rear occupants. The new model has yet to be put through Euro NCAP crash testing, but all indications are that it will easily achieve the full five-star rating. BMW also claims that it is one of the first cars in the world to be prepared for the tough new side and rear impact requirements in North America.
Other safety measures include, for the first time on a 3-Series, Brake Force Display for the brake lights. In the event of an emergency stop, or when the anti-lock brakes are activated, a larger area of the brake light is illuminated to provide extra warning to following traffic. Other active measures include Brake Standby, which claims to shorten stopping distances by priming the brakes if the driver lifts off the accelerator sharply. And in the Rain Brake Support system improves wet brake performance by occasionally gently pulsing the brakes to prevent water from building up on the brake discs. For safer getaways on hills, Hill Start Assist allows manual transmission cars to pull away smoothly by maintaining brake pressure for a brief time. It works well, too.
For those press-on drivers, there is also Fading Compensation, which applies additional braking pressure when the brakes get very hot, a situation that can provoke fading brake efficiency.
