2012 BMW 328i Sedan First Drive: For Those Who Have to Have It All

Are you ready for a BMW 3-series capable of automatic hands-off parallel parking? A Bimmer smart enough to teach you hypermiling, one equipped with enough onboard cameras to scout locations for Warner Brothers? Welcome to the 2012 328i, BMW’s stab at charming the More Generation.

Test-driving the new 3-series this week in Spain revealed a shuffle of BMW’s priority deck. The current E90 3-series earned its respect and compact-sports-sedan supremacy with a double dose of driving fun backed up by laudable performance credentials. With the sixth-generation 3-series, BMW is reaching beyond mere dynamic attributes to stir comfort, convenience, and far higher efficiency into the mix. To appeal to those demanding everything from their daily driver—that “we deserve more” crowd—the new F30 is slightly larger inside and out and loaded with features hard-core drivers—the “we love our BMWs” set—never imagined.

The fifth-gen 3-series greeted its driver with a secret handshake: high-effort steering that bends the car smartly into every corner with total authority over body motion. The 2012 edition that arrives in February says “Have a nice day” with normal steering effort and a ride that glosses over pavement flaws the way cream cheese fills bagel crevices. Impact harshness is significantly reduced. But with more rubber between you and the road, the cornering response isn’t quite as crisp and hints of roll, heave, and pitch occasionally fluster the equilibrium. Adjusted to its most aggressive setting, the F30’s optional adaptive suspension provides less body control than outgoing E90 models.

Six Becomes Four (But There’s Still a Six, Too)

For almost 20 years, the 3-series faithful have enjoyed the spellbinding whir of inline-six engines that were seemingly sent from on high. While the 335i carries on with a single-turbo 3.0-liter six pumping out a handy 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, there’s a new kid on the engine block with a point to prove. BMW’s new N20 2.0-liter four-cylinder powering the 328i sounds like a throwback to simpler times but that impression vanishes the first time its twin-scroll turbo pumps up 18.9 psi of boost and output swells to 240 horsepower at 5000 rpm. What this engine lacks in cylinder-count prestige, it more than makes up for with what may be a world record for vigor per cubic centimeter.

Teamed with a ZF eight-speed automatic (the only powertrain combo available for driving on our trip to Barcelona), the N20 purrs while cruising, then snaps to attention when the throttle is pressed. By 2000 rpm, it’s already high on torque; by 4000, it’s growling like a baby grizzly roused from hibernation; and by 6000 rpm, it’s threatening to rip a hole through the 7000-rpm (redline) ceiling. Thanks to balance shafts and a dual-mass flywheel, this engine never gets the shakes or stammers and it’s as genteel as a six when soft pedaled. A two-mode muffler corks the din during cruising, and then releases a rousing howl to accompany the stampede. While EPA ratings aren’t final, we’re expecting that the 328i’s highway mileage will reach the high 30s with the eight-speed automatic and that the combined rating might also crack the 30-mpg barrier. Those who pick the six-speed manual transmission will have to bear the loss of a couple of miles per gallon.

BMW claims the new four-cylinder is nearly as quick on its feet as the outgoing naturally aspirated six. That means a 0-to-60-mph run of about 5.7 seconds with the stick shift and 5.9 with the automatic. BMW rates the 335i’s 0–60 capability at 5.4 seconds with either gearbox.

Stiffer Structure, Duller Responses

This alacrity is partially due to the fact that BMW engineers avoided piling on weight in spite of the 2.0-inch wheelbase stretch and the 3.7-inch gain in overall length. To counteract the negative influence of more suspension rubber, the fully steel unibody’s torsional stiffness is a commendable 30-percent higher. While the suspension systems are carry-over in design—struts in front, multilink in back—every component has been fiddled with in some way to suit the new mission.

In addition to the slightly duller turn-in agility, we detected a brake pedal that’s a touch softer underfoot. Quicker stops require a mix of pedal pressure and travel in contrast to the mainly pressure-sensitive response provided by the E90’s setup. The 335i upgrades the 328i’s floating front brake calipers to more-rigid fixed four-piston calipers, which may erase this gripe.

