That damned new-car itch is back. I was hoping it would stay away, but it’s an irritating cyclical visitor that emerges out of nowhere at the 6-7 year mark–like a cicada–and just buzzes, buzzes, buzzes in the background. No good reason for it. The Fiesta ST is still a feisty little imp; the 4Runner does what we bought it to do, and the Camry drives as if new. But I’m weak; prone to dissatisfaction, and unable to entirely stifle the desire for more. So the eye wanders.
The Camry is the target here, the poor thing. It’s been a perfectly loyal servant, but in this world no good deed goes unpunished and six years in a 4-cylinder midsize sedan is still six years in a 4-cylinder midsize sedan. It’s wholesome and nutritious, but doesn’t satisfy the way something with a bit more lipid and salt does, you know?
What do I want, grasping brat that I am? What doesn’t exist, of course: a GTI longroof. A BMW 5 Series with a standard inline 6 and a sterling repair record. A Chevy SS that doesn’t average 17 mpg. A car that does everything perfectly all the time, and never leaves you wanting. The typical useless and stereotypical fantasies! In reality, I’m considering any non-electric sedan or low-slung 5-door with a big bump in engagement; power; noise control, and material quality. I’m not sure how much longer this will be possible in a world of crossovers and electrification, and that is making me nervous.
The quintessential 1990s Yuppiemobile. I wanted one. The parents were too smart.
Back in the good ol’ ’90s of my youth, when suburban drones like myself became too big for their britches, they started sniffing around Acura; Saab; BMW, and maybe even Mercedes dealerships for the enviable entry-level luxury sports sedan to signal their rising ability to take on debt. The BMW 328i was an aspirational car in 1996, and for good reason: it started at $33,000 against an average new car purchase price of $19,000. Now, the average is $50,000 and you have to check several expensive option boxes for a 330i to even hit that mark.
America’s eagerness to challenge the tensile strength of their finances with big expensive vehicles has greatly outpaced inflation. I remember when the Eddie Bauer Expedition hit the scenes: a gigantic plasticky truckwagon in leather cosplay that cost 3 Series money back when that was a big deal. It was a show of disposable income to ferry kids around suburbia in such a monstrosity. And boy, did we all want in on that game; the best-selling vehicles in America are now an even bigger truck class starting at $56,000 for the popular 4-door versions.
The prestige-brand sports sedan doesn’t convey much status in 2023. You’ll need a King Ranch badge at minimum, or one of those pig-faced $85,000 AMG GLE crossovers on 21-inch pie plates to make the same kind of statement today.
The harbinger of the F150 Crew Cab on every damn street corner today
Yuck!
Well, not me. My eye is roving back to the ’90s. I like my 4Runner (sometimes) because it’s plucked straight from that decade, and my aspirational vehicle is rooted there, too. No crossovers! No trucks! No electrification! A car. A nice one. A quick one. A used one; nice, quick cars lose a lot of value in short order now, and vehicle purchase price is one area where I’m quite happy to be below average.
The search begins. I’m in no hurry here; there are a half dozen candidates for which I will simply wait to appear in dealer inventories no more than 10 minutes from home. As they surface and I have time to roll by and pester the salesmen for a drive, I’ll tap out the results. Not sure if this will go anywhere; sometimes a test drive or two is enough to nip the bud and remind me that the grass is green enough on my side of the fence.
Right away I have one for you, an unexpected rarity: a 2019 BMW 430i XDrive Gran Coupe (coo-pay. Not pretentious at all). Didn’t expect to see one of these for quite a while. This is the appealing liftback version of the F30 3 Series line. Neither a truncated hatchback nor full-length wagon, it’s the average of the two, with a long cargo floor and steeply raked glass that makes it almost indistinguishable from the sedan until you pop the back and watch the cargo area expand before your eyes. Reminds me fondly of Dad’s old ’79 Saab 900 turbo. I’ll never understand why this form of vehicle has been so unpopular, given the compromise-free way it increases the flexibility of a sedan.
