Buy a BMW 318ti equipped with an automatic. Our rather pricey 328is had 190 horsepower under the hood thanks to a creamy 2.8-liter inline six. It's just as smooth as the larger unit, but not as quick. Still, the 323is is quick enough to be entertaining, and that's why you should be buying a BMW in the first place. To be entertained.
Automatics are entertainment buzzkills.
The folks at BMW want us to remind you that the sedan is the only all-new 3 arriving in the U.S. for 1999. The coupe pictured here, and the convertible that is just as attractive, will continue in current form for at least another year. And while the design has aged since its 1993 debut, it is aging as gracefully as Raquel Welch. But you've gotta love to drive to truly appreciate the BMW 3-Series, because it's about the car, not luxury accouterments or the image. Some interior plastics had a low-rent look and feel to them and the dashboard forward of the passenger is poorly executed in terms of aesthetics.