Rental Car Ruckus 2: Electric Boogaloo

[Jake]

Random but I'm bored on a Friday at work so here ya go. I said the F30 3-series feels similar in size to the old 5ers. Let's see how close they are. I'm gonna compare my old '91 535i to this 328xi.

Length:
E34 - 185.8"
F30 - 182.0"

Wheelbase:
E34 - 108.7"
F30 - 110.6"

Motor:
E34 - 3.5L Inline-6, 208 hp, 225 ft-lb torque
F30 - 2.0L Turbo-4, 240 hp, 268 ft-lb torque

Weight:
E34 - 3,450 lbs
F30 - 3,516 lbs

EPA-claimed MPG:
E34 - 14 city, 21 highway
F30 - 22 city, 33 highway

So the F30 weighs more, makes more power from fewer cylinders, and gets better mileage while doing it. Nothing revolutionary, just interesting. Kind of a shame that every model has "grown up" because I really like the size of the E36, and you can't get a four-door in that size from BMW anymore. Unless they unveil a 2-series "Gran Coupe" which wouldn't surprise me in the least.