Test drive BMW 3 Episode E46 1998 - 2002 Sedan

Albino

So he stands in the aviary of a dealer show room with his brothers. White enamel, covering the toned body, emits it on a colorful background of his own kind, stops his eyes, captivates.

But we will still be careful. As you know, the individuals of this breed are famous for their violent disposition. However, much depends on the upbringing received from engineers. Our hero promises to be a good boy: the presence of an automatic transmission, even with a 143-horsepower engine, suggests that the character of Albinos will be flexible. Nevertheless, we have a strict collar of the electronic ASC stabilization system, which will suffer if the instincts of our ward suddenly unexpectedly prevail over upbringing.
 
The BMW breed has been displayed for more than one decade. From birth, compact three -year -olds were filled with all those values, thanks to which Bavarian cars gained the image of a car for the driver. But when the next generation of small bombs appeared in 1997, those very drivers of cars found that in new three -tires the pleasure of active driving was brought for the sake of comfort.
 
And now four years after the start of the release of threek in the body of the E46, the Bavarians made an easy upgrade. The appearance of the 2002 model year’s cars acquired a little new optics, both in front and from behind; The nostrils of the radiator grilles expanded ... The changes in the mechanics are much more significant: new engines appeared, the suspension has been reconfigured (or rather, copied from version 330i) and the characteristics of the steering. In a word, German engineers listened to lovers of active driving, which make up a fair part of the admirers of this image brand.
 
For the Russian automobile community, BMW is also interesting in that some models are collected in Kaliningrad at the Autotor factory, these machines are sold at special prices. True, the range of Russian tremors is limited by only two sedans 318i and 320i. The latter is supplied only with an automatic transmission, while the buyer of the 318th can choose between a machine gun and five-speed mechanics.

Our Albino BMW 318I is equipped with a four -cylinder engine with a volume of 1995 cm3 and the ZF Steptronic box with manual gearboxes. The basic equipment includes the already mentioned ASC, climate control system, six airbags.
 
The new motor is equipped with the Valvetronic revolutionary system, which abolished the throttle of the mixture entering the cylinders, is regulated by changing the phases of gas distribution and the height of the valve lifting. Engineers went to such a complication of the design to improve the economic and environmental characteristics of the engine; In addition, thanks to Valvetronic, the torque is close to the maximum in a wide range of revolutions.

The car’s interior remained the same. Guided by the principle of the best enemy of the good, the Bavarians did not change the internal space of the car, and they did the right thing: the interior is impeccable. Disgusting in proprietary style, the salon is distinguished by perfectly worked out ergonomics. Any driver, regardless of growth and complexion, will feel convenient. You can sit almost lying down, as in a racing car, or you can rise higher than everyone will find a landing to their liking and body.
 
It is cramped in the rear seats, especially if fairly large personalities sit in front. As a matter of fact, this feature is characteristic of three years of all years and generations. But the rear windows open completely, which is a rarity.
If we compare 318ia’s running qualities with classic BMW, we should admit that our machine fully deserves the nickname Albino. It seems that in the dispute of the driver and passengers for the right to receive more positive emotions from a trip by car this time, not the driver, but passengers, albeit with a slight advantage. Little Bashka is an extremely comfortable car! Any launch will make any start to be smooth, and the machine will never violate acceleration with a sharp switch. On the highway, the treshka rests with the confidence of the express, and perfect sound insulation allows you to discuss pressing problems with almost a whisper.
 
The adapted suspension with its energy intensity is not afraid of the most dubious lanes, rounded the fits and joints of a serious caliber to the body. As often happens, the smoothness of the course required concessions in controllability. In this case, at the entrance to the turn, the three -lash does not have enough cleanliness: the car first resists the change in the direction of movement, and a moment later, as if recollecting, it dies inside. On the arc, the car goes perfectly, the saturation of the steering wheel with a feedback will delight even the sophisticated driver.
 
But I don’t want to drive on this BMW, even despite the solid supply of torque on the bottom. Effectively, in pivonian, breaking out of place is very problematic, and the point here is not only in the already mentioned anti-boom system. The electronic gas pedal is configured in such a way that at low speeds the engine reacts to the driver’s actions with some delay, otherwise the Bavarians would not fit into the ecological norms of Euro 4. We have encountered the like on Fabia, and this feature of modern cars requires either addiction or circulation To the tuningers. Automatic box and ASC also impose their restrictions on active driving. Their disadvantages are proposed to level as follows: transfer the gearbox lever into manual mode, and disable the ASC by pressing the button on the central console. However, the freedom achieved in this way is quite illusory, since the machine independently switches to the next gear upon reaching maximum revolutions, and ASC instantly wakes up at the first signs of skidding, stopping all attempts to gigrate. There is nothing to be done: security is above all.
 
BMW 318ia car for the driver. The driver of a balanced, not striving to bother to races, but appreciates comfort. And in this contradiction of the softness of habits and drive, modesty and prestige of three hundred eighteenth, BMW remains with all the largest three letters of this abbreviation.
  
The BMW car was provided by an official dealer, Axel Motors ..
During the test, the car is insured ASK Trust.
 
Text: Kirill Brevdo, Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin
 

 

 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 57/2002]