BMW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE 318Ci
Throttle butterflies. Its not a request to asphyxiate the nearest example of lepidoptera: theyre oily bits located in the engines of our cars. An integral piece of engine architecture, the throttle butterfly has been held as an example of elegant engineering. BMW disagree and the latest 318Ci Convertible has ditched the system in favour of the patented Valvetronic technology. After a brief drive, you have to concede that the Bavarians just might be onto something here.
After all, it doesnt take much in the way of slick engineering to persuade many folk to slip behind the wheel of a BMW 3-Series convertible. Ever since BMW took over building its own drop-tops, the 3-series version has always looked stunningly sleek with the lid off and the 318Ci continues the tradition perfectly. All the features that made the Coupe such a stunner have been replicated here, just with a more severe haircut. The Coupe itself, as BMW addicts will already know, does in fact share little more than door handles, indicator repeaters and badges with the saloon on which the whole 3 Series range is supposedly based.
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"If the Germans cant be any good at football, they can still make a cracking car engine."
Although the 318Ci Convertible looks sleek, its by no means left field, that honour being reserved for the Valvetronic engine. Weve become used to BMW 318s being fitted with 118bhp 1.9-litre engines, but this is a 318 apart. With a 2.
0-litre engine under the bonnet, the 318Ci generates a respectable 143bhp. If this were any other manufacturer youd expect a dip in fuel economy. Any other German manufacturer and possibly a marginal increase. Still, it probably wont come as an earth-shattering surprise to hear that the engineers at BMW have pulled a rabbit out of their hats and given us an average of 39.
2 mpg from the 318Cis Valvetronic engined, compared with 35.3 from the previous generation 318. If the Germans cant be any good at football, they can still make a cracking car engine. Those of you whose eyes glaze over when a cars bonnet is lifted should skip this paragraph its the science bit.
Think what we mean by throttle. It means to strangulate, and thats effectively what the throttle in your car does, smothering the inlet to reduce the amount of fuel reaching the combustion chamber. Valvetronic takes BMWs double-VANOS system which advances the cam so that it optimises efficiency on both the inlet and exhaust phases and mates it to a system that infinitely controls not only the amount of valve lift but also the duration of valve opening. Therefore both the air and the fuel used are always perfectly in proportion to the load placed on the engine.
In anthropomorphic terms its the difference between walking normally and taking shallow breaths and running hard and taking great lungfuls of air. BMW claim that the old throttle butterfly system is like trying to take great lungfuls of air all the time; even when walking youd be blowing hard - just with a hand over your mouth. So much for the science. In reality the 318Ci gives us the economy wed have expected from a sporty diesel and the performance of a decent 2.
0-litre petrol engine. The performance figures speak for themselves, top speed being raised from 129mph to over 136mph and acceleration times taking a commensurately significant improvement. The power delivery of the engine feels curiously flat, the engine seeming to respond to the accelerator pedal in a slightly inert way that belies quite how quickly the car is moving, but you soon get used to it and if thats the sum total of any niggles with the 318s engine, then you can be assured its a very special engine indeed. The rest of the 318Cis recipe were becoming used to.
The looks are as sleek as ever with no fixed rollover hoop or bulky tonneau cover disturbing the line. However, should the standard automatic traction control and stability systems included as standard not be enough to prevent the car flipping over, strong steel beams instantly shoot out from behind the rear head restraints to protect the occupants skulls. When folded, the hood sits neatly under a metal cover. The front seats, unique to the convertible, incorporate the seatbelts into their structure, rather than attaching them separately to the car body.
This, says BMW, allows a better fit, easier access to the rear and stops the passenger belt flapping in the breeze when youre cruising alone, top down. You dont expect this little lot to come cheaply and BMW doesnt disappoint. Prices start at a hefty £27,235 for the manual version: go for the automatic and youll find that its now a five-speed affair as opposed to a four-ratio box, and if you feel like turning the wick up, you can zip up and down the box using the integrated Steptronic function. One cant help but feel that this would be missing the point of the 318Ci Convertible, however. This is a car thats at its best when left with the shifter in D and whose natural velocity is distinctly regal. A car that can certainly cut the mustard is at its best when wafting along, enjoying the sun, the excellence of its chassis and the reassuring thought of 39mpg making amends for the best part of £27,500 gone Munich-bound.
But with the 3-Series convertible wasnt it always thus? A lepidopterist, after all, never changes its spots
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: BMW 318Ci Convertible
PRICE: £27,235 - £28,410 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 187g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.3s / Max speed 136mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION:(urban) 27.7mpg/ (extra urban) 51.4mpg / (combined) 39.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and head airbags / ABS / CBC / ASC+T
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4488/1947/1369
