GTaudiophile
Lifer
From the July 2001 Issue of Car & Driver:
BMW Does An About-Face
To deal with new competition for its 3-series - that would be the Lexus IS300, an upcoming new Audi A4, and the Jaguar X-type, not to mention the Acura TL - BMW has been forced to upgrade the line. All of them, beginning in the middle of the 2001 model year, will get more standard equipment - without, it's promised, an increase in the base prices. The stuff includes automatic climate control, fog lights, heated mirrors, and cruise control for all 325 models. The 330 model gets power seats and a Harman/Kardon audio system. Responding to charges that the 3-series has become too soft, BMW will make the Sport-package suspension, including a more aggressive tire, the standard setup for all 330 models, and that starts this fall. And BMW will add a new steering rack to to all 3-series models that includes stiffer bushings, a quicker ratio, and increased effort. Just last year BMW lightened the steering of its smallest sedan to a chorus of boos from enthusiast drivers. "Maybe we went a little bit too far toward comfort," concedes Heinz Krusche, a senior BMW chassis engineer, "but there were people who believed that was what our customers wanted. This new steering takes us back to our roots." (Page 34)
BMW Does An About-Face
To deal with new competition for its 3-series - that would be the Lexus IS300, an upcoming new Audi A4, and the Jaguar X-type, not to mention the Acura TL - BMW has been forced to upgrade the line. All of them, beginning in the middle of the 2001 model year, will get more standard equipment - without, it's promised, an increase in the base prices. The stuff includes automatic climate control, fog lights, heated mirrors, and cruise control for all 325 models. The 330 model gets power seats and a Harman/Kardon audio system. Responding to charges that the 3-series has become too soft, BMW will make the Sport-package suspension, including a more aggressive tire, the standard setup for all 330 models, and that starts this fall. And BMW will add a new steering rack to to all 3-series models that includes stiffer bushings, a quicker ratio, and increased effort. Just last year BMW lightened the steering of its smallest sedan to a chorus of boos from enthusiast drivers. "Maybe we went a little bit too far toward comfort," concedes Heinz Krusche, a senior BMW chassis engineer, "but there were people who believed that was what our customers wanted. This new steering takes us back to our roots." (Page 34)
