BMW 320d Touring Test Drive
Rolling around in a BMW 3 Touring is certainly going to get you alot of stares. After all, how many Malaysians are used to seeing station wagons around other than the popular AD Resort workhorse? Some of my peers even commented to me they didn’t know BMW made station wagons. Apparently BMW is supposed to be making sporty driver’s cars, and it seems that station wagon can’t really fit into the typical equation. Call me weird, but I actually prefer the Touring body to the Sedan’s body!
Read my full report after the jump.
Despite the 3 Touring being heavier, the 325i Touring clocked the same time around the Nurburgring track as it’s 325i Sedan sibling, so there’s no compromise in driving experience there. Driving the BMW 3 Touring around is still as fantastic as a 3 Sedan - wonderful sharp and precise steering, lovely handling typical of a rear wheel drive sedan.
But there’s something very, very different about this 3 Touring. It’s a diesel! Yes, the BMW 320d seems intent on breaking all the rules when it comes to a BMW, yes it remains a lovely drive. Slow town driving is really a relaxing experience due to the crazy amount of low-end torque that’s an inherent characteristic of turbodiesels. You will rarely find the need to go over 2,500rpm.
But then you get to a crossroad, or a roundabout that requires some quick reflexes, this is when you find that you have to take on a somewhat predictive behavior to the accelerator pedal. There is some turbo lag - from the moment you floor the pedal, boost only kicks in slightly more than 1 second later, and 1 second could really mean the difference between heaven and hell. I also found it hard to do overtaking at highway speeds because of a combination of gear ratios, the torque curve with all the torque at the low end, as well as the short revband of the turbodiesel. Somehow the minimal exhaust gasses produced at cruising speeds combined with a high gear ratio makes turbo lag even more prevalent.
The 2.0 liter turbodiesel in the 320d is good for 163hp at 4,000rpm and 340Nm of torque between 2,000rpm to 2,750rpm. 0-100km/h takes 8.8 seconds, and the car goes to a top speed of 218km/h. The relatively high horsepower in relation to displacement compared to other more “old school†diesel engines in our country should be due to the usage of a variable turbine geometry turbocharger instead of a conventional one. The diesel clatter is quite loud at low speeds, but at highway cruising speeds its nowhere to be heard. Wind down the windows at night and you can hear the turbine spinning, which I find strangely addictive.
Despite all of that, I love the car, and it provided me a very relaxing drive for the 4 days I drove it, a welcome change from the absolute zero low-end push of my small displacement V6-engined Proton Perdana.
I also got ridiculously good mileage from the car. It was the only BMW which I did not have to refuel before I returned it – I only managed to finish slightly more than half of the 60 liter tank of diesel and got about 400km from it. And I was actually flooring the accelerator pedal a lot. Driven frugally most of the time, that would mean about 700 to 800km of distance traveled per full tank of diesel. I found myself checking the remaining km numbers on the fuel computer more often than a person normally would, just to grin happily at how little fuel Im using!
Now that were done with how it drives and how much fuel it uses, lets get back to the basics and see whats loaded up in this car. The seats are nothing fantastic, but provide adequate support. No electric adjusters here, just plain old school levers. The sound system also leaves much to be desired. I would put it exactly at the boleh pakai sahaja level, with not much treble and bass and distortion when played at high volume levels.
There is dual automatic climate control. Your path is lighted up via really nice Xenon headlamps for both low beam and high beam, which can turn on automatically thanks to the automatic driving lights control. Other cars on the road with improperly adjusted Xenon headlamps will not blind you with the automatic anti-dazzle rear view mirror. Rain sensors also allow the wipers to come on automatically when set to the Auto mode.
The 320d equipment level is pretty much specified at the entry level. However, you do have some nice Titanium matt trimming that gives the interior a nice ambiance. So you still feel youre in a BMW, as long as you dont turn on the entertainment system.
There is a boot larger than a normal sedans, being a station wagon of course, but space is nothing amazing that makes you go “wow†like the 5 Tourings. There is a divider net, and the boot can be accessed via opening just the rear window. The loading area cover is automatically raised when you do this. Of course, for more boot space, theres always the option of putting down the 60:40 split rear bench. I liked the rear headrests on the car, they fold down with just a touch of a button.
So yes, number one its a station wagon. Number two, its a diesel. Number three; its a 4-cylinder. The little 320d goes against everything that a BMW is perceived should be, yet it makes so much sense. However, being a CBU and costing a massive RM298,800 on the road without insurance might go against it when being considered for purchase, considering its relatively low equipment level.
Video: 320d Engine
The signature Hoffmeister kink
March 14, 2007 @ 7:20 am
I like the license plant No. XI ASEAN 14. I think the owner must be a MALAY not CHINESE. The funny part is…. XI= (9) ASEAN 14 = (mesti MATI) lah. The meaning is like….. If you have 9 ASEAN seated in this car, they all must be dead soon.
Other than that not thing interesting me, I rather buy the 3 series Sedan. Its looks much sporty and cool compare to a WAGON.
I don’t want to pay RM300k for a WAGON or TRUCK looking car.
March 14, 2007 @ 8:26 am
i notice the sport rims on this particular model is bigger than the 320i sedan. look way much nicer. i think the price is right for model like this since is imported so the quality is much better. iam sure it will appeal to women drivers since it has a large boot to accomodate shopping items.
anyways iam waiting got the M3 to be launched soon.
March 14, 2007 @ 9:14 am
personally, i think its a myth that imported bmw’s are better than CKD ones.
and bmw are probably only able to import in the touring because the volume of station wagons in malaysia is still very low, thus not making it feasible for them to startup CKD operations for them.
i’ve seen some fantastic looking modified tourings from hartge and ACS. very sporty.
btw paul, could the “slow response” on the throttle be due to the electronic throttle rather than turbo lag? I know of a modification for the electronic throttle whereby it makes the throttle more sensitive. Apparently, this is also a complaint on some of the petrol engined models.