It’s a tad less glamorous in white, sitting next to a bunch of Rogues at a Nissan dealer
I tried an F30 once, a sedan in lowest-possible-lease trim, and became prickly about the interior and some packaging issues despite liking the road manners. This 430i has the optional sport seats; upgraded interior trim, and a liftback that bridges the gap between sedan and wagon without triggering the official Cult of the Longroof resale bump of the rare F30 estate. It’s a nicely-packaged and -specified car, and looked nearly brand new inside and out despite the 67,000 miles on the odometer. This one might change my mind on BMW’s most maligned 3 Series.
And indeed it earned back some goodwill. The sport seats on this car solve my venomous gripes about the wretched ones in the base F30. They’re exceptionally comfortable; supportive, and adjustable. The interior trim is far nicer, replacing the downmarket silver plastic with dark wood inlays and the monochrome black vinyl with deep blue leather. There are still a few cheap aspects, primarily on the center console where the chintzy monostable transmission joystick lives, but otherwise it’s a nice solid cabin. It’s amazing what a few checked option boxes can do. Of course, with BMW it’s amazing what a few checked option boxes cost the original owner.
Unfortunately, my opinion of its driving character is not as positive this time around. The 430i is a quick and capable machine, willing to inhale interstate and mountain highway, but I struggled to connect with the remote and heavy way it operates. The steering is every bit as numb as our Camry’s, while the effort and weighting feel even less natural in some situations. The decade-long lament for BMW’s lost road-feel is not an exaggeration; this helm is as dead as a doornail. The chassis isn’t all that lively or fun, either, because the car feels a bit heavy when changing direction despite an abundance of grip.
The remoteness continues with the engine. It delivers power when it wants to and how it wants to. Your input on the pedal is a suggestion to be interpreted, and not a command to be followed. The ZF 8-speed automatic is a sharp and intuitive operator, but the 2-liter turbo four hooked to it makes approximately 0.0 lb·ft off idle, and there’s nothing a transmission can do about that. Normal; Sport; whatever, the car leaves the line like a hippo waking up from a nap to charge an intruder. It’s 2 seconds of groggy target fixation followed by a burst of power. This lag would scare the bejeezus out of my wife the first time she tried to turn left against traffic the way she’s accustomed to doing. The way around it is to brake-torque with the left foot to produce some exhaust flow for the turbo, and it will then pop off the line like a spring. She’s not going to be interested in doing that.
Beyond the turbo lag, the engine is a spreadsheet ace. It’s quick and efficient: sixty in 5.5; nearly 100 mph through the quarter, and a 27 mpg combined EPA rating. That should be enough for anyone, but it rarely feels that fast seat-of-the-pants and it never feels very interesting. It sounds small and gritty, and not very enthusiastic about its job. It seems much happier surfing a low rpm torque wave in narrow rev bands than expressing itself across the tachometer. That’s great for an SUV, but strange in a sports sedan. Every time I visit a turbo four + automatic, I leave disappointed. My lack of enthusiasm for the engine is a little troubling; there are three other cars on my list with 2-liter turbo fours.
I can’t overstate how much better these seats are than the base
Some of the above criticisms can be lessened by monkeying around in the drive modes and customizing suspension; steering weight, and transmission response settings. Sport mode makes the steering bizarrely heavy without restoring any feel, sharpens downshift response, and prevents the engine from vibrating the whole car at the 1,100-rpm lug of Normal mode. But then ride quality degrades and sends shivers and minor squeaks through the cabin. Fortunately, you can pick and choose, and configure the car into a pretty good daily driver with the suspension and steering in Normal and transmission in Sport. But this is an exercise in mitigating the car’s flaws rather than enjoying its strengths, and that’s a bit of a problem for an aspirational car.
So it’s not quite a sports sedan. It’s a low-end grand tourer with a few substantial powertrain and ride refinement issues. Is that what I want?
