My Husband’s Thoughts on the 320i

Some time has passed since the delivery of the BMW 320i, and my husband has finally had a chance to drive it enough to share his thoughts. Since he has long been a BMW enthusiast with a strong attachment to the brand, I was very interested to read how he felt about driving the 320i.

Because the GT3 arrived right after the 320i, he hadn’t driven it much initially, but this time he covered about 200 km, so I’d like to share his impressions from that experience.

So, without further ado, here is my husband’s report.

My First Encounter with BMW

About 13 to 14 years ago.
At that time, just starting my business, I was short on money and had to reluctantly give up my AUDI TT 1.8T (8N) because the loan payments became too difficult. Still, I was determined to own a car no matter what, so I bought a BMW 318is (E36) on Yahoo Auctions for 360,000 yen. That was my first encounter with BMW.

When I bought the 318is, I had no real expectations for the car — it was a completely stock automatic, old, underpowered, and I just wanted something to get around.

But once I drove it, I was surprised at how well it performed on the highway despite only 140 ps, and when I took it on winding roads, the light front end and surprisingly rigid body delivered very honest handling.

I remember once on a rainy downhill stretch of the Royu Driveway, the rear started to slide and I thought, “Uh oh!” but it never lost control abruptly and was very manageable. I could feel the rear’s behavior clearly and felt more excitement than fear.

I was impressed and thought, “What a fantastic suspension setup.” Even though it was a four-cylinder, the engine revved nicely and produced a pleasant sound when pushed to high rpm.

Ah, so this is what they mean by ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine,’ I thought back then.

The F30 320i

Time has passed, and now the F30 320i, three generations after the E36, is right in front of me.

The exterior is so refined that it hardly feels like the 3 Series I once knew, and the doors and interior fit and finish are solid. When you start the engine, you can hear the typical BMW mechanical clatter outside, but inside the cabin it’s very quiet.

The clutch is very light, and the shifting is smooth without any odd quirks. When starting off in first gear, the tach needle briefly rises as the car assists the launch, making it very easy to drive.

Nowadays, Toyota’s Corolla Sport has a similar iMT system, but I was surprised that BMW had this kind of control built into the manual transmission from early on.

The ride in the city is very comfortable. This particular car is not an M Sport but has standard suspension, 17-inch wheels, and is fitted with Regno GR-Xi tires.

Engine noise and road noise are well insulated, making the cabin very quiet. This level of soundproofing is clearly a class above, even better than the Golf.

The suspension smooths out bumps and undulations gracefully, giving an overall impression of softness. It feels almost like a high-end Japanese sedan.

Where Did ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ Go?!

Heading out to the suburbs and driving on hilly roads, I tried pulling the engine in 3rd and 4th gears, but the engine noise was quieter than expected. Later I realized that in Comfort mode, both engine and handling are quite subdued. Switching to Sport mode made the engine response a bit quicker and the handling a little more direct.

This car doesn’t have adaptive dampers, but apparently the ABS stabilizing control changes the suspension’s character.

In low to medium speed corners, it still behaves like a rear-wheel-drive car, trying to tuck in tighter on the inside. This was a refreshing feeling after a while. I vaguely recalled the E36 feeling similar as I enjoyed the winding roads.

However, something felt off. The suspension is tuned for comfort, and combined with the comfort tires, I didn’t feel the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ thrill I was expecting.

It’s not bad, but this isn’t what I want from a BMW. It reminded me of the impression I had when I borrowed an F10 5 Series before.

By the way, when I test drove the current 5 Series (G30), it felt much firmer and closer to the old BMW feel, and I’ve heard the new 3 Series (G20), which I haven’t driven yet, also focuses more on driving dynamics. It seems the F generation leans overall toward a softer setup.

On the highway, I tried pushing the engine, but honestly, I didn’t feel the power of 184 PS. Acceleration from 6th gear was decent, but when downshifting to 4th to accelerate enthusiastically, the torque felt thin — or rather, the torque buildup was weak and it lacked a sense of stretch.

You could say it’s tuned to mask the typical turbo characteristics, but even so, the torque feels light. Combined with the quiet engine and stable chassis, it feels even more so. The Golf 7 had only 105 PS, but I felt it was more fun and quicker in real-world driving.

The high-speed stability is good, in my opinion. However, this car’s tires are not ideal. Compared to European tires, straight-line stability is a bit lacking, and when making steering corrections at high speed corners, I could feel a slight rebound due to the sidewall softness.

These tires are excellent for comfort and have very low road noise, so they’re perfect for those who prioritize that, but personally, I prefer a firmer setup.

Overall Impression

I drove in the city, on winding roads, and on the highway, and if this car had a three-pointed star badge instead of BMW’s emblem, my evaluation might be different. It’s a good car in terms of being mild, comfortable, yet still somewhat sporty.

So, for those who want comfort and a soft setup from their BMW, this car hits the mark perfectly and is very well made in that regard.

However, most BMW fans probably don’t want that. Of course, hardcore fans will choose M models or M Sport trims from the start, but even the standard models should have retained a bit more of the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ spirit.

If my wife doesn’t give up this car and keeps driving it for a while, I’d like to eventually upgrade the suspension, tires, wheels, and so on to make it more to my liking.

…That’s my husband’s first impression of the BMW 320i (F30). The last line about “if my wife keeps it, I’ll change suspension, tires, wheels, etc.” probably means he’s planning to pay for those upgrades… lol

If that’s the case, I hope he goes all out without holding back (laughs).