First drive--BMW 330d: The d is for details, diesel:

Tag : steel box spring
Whether you like it or not, the fifth generation 3-series--the onethat brought BMW's controversial flame surfacing styling treatmentinto the more affordable realms of the North American new-carmarket for the first time--has been a runaway success.

We'll never know if a more classic-looking model would haveprompted a greater number of customers to hand over theirhard-earned cash. However, it is clear BMW is rightly proud of howthe current model 3-series has performed in the showroom--or atleast that's what they signaled at the launch of the face-liftedmodel in Germany this past week.

BMW says the face-lifted 3-series has received 2,500 changes. Butthis is a face-lift, not an all-new model. As such, the basicsremain the same. It is the details that have been altered in a bidto once again enforce the 3-series' superiority over rivals such asthe Audi A4, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-class.

While each of the steel body panels, apart from the newly contouredhood, has been carried over unchanged, BMW's designers have stilldone enough in altering the look of the fifth-generation 3-seriesto make sure it is clearly recognizable. Parked next to itspredecessor, the new car appears better developed from a visualpoint of view--the added detailing softens some of the sheersurfaces.

Up front, there is a new interpretation of the classic grille,positioned deeper and made wider than before, along with bold newheadlamp graphics that include LED indicators and BMW's signaturecorona rings. An edgy new bumper incorporates three separate andnewly shaped air ducts.

Further back there are new exterior mirror housings and a heavilyrestyled sill that helps to stretch the car visually by adding aprominent crease from the trailing edge of the front wheel archesthough to the trailing edge of the rear door.

The rear has also been reworked, with redesigned LED encrusted taillamps combining with a re-profiled bumper to introduce a look withvisual links to the BMW's redesigned 7-series sedan.

Along with the sedan driven here, the exterior styling changes alsoextend to the wagon.

For the time being, the coupe and convertible retain the sameappearance as the existing models. But they too are set to benefitfrom the various mid-life changes of their four-door cousins, andthen some exclusive touches, too. Such as the inclusion of BMW'snew seven-speed double clutch gearbox, which for the time being isnot planned to be offered on the sedan or wagon.

Many of the changes are concentrated inside.

The basic design of the interior remains unchanged. But there hasbeen an effort to lift perceived quality and overall userfriendliness. The changes include a restyled instrument cluster, ahigher mounting point for the driver's arm rest, and reworkedswitchgear in combination with BMW's second-generation iDrivesystem, which now includes four individual menu buttons nestledaround a reworked rotary controller, as well as a back function toease operation.

It is not entirely successful. Hard black plastic continues todominate the center of the dashboard.

BMW has also failed to heed customer complaints about a lack ofstorage space. The door bins are shallow and refuse to accept astandard half-liter plastic water bottle. The so-called drinkholders that spring from above the tiny glove box aren't veryeffective; place a bottle in them and it flays about, threateningto drop out at any moment.

The 3-series has never majored on space. It is not cramped by anymeans but feels a lot smaller inside than its external dimensionssuggest. It is all part and parcel of its rear-wheel-drive layout,of course. When the new sixth-generation model arrives in 2012expect it to offer a good deal more space. It will have to simplyto put it back on par with its premium brand rivals.

Packaging concerns aside, the 3-series remains a car you couldseriously consider buying on entertainment value alone--I'm talkingabout the agile handling and inherent balance of the chassis, bothof which provide a key part of the overall appeal.

The standard steering (a hydraulic operated, speed-sensitive powerassisted system) remains unchanged but the suspension (BMW'straditional MacPherson struts up front and trapezoidal shapedmulti-link arrangement at the rear) has been altered slightly onsix-cylinder models, with the rear track widened by nearly 1 inch.

The inherently precise feel and engaging nature of the standardsteering encourages enthusiastic driving, while an impressiveresistance to body roll and strong levels of grip make it fun tooperate near the limits of adhesion. BMW does offer afour-wheel-drive option, but with all the latest in stability andtraction control, it seems rather superfluous.

Still, there is a price to be paid for this dynamic excellence.Although the 3-series now runs fourth-generation run flat tires, itcan't match the composure and subtlety of the Mercedes-Benz C-classfor overall ride comfort. At speed it feels nicely settled, butaround town it tends to get a little ragged owing to inherentlyfirm spring and damper rates and the stiff sidewall characteristicsof its tires--225/45 R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE05As on our testcar.

