Review: 2007 BMW 3-Series Convertible Test Drive

I have had mine since April (bought one of the first ones in NYC - ordered sight-unseen last October) and its pretty nice.

(a) the novelty of the retractable top wears off really quickly. Especially because there is basically no usable trunk room when the top is down. Also, if you have anything in the trunk before the top goes down, you basically have to put the top back up to get it out (and I have the 'comfort access' option).

(b) gas mileage stinks - my 328i has never gotten better than 21 MPG on the highway - most tanks are around 16 MPG.

(c) the interior looks roomy but once you are in there, its claustrophic and small. The windshield is steeply sloping so it cuts into the sense of front seat room; the back seat is tight too - mainly becuase of the useless center console that continues from the front seat.

(d) Honestly, I've had lots of convertibles and after driving this one for 5 months - it feels unfortunately very generic - I'm pretty disaapointed with it. BMW should have stuck with the fabric top.

Thanks for your input! Is your car the 335 or 328? You didn't really make that clear until you mentioned gas mileage. I wanted to know more about the performance aspect of the 335. I was actually considering this car because my wife is really into it!

Need4Speed -
I wouldn't recommend buying one - unless you are one of those people who is in and out of cars in 9 months. IMO after driving it for a while it starts feeling generic and overwrought. Don't even get me started on the non-intuitive way BMW has re-engineered previously simple functions like putting on the cruise control and turning the wipers on. They should fire 1/3 of their product development staff - parts of the car feel like a 'make-work' exercise.

Like I said, the whole package feels generic - not as a matter of turbo vs non-turbo power b/c the 328 I have is really fast already - but because the whole package feels like it was created by a marketing MBA and not an engineer. Its souless.

Its all sizzle and no steak.

I honestly think the 335i would have been a better choice, nybimmer. The feeling of claustrophobia and being overwhelmed because of the controls would have just gone away after pasting M3s and 911s on your romp from work...

I am, however, extremely surprised at the gas mileage. How fast do you drive? Because it's rated at over 25 on the highway- maybe 30.

BTW, I get your kind of mileage in my S4, but it's a few hundred pounds heavier, has a 344hp V8 and I drive very fast. 16mpg in the city is very normal for me, which makes me even more confused about your fuel economy with the 328i.

good consumer review.

im not surprised by the opinion. bmws almost never get the mpg it claims. i felt the same way when i sat in it and have mentioned that it feels claustrophobic.... smaller than the e46 3 series. the issue with the trunk space also caught my attention.

bmw shifted the shape of the 3 coupe from boxy into a wedge shaped which is reason the windshield has more of a slope. it follows bangle's futuristic design shape. the bmw styling cues look good and traditional but the recent shapes have been a little... off. abstract rather than fluid.

the 3 convertible is by far one of bmw's most beautiful designs. its really too bad that almost all practicality has left all the models of bmw.

bmw has done a good job on its suvs. weird.

Actually, the 5 Series has a pretty huge trunk. It's unappreciated in the lineup, but we drove the 535xi and came away very impressed. We also drove the X5 3.0si and weren't as impressed- but will be going back to drive the 4.8i some time soon. Anyway, back to the 5er, it had seamless acceleration; a very comfortable, roomy interior (better than E-Class), and the little nips and tucks it was given for 2008 make for a huge improvement.

Unfortunately the price of that 'novel' retractable top is an extremely ill-proportioned side profile...

No, it's not anywhere near as hideous as the SC430, but it's still a very unattractive vehicle, especially when compared to its predecessors.

Great driver - Yes!

But I simply refuse to drive an ugly car, and this one certainly is.

I wouldn't have one because I like luggage space with the to down.
Why shouldn't I be able to have the roof down and a suitcase? I can do it in a CLK or fabric top 3 series.

Why shouldn't I be able to have my cake and eat it too? You are correct, you can put more stuff in the trunk of a convertible that doesn't have a folding hardtop. The tradeoff of course is you lose the "wow" factor of the hardtop, the higher comfort level in inclement conditions, and the better looks of the hardtop car with the top up. Besides, if maximum trunk space is a priority for you then you probably shouldn't buy a convertible in first place. How big do you really think the trunk is in the E46 3-series convertible? It's not that big, don't fool yourself.

And let's be fair here and assume that you're not taking a family of four on a vacation in a compact convertible. That's a pretty fair assumption, yes? You certainly aren't getting four people's worth of luggage in the old 3-series. Anyway, aside from the fact that you CAN actually get a suitcase in the trunk of the 3-series convertible with the top down, the rear seat also folds down and there's a large passthrough to the trunk on top of that. So on those occasions where someone wants to maybe take a trip with their girlfriend/wife/mistress there is actually plenty of room for stuff. You can even put golf bags back there. Sure, you lose the "four seater" capability if you're lugging that much stuff around, but you weren't getting four people and luggage/golf bags into a CLK, E46 3-series, A4 convertible, etc. either. Realistically for "real life usage" there's as much or more cargo space in this car than there was in the previous one.

Oh, and about the cruise control and windshield wipers... Seriously? The cruise control is exactly in the perfect spot to extend your fingers out and pull to activate while you're grabbing the steering wheel. I mean, the perfect spot, you don't have to look or reach for anything, just stick out your fingers and pull without your hand ever leaving the wheel. And the wipers? You turn those on just by pushing a button. A button that's on a stalk that's in the same place as before. Instead of pushing up on the stalk you push a button on the end of the stalk. That's too hard?

Well I got back from Spain (to Britain) a month ago in a 3 series convertible, 4 people and their luggage, so I would say yeah, I do that.
And I think folding hardtops look terrible with the roof up, especially the dumpy 3 series. I see so many and they just look fat.
And it's not so much the space with the roof down, it's the hassle of getting to it! The whole roof has to lift itself out of the compartment before you can get to it. Volvo's system is much better.

"The tradeoff of course is you lose the "wow" factor of the hardtop, the higher comfort level in inclement conditions, and the better looks of the hardtop car with the top up."

The hardtop's novelty wears off, as nybimmer said. I don't care how the operation of the top LOOKS as long as it fits my needs, which the soft top on my S4 does. The comfort issue, isn't. It's just as easy to get through rain or snow comfortably with a ragtop, because of the impressive amounts of insulation and layering.

And finally, as Rupert said, most hardtops look terrible with them up. The only ones that (right now) really look good are the SL and SLK, but those are both two-seat roadsters. All four-seaters just look strange... but not the A4/S4, CLK, Mustang, 9-3 Convertible, etc.

"Sure, you lose the "four seater" capability if you're lugging that much stuff around, but you weren't getting four people and luggage/golf bags into a CLK, E46 3-series, A4 convertible, etc. either. Realistically for "real life usage" there's as much or more cargo space in this car than there was in the previous one."

You're wrong, sorry. The S4 will hold four people and a full trunk of groceries or luggage for a weekend... with the top down. The E46 convertible was probably similarly roomy. There's just a big practicality trade-off that you're trying to cover up with excuses- not all BMWs have to be perfectly executed. This one just is not. I love the way it looks with the top down, and I'm sure it's great to drive but I'd stick with a soft top and AWD rather than a hardtop and RWD.

The 335i drop top est I think is good value for under 60k, superior to the Lexus SC 430, and the CLK does not look special it looks like the old c- class. I liked the first late 90's CLK much better. Very proud of the 3 series drop top a grade A. Also the Volvo drop top does not get the same attention as the BMW but it is a nice looking car.