These 1.6-litre saloons from BMW and
Mercedes-Benz deliver a motoring experience every inch worthy of their
respective badges
Around a decade or so ago, buying an
entry-level German car usually meant you got the bragging rights associated
with the badge (four rings, blue-white roundel, three-pointed star), but not
much else. More often than not, it also meant you got a car no better equipped
and/or no faster than your average Japanese equivalent. Great for showing off,
but not so much for actually driving and being in it
BMW
316i
Things are different now, what with
trickle-down technology and, more crucially, small-displacement turbocharged
engines. “Entry-level” these days needn’t mean a compromise (i.e. Spartan)
anymore.
Case in point – the two competing models
from BMW and Mercedes-Benz we have on test here, the 316i and the C180 CGI.
Both are equipped with 1.6-litre turbo 4-cylinders with 136bhp and 156bhp
respectively, but don’t let their Category A engine displacements and humble
power figures fool you both cars punch far above their weight.
Granted, they may not have the trick toys
such as satellite navigation that their brethren further up the hierarchy have,
but there aren’t any glaring omissions in equipment, so neither feels like a
cut-price offering. An infotainment system with a color screen is standard fare
for this Teutonic pair, as is a start-stop system to mitigate somewhat their
effect wrought on Mother Earth.
While they retain many similarities on the
surface, not least because they represent two of the most affordable routes to
compact executive saloon ownership, both appeal to wildly different crowds.
Mercedes
C180
BMW 316i
Both 1.6-litre saloons punch far
above their weight
To
the power of 3 Poised, refined, and sips fuel while delivering decent power –
the 316i performs way beyond bargain basement
It’s no secret that we love BMW’s latest 3
Series. The general consensus among the Torque staffers is that it’s been the
car to beat in the segment since its debut early last year. However, while we
like its bigger-engine and more powerful siblings, our impressions might just
change when it comes to the littlest member of the 3 Series range.
Will the modest-sounding 136bhp 1.6-litre
in the 316i be an engine-downsize too far? After all, the last time BMW used a
1.6-litre engine in a 3 Series was back in the mid-1990s (the E36-model 316i),
and if we’re honest, the results were a little… underwhelming (see sidebar on
the right).
On paper and two decades on, it still
doesn’t sound all too promising for the baby 3. It has a 20bhp power deficit on
the C-Class here and 24bhp less than the basic-spec Audi A4, the 1.8 TFSI.
There’s no easy way to say this – the 316i is the least powerful member of
Germany’s traditional junior-exec triumvirate.
Downsized,
not out Turbocharged 136bhp from a 1.6-litre doesn’t sound like a lot, but
press your right foot down and you might be surprised
So, while it might look the business,
thanks to the M Sport styling package (a $7,000 option comprising exterior and
interior styling addenda, along with racy red leather seats), the reality just
might be a case of history repeating itself. Furthermore, with the new 3 Series
being far and away the biggest car in the segment, the 316i looks like it’s
going to end up as the compact executive that couldn’t.
A torque figure of 220Nm and a century
sprint timing of 9.2 seconds don’t sound too impressive, or even adequate, but
happily, the car never feels like it’s wanting for grunt. In fact, we were
laboring under the impression it matches the C180 in power.
Much of this, we think, comes down to the
slick 8-speed automatic gearbox it comes with a similar transmission is shared
throughout the 3 Series lineup. It delivers the sort of snappy shifting we’d
normally associate with dual-clutch gearboxes, but (largely) without the
low-speed lurch.
Sombrely
does it red trim courtesy of the M Sport package does much to lift the somber
cabin, but grey and black still dominate
Of course, the power plant also has quite a
part to play in that. Despite being the smallest petrol engine BMW currently
offers (at least until the new 1.5-litre 3-cylinder units make their debut),
it’s hardly small in spirit. Twin-scroll turbocharging, variable valve timing,
and direct injection all feature in the 316i engine, making it technologically
identical to those of the 320i and 328i.
There’s quite a bit of diesel-esque clatter
at idle, but in all fairness, it’s a situation endemic to most modern,
lean-burning direct-injection petrol engines. The good news is, there’s quite a
pleasing, rorty note to be found the higher you go up the rev range. If we have
one gripe with it, it would be that it tends to hold on to a taller gear than
is ideal, which leaves it a little flatfooted when exiting corners.
Lucky
number eight BMW’s 8-speed automatic boasts lightning-fast shifts and great
responsiveness
But the real gem is the chassis. Its light
on its feet, beautifully balanced, and always supple while still delivering
excellent body control. That the 316i does 16.9km perlite, has room for three
passengers in the back, and offers 480 liters of boot space is but the icing on
an already very tasty cake.
It’s little wonder that it was the clear
winner in the compact executive saloon category of our 2012 ST-Torque Best In
Class awards. If you can get a bunch of opinionated motoring writers (who
usually behave like cats in a bag about these things) to agree on a car’s
worth, it really must be something special. Of course, the 316i isn’t for
everybody. There’s the aggressive styling and the “wannabe yuppie” image. So,
for those possessed of more delicate constitutions, we present the
challenger...
