Editorโs Note: This story originally appeared in Volume 5 of B.H. Magazine. To get your copy (and access to future issues), subscribe here.
As time machines go, a 1995 BMW 328i, old yet oddly still stylish, is an unusual and unexpected shape. But Iโd argue that itโs both more attractive and less nerdy than a blue police box TARDIS.
Personally, this pert and petite 3 Series transports me instantly and invigoratingly back to a moment in my life when I was young, unfeasibly handsome, and unshakably sure that I was winning the lottery of life on a daily basis.
The year was 1995 and I had flown to Melbourne with a girlfriend who would surely soon be my wife (despite the fact that she was so far out of my league it was a miracle she could see me without a telescope) to meet, and hopefully impress, her parents.
Part of my inner monologue of marvels was that I was taking my first steps into motoring journalism at the time. That meant I was able to organise a sparkling, spanking-new BMW 328i โ in emerald metallic green โ to take the lady and me to the in-lawsโ posh digs in Kew. Iโd never seen such a swanky suburb, nor sat in such an expensive car; let alone driven one.
It was my first BMW, but more importantly, the first of many 3 Series I would fall hopelessly in love with, and lust over long after that girlfriend had predictably ditched me (her parents thought sheโd made a terrible mistake).
The 3 Series has been the powerhouse of the BMW brand for an incredible 50 years (with the first E21 model launching in 1975, it has since shifted more than 20 million units) and Iโve been driving, and loving them for more than half that time, so to have the chance to sit in a cherished example of the first one I ever tried โ a privately owned E36, the third-generation 3 Series, with exactly 250,000 kilometres on the clock when I gave it back โ was an offer too wondrous to refuse.
To make a story out of celebrating that 50th anniversary, I suggested BMW Australia lend me the most directly comparable modern version, an M340i xDrive, so I could drive them back to back and see how much has changed.
It was, of course, the time machine 328i โ complete with the same five-speed manual gearbox I would have been using back then โ that I wanted to try first, and the experience brought up deep emotions from the moment I dropped into its surprisingly small driverโs seat and wrapped my hands around its almost alarmingly large steering wheel.
Most of it just felt so incredibly familiar, from the low-down sports car seating position, to the sublimely spaced pedals, to the slick and easy throw of the gear shift and even the layout and fonts of the speedo and tacho dials. I did, however, spend several minutes trying to remember how to adjust that seat (I knew it wouldnโt be powered, but Iโd forgotten that the lever to adjust legroom was on the side, not in front).
I got a few more chuckles from having to wind down the window (powered, very cool back then) to manually adjust the wing mirrors (what freezing wrists we must have all had back then), and using the key not only to start the 328i, but to lock its doors.
I still think the squarer, squatter, and smaller 3 Series of those days is a fantastic-looking bit of car design, and when you compare its original kidney grille to the neat nose of today, I think a little bit of lovely has been lost. On the other hand, BMW modern wheels make the old ones look like childrenโs toys.
The biggest thing you notice when looking at the old and new 3 Series, of course, is just how much smaller the old one is. Logic would tell us that cars have gotten bigger over the decades because humans have, too, but looking at this comparison, youโd swear weโve all gone from being the size of Paul Hogan to something more like Clive Palmer.
Back in the day, before the invention of posh SUVs (an innovation driven in huge part by BMWโs excellent X5), it was said that BMW was selling one sausage, in car terms, and you could get it in three lengths: 3, 5, or 7 Series. Looking at the modern M340i, it would have felt much more like a 7 Series back in the 1990s; and at very least it would have towered over a BMW 5 Series of that era.
The other difference thatโs impossible to miss, and which makes you shake your head in wonder at how fast technology shifts over the years, are the huge screens in the newer BMW, with their incredible array of technological offerings, from satnav to weather and the ability to press a button on the Apple CarPlay and have the questions of the universe answered while you drive. If youโd tried to explain to me, back in 1995, what CarPlay would offer in my lifetime I simply wouldnโt have believed you. Back then, we didnโt even know what a text message was, let alone how useful it would be to have a device that could read them aloud while driving.
Out on the road, the newer M340i โ still powered by a legendary BMW straight six-cylinder โ is better than the older car in almost every way. For a start, the difference in NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) is staggering. The newer BMW is just so quiet and rides so smoothly that itโs like comparing first-class train travel with being strapped to the tracks.
Obviously, the 328i is not handling quite as well now as when its suspension was brand new, and there might be a bit more wind intrusion as well, but switching between the two cars, the levels of overall refinement were the most clearly defined difference. While the older carโs steering wheel felt enormous at first โ I laughed at how huge tillers used to be โ I was surprised to find that the M340iโs wheel was actually about the same size, albeit covered in far more buttons and controls.
With its many modern amenities, and its levels of quietude, the newer BMW feels like a very pleasant office that you can take out on the road. Again, it would have entirely blown the mind of the younger me, as would have its impressive 285 kW and 500 Nm outputs.
The steering in the 1990s version has no doubt loosened up a little over time, but the way that a BMW connects you to the road, and the weighty, pleasing steering feel can be felt across both vehicles. Indeed, there is much about the excellence of BMW engineering that shines through, even as you switch between old and new.
What really impressed and surprised me was just how powerful, and indeed quick, this 30-year-old sports car still feels. Itโs a simple matter of power-to-weight ratio, in part โ with 142 kW and 280 Nm hurling around 1,395 kilograms โ but itโs also a testament to just how fantastic the straight six-cylinder engines that made BMW famous have always been.
While many modern 3 Series make do with smaller, turbocharged four-cylinder units these days (all of which make more power than the old 328i did), it is truly excellent that you can still experience the growling glory of the six in the M340i. That modern engine makes the 340i a hell of a lot faster off the line and yet, on a stretch of winding road, the 328i did an impressive job of keeping up.
There is one thing that makes the older car better, and more involving to drive: a five-speed manual gearbox. It was the movement of left foot and hand that truly brought back the enjoyment of driving that first BMW, so many years ago. The newer car, with its flappy paddle gearbox, makes gear shifts much faster, but it doesnโt make you feel as much an integral part of the driving experience as the old manual shifter. Truly, there is something so naked, basic, and frenetically fun about throwing the old 328i through a series of bends.
At the end of the day, unsurprisingly, I would absolutely take the new BMW M340i home, and live with it happily forever, but the older 328i really does remind me how long BMW has been making excellent sports cars, and making them so well.
While the BMW X1 or X3 might be the more common choice for buyers today, the 3 Series โ perhaps the purest form of BMW โ is still the leader. Since 1991, when VFACTS began reporting sales, the 3 Series still ranks as the number-one selling BMW in Australia (followed by the X5 and X3) โ in fact, weโve bought more than 191,000 of them.
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