Yet Another 135 vs. 328 comparison

[Judge]

I brought my 1er in for service on Thursday and like most 135 owners was handed a beautiful 2008 Gray 328 sedan with 14,000 miles logged to hold me over until Monday. A rough 14,000 miles it must have been, I concluded, with its worn out leatherette interior and 14 mpg readout on the dash display.

I did not like the drive at all on the way home. Driving in manual mode I thought something was wrong with the transmission. The delay when shifting gears was long and noticeable. How badly was this car beat up?

Sitting at the first red light gave me a little more time to inspect the interior and instruments. I immediately missed the oil temperature gauge and was unimpressed with the mpg thingy in its place. If I wanted to know what I was averaging on fuel consumption I'd rather look it up on the computer than be distracted by the flailing needle that shoots back and forth every time I accelerate and slow down.

When the light turned green I hit the gas and did appreciate the pleasant sound coming from under the hood as I approached redline. When I got near 7000 rpms I shifted gears and then had to wait for it to eventually respond. When it did, I didn't see the drop in rpms I expected and was still in high rpm territory without much more acceleration to show for it. This was going to be a long weekend.

When I got home I did some research and apparently the automatic gearboxes of the 135 and 328 are different, and that everything I experienced was normal. You already know that of course because you're not the last person on earth to discover it as I am.

Having now spent the weekend with the 328 sedan I have grown slightly attached to it. It is a pleasant ride and handles city streets like a pro. I've gotten used to the response time and had no problems weaving between slower cars occupying every lane. I believe the quick negative reaction I harbored at first was due to being used to an entirely different system. It’s not fair to dock it points for being bone stock with non-sports seats and a skinny wheel. If I had never driven my optioned-out 135 I probably would have been fine with the basic setup of the 328, save for the window switches which are way too far forward. Every time I went to roll down the window I inadvertently lowered the rear one.

Also, I don't know if it's a difference between premium/non-premium audio or just the radio settings, but there's a noticeable fade when changing radio stations on the 328 whereas my radio is instant. Again, I got used to it.

So tomorrow before work I will bring it back and replace the fuel I consumed. It's a good car and I'm glad I got to drive something different. But with that being said I can't wait to get my baby back!

[warmtoes]

I had a 328 sedan for 8 days when my roof was being repaired. I thought it was a nice enough sedan but without the sport suspension it was pretty soft. The engine was smooth but the lack of low end torque really changes the driving experience.

Overall, it is a good vehicle for someone looking for a regular sedan.