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BMW 325Ci Convertible - Fleet News
01.03.2001 |
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With one of the slickest folding roofs in the business, the BMW 3-series Convertible offers style in abundance. Paul Clark reports
It's based on the svelte lines of the 3-series Coupe range, but the 3-series Convertible offers buyers a very different driving experience. For refined top-down motoring the Convertible has few peers, and with careful honing of the specification so that all models in the range now feature a fully automatic soft-top mechanism plus improved bodyshell stiffness, the latest 3-series Convertible raises the game in terms of style and driveability.
There are four models in the range - 320Ci, 325Ci, 330Ci and M3 - with on the road prices starting from £25,880 for the entry 320Ci. At the other end of the spectrum, the M3 Convertible costs a heady £41,400.
Unlike the Coupe range, the Convertible also offers a choice of Standard or Sport models for the 192bhp 325Ci and 231bhp 330Ci models. These £29,820 for the 325Ci Sport and £32,340 for the 330Ci - £2280 and £1900 more respectively than the standard models. For your money, you get 18" alloy wheels, sports suspension, sports seats and Alcantara seat trim among an upgrade package of sporting details: 330Ci models also add the valuable benefit of Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).
Tested here is the 325Ci Convertible, priced at £27,540 on the road.
Fleet appeal
Such is the rarity and cache of BMW Convertibles - plus a waiting list of a minimum eight months for a new one - the 325Ci Convertible commands an unprecedented CAP Monitor residual value prediction of £14,250, or some 52% of cost new, over three years/60,000 miles.
That's considerably better than the £11,850/45% of the Saab 9-3 2.0t SE convertible and on a par in percentage terms with the much more expensive (£29,875 OTR) Mercedes CLK 200K Avantgarde cabriolet (£15,525/53%). The Volvo C70 2.0 T Convertible (£26,360 OTR) also fairs less well at £11,150/43%.
With combined consumption of 29.4mpg, the BMW is less economical than the four-cylinder turbo Saab (32.1mpg) but betters the Mercedes' 28.0mpg and the Volvo's 29.1mpg.
Tax position
Carbon dioxide emissions of 230g/km mean a 40% tax payer covering between 2500 and 18,000 miles a year will pay £2736 in company car tax this year. In 2002, under the new emissions-based regime, that tax liability increases to £3064. That compares with the Mercedes which, with emissions of 237g/km, will mean the same driver will see his bill rise from £2970 to £3445 - an increase of £475.
Driver appeal
With 192bhp on tap and improved flexibility from BMW's renowned straight-six, the 325Ci is amply fast. Top speed is 145mph, while 0-62mph is covered in just 7.7secs, over a second quicker than the 320Ci Convertible.
That's more than enough outright performance for most people, and the power is delivered with an exhilarating growl - especially with the top down - that's absent from rivals, particularly the four-cylinder Mercedes and five-cylinder Volvo.
There's impressive stiffness in the Convertible's structure, with little of the 'scuttle shake' that affects, particularly, the Saab.
Roadholding and handling with 16" alloys and 205/55 section tyres is reassuring, while cornering is achieved without too much bump thump from road irregularities and cat's eyes.
As with the Coupe, the Convertible's impeccable steering balance means little of the inherently stiffer Coupe's driver appeal is lost in the Convertible, and it is still easy to drive quickly.
The classic rear-drive layout, powerful brakes, finely judged gear ratios and a slick, if slightly long-throw, gearshift add to the overall driving enjoyment.
Comfort and interior
The Convertible has an interior that shares much with the Coupe. It's restrained but stylish and beautifully put together in true BMW fashion and laid out as a full four-seater, though space in the rear is cramped for taller people.
BMW has come up with a novel solution to the problem of the boot area being compromised by the space required by the folded hood mechanism: a unique 'cartridge' system, which can be folded away when the top is either raised or removed, provides 40 litres more boot space, giving a total of 300 litres. It means the Convertible loses little of the Coupe's practicality.
The hood mechanism itself is fully automatic and takes just 25 seconds to perform its remarkable party trick. The rear window is a proper glass heated screen, meaning that when the top is in place the Convertible feels much like the Coupe in its snugness inside.
An elegant hard top painted in body colour is available at £1595 - a surprisingly reasonable price in view of the convenience it brings during the winter months. Interestingly, BMW is unique in the industry in offering a hard top for its convertible range.
Safety and security
With four airbags (two front plus front side), seat-integrated front belts, belt force limiters and pretensioners on all seatbelts, a strengthened windscreen surround plus a rollover safety system which deploys high-strength roll protection bars in less than 110 milliseconds, the Convertible carries with it one of the best safety remits among the breed.
A unique-fit stereo, remote locking with deadlocks and shielded mechanisms plus an alarm and immobiliser is standard equipment on all Convertibles.
Equipment and value
The 325Ci Convertible's standard equipment includes a fully automatic hood mechanism, climate control, ABS, remote alarm, power seats with driver memory, cruise control, park distance control, 16" alloy wheels, cornering brake control (CBC), traction control, active stability control, an on-board computer, electric front and rear windows, ABS, four airbags and a two-way adjustable multi-function steering wheel.
As previously mentioned, the body colour hard top is a £1595 extra, while leather upholstery is optional at £1200.
Verdict
Any BMW Convertible is a desirable style accessory, but the fact is that for corporate buyers the cost of ownership proposition is second to none. In fact with RVs among the highest of any 3-series - and therefore among the highest of any car on the road - the Convertible is a surprisingly shrewd choice.
There's little question over dynamic ability either, which means the only serious drawback to ownership is the time it will take to get one: currently, BMW is quoting an eight-month lead time on the Convertible. Thus, a new Convertible ordered now won't be on the road until well past the September 1 registration date - and long past any favourable summer weather we might hope to experience this year.