It still looks the part, so the steering and engine are a real shame
Slightly disappointed, I park and begin to examine it as the family car it needs to be. The front is plenty roomy, and comfortable port and starboard. The back seat is just a little tight. My knees aren’t quite touching the driver seat, but my head is brushing the outboard ceiling. I’ve got to keep in mind that the kids will be mutating into teenagers before too long and this might be half a size too small. I do like the liftback and flexible cargo area, and the skier in me nods with approval at the 40-20-40 flat-folding rear seatbacks. But under that floor is a bunch of styrofoam filler and no spare tire. It’s a 3,800-pound ‘compact’ car with a complicated battery installation in the trunk to keep 30 pounds off the nose, yet BMW nixed the spare tire for weight considerations. Get ready for a lifetime of expensive and hard-riding run-flats.
So it’s now a flawed low-end grand tourer that may be a tad too small and is a full 67,000 miles closer to the BMW event horizon of expensive routine maintenance that could make those road trips a more worrisome affair. Dang it, it’s slipping away again. I really wanted to like this car…
Unconvinced about the Bimmer, I hop back in the Fiesta (which has a spare) and immediately realize it’s much easier to make a 2,700-pound car fun to drive than a 3,800-pounder. The BMW drives less like a premium sports car and more like someone installed lowering springs and a stiffer antiroll bar in our Camry. If I wanted that, Toyota offers the Camry TRD and Avalon TRD, which would get serviced less frequently and expensively at our local dealership.
So, I think the 430i is out of contention. That’s unfortunate, because it’s a genuinely nice car with numerous virtues, and I was drawn back to it for a reason. But it just didn’t quite deliver for me…again. It’s trying to be both a luxury car and an Ultimate Driving Machine™, and it inevitably landed in the compromised middle ground where outright desire is low and practical issues such as service costs and spare tires become important. Rather than promoting a sense of want, it made me appreciate both the Ford and the Toyota more because those cars seem less conflicted in their missions. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
It’s an inauspicious start to this exercise and bodes ill for a few other contenders, but we’ll see what next time brings.
Just remember the massive failure rates on these 2.0t’s. The cars are literally worthless when (not if) the engine self destructs via timing chain failure, and engines are unobtainium. Except for $30k from BMW…
What’s your opinion on whether the 2015 chain guide revision fixed the problem?
There’s conflicting reports. Some places say they solved it, some say the random catastrophic failures don’t happen and they wear out over time. I have seen a few failed post-2015 personally. Not really sure if they went slack over time and were ignored until they grenaded or otherwise. If it’s any consolation, the earlier models couldn’t seem to last more than 60k miles while they newer ones seem to make it to 90k-ish. Baby steps, I suppose. I wouldn’t buy one.
It might be too run of the mill, but what about the rare turbo Mazda6? Barely any made, gorgeous yet down to earth styling, Camry-like reliability (at least for the more numerous non-turbo), better driving than any non-M BMW in 15 years, and probably not very expensive given low sedan demand. Could be a slightly unicorn-ish car to look back on while not breaking the bank. Of course, it’s mechanically fairly plebeian…
The 6 is still a beautiful car after all this time. I like Mazda, and there’s a dealer very close. My largest hesitation is pairing that much torque with an open differential FWD; not because of dumb backroad antics, but for turning into traffic in our busy area and having the inside wheel break loose. But if one shows up locally I might give it a try. Thanks!
That was a really enjoyable read and I could follow your rationale 100%. Hope you find what you’re looking for but indeed a tall order.
Although the Fiesta sounds like it is loved, maybe keep the utilitarian Camry and replace the Fiesta with something fun and vintage? Turbo Volvo wagon? Miata? Z3M? Caprice SS?
I feel blessed to be able to have 3 vehicles in our family as well and we strive for purpose and diversity in our fleet, too.
The wife’s ’23 Camry Hybrid is the long-trip efficiency cruiser and errand runner go-to. It’s stripper spec for optimal efficiency.
My ’21 Tacoma Limited is luxurious and capable with the rare long bed. It hauls yard waste, bikes, kayaks and pulls our camper.
My ’93 Supra is the fun car, though we rarely drive it far. Maybe not as fun or enjoyable as our old NB2 Miata, it fills a different void, they’re not apples to apples.
I can’t wait for your next installment!
