Photo: BMW
Since the launch of the new F30 3-Series, BMW’s European showrooms have been inundated with smaller and smaller and smaller engines. There’s the 316i, which makes 136 hp from a 1.6-liter turbo petrol engine, or the the 316d, which offers only 114 horsepower.
However, the US has stubbornly stuck to only two petrol engines, the 240hp 328i, which offers a 2-liter TwinPower Turbo engine, and the bigger 335i, a bigger 3-liter straight-six.
All that’s about to change, since BMW brought over a very special 3-Series to the 2013 NAIAS today. It’s not the new M3, rather an entry-level model called the 320i.
This budget 3-Series is no bad thing in our eyes. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine, rated in the 320i at 180 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque from 1,250 rpm - 4,500 rpm.
This allows the car to go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds with either of its two available transmissions. Top speed, meanwhile, is limited to just 130 mph (209 km/h). Basically, that’s all the performance you’ll need without asking too much of the car.
For what you lose in power, you gain when it’s time to sign the check. Prices start at just $33,445 (including $895 Destination & Handling), which is $4,300 less than the 328i.
Picking the brand new Mercedes CLA, which comes with FWD as standard, over this competent RWD saloon is going to be hard!
All that’s about to change, since BMW brought over a very special 3-Series to the 2013 NAIAS today. It’s not the new M3, rather an entry-level model called the 320i.
This budget 3-Series is no bad thing in our eyes. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine, rated in the 320i at 180 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque from 1,250 rpm - 4,500 rpm.
This allows the car to go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds with either of its two available transmissions. Top speed, meanwhile, is limited to just 130 mph (209 km/h). Basically, that’s all the performance you’ll need without asking too much of the car.
For what you lose in power, you gain when it’s time to sign the check. Prices start at just $33,445 (including $895 Destination & Handling), which is $4,300 less than the 328i.
Picking the brand new Mercedes CLA, which comes with FWD as standard, over this competent RWD saloon is going to be hard!
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