Executive fun

What we like:

The retuned suspension is sportier and more comfortable than before; still the best chassis in class

What we dislike:

Engine is not as frugal as you might imagine

Okay so I was a little controversial about the enormity of some people’s pockets, but the size of the performance in this car is no less controversial. You get the same 136 hp as the outgoing 1.6l engine but with about 100cc less capacity and one less cylinder. And they’ve still left it at one twin scroll turbocharger. Sounds pretty good on paper then.

In the real world the car doesn’t feel particularly slow – it has decent pick up and enough shove for everyday, sedate sort of driving. Overtaking a faster car (say 320i) will be a bit challenging though; the engine doesn’t really want to rev and only gives you all the 136 horses when it reaches 4,500 rpm. But that’s hardly different from the 316i so I reckon if you don’t want to drive quickly anyway it doesn’t really matter. Bear in mind that this same engine powers the incredible i8, albeit significantly detuned but it only does 12.2 km/l in my few days with it. It’s not bad by any means, but if you expected more, well don’t.

The ride is smooth, composed and the car handles bumps quite well. Even in its sportiest setting it doesn’t feel harsh and is never quite jarring. This is courtesy of the revised suspension tuning, which helps it to drive even more sportily when you want to but be just as comfy to cruise around town in.

The most fun thing about the 3 Series is the fact that the chassis and steering is so good you’ll want to drive it quickly around bends and feel the car handle corners accurately and with sublime stability. But if you have the range topping 340i or even the manic M3, you won’t even come close to the limit of the car because either you’ll be backwards in a tree a bit dead or having slightly wet trousers when the rear end gets loose. Or both.

The 318i being the base model doesn’t have all that power to scare you halfway to the grave but still possesses the excellent handling and chassis which means that is a whole lot of fun to drive with much decreased risk of suicide. The rear will get a little bit loose if you turn it into a corner quickly enough but does it in a less frightening way than its more powerful siblings. Find an empty, twisty road, stick the car into Sport+ and enjoy the brilliant engineering that the guys at Munich have done without ever feeling the disappointment of having so much untapped performance like in an M3 and you’ll understand why people part their cash willingly.

Credits: Story and Photos by Alvan Sio