From the Archive: 1995 BMW 318i Convertible Test
BMW's bargain convertible, the 318, sells for $30,370, a discount of $9572 over the 325i Convertible. It looks and handles like the 325, yet it comes with a serious shortcoming for the performance-oriented: an engine that is torque-challenged.
BMW simply inserted a 138-hp 1.8-liter four into the engine room of the 325i Convertible, where normally a 189-hp 2.5-liter six resides. The torque output dropped from 181 pound-feet to a skimpy 129, while the speed it peaks at rose from 4200 to 4500 rpm. Then, the 325i badge on the tail was discreetly marked down to 318i.
Aaron Kiley
|
Car and Driver
The 318i Convertible differs from the 325i Convertible in several other details: instead of the electric ballet that lowers and raises the top, the customer will be using the armstrong method; instead of leather, the seat coverings are cloth or vinyl; instead of ten speakers, the standard AM/FM/cassette has six; and the in-dash computer has fewer functions.
The missing torque leaves a crater where the fun used to be. Keeping up with traffic requires a deeper foot in the power than we expect of a BMW. The convertible's extra weight—280 pounds over the 318i coupe we tested in August 1992—shares part of the blame. Zero to 60 mph takes 9.7 seconds, a full second longer than in the four-cylinder BMW coupe. The 325i Convertible gets to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds when shifted manually, or in 9.1 seconds with the automatic.
The 318i Convertible feels even slower than the numbers suggest. The small four comes on nicely at about 4500 rpm, but that leaves much of the rev range with no 00mph. We notice that the tach spends a lot of time north of 4000 just to keep up with traffic. This is a driver's car in the sense that if you don't drive it—buzz the motor and row the lever—it doesn't go. In some cars over the years, Fiats and Honda particularly, that's been a recipe for great fun, because their engines are playful and zingy. They're co-conspirators, always goading you on. This BMW, on the other hand, is smooth, refined, and cool to the touch, a partner that always holds back a little.
Shade-averse persons will find the manual top's walk-around-the-car ritual to be a giant backward leap from the 325i's automation. It includes a dozen steps, almost all made from outside the driver's seat. While raising the roof, shorter persons—particularly those who are unstrong, too—will probably have to kneel on the back seat to hoist the load.
This 318, like the 325, has BMW's optional ($1390) just-in-time pop-up roll bars, one behind each rear-seat headrest. Seatbelts that snug up on impact are standard equipment, a good idea for any car but especially for a convertible.
The soft plastic rear window seems a bit disappointing. Even the base Saab 900S convertible has a glass rear window and a power top. It's also lighter and more powerful. All of which may make its $2080 price premium over the 318i seem reasonable.
This 318i ends up being a convertible for those who want a BMW more than they want performance.
Specifications
Specifications
1995 BMW 318i Convertible
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $30,370/$34,046
ENGINE
DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 110 in3, 1796 cm3
Power: 138 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 129 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 174.5 in
Curb Weight: 3190 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.7 sec
1/4-Mile: 17.4 sec @ 79 mph
100 mph: 36.5 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 10.6 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 116 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 185 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 26 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City: 22 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
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