To Fuji with the BMW 320i and GT3

Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about trips to Fuji Speedway, and today’s no exception (laughs). Last week, my husband drove the GT3 and I drove the BMW 320i (manual) for the roughly 1000km round trip to Fuji. Until now, whenever we went to Fuji Speedway, I always drove the Panamera, so I had experience driving 1000km in the Panamera, but this was my first time making the trip in the 320i.

Since it was a manual, I imagined it might be quite tiring… but today I want to share my actual impressions and what I noticed after completing the 1000km drive.

Impressions from Driving 1000km in the 320i

Regno Tires Are Strong in the Rain

On the way there, we encountered rain on the highway and heavy downpours on the mountain roads leading to Fuji Speedway, so there were quite a few opportunities to drive in the rain. However, the car handled it just as easily as on sunny days. My husband said, “Regno tires are supposed to be strong in the rain, and they really are.”

Until now, I often felt that these tires had a soft suspension feel and wished they were a bit firmer, but I realized how reliable they are on rainy days.

No Difference in Fatigue Between Manual and Automatic

Before setting off, I worried, “Will driving a manual be tiring? Is shifting gears going to be a hassle?” But since most of the trip was on the highway, once you get up to speed, it’s not much different from driving an automatic.

I mostly stayed in 6th gear, occasionally downshifting to 5th to accelerate, and didn’t have to constantly fiddle with the gear lever like in city driving. In fact, changing gears occasionally seemed to help keep me more alert and less sleepy. We did get stuck in slow-moving traffic jams a few times, but that was no different from usual traffic, so it wasn’t too bothersome.

I think whether you have cruise control or not makes a bigger difference in driving fatigue than whether the car is manual or automatic.

Quite a Few Cars Cut In

When I’m driving the Panamera, I rarely get cut off. Sometimes I see Panameras on the highway, and I think, “If a flashy car with bright headlights suddenly approaches from behind during the day, that’s pretty intimidating,” (laughs).

Also, when we’ve gone to Fuji before, it was usually with two Porsches like the Boxster and Panamera or the 964 and Panamera, so it was rare for other cars to cut in between the two Porsches. But this time, since I was following behind in the BMW and my husband was in the GT3, many cars seemed to cut in just to get a look at the GT3.

Several times, cars aggressively cut in front of my 320i and then tailgated the GT3 or even drove side-by-side, sticking close to the GT3 the whole time (laughs).

Eventually, after multiple cars cut in front of me, I lost sight of my husband and had to use our walkie-talkies to ask, “Where are you now?” or say, “I’ll wait for you at the XX service area.” These walkie-talkies were incredibly useful, so I’d like to write a separate article about them later.

It was a bit stressful to want to follow my husband but keep losing him because of all the cutting in.

Acceleration Felt Underwhelming

This wasn’t really about the 320i itself, but more because I’m used to the Panamera Turbo’s acceleration. There were many moments when I felt the 320i’s acceleration was lacking. When the car ahead moved over and I wanted to accelerate, even downshifting to 5th and flooring the gas didn’t give me the boost I wanted. By the time I switched to 4th gear, another car had cut in front of me—this happened more than ten times.

Maybe I’m just a bit slow on the uptake (laughs).

With the Panamera Turbo, acceleration is almost instantaneous—”the moment you decide to accelerate, you’re already there.” Comparing that to the 320i made me feel a bit frustrated.

Surprisingly Stable at High Speeds

Even though I was driving alongside the GT3, it was obviously impossible for the 320i to keep up with the GT3’s acceleration (no way, no how). Previously, I thought the Golf had better high-speed stability, but after driving the 320i for a long distance on the highway this time, I felt, “Maybe that’s not true. The 320i is quite stable and very comfortable to drive even at highway speeds.”

Overall Impression

After driving 1000km round trip in the 320i, I was surprised to find I wasn’t very tired from driving. I had thought, “Manual transmission must be tiring,” but on the contrary, the moderate gear changes kept me stimulated and prevented me from feeling sleepy or exhausted.

However, outside of driving fatigue, there were some minor stresses, such as getting cut off in situations where I wouldn’t have in the Panamera, and not being able to accelerate as quickly as I wanted. Though it wasn’t a big deal, just a little annoying.

Also, even though we took breaks fairly often (about 5 or 6 stops at service areas or rest spots each way), sitting in the same position for so long made my legs feel heavy, like mild economy class syndrome, and my whole body was quite swollen. Well… that’s to be expected after driving 500km in a day.

Overall, while it’s definitely possible to do this long distance in the 320i, having experienced the comfort and power of the Panamera Turbo, I still feel that for long trips, I’d prefer to go in the Panamera.