Two power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering systems are offered. Base equipment is the speed-sensitive Servotronic arrangement that’s been available in the 3-series for ages. Replacing the evil Active Steering option, which had the bad habit of changing its ratio at precisely the wrong moment, there’s a new Variable Sports Steering option. Using rack teeth cut at different helix angles, this gear provides a ratio of 14.5:1 on center for poised straight-line stability and control, with a quicker 11.1:1 ratio at the extremes of steering lock to expedite parking maneuvers. An electric motor connected to the rack through a toothed rubber belt provides power assist proportional to both vehicle speed and the tempo of the driver’s steering commands. Variable Sports Steering trims the Servotronic’s 2.7 turns lock-to-lock down to a more wieldy 2.2 turns. Steering feedback is comparable to the outgoing 3-series in spite of the noticeable reduction in effort. The new steering system’s quicker ratios compensate nicely for the loss of response that—at least theoretically—accompanies any wheelbase increase.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $36,000

ENGINES: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

DISPLACEMENT: 122 cu in, 1997 cc
Power: 240 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 260 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm

TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.6 in
Length: 182.5 in
Width: 71.3 in Height: 56.3 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3500 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 5.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 130 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 21/32 mpg

Continued... PHOTOS (92)

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Kia Ray: first images

Kia has released the first official images of its all-new Ray A-segment vehicle, which will be sold exclusively in the Korean home market.

The Ray city car is focused on minimizing costs and providing a spacious and versatile interior.

The distinctive design is characterized by a boxy shape, with nearly-vertical flanks that contribute to maximize the interior headroom.

The front end exhibits the Kia’s signature grille combined with modern headlights equipped with LED daytime running lights.

In side view, the Ray showcases simple lines and a high waistline that runs nearly horizontally extending the hood profile up to the upswept C-pillar, and is contrasted by the sculpted wheel-arches and sills. Access to the cabin is made easy by the rear sliding door on the right side.

The focus on the interior space over dynamic performances is underlined by the wheels, which have a small diameter and are positioned at the four corners of the car.

Information on the powertrain will be announced closer to launch date.

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2012 Porsche 911 Carrera First Drive: Less 911, More a Really Nice Car with an Engine in the Trunk

AARON ROBINSON AND THE MANUFACTURER

Longer, lower, wider, faster, more fuel efficient, and—amazingly—slightly lighter according to the company, the new Porsche 911 Carrera is a better car in every way. Which means that it’s less like a Porsche 911 than ever, because let’s face it, much of what made the model an icon have been its eccentricities.

Up until the late 1990s, mastering a 911 was lion-tamer’s work. The 996 and 997 generations greatly improved drivability, and the lion has been thoroughly tamed with the 2012 redesign. Anybody who draws breath and has the dough (China is rapidly filling up with candidates) can safely cuddle up with this cushy kitty. The wheelbase is stretched, the front track is wider, and the rear-biased weight split is claimed to be closer to equalization, all of which promotes on-road stability and reduces the mid-corner bounding and corner-exit steering washout that makes older 911s so, er, thrilling. The electronic suspension devices and traction-control systems are more capable, making the steering response even snappier and the car more eager to go where you point it.

Carrer-amera?

Granted, the only version provided for our drive was a 3.8-liter Carrera S equipped with the optional Sport Chrono package. So equipped, it includes Porsche’s dynamic engine mounts, which we’ve often praised for helping settle the car down over pitching pavement. All comments should thus be so flagged. But whatever version you drive, the car just feels big. When did the 911 get to be the same length as an Audi A6? It’s not actually that large, but it seems it. Dare we call it the Carrer-amera?

Yes, we dare. The influence of the Panamera is obvious once you crack open the doors and see that long ski slope of a center console studded with buttons. Porsches used to have nothing but a shifter and air between the seats, which emphasized the fact that the oily bits were out back. Porsche design director Michael Mauer says the 911 is the source for all Porsche brand styling, but in this case it looks like the company’s big, front-engined limo—and strategic cost-saving component sharing—had a say.

