BMW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE 330Cd
Pretty, Frugal And Topless. Does It Get Much Better Than BMWs 330Cd Convertible? Andy Enright Decides
It took
BMW quite a while to plumb one of their excellent diesel engines into a convertible 3 Series but when the 320d was launched, many felt it was worth the wait. The problem was, we can never get too much of a good thing and with the even more powerful three-litre diesel engine waiting in the wings, it was only a matter of time before Munich saw fit to unleash a 3 Series drop top with enough torque to corrugate tarmac.
Audi had set a precedent by fitting a diesel engine to their A4 Cabriolet and some felt that BMW lacked faith by dragging their heels. Was their diesel sufficiently refined to undergo the acid test of being fitted in an open topped car? With very little sound insulation between bonnet and drivers ear, any lack of refinement would be severely exposed. We neednt have worried. The issue was more one of supply rather than engineering and now that spare capacity is available, BMW have treated us to the 330Cd Convertible.
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In many ways, the development of this car would seem to be a no-brainer. More than a third of all
BMW UK sales are diesels while a sixth of total sales are convertibles. With both engine and chassis ready to roll, here was the sort of plug and play potential that many manufacturers dream of. And yet BMW have been a little slow off the mark.
With two passengers on board and a full tank of fuel, youll notch off the sprint to 60mph in 7.6 seconds flat, the extra weight of the convertible adding a few tenths to the coupes performance. The engine is the full-strength 204bhp second generation common-rail powerplant, not the 184bhp 2.9-litre unit that early BMW 330d models campaigned with.
As such, itll thrust the 330Cd to a top speed of 145mph yet with a more measured right foot it will return an average of 40.4mpg. There is no downside. Fully Euro4 compliant, this engine sidesteps the three per cent surcharge the Government slaps on benefit-in-kind taxation for dirty diesels and makes an attractive bet for those whove got an understanding fleet manager who will overlook its lack of doors.
The 187g/km of carbon dioxide the 330Cd emits is in fact less than a 1.6-litre
Ford Ka. All of this from a car with more torque than a
Porsche 911 Carrera.
"Cleaner than a Ford Ka but with more torque than a Porsche 911, this BMW engine is seriously impressive"
The 330Cd flatters your driving without overtly doing so thanks to two clever features - Automatic Stability Control + Traction (ASC+T) and Cornering Brake Control (CBC). No matter how heavy your right foot, the ASC+T system will only give the rear wheels as much power as they can take without spinning, so every time that little light flashes, you're avoiding a lurid tail-happy slide. If despite all that, you still go too fast into a bend and do exactly the wrong thing (slam on the brakes), CBC will help you out, applying firmer braking to the outside front wheel as the car corners and hugely reducing the risk of a spin. Further assistance comes from the advanced DSC III stability control system. This is just what you need in difficult conditions where, should you enter a corner too fast, the wheels are selectively braked and the power reduced to bring you back into line.
Don't run away with the idea however, that all these electronics take from the driving experience on offer: this is still a great car to hustle along, though the sports suspension may make the ride a little too hard for some. The same goes for the steering, which keeps you perfectly in touch with the road surface - rather too in touch perhaps for those used to less responsive set-ups. The engine uses electronically-controlled common rail technology of course as do most of the best current diesels. This denotes a system where fuel is precisely bled off from a highly-pressurised reservoir 'commonly' shared by every injector along the feed pipe or 'rail'. Exactly the correct amount of diesel is injected when required: not too much (hence the lack of the usual puff of black smoke of acceleration) but just enough to enable the car to respond to your slightest pressure on the throttle. The remainder of the E46 generation 3 Series Convertibles recipe is largely familiar fare. 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. Speaking of the top, this is another carefully designed part of the car.
The triple-layer hood itself has a padded lining to reduce wind noise and theres a proper glass rear window, with demister, in place of the old, easily scratched plastic pane that annoyed previous generation 3 Series Convertible owners. BMW engineers have also come up with a sneaky hood stowage system which houses the whole convertible roof unit in a removable cartridge. With the roof up, you can fold the container out of the way where it extends into the boot to gain 30 per cent more space than in the old model. With the roof down, and the optional hardtop to hand (which gives you a stylish four-
seat coupe and convertible in one), the folded soft top can be removed for winter stowage as a single unit.
With this 330Cd variant, buyers get to choose between the SE at £33,040 and the Sport priced at £35,005. Although this may seem an enormous amount of money to pay for a car whose replacement is not far away, in truth theres very little wrong with the car. The replacement 3 Series Convertible will finesse a few edges but wont be a big improvement. If you want the best open top car money can buy, on most objective measures available, this is it.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: BMW 330Cd Convertible
PRICES: £33,040-£35,005 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 187g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.6s / Max speed 145mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 40.4mpg
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
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