Test Drive BMW 328i
Staff Photo by Mark KennedyAt a glanceModel: 2012 BMW 328i.Exterior color: Black Sapphire Metallic.Interior color: Dakota Beige.Engine: 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder.Horsepower: 240.Transmission: 8-speed automatic.Fuel economy: 24 mpg city, 36 mpg highway.Dealer: BMW of Chattanooga.Price (as tested): $50,340.
If the BMW 3-series sedan were an article of clothing, it would be a blue blazer. Cashmere. Two-button front.
BMW’s best-selling vehicle has been the benchmark for luxury sport sedans for more than two decades. Like a blue blazer, it’s simultaneously classic and sporty.
The sixth-generation of the 3-series sedan has just hit American shores from an assembly plant in Munich, Germany. Motor Trend magazine already has lined up the new sedan against the usual suspects and pronounced it, again, king of the hill.
Meanwhile, BMW enthusiasts eager to trade for a new 3-series will have an interesting choice to make: Opt for the new turbocharged, four-cylinder version, the 328i, or step up to the 335i, equipped with the company’s unbeatable inline six.