Thanks Sam. Like the Fiesta ST too much to sell anytime soon, it’s the go-for-a-drive car and a big part of why things like this BMW don’t feel that entertaining behind the wheel.
You’ve confirmed all the reasons these have zero appeal for me in your usual erudite way. The key elements (steering, engine, handling) are what made them so desirable once upon a time. All gone…
While decidedly not up to 90s standards for driving engagement, the new G20 3 Series is a lot better. I would say the F30 represents a low point in the 3 Series lineage for many reasons.
Yuppie mobile? Well since yuppies refers to the ’80s the quintessential car would be the BMW 528 tooling around all over the Bay Area in 1985. In black of course. As for this current version in the story one can keep the turbo four with auto.
Of course they cost more, but many of your objections would be overcome if you stepped up to the 6 cylinder versions: 340GT (large backseat), 440GC, or 640GT (basically a 7 series hatchback).
Agree—440GC would be my choice (and is.)
The B58 does loom large in the background. Once it’s gone I wonder if we’ll ever see a turbo inline 6 in something that’s not a 5,000 pound crossover.
But that raises the price beyond my ceiling for now.
Try the 435i/440i Gran Coupe; it would solve a lot of your complaints.
If you want more space, of course, BMW has a second liftback in the F30 family, the 3 GT. While it’s not as pretty, the 3 GT has a longer wheelbase and a taller roofline, along with (I believe) standard AWD.
Really, though, I hope the Kia Stinger GT2 is on your list. Now that’s a gem. Also, an C7-generation Audi A7 would be considerably larger, and the 3.0T (which is actually supercharged, but never mind that) is quite reliable.
Nice suggestions, Kyree. There’s a red Stinger that periodically goes down my street. It’s a looker. I should probably more strongly consider it, but H/K seems to still be having real engine issues and that scared me a way. Don’t know if the 3.3 turbo is one of the problematic ones, though. I’ll have to give that some more thought!
Great writeup – I empathize with your frustrations. In fact, for the first time ever, I’m dreading having to shop for a new car. It seems like every year, there’s fewer and fewer cars that I find appealing and/or useful. Like you wrote, it’s starting to make me nervous.
That articulates my experience with the BMWs that I’ve driven or ridden in over the last decade or so. Very well stated.
Oh, and I’ll join you in praising 5-door hatchbacks – it’s a bodystyle that seemingly offers many solutions at once.
Thanks Eric. It’s hard to watch the automotive landscape move away from what’s appealing (and affordable). And I was genuinely surprised about my lack of enthusiasm for this BMW’s driving character, I remember liking it a bit more the first time around.
This was a fun read, you know the old saying, “never meet your heroes!” You might have looked at these Beemers in mags, or a quick peek at the dealers when they were new. It’s much different to go look at them seriously as an expensive used car, with potential expensive maladies waiting for you in the near future.
This kind of colors your perceptions, and as you found, it makes it harder to ignore some deficiencies that would have been ignored in the excitement of driving a new Bimmer.
Still, it’s fun to consider one time dream cars that have now depreciated closer to being obtainable.
But you’re not looking for a hobby car, you’re looking at something that will be usable and reliable, with a fairly long service life left. You have to make a RESPONSIBLE choice. takes some of the fun out of it, right?
After I dispensed with my three Jags I told myself that I was done with projects, anything that I bought would have to be a good running car in good shape, that would only need, maintenance and preservation, not restoration. These cars were what I like to refer to as “Vintage Lite,” cars around 15-20 years old that were interesting to me when they were new, and that I still find appealing. The mileage has to be relatively low, closer to 100K than 200,000 which should leave me with plenty of years of driving pleasure, ( since I’m retired) and especially since European makes are completely out of the question!
The two vehicles that I bought as hobby cars; the ’06 Mustang GT with 116,000 miles, and the ’05 Navigator with 109,000 miles have both racked up another 4K apiece since purchase without problems. I dote on them, keeping them clean, waxed, and detailed. Much more fun than rebuilding suspensions or swapping out transmissions.
