Teh Car Blogz

BMW’s 3-series cars (sedans, coupes, wagons, and convertibles) have long been well-known by the public and well-loved by the media for being the best at what they do - delivering a perfectly balanced mix of performance, luxury, quality, and class. The 3-series has been on Car and Driver’s 10 Best list for at least as long as I’ve been alive, and with good reason. They’re simply fantastic cars. The 3-series has inspired innumerable replicas and wanna-be’s, but very rarely do they ever come close to dethroning the immortal 3 from it’s spot at the top. Since the debut of the E30-generation 3-series in 1982, BMW’s small star has been the one to beat - and only recently have competitors started to come close. Small luxury sedans from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Lexus, Cadillac, Jaguar, Saab, Volvo, Lincoln, Subaru, Acura and many others I can’t even remember have tried to beat the 3-series at it’s own game, and most have failed in one way or another. Acura TL - too front wheel drive. Infiniti G35 - too loud and unrefined. Mercedes C-class - too boring. Lexus IS - not enough power, too boring. Cadillac CTS - too big, heavy, and American. Ditto the Lincoln LS. While this competition has produced some truly great cars, what it’s ended up producing is some even greater 3-series.

These are cars that just feel “right” straight out of the box. Drive a 3 and you’ll see what I mean. The steering feel is unfettered by driven front wheels, and full of feeling and feedback. The engines are silky smooth and have just the right amount of power. (And the M3’s have it too - as the saying goes, more than enough is always just right.) BMW’s famous 50/50 weight balance makes the 3-series dance like a sports car when the need arises. They are solidly built, thoughtfully designed, fuel-efficient compared to most cars in their class, and just generally competent cars.

Despite the 3’s commercial success, it’s clear that many people just don’t get the point. The 3-series has always suffered from “Yuppie Syndrome.” There’s a price to pay for success, and for BMW that price was the public stigma that a 3-series is basically the inverse of a porcupine - the pricks are on the inside. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but what you usually find on the inside is a banker, or a well-off housewife, or some other incongruous driver profile. To put it frankly, many people buy a 3-series not for how it drives, but for how jealous it makes the neighbors. This can be seen in the fact that the majority (58%) of 3-series are leased, not sold.

But some people see a 3-series not as a “fly ride” to keep up with the Joneses, but a blank canvas that’s begging for improvement. Meet Jon Scarano. Jon’s not your typical 3-series owner.

Jon started with a 2001 BMW 325i sedan, 5-speed manual, and over the past few years has added a few choice modifications that turned the 3-series from a sporty semi-luxury sedan into a true sports car with 4 doors. His is one of the lighter E46-generations out there - options are few and far between. The car doesn’t have power seats or even cruise control.

The modifications to this car are fairly well rounded and greatly improve the driving experience. Exterior modifications are tasteful: out front, blacked-out kidney grilles are framed by a trick set of “angel eye” headlights, mimicking the facelifted E39-generation 5-series. There are clear turn signals on the side, and a set of OEM European-Market taillights out back, which look especially clean with the black paint and vanished badges. That’s about it. “I’m not really interested in the looks,” says Jon. “I’m more interested in what makes it go fast.” Still, along with the set of black and silver 18×8.0″ ASA AR1 wheels, the exterior appearance is both slightly menacing and rather tasteful - which is a breath of fresh air in the world of modified BMW’s.

Mechanical modifications are much more substantial. For power, the Bimmer breaths through a K&N short-ram air intake with MAF housing, and spent exhaust gases exit through a Borla exhaust system with a high-flow catalyst and a muffler-delete. An ECU tune by Active Autowerks bumps the redline up by 1,000rpm and gives the car a lot more useful low-end torque as well. This car sounds absolutely ferocious with the muffler-less large-diameter Borla system. It has an urgent wail as you go through the rev range, and spits and backfires like a high-compression race motor on engine braking. Just the sound this exhaust makes is enough to make people on the sidewalk turn their heads - hard.

In my mind, BMW is primarily an engine company - in the way that Lotus is primarily a suspension company. Despite being a base-model, the 325i is still blessed with a great motor. In stock form it makes 189 horsepower. With the modifications done to it, it is probably somewhere over 200 wheel horsepower- pretty healthy for a naturally aspirated 2.5L motor. It’s easy to see the merits of the classic straight-six after a short drive. This engine is as smooth as a sewing machine, exhibiting nary a vibration or any thrashiness on it’s way to redline. The powerband is completely linear, devoid of any peakiness like a smaller turbocharged engine might have. It does pick up a bit after about 3500 rpms as the VANOS (Variable Valve Timing) starts to kick in, but it’s a smooth progression.

