Well, That Didn't Take Too Long - BMW's 2012 328i Spotted Wearing 20s

Looking forward to leasing one for my wife...

Nice car but where is the coupe?

it always comes the following year of the new sedan

You're like a dog with a bone. My next everyday car will be a turbo 4. Not sure whether it's going to be a BMW 328i, an Audi A4, or perhaps the 2012 Ford Fusion AWD with the ecoboost 4. I want to do my part to end this country's reliance on foreign oil, as soon as we can. I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way.

And my avatar is my weekend car....2011 911 Carerra. All the power I need, 6-spd manual....and still gets great gas mileage

@NoMoreObama2012

While your political leanings are somewhat far fetched, your sentiments are absolutely correct in regards to most of the German auto brands charging exorbitant prices in return for very few features/amenities and piss poor reliability.

I swear one of the thing BMW used to pride itself over was no force induction engines (particularly in the states, and abroad) and another thing was the offering of 4 cylinder engine in the US. Its actually funny how things have turned... That formula of the 2.0T...

ever heard of emmission regulations and CAFE?

BMW is now the first manufacture with an all turbo lineup...but they still focus on sharp throttle response,linear power delivery, and sporty handling these are BMW constants.

Exactly

When it was Audi doing it it was the worst thing in the world

Now BMW is doing the same all of a sudden it is the best thing since sliced bread.

In the 90's with cheap oil people wanted powerful 6 and 8 cylinder motors. So a four cylinder did not really make sense at the time. Plus the first 1.8t used in the B5 only had 148hp which was underpowered compared to Mercedes, and BMW's 6 cylinder equivalents.

In mid 1998, the 1.8 20vT engine available outside Europe had its power output raised to 168 hp. They also updated the turbine to prevent cracking due to heat..

So one could say they were ahead of the curve, but the other side of the argument is it was underpowered, and not as refined at the competitions motors. It could also be interpreted that they were cost cutting b/c it was the same as the jetta motor, or unable to adapt quickly to the economic climate at the time..which was cheap oil, and powerful motors.

So the story could be spun either way, but now luckily for Audi, the oil prices rose due to globalization (more demand, higher price) which was inevitable, but maybe happened quicker than some anticipated. But the competition adapted quickly which is what good companies do, and now make similar sized units that match or even surpass the Audis for efficiency and performance.

Correction- Mercedes also had a 1.8 four from 93 to 96 as the base model then changed it to a 2.3 I4 in 96...with forced induction versions following.

I hate that brown-grey color. Looks terrible on any car including the new 3.

This is actually not a bad looking car and the 20 inch wheels give the new 3 series a more upscale appearance. But alas, it's still a BMW so I'll pass!

@blazinboy

LOL! I probably make more in a month than what you earn in an entire calendar year! Furthermore, irrespective of my extra disposable income, I work very hard and I refuse to buy or lease a inferior quality, sub-par automobile and squander money constantly on unnecessary repairs just for the sake of brand prestige. That's why the majority of new BMW's (50% - 70%) are leased, not purchased, as even the smart car enthusiast knows that most BMW's won't last 3 years or more without major issues.

However, if you want to take your menial fast food salary and waste it on a cheaply made, bottom-rung BMW (Big Money Wasted) then that's on you.