As a grumpy old man, I find it hard to get too excited about new cars, I can see why many of my age prefer a nice muscle car or 60-70’s vintage machine. Easy to fix up and maintain, but still quite usable.
I agree with your reaction to the pictured Expedition’s interior, that’s why I chose a Navigator instead, which has an interior that rivals my departed Jaguar XJ6.
I look forward to further installments. Good luck on your search.
Thanks Jose, I like your Vintage Lite perspective!
I won’t disagree with anything here in the article or the comments about the undesirability of the 4 series Gran Coupe. What is a little troubling to me is how this thing is somehow being conflated (unless I’m misunderstanding something) with the still-extant 3 series. The 3 series is something different altogether, and I don’t believe that even BMW expects to sell the 430i to someone who actually wants a 3 series.
The 4 series has consistently presented to me as a bloated, under-powered (for the bloat), and frankly fat-looking vehicle that I’m sure fills some sales niche, but lordy I can’t figure out what. I started thinking that back when the so-called Gran Turismo models were introduced a dozen years ago. I mean, I like a hatchback, but it seems that BMW could have designed something better than these chubby, high waistline, squished greenhouse things. Add the 4 cylinder engine and dead handling (as has been described here and I have experienced in various test drives and loaner experiences) and I can’t figure out who these appeal to. Clearly not to me.
Say what you will about “long roofs”…they’re sometimes called that for a reason. The long roof provides usable cargo space. I can’t really figure out what this 430i could carry, despite the fact that large opening in the back would allow something kind of sizable to be inserted. Maybe something tall in height but short in depth? Like a dorm refrigerator or a really big exercise ball? Or a large cube of your choice? Compared to an actual wagon – or if you must have it, one of their SUVs – this 430i is the cargo equivalent of all show and no go.
I could go on, but I do come out the same as you in that I cannot see how this car would represent any improvement over a Camry. Unless of course one were just trying to acquire a BMW for purported status reasons – which if so, then I guess they deserve to pay that tax.
My understanding is that sedan (330i), this gran coupe (430i) and the gran turismo (330i) are all variants of the same F3x platform. The 4 doesn’t mean anything substantive; the 430 gran coupe shares wheelbase with the 330 sedan and is an inch or so shorter. The 330 Gran Turismo is the tall swollen one, 3 inches taller than the sedan and with another four and a half inches of wheelbase. That one would solve my rear seat space problem but same engine, same steering, same maintenance and ownership costs for dummies like me who don’t wrench.
The 2.0 litre BMW N20 is one of the worst motors I have experienced. I drove a CPO 3 series before I bought my Golf. It was inferior to the Golf in every day. The Golf has much better steering with real road feel to boot. The N20 motor has excessive lag but the worst aspect is the sound: it clacks like a diesel.
BMW consciously moved away from building sport sedans. Now it builds expensive blandmobiles for a brand obsessed fan base. It seems to be working out well for them, too.
Totally agree about the N20. Making it lug around the extra 200 pounds of 4 series (versus the 3 series) can’t help matters. The change to 4 cylinder engines is one of many reasons why my current BMW will be my last BMW. There’s just no point to anything newer from the brand, IMO.
BMW has abandoned its roots in pursuit of sales. It reminds me of Cadillac in some ways. The brand was cheapened and debased in the name of profits.
Instead of people like us, car enthusiasts, they have moved to people who see their cars as a fashion statement. BMW’s biggest market, with a third of all sales, is China. There are no twisties or apexes thingies in China. Comfort and quiet are the order of the day and what BMW is delivering. So far, they have been very successful with their shift to the luxury business model.
Modern BMWs are absolute nightmares once the warranty is up. All V-8 BMWs are junk and will prematurely explode. Excuse the harsh opinion.
Again, I agree. At the same time, I don’t begrudge BMW for being a company that has made decisions around how best to make money for their stockholders. This is how the world works, no?
What I do feel is sad is how the market exists for what you describe. But that’s about human psychology, and so it goes. And of course, any time there’s a change in something, someone(s) is left behind. Comfort and image are significant market targets, more so than performance (in the mass market that is). BMW has been leaning that way for decades, as evidenced by Petrichor’s lede concerning what he perceived as the “Yuppiemobile”. Well, they’ve gotten there entirely. Good for them, bad for me.