March 14, 2007 @ 9:38 am
same la with other 14 number, but some of them sound nice DAM14, DAN14, DAL14,TAL14,TAN14,TAM14 the k’tan and trg becaused it recently come out other states long time ago.
about the BMW, love the car, like to be specaial, ye la special la other people compact car/sedan suddenly you drive a stationwagon BMW some more but…BUT big but
4 cylinder/and other like not the best deal la.
March 14, 2007 @ 10:15 am
RM300k for a poverty spec BMW? They should improve the equipment levels.
March 14, 2007 @ 10:32 am
I love wagon. We should see more on the raod here. Just don’t understand why most Malaysian has a aversion to wagon.
March 14, 2007 @ 10:40 am
paul,
i thought u said that bmw msia isnt bringing in any of its diesel models here?
March 14, 2007 @ 11:12 am
Dear Paul,
Are u trained to do a test drive? Have u go into any formal test driving class to evaluate a car? Hehehe, i think there is an opportunity to grab.
Maybe u can endorse some of the cars u test drive.
eg. Proton Savvy 1.2 AMT ” Endorsed by Paul Tan “…………since u already a brand in our local automotive industrie.
Hehehe, i can be your agent also maaaa…………
March 14, 2007 @ 11:35 am
motherker: no diesel 5 series only cos finish stock
auctioncenter2u: this car belongs to bmw malaysia, part of it’s fleet. so i guess you could consider it has a german owner.
hameed: what is a formal test driving class? is there such a thing? you dont need to know how to drive a car fast to review it.
honda_driver: it is turbo lag because the engine does respond fast, and the revs start to move, but there is a delay before power kicks in. i also noticed that diesel bmws have a different throttle feel than petrol bmws, petrol’s throttle feels harder, like there is more weight to push.
March 14, 2007 @ 2:33 pm
once again, the Germans have swept us off out feet. it surely looks menacing enough to me. the wagon market is slowly peaking up. and this is greatly attributed to Volvo’s new make and marketing strategies in Malaysia.
if and when it comes to malaysia, i do expect it to be greatly welcomed, especially after Paul described the fuel consumption in a surprising fashion. Even i, the average joe public is truly surprised that such a powerful machine could be giving out pretty impressive mileage.
In general, i feel that the rims could be changed. perhaps a more modern or fierce design?
March 14, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
Difference between CBU and CKD is actually the trim level. 325i CBU has better rims/tires and different size also as compared to CKD. I think the build quality is the same though… the 320d has that rims because it is CBU. if CKD, I think the rims will be smaller… 16in like CKD 320i
March 14, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
Paul, thanks for the honest report.
I would always prefer Diesel…
We used to have a 320d in the family, a 2004 model. Never realized a turbo lag like this, maybe if you drive it for a while you would get quite used to it. However, the transmission didn’t even shift back under kick-down if the engine rev is somewhat above 2000. Sounds horrible, but works quite well, there is enough torque to stay in the same gear.
I am missing a comment on boot space: this car doesn’t have any, despite the fact that this is a station wagon.
The best thing about our old 320d: quality was really good, nothing ever broke… for us it was the best quality car ever.
March 14, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
estate is good, …family and some professional need it,
5 series having estate/touring for its M5,
March 14, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
to chris the germ,
u staying in msia?
coz i dun recall any diesel 3-series here in msia.
hope u dun mind me asking.
March 14, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
wagons are very slow to take off in sales. ppl always seem to get ‘pasar malam’ with wagon in the same sentence (or in thought). wagons are nowadays fast practical and have equal levels of equipment as the saloon counterparts. in handling, very little separates the wagon of today from its saloon counterpart. they may also cost more due to more features in the back. sadly, the buying public will never be able to separate the wagon from the night market. sad.
on another note, i really salute bmw for bringing it in knowing full well that it will not sell in big numbers. same respect for volvo, chevy, audi, saab, not sure if benz brings in wagons officially though. honda also has a nice (somewhat affordable) wagon in the airwave (city based car) but i guess they are not interested in offering an additional variant to the market. sad.
March 14, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
mmmmm…… DELICIOUS!
but i prefer Volvo V-series, Audi RS4 or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Wagon
http://www.automobilemag.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0702_hot_wagons/index.html
but wagon are not popular in bolehland!
March 15, 2007 @ 12:12 am
It could be argued that the very popular Toyota Wish and Honda Streams are being used mostly as wagons in Malaysia. They just don’t look like the traditional estate or wagons.
Wagons/estates are very popular in Germany. Every car I was in while I was there (Audi, Merc, Volvo, Citroen) were wagons, manual transmission and diesel powered
March 15, 2007 @ 7:40 am
Owner is BMW Malaysia, If its a company car It doesn’t meant the owner of this car is a GERMAN. Anyway, thanks for your information.
I found a mistake on my previous comment,
Correction -> “Plant No.”
March 16, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
Paul,
Driving fast is just one of test categories, they are a lot of other categories to test/review……
response, behaviour, ergonomics, handling, acceleration, user friendly, consumer friendly, chic friendly………..
BTW, im not so much stressing on the test, but more on the Paul Tan’s endorsement………….hehehe………
March 16, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
[...] 320d Touring [...]
March 19, 2007 @ 2:27 am
people always forget about the Saab 9-3 SportHatch Aero when talking about estates, to me the Saab looks absolutely fabulous
May 22, 2007 @ 5:24 am
[...] list. BMW’s 2.0 liter turbodiesel comes in second place, something I’ve tried in the BMW 320d Touring test drive I wrote about [...]