babypuppi: [5] 2008 Bmw 328i Specs On This Week Gallery

2008 BMW 328i Convertible Review

THE AUTO PAGE
by
JOHN HEILIG

SPECIFICATIONS 2008 BMW 328i Convertible

Model: BMW 328i convertible
Engine: 3.0-liter DOHC inline six
Horsepower/Torque: 230 hp/200 lb.-ft.
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 108.7 in.
Length x Width x Height: 180.6 x 70.2 x 54.5 in.
Tires: P255/35R18
Cargo volume: 9.0 cu. ft.
Economy: 17 mpg city/27 mpg highway/19.8 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 16.1 gal.
Price: $49,825 (includes $775 destination charge and 45,850 inoptions)

The Bottom Line – Of the choices one has for a BMWsporty car, the 328i convertible is by far the best. It’s beautiful,much better looking in my eyes than the Z4, and it carries up to fourpeople. It looks like a “normal” 3-Series coupe, but when thehard top is stowed in the trunk it’s a new animal.

A week in a BMW 328i convertible is not an unpleasant way tospend your time. To me, this is one of the gems in the BMW catalogthat’s filled with gems. By day, it’s a normal-looking BMW3-Series coupe, if a tad longer. When the top drops, though, it turns intothe “mature” sports car of BMW’s line, competing with theZ4 and outlooking it in every sense.

The top is a marvel of engineering. My simple mind stillcan’t comprehend how engineers can develop a hard top that canseparate, fold and disappear into the trunk. In the case of the 328i, ittakes about 10-12 seconds for the transformation.

To make the transformation work, a sliding panel must be inplace in the trunk. If it’s in the “up” position, you getthe full advantage of the limited 9.0 cubic foot trunk. When it’slowered, trunk space becomes minimal, but the top then has a place to go.The lowered top also frees up the rear seat for storage. The seat issomewhat obscured when the top’s up because you have to slide thefront seat forward, etc., to gain access.

In convertible form, there’s some outside noise from wind,etc. Conversation is possible and wind buffeting is minimal, which made mywife happy.

The 3-liter inline six has enough power for every Media with a 6-speed manual transmission that is as slick as oil, wefound that we could move quickly whenever and wherever we wanted.

To start the 328i, you insert the key fob in a special slot andpush the “stop/start” button located just above. The instrumentpanel is clear with two large rough white-on-black gauges; one for thetachometer/fuel level and the other for the speed and water temperature.

Handling is excellent as well. The 328i isn’t hard-sprunglike some sports cars, yet it handles curves in a flat attitude. In thiscase, the 328i seems more like the coupe than a sports car. I felt thehandling was excellent in all the situations we tried. If we took it on aroad racing track, or in aslalom, I might find something to complain about,but in normal driving it’s excellent.

The front seats are comfortable and offer good side and thighsupport with the seat extensions. We took the 328i on a long Interstateride and had no aches and pain when we reached our destination. Once there,we tried it on dirt and winding back country roads and had a ball.

The rear seats are flat and don’t offer excellent legroom.However, there’s plenty of room for a facing-forward car seat, andthere’s enough legroom for a small child. Adults might find ituncomfortable.

I felt the radio was so-so. It didn’t pull in my favoritestations from about 60 miles away and when it did. There was ofteninterference from other stations. With the top down, the only way we couldlisten was to turn the volume up like a teenager would, or shut it off. Weshut it off.

We had power windows for all four windows including a switchthat would lower or raise all four at once.

The BMW 328i is an excellent riding car for long trips andit’s still fun for short hops. Even with the manual transmission, itisn’t a problem around town. The price is high, though, and you mightfind that some of the options aren’t necessary. The base price is$43,200, about $6,900 more than the 328i coupe.

2008 The Auto Page Syndicate