BMW 325Cic is silky smooth

Author's Rating:

Pros: Beautiful, classy, fine handling and packed with technological goodies and engineering expertise

Cons: Only that E46 is being replaced with a new 3-series design

The Bottom Line: 
Highly recommended!

Author's Review
I recently purchased my 2001 BMW 325Cic (convertible) and I absolutely love it. I bought it from United BMW of Roswell Georgia as a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) program car. I'd spotted it on their lot after-hours and approached the dealership with a little trepidation the next day. After all, these folks are used to dealing in some real high-dollar goods and I was afraid that a used car client would be shuffled through with disdain. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The treatment there was better than I'd ever received at any dealership before when buying new. The staff was extremely courteous, patient and well informed and I was made to feel as if, in buying even a used BMW, I were being knighted... bringing with it the recognition and respect of not only the title itself, but of having earned it.

So, on to the car… If you're reading these reviews, you've probably already researched enough to know the specs, the options to be found and the prices to be expected. What you want to know now is should you buy this car. In a word, "yes".... emphatically "YES"!

I expected my BMW to be a sporty, fine driving, fun car with a heavy dose of luxury to boot and it certainly is all of that. What, perhaps, surprised me the most was the level of technology and well thought out design engineering. It is astounding! From high-tech features like DSC (slip-control), to engineering marvels like the best brakes I've ever driven, to seemingly insignificant details like seatbelt clips in the back seat to keep the rear belt from "buzzing" in the wind with the top down, this car never fails to amaze.

And what a top! The 325Cic has an insulated double-wall canvas top with a heated glass rear window. The car is nearly as quiet when the top and windows are up as the average coupe.

But, it's with the top down that counts the most. To accomplish this you push a button and hold it for about 20 seconds while the top automatically folds and stows itself under the hard boot. There is no top-stack to impede your view or ruin the looks of the car as is the case with many convertibles (even the high-dollar Jags and Aston-Martins). You must be stopped to put the top up or down, so if you're caught by surprise with a sudden rain you must pull over to put the top up. Frankly, this is not really any different than any other convertible. Having had to pull over to the side of a highway in my old Miata to put the top up was considerably more dangerous in that one had to get out and run around the car to erect that car's manually operated top while the BMW's fully automatic top lets you stay inside the car.

The engine on the 325 is smooth... oh-so very smooth! I drove an X3 with the bigger engine of the 330 model and found it to be more powerful, but not quite as silky. Take that with a grain-of-salt because it was in an SUV (or "crossover" vehicle, as BMW prefers to say) and it was still smoother than any other engine I've driven besides the 2.5L BMW. The 330 models are certainly faster than the 325, but that does not make the 325 slow. It has plenty of power for a spirited romp down a country lane. Even if you're not looking for a drop-top, I wouldn't let the HP wars of cars like the Infiniti G35 and Lexus IS300 deter you from going with a 3-series BMW. Those Japanese models are both great cars and very fast, but the BMW is much smoother and carries itself with a certain composure that keeps it the benchmark by which all others are measured.

Handling is superb and the car feels so solid and planted, even in the rain, that it inspires ultimate confidence. It is a joy to drive. There is not the least bit of cowl-shake and the integrity of the structure is so closely related to it's handling and composure that you will instinctively feel yourself linked to the road... and I mean this in a real-world sense, not just as a hypothetical abstract.

As previously mentioned, the brakes are the best I've ever encountered. There is not the least bit of "mushiness" and they haul the car down from speed remarkably quickly and straight... none of the front end "hunting" that plagues many other cars, even those equipped with ABS like the BMW.

My final point of assessment is of the Steptronic automatic transmission. I selected an automatic because my wife does not know how to drive a stick-shift and refuses to learn. I had a Miata with a 5-speed and a Chrysler mini-van, but traded both in on the Bimmer and now must be able to swap cars with my wife when I need the hauling capacity of her Town & Country. At first I certainly felt it a compromise, though a necessary one, to choose an automatic and forego BMW's legendary manual gearbox. However, it didn't take long for me to realize what a joy the Steptronic transmission is to drive. As it turns out, I think I like this better than manual. It allows me to relax in traffic and still stir around in the gearbox on an open road. For casual trips around the neighborhood and highway driving the standard "Drive" setting is ideal. Hit some open country roads that are, fortunately, part of my daily routine and I slip into "Sport" mode which still shifts automatically, but with more gusto... and then... when the mood strikes, I can instantly slip into manual mode just by tapping the lever... no preparations needed... just pull back on the shifter (when in sport mode) and you've moved into manual mode and downshifted at the same time. I suppose you can do this with an upshift too, but that would be a rarity. So, I find myself often using manual mode for a set of S-bends or such, particularly where I feel the need for a downshift entering a curve, and then returning to auto to amble on down less interesting sections. Moving back to auto from manual is a simple as slipping the lever sideways back into "D". More often than not, the circumstances departing manual mode are such that I'll click it over to "D" to cancel manual and immediately back to "Sport"... sort of a double-switch in a single motion (the lever rests in the same spot as "Sport" when using the manual function but not actually making a gear change). I understand the newer models have reversed the manual movements with downshifts being a forward push on the lever, but the older system makes more sense to me. I suppose one gets used to it, but pulling back on the lever is more instinctive since standard automatics often have lower gear settings below drive (the Steptronic does not... "D" is the last notch on the main set of choices and one uses manual to force lower gears for climbing or engine braking on a grade).

Let me sum it up before I get any more long-winded than I already have. I strongly recommend both the car and the buying experience. I see that several reviews here focus on value, or lack there of, with regard to the 3-series. And, while the BMW's are more expensive than other cars of their size, I cannot disagree more with those who claim that makes the car less of a value. If size/price ratio is your only consideration there are plenty of choices out there that are less expensive and/or bigger. However, BMW offers a combination of sportiness, refinement, luxury, performance, and prestige that can only be approached by Mercedes-Benz in this same class (and, possibly, Audi or Jaguar, depending on your focus). I do not mention the premium Japanese brands like Lexus, Infiniti and Acura as true contenders because, while some of their models may make the grade in performance or luxury or some other individual facets, none combine all those elements quite so well as the BMW.