The drivetrain modifications are also pretty impressive. There’s a B&M short-shifter up front that cuts the length of throws down to what seems like a half-inch, making snapping off quick shifts easier than turning off Rush Limbaugh. The rear differential is from an automatic-transmission E46 325i, which has a shorter final-drive ratio (3.46:1 rather than the stock 3.15:1.) It has also been fitted with the mechanical limited-slip component from an E36-generation M3. This is perhaps the biggest change over stock, and definitely changes the 325i’s demeanor drastically. Acceleration of the line is a whole lot sharper than stock, and the limited-slip differential makes the rear end feel a lot more locked-in during hard corning. Since you’re always turning higher rpm’s at any given speed, the in-gear acceleration is most impressive, especially third gear - which is perfect for dispatching a windy road at speed.

The suspension has been given a thorough work-over as well. Koni Sport shocks and H&R race springs give this BMW great control and stability through the curves, and front and rear adjustable H&R sway bars make it corner flatter than dead roadkill. For a car this large, the handling is just simply astonishing. You can throw this car into a corner, firmly believe you’re going to die, and the 3 just grips and gets the job done. This stiff suspension in combination with the ideal weight distribution and trick rear differential mean that the 3-series punches well above it’s weight on the back roads, where it truly shines. It would give a modified WRX some serious trouble on a twisty road, with it’s smooth powerband, unfailing grip and impressive poise.

This isn’t a car with a lot of knick-knacks and geegaws, and I’m of the opinion that it’s better for it. No navigation, parking sensors, rain-sensing windshield wipers, dual-clutch gearbox, or backup cameras. No heated cupholders or neon lighting in the footwells, either. It’s a car that you enjoy solely from the experience it provides when you drive it. The crackles and pops from the exhaust send shivers up the spine, the snick-snick of the shifter is immensely satisfying, and the way it punches you down the road is just plain addicting. It’s not perfect, but it never failed to bring a smile to my face - and I’m a fairly jaded driver.

The BMW was not entirely cooperative during performance testing. The 0-60 test is made more complicated by a few factors. For one thing, the sticky Firestones have way more grip than the 126,000 mile old clutch does. Launches above 3000 rpm resulted in a sickening surge in revs and no forward progress. Also, the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) has an “off” switch but never really turns off - even in off mode, if it senses wheel-spin it dials back the power. The trick is to slip the clutch at about 2500 to get some forward progress, then pop it out and nail the gas. Because of the shorter final drive ratio, the BMW will only barely kiss the edge of 60 miles an hour in second gear - to go any further requires a time-consuming shift to third. Still, with all these factors working against it, the BMW cracked off a very satisfying 6.44 second run to sixty miles an hour.

There are some downsides. Since this is a pre-facelift E46, it has the overboosted steering that so many customers complained about. I’ve driven a newer E46 and this has been rectified to a certain degree, but early E46’s suffer from too much power assist. In day-to-day driving this makes no difference, but if you’re hammering down a country road, it leads to a bit of “float” or play in the steering - especially in somewhat bumpy corners. The brakes could be a bit better (they aren’t extremely prone to fade, but they do take a bit longer to stop than is really comfortable.) This could also be down to age. The standard 3-series seats are designed more for Joe Latte than people who really like to drive, and aren’t all that supportive. And… well, actually, that’s it.

Future plans for the 325i include an AAW race clutch and lightweight aluminum flywheel, motor mount inserts, and perhaps a supercharger at some point in the future. Stay tuned!

Words: James
Pictures: James

2001 BMW 325i Sedan
Body: 4 door, 5 passenger sedan
Drivetrain: longitudinal front engine, rear-drive

Engine: 2.5L 24v I6, variable valve timing
Transmission: 5-speed manual

Exterior modifications: “Angel Eye” headlights, clear corner markers, OEM European-Market tail-lights, black “kidney grills,” debadged
Interior modifications: B&M Shift Knob
Electronics: Pioneer Head unit, twin Eclipse 12″ subs in single enclosure, iPod connectivity

Engine Modifications: Active Autowerks Chip, K&N Short-Ram Intake, Borla exhaust with high-flow catalyst, muffler delete
Drivetrain modifications: B&M Short-Shift Kit, DiffsOnline E36 M3 limited-slip rear differential, 3.46 final drive ratio (3.15 stock), E39 M5 OEM Clutch, AAW 12lb Aluminum Flywheel (Single-Mass)
Suspension Modifications: Koni Sport Shocks, H&R Race Springs, H&R front and rear sway bars, ASA AR1 wheels (18×8.0″), 225/40/18 Firestone Firehawk
0-60mph: 6.44 seconds (indicated, timed with stopwatch)

Pros: Ferocious Sound, Smooth Powerband and Plenty of Punch, Tastefully Modified, Fantastic Handling
Cons: Overboosted steering has “float” on some roads, brakes not that impressive, flat seats. Umm…
Verdict: Know why so many people buy 3-series BMW’s? Because they’re amazing. In other news, water is wet.

Thanks to Jon Scarano for letting us use his car for this test.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 7:37 pm and is filed under Road Test. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.