Is there any japanese car that feels and handles like a BMW 3 series?

[jinduy]

i like the feel of the 3 in terms of how it feels heavy and how it can hug the road, but i don't like the way it eats gas. is there a japanese alternative that has decent MPG and and drives similarly? i don't care for the horses.

 

[nickbits]

Lulz

 

[PhoKingGuy]

lulz indeed

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Seriously though...

GTI? MS3?

 

[angry hampster]

I hear the Prius is nice

 

[angry hampster]

Seriously though...

GTI?

Really?

 

[Jodell88]

He wants a GTR. Can't get much better than that

 

[TruePaige]

Really?

This.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Really?

Lol well its close enough, maybe he should consider this:

 

[thescreensavers]

^ damn that does not look too bad.


Uh yea forget the MPG part lol.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

It looks like a cayenne hacked onto the front of a prius

 

[Bignate603]

It looks like a cayenne hacked onto the front of a prius

Or a torn off body kit waiting to happen.

 

[mafia]

Lulz

This.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Here you go:

 

[angry hampster]

Lol well its close enough, maybe he should consider this:

I think you'remissing thepoint. There is no japanese GTI.

 

[MJinZ]

i like the feel of the 3 in terms of how it feels heavy and how it can hug the road, but i don't like the way it eats gas. is there a japanese alternative that has decent MPG and and drives similarly? i don't care for the horses.

Probably not... better handling cars like the RX-8 don't have the power or weight (why do you want a heavy feeling car anyway?). THe RX-8's FE sucks too.

When it gets up there, it gets expensive... GT-R expensive so that's not really an option.

You can wait for the Supra and Celica to return, the Supra is supposed to be a Hybrid.

 

[Doggiedog]

What 3 are you talking about? The 325 and 328 are pretty fuel efficient. I get about 21mpg in my 335i. On the highway I can sometimes average 30mpg.

As for handling, my G35 was close but I would say about 90% of the 3 in terms of feel. My Prelude SH was quite good although the mileage on that car was pretty awful.

 

[EightySix Four]

I think the 370z/G37 get closest but don't really help on the fuel economy side. Just get the 3 series

 

[theeedude]

Mazda3s 2.3. You can thank me later.

 

[hiromizu]

I've got a friend Julio who swears that his Civic handles just as good as my 3 series. I've never driven it but he said he's driven many BMWs so maybe he's legit.

 

[theblackbox]

here's a fun link

http://www.dpccars.com/car-videos-08/04-23-08page-BMW-135i-vs-Mitsubishi-Lancer-Evo-X.htm


i can't believe how ugly the evo has become, thinking back to it's early days of rallye performance and wins.
they've turned it into something totally different.



but honestly, i can't imagine any typical japanese car that matches the comfort and performance of euro cars. there are exceptions of course, but there is also sacrifice to get there.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Isn't the Lexus IS250 supposed to be a 3 series equivelent?

 

[hans007]

Isn't the Lexus IS250 supposed to be a 3 series equivelent?

except it is much slower, and the driving feel is so terrible on it that it feels like you just have novacane shot into your arms and feet.

the IS250 is terrible .

it is a 3 series equivalent for people who are buying say a 328i with no options on it just to drive to work. in that case its better than a 328i.

if you actually like driving, well first yo'd get the sport pack on the 328i. and then you'd not ever touch a is250.

as for the OPs question. I had a first gen G35 coupe and i'd say the infiniti's are about as close as you'd get, but its still not bmw feel. it handles great (in fact in instrumented tests it might actually handle better), but the engine is rougher and different (it is really really hard to beat an inline-6 or inline-4 for smooth). the steering at least on the G35 I had was good, but it was just a touch less i suppose telepathic as a 3 series (at least a properly equipped sport pack 3 series).

the new G37 honestly might be a little worse as far as feel, as its been more luxuried up, and is maybe a little softer than the first one, yet has a worse engine note do to the even more over bored out engine. the 370z is more or less the same (the 370z honestly is much more liveable than the old 350z, but its lost some of its character i think, its almost like a G37 with 2 less seats)

 

[OS]

i have driven a couple e46 sedans, but i was not impressed with the handling, the power even less so.

if i had to pick a common car for great handling it would probably be the miata..

 

[hans007]

also i do have to add one thing. the first gen lexus IS300 supposedly did feel like a bmw. they made a real effort t omake it just like an e36.