First up was the BMW 328i xDrive. The car was a sedan with the M Sport package and the Steptronic transmission. It didn’t blow me away, but rather just struck me as competently going about its business: the suspension was firmly buttoned down, yet compliant; turn in was crisp; the steering nicely weighted and linear.
Maybe it was the fault of the automatic, but I didn’t get that visceral feel for the renowned I6 engine that I was hoping for. Rather, it just seemed to be another anonymous power plant buried away under a bunch of sound deadening up under the hood somewhere.
Handling was simply pleasant and balanced: a couple of off-ramps taken at six or seven tenths just had the car shrugging it off and asking for more.
Next up was a 128i with the six speed manual. Whether it was the lighter weight, manual transmission, or lack of AWD (or likely all of the above), the car had much more of that sweet I6 goodness I was hoping for. The six speed was a delight, with short throws and a positive feel, and the engine felt more eager to rev and livelier than it did in the 328.
The 128i didn’t have the sport suspension, so I didn’t really bother checking it out in the corners: even little dips on straight sections of pavement had the car moving around more than I like.
Lastly was the WRX. Frankly, this one was a big surprise. The engine, as expected, was a riot: just mash the pedal, hang on, and grin stupidly. Then do it again, and again, and again… The handling however, was a big disappointment.
Wanting to warm up a bit and get a feel for the car, I took the first on-ramp at a reasonable seven tenths pace. Then… half way round… WTF is that? Understeer? Already? To be sure, there was still plenty of grip left, but the car definitely lets you know very early in the game that understeer will be the order of the day.
And to top it off, the suspension is waayyy soft. Mid-corner bumps had the car bouncing and heaving unnervingly. It’s been a while, but I’m sure this car is less buttoned down than even my lowly Civic was
before I fixed the suspension. After the test drive, I went back to that same off-ramp in the Civic (with its winter tires, no less), and it flat ate that corner and spit it out at the same speed that had the WRX (on its summer performance tires) bouncing all over.
To me, the car was a one-trick pony: a fantastic rush of acceleration, but nothing else. The shifter was okay, but the throws were long and it felt a bit agricultural after the rifle-bolt action of the BMW’s. As for the interior? Well, let's just say that it gives cheap plastic a bad name: even my old Civic is worlds better.
So, at this point, I’d have to say the Subarus are out. And as much as I can see the 128i (with the sport package) being a great car, another two-door coupe doesn’t really make any sense for me, either. So it’s also out.
Which leaves the 328. I’d like to try a 328i xDrive with a manual transmission to be sure, but so far I’m thinking I could live happily with that drivetrain in the Touring. Hopefully, the manual will bring a bit of life to the car. And I think the BMW performance intake and exhaust would be required to get some of that engine character out from under all the family-sedan noise deadening.
I’m also not 100% sure that I won’t want to do some suspension tweaking on the 328i xDrive, either. Even though they drove fine today (at a moderate pace), the AWD cars don’t get the same sport suspension as the RWD cars: I’ll have to go aftermarket if I want to get the car really buttoned down.
But, of course all that makes for a ridiculously expensive car. And buying CPO isn’t even an option – a used touring with a sport package and manual transmission appears to be a mythical beast.
Of course, the last option is simply to hang onto the Civic for a while longer.
