Sporty Luxury Sedan Comparison by MotorTrend

A Sporty Luxury Sedan Comparison was published on the May 2012 issue of Motor Trend. The BMW 328i Sport Line was put up against other competitors and ended up winning against all odds, even if it has the highest price among the eight contenders. Here is an excerpt showing why MotorTrend declared the 3 Series as the best sport luxury sedan:

1ST PLACE: BMW 328i Sport Line
That’s First Place With a Competition-Killing Bullet
By: Jonny Lieberman

You want specifics? The BMW was the fastest car here (0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and through the quarter in 14.2 at 97.8 mph), beating even the AWD Audi. The 328i rode the best, had the best steering and transmission, is the only car here with start/stop technology, gets a class-leading 36 mpg highway, has thebest laid-out interior, is the most comfortable, has an unbelievable nav screen, and, to top it all off, has the biggest back seat.

Want more? Of course you do. Moving from Comfort mode into Sport produced real, actual changes in the vehicle’s behavior, transforming it from a very relaxed cruiser to a sharp-edged canyon carver. And because of the $900 Adaptive M Suspension option (part of the $2500 Sport Line package) there’s still Sport+ to further stiffen the suspension, increase throttle response, and get the eight-speed auto to bang home shifts like a dual-clutch. There’s also an Eco Pro mode that turns down the climate control and throttle response to achieve more efficiency. It even logs and shows you how many extra miles you’re eking out. Long story short, the 328i is four cars in one. Let’s make that four excellent cars in one. Ultimately — and this cuts right through the heart of the sport sedan segment — the BMW was without question the most fun to drive.

Like Rory, I’m not a fan of modern BMWs. Not only do I feel the automaker has lost the “Ultimate Driving Machine” plot, but I think the 5 Series Gran Turismo is the German Aztek. But since I first took a spin last week, I haven’t stopped thinking about the 328i. “Maybe,” I tell myself before looking at my credit card statements. “Maybe I could swing some sort of sweetheart lease?” I mention this to stamp out all claims of any sort of BMW bias you might think Motor Trend has. Not only did I already mention that five years ago we declared the Infiniti G superior to the 3 Series, but the last comparison test I wrote involving a BMW had the Bavarian finishing dead last. True, the 740i did win our Entry-Level Full-Size Luxury Sedan comparo (March 2011), but here’s what Frank Markus had to say about that victor: “By the end of our deliberations, the BMW found itself backing into the winner’s circle by doing everything 80-90 percent right without doing anything terribly wrong, all at a moderate price.” Talk about damning with faint praise!

In full, glaring, retina-searing contrast, this BMW wins this competition because it does everything better than the rest. For now, all the competition can do is head back to their drawing boards. Like I said up front, I’m shocked.

Source: MotorTrend