By the way, for decades Porsche has given all its projects an internal number starting with 9, and it’s now running out of numbers. We were told at the lavish international launch in Santa Barbara, California—where a blue-sky budget included grinding and resurfacing an old weather-beaten airport apron to serve as an autocross course—that the new 911’s 991 project code was selected simply because it was still available. In the future, Porsche plans to start mixing in letters to get codes like 9A1, the designation for the new family of direct-injection boxer engines.

Haven’t We Seen You Before? Of Course We Have

Meanwhile, the rest of the new Carrera looks every inch a 911, if for no other reason than customers expect it to be so. The differences live in the details: the roof and front fender humps—the latter capped by domed headlamps—are lower and give the car a wider, more limpet-like road stance. The red-dagger taillamps live under a furrowed brow running around the back; Mauer says this look eventually will migrate to all Porsches.

Using the driver’s hip point as a reference for the change in wheelbase, the front axle moves forward by 1.2 inches while the rear moves aft by just under three. The overhangs have been reduced, so the body is only 2.2 inches longer overall. The windshield center point moves about three inches forward, but the glass has more curve to it and wraps around to A-pillars that have moved hardly at all.

Nothing carries over from the 997’s body shell, which employed far less aluminum in its construction. In contrast, the lighter stuff comprises about 45 percent of the new car’s shell, including the floor, roof, doors, and all structural and exterior sheetmetal forward of the windshield. Steel is limited mainly to the piece that forms the rear quarter-panels and door frames. It is a complex single part that requires seven separate stampings and which Porsche’s stamping supplier said was too deeply curved to form from aluminum. We’re estimating curb weights will be around 3250 pounds for the Carrera and 3350 for Carrera S.

This is the enviro-911, the press kit for which touts not the new power figures (350 hp for the Carrera and 400 hp for the S, increases of just 5 and 15) but the potential fuel savings from each engine technology. An idle stop/start system that buyers can disable if they want saves up to 1.5 mpg, for example. An alternator that charges at a higher rate on deceleration: 0.4 mpg. A coast-down function that, in cars equipped with the PDK twin-clutch gearbox, automatically decouples the engine in some deceleration scenarios and lets it drop to idle, could save a maximum of 2.5 mpg. The final EPA window-sticker numbers won’t be released until early December, but city/highway mileage will probably rise 1 to 2 mpg for both Carrera and Carrera S depending on the transmission.

VEHICLE TYPE: rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger coupe

BASE PRICE: Carrera, $83,050; Carrera S, $97,350

ENGINE TYPES: 3.4-liter DOHC 24-valve flat-6, 350 hp, 288 lb-ft; 3.8-liter DOHC 24-valve flat-6, 400 hp, 325 lb-ft

TRANSMISSIONS: 7-speed manual/7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 96.5 in
Length: 176.8 in
Width: 71.2 Height: 51.0–51.3
Curb weight (C/D est): 3250–3350 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8–4.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.3–12.5 sec
Top speed: 178–189 mph

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First Photos of 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Leak out of Dubai Motor Show Media Preview Event

We recently reported that the Chevrolet had revived the TrailBlazer name and would affix it to a new SUV based off of the new global Colorado mid-size pickup truck. Now we have our first look at the new body-on-frame TrailBlazer courtesy of photos leaked by DriveArabia.com (head over to its Facebook page to see all of the images). The photographs are of GM projection slides and presumably were taken at the TrailBlazer’s media preview event for the Dubai auto show, which kicks off tomorrow.

Chevy’s newest sport-ute is slated to debut at the Dubai show before going on sale globally in 2012, but in what form? Don’t expect the production TrailBlazer to deviate much from the SUV pictured here—different front fascia and headlights, cheaper mirrors, but that should be about it. The production 2013 Colorado pickup on which it is based turned out nearly identical to the concept version. Will this “global” TrailBlazer make it to the U.S.? We’re not sure, but the new Colorado has already been confirmed for our market; we’ll likely find out more after the TrailBlazer’s big reveal tomorrow.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet TrailBlazer |

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