Non-Biased Non-BMW owner's test-drive review of a base 318ti.

[McFly]

Well Austin (aceyx) gave me a ride last night and let me drive for about 10 minutes. PHEW! What a rush! I've GOT to get me one of these cars. And his car is a Base model stock M44... and I've got to say I'm impressed.

He showed me the ins and outs, I got a great 1st person view of the cargo area - saw how easy it is to change rear bulbs, the rear shocks (yes he even pulled back his carpet), the rear seats folding, rear wiper washer nozzle, a bunch of things just spending half an hour checking out the car - that I would have never seen just by viewing pictures on the web.

Things I like:

• Rear seats - they're deep!
• Driver's seat - perfect distance to the dead pedal and others.
• ASC+T - we really whipped around some stupid corners that I would have probably rolled my Jeep over if I tried
• Engine bay - very straightforward
• Shifting - I'm no longer afraid of the Reverse Gear "seeming" to be so close to 1st. You can really tell when you've shifted into Reverse.
• Interior Lighting - Two overhead domes, overhead pass & driver's lights, vanity mirror lights, even rear cargo hatch lights just inside the trunk
• Exhaust - He said it was a $35 el-cheapo exhaust, but it sounded mean - makes me wonder what Remus, Borla, Flowmaster and other exhausts would sound on just the 4-cyl alone!
• Rear cargo space - with the seats folded, you can fit a keg in there - AND a subwoofer and duffle bag - it looks like.
• Handling - I believe it was a stock suspension, but it took some stupid-sick turns at like 40-50mph, I even got to try it on some fun s-curves.
• Clutch/Brake - Both felt solid, not mushy, fairly quick braking response, fairly tight clutch!
• Visibility - Large rear window makes for an excellent view, rear quarter windows aren't teeny-tiny like in a Mustang or similar coupe.
• Gas Mileage - Austin reported getting 440 miles on a tank of gas (13 gal.) - which is roughly 34mpg highway! Incredible! With 8" of lift and 33" tires, my Jeep got roughly 9mpg city, 11.5 hwy.
• Electronics Interface - Buttons very easy to find, most if not all are illuminated, the window buttons being on the center console gives the doors a cleaner look for sure!

Things I didn't like:

• Stock wheels - They're not horrid at all, but I've seen some Mille and Moda wheels from other members here on the boards that make all the difference - makes them look much more luxury, a lot like a Lexus IS300.
• Rear leg room - with the front seats all the way back (I'm 6 foot, 2 inches), there didn't look like much leg room - however, since the depth of the seats is extraordinary, it doesn't look like you'd have to put your knees into the back of the front seats - just get your feet and shoes on the floor and you're golden
• Fuel door on the right side - A ti will be my first BMW, so getting used to the fuel door on the right side might take a bit. I just hope I don't mad a bad call when turning into a gas station and take out the right half of my car into a gas pump.
• No remote keyless entry - my '99 bone-stock Jeep Cherokee had it, and cost less than 2/3rds the price of a 318ti when they were both new
• Rear window pop-outs. Good and bad - the good is that they pop out - the bad is that they aren't power at all and are out of reach wihle sitting in either of the front seats.
• Stereo - Distorts seemingly at above half-volume? Perhaps because they're 9 years old. Also odd rear speaker size, only 1 MP3-change I could find online (Alpine), and no in-dash CD player - must park and run to the back to insert more CDs.

From my findings, I'll look for a 318ti Sport, with the sport seats and bumpers and all, heated leather trim preferrably, a manual transmission of course, either sunroof (standard or California Edition), ASC+T (traction and such), and either black or red. White isn't an option, unless I found such a great deal with the above mentioned requirements that I have $$$ left over to repaint the vehicle.

I wanted to make this post to show consumers interested in a ti some ins and outs of the car from a non-biased non-BMW owner. Perhaps the mods can make a sticky for this and I'll try to throw in all the information I can about "possibly buying a ti" for this section of the forum.

[96cali]

Glad you feel like joining the fold McFly. Here's some observations: Unlikely the ASC+T kicke din unless it was wet. You'd hear it for sure. If it was dry and it did kick in, better tires will stick that puppy to the ground. Get shorter friends or ones that don't complain to ride in the back. Fuel door on right is typical German and feels no different after 2 fillups for me. Remote keyless entry is one of the easier things to add. You're prewired, just need to drop the glovebox door and plug in the module. Some people drop the door only to find it's there but they need the keyfob. When you get your Ti, just for kicks, please please slap those 33" mudder tires on there and take a photo! My stereo sounds awesome (for stock) and that comes from an audiophile at work. The head unit makes 100% difference. Good luck!

[McFly]

Do you have a website where I can look at/order BMW remote keyless entry kits?

Here's pics of my previous two Jeeps. While I couldn't fit any of those tires (1st pic is 33" tires, 2nd pic is 36" tires) on the 318ti, I could park either of my Jeeps on the hood of the ti and leave it while I went to eat.

[aceyx]

the keg fits (on its side) with the seats UP. just make sure you don't leave your straps at home or you'll get foamy beer and crack plastic back there.

fuel tank is ~15 USGal total, giving about 29mpg (running 89 and cruising between 80-90mph). this is with the roof racks, which do make a noticeable difference. i assume that if you drove more conservatively you could get more, but who would want to do that?

my asc+t was probably more active than usual, being that my rear shocks need replaced. however, you can get it to light up on dry pavement with decent rubber when powering out of an apex.


mitch, i'm glad i was able to show you a ti in person. guys, watch out, this kid's a real enthusiast so if he gets a ti he'll be posting a lot.

and i believe the brand of the exhaust was g-hetto, not el-cheapo.

[96cali]

Originally Posted by McFly

While I couldn't fit any of those tires (1st pic is 33" tires, 2nd pic is 36" tires) on the 318ti, I could park either of my Jeeps on the hood of the ti and leave it while I went to eat.

I recommend you save that trick for the first bimmer meet you go to and use someone else's M3. They really go for that stuff!

The alarm and keyless entry is easily had thru Bavauto.com or there is a group buy on Bimmerforums.com. The OEM unit is good and keeps your car stock but I think there are others that have more settings.