The difference between Cadillac and BMW is that Cadillac stopped making high quality “standards of the world” in order to pursue profits and higher sales, while BMW still makes “ultimate driving machines” in the form of 6 cylinder 2,3,4 series and M-cars, and 6 cylinder versions of the X3, X4, and X5 are among the best driving CUVs/SUVs if you need to abandon cars.
As the author correctly notes, back in 80s and 90s when BMW was making its reputation, they were much more expensive cars relative to average new car, but now BMW has pursued volume by going down-market with many relatively more affordable “commuter” vehicles options that still offer some nice characteristics, but clearly aren’t “ultimate” anythings. But if you have the money, you can still buy hot BMWs that deliver as much ultimate as they ever did.
Interesting to read your thoughts – one of these with the 2.0 litre diesel could potentially suit me, aside from the implications of the BMW driver image issues.
But I think an Alfa Giulia would win me over more easily.
“But I think an Alfa Giulia would win me over more easily.”
From what I’ve read, me too. But perhaps even scarier as a practical family car than the BMW.
You want a Model 3 Performance.
At least give on a test drive, just for the heck of it.
It is everything the M3 once was.
No EVs! No remotely convenient way of charging it in front of my vintage house, and planning road trips around charging stations out here in the West is a non-starter.
That’s unfortunate, because the Tesla does sound like a lovely driving experience, all around. It just wouldn’t work logistically.
There just aren’t a lot of choices in the five door hatch genre. My SportWagen is the perfect example of a useful five door but they are no longer available in North America. Pity, because Germany is full of them, where the wagon is still supreme.
Were I to buy a new car today, it would probably be a Hyundai IONIQ 5, which suits Vancouver well. That’s assuming I could get one. The only EVs in stock in British Columbia are Teslas.
Since EVs are out of the question, you might want to give the Genesis G70 a try. Even with the 2.0L turbo I4, it seems to be everything the BMW used to be.
I may do that. The G70 is a lovely car inside and out and it does have a good reputation for driving dynamics. Tight looking backseat, though, that may be a problem if this fairly roomy F30 platform is feeling a little tight back there.
You remind me of why I have been so unenthusiastic about new cars for a few years now.
1. Small displacement turbos – everything you say. Torqueless off the line, then a snap of power. Maybe some are better, but I did not like these in the 80s and don’t like them now.
2. Automatics that aggressively upshift to keep you far away from the fat part of the torque curve under almost all circumstances but flat-out acceleration, all to worship the god of MPGs.
3. Compromises galore made to decrease weight, cost or benefits be damned.
Also, take my advice on this: when kids are approaching teen-dom, you need to look a little ahead, because within the life cycle of your next car they will be as tall as you are (taller, in my case). Don’t pick a car that growing kids will force you out of.
Sage advice, J P. There’s an upcoming test drive in which the backseat took center stage in the wrong way for this very reason.
And like you I’m really struggling with the driving character of these small turbos with automatics. The lag irritates me every time I try one and feels so obvious and noticeable, yet reviews are silent on the matter. Maybe they’ve just been bludgeoned into accepting it as the new norm.
Turbo charged small displacement engines are pretty much the norm Today. I imagine that when driven properly they can return great mileage. Ford has gotten away from the N/A V6 engine in most of their new cars, I’ve got one in my ’17 Flex, and if I was looking for a relatively newer used car, I’d choose that option over the turbo. I drove my BIL’s new BMW coupe with turbo four/ auto, it was pretty quick, but it was like I was using the old fashioned “passing gear” when I wanted more acceleration. I don’t need or want 400+ h.p. engines in my vehicles, though I am intrigued by the four in the Mustang, longitudinal mounting with RWD leaves a lot of room around the engine, and I’ve read of reports of over 30 mpg. when carefully driven. But I always worry about durability since I’d be buying one used. Though, in time I won’t have a choice.