BMW has been filling up every possible niche in the last few years. This tendency isn't new for the Bavarian car manufacturer. In the past, various models were produced to do the same thing but some were not so successful and BMW decided to discontinue their production.
One of these was the BMW 3 Series Compact.
There were 2 versions of this car: the E36/5 and the E46 Compact. The first one was introduced in 1994 and it was supposed to be BMW's small-hatchback. The engines were shared with the E36 3 Series, and so the Compact was equipped with 1.6-liter, 1.8-liter, 1.9-liter and 2.5-liter units (with power outputs ranging from 100 to 170 HP) and a diesel 1.6-liter engine with 90 HP.
The E36 compact was the cheapest BMW you could buy but problems with lack of space didn't help its popularity. Also, the exterior design of the car wasn't the best you could get with that amount of money so the car was replaced by a younger brother in 2001, the E46 Compact.
There were 2 versions of this car: the E36/5 and the E46 Compact. The first one was introduced in 1994 and it was supposed to be BMW's small-hatchback. The engines were shared with the E36 3 Series, and so the Compact was equipped with 1.6-liter, 1.8-liter, 1.9-liter and 2.5-liter units (with power outputs ranging from 100 to 170 HP) and a diesel 1.6-liter engine with 90 HP.
The E36 compact was the cheapest BMW you could buy but problems with lack of space didn't help its popularity. Also, the exterior design of the car wasn't the best you could get with that amount of money so the car was replaced by a younger brother in 2001, the E46 Compact.