[1] The 328i we tested for 40,000 miles weighs 3434 pounds, while a 2007 335i owned by former Car and Driver editor-in-chief Csaba Csere scales in at 3671 pounds. (Weight and CG data came from our garage, not Morse Measurements.)
[3] The 328i’s wheel rates (overall suspension stiffnesses) are 2 percent softer in front and 10 percent softer in back, which helps explain the new 3-series’s smoother ride.
[4] The 328i’s anti-roll bars are slightly larger in diameter.
[5] Roll centers, both front and rear, are an inch higher in the 328i. (Suspension geometry defines theoretical points—one in the front, one at the rear—about which the body rolls when subjected to cornering forces.) The imaginary line connecting the front and rear roll centers is called the roll axis. For a given center of gravity and cornering rate, a higher roll axis (closer to the center of gravity) yields less body roll.
- Comparison Test: 2013 335i M Sport vs. 2013 CTS 3.6, 2014 IS350 F Sport
- Long-Term Test Wrap-Up: 2012 BMW 328i Sport Line Manual
- Instrumented Test: 2007 BMW 335i Sedan
In summary, the most significant change from the E90 to the F30 results from the switch to electric power-steering assist, which diminishes feel. Body roll in the two cars is identical, but the use of rear-suspension understeer instead of larger tires in back may be why the new 328i feels less agile turning into corners. All of it adds up to a softer, tamer 3-series that’s more about luxury than fun.
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