That said, the new 3-series appears to be better controlled thanthe Audi A4 over ridges and potholes. Oddly, BMW has not providedthe face lifted 3-series with adjustable dampers--a feature nowoffered by both Mercedes-Benz and Audi as optional equipment. Lookfor it on the next generation 3-series model due out in 2012.

The 3-series continues to be sold with the choice of five gasolineand five diesel engines in most European markets. On the gasolineside, they range from the 143-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder in theentry level 318i through to a 306-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-literinline six-cylinder in the 335i. Among the diesels are the 143-hp2.0-liter four-cylinder in the 318d (now available with a six-speedautomatic gearbox) and a 286-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inlinesix-cylinder in the 335d.

Up until now the United States has been restricted to just twoinline six-cylinder gasoline engines, a 272-hp 3.0-liter unit inthe 328i and that aforementioned 306-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-literin the 335i.

For 2009, though, BMW is planning to add a third engine to the3-series lineup in the form of a new turbocharged 3.0-litersix-cylinder diesel engine--the model will be named the 335d in theUnited States--fitted with BMW's new BluePerformance technologythat uses urea injection to reduce NOx emissions and allows it tobe sold across North America.

Codenamed N57, the new engine adopts the same cylinder bore spacingand internal design as the German car maker's excellent 2.0-literfour-cylinder diesel, including the latest piezo injector systemoperating at 26,100 psi and an aluminum block that shaves 11 poundsfrom the weight of its old iron block predecessor at 408 pounds.

Power is up by 14 hp to 245 hp at 4000 rpm with torque increased by15 lb-ft to 383 lb-ft, delivered on a band of revs between 1,750rpm and 3,000 rpm.

Forget the numbers, though. It is the tremendous flexibility andsuperbly linear delivery that mark this engine out as one of BMW'sfinest.

You don't quite get the silken smoothness and inherent balance of amodern day gasoline engine; there does remain some characteristicchatter at start up and distant vibration as you pass through themid range. But the new engine does combine huge low end thrust witha truly sporting top end in a way no comparable diesel engine comesclose to matching.

Power arrives in one potent surge, providing the European-badged330d with the sort of real world performance to make the 330iappear tame by comparison. Revs build solidly from just 1,000 rpmand they keep coming in an unusually free nature until the limitercuts in at a high by diesel standards 5,400 rpm--up by 400 rpm onBMW's old 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel, which will continue on inthe 335d for some time to come, according to BMW.

Sending drive back to the rear wheels on the European versions wedrove is the same Getrag engineered six-speed manual as used in theold 330d. There is also an optional six-speed automatic, and BMWhas decided to offer its new seven-speed double clutch unit, butonly in the top-of-the-line 335i coupe and convertible.

With all that torque and such a broad spread of revs to call upon,the manual is probably the pick of the bunch with the 330d.

BMW's figures put the 0 to 62 mph time at just 6.1seconds--0.6seconds faster than the old 330d and just 0.2 seconds slower thanthe more overtly sporting 335d. In fact, the 330d now beats the330i in the benchmark sprint by 0.1 seconds.

It is not much, but it seems to reflect a major change in BMW'sroad car philosophy. From now on, it is the diesels that lead onperformance.

With an outstanding combined cycle average of 41 mpg, the 330d isalso super economical. With spirited driving the figure suffers alittle, but we still managed 30 mpg on a rapid run on one of theautobahns out of Munich.

Playing its part here is BMW's EfficientDynamic initiative, whichbrings features such as an electrical water pump, brakeregeneration and active aerodynamics--the latter usingautomatically operated flaps behind the grille to smooth air flowat high speeds.

None of the changes BMW has brought to the 3-series represent agiant step in the design, conception or engineering. But taken as awhole they do help to make it a more rounded car than it replaces.Thanks to its new iDrive system and other detailed tweaks to theinterior, it is also a good deal more user friendly from any everyday point of view, too. They're the sort of qualities that shouldensure it retains its traditional spot at the top of the sportingsedan ranks.

Still, with its old protagonists--the C-class and A4--havingundergone some major redesigns in recent times and the Lexus ISbeginning to make headway at the showroom level, it's not going tobe plain sailing for the BMW volume seller.