When we first drove the 2012 BMW 328i we honestly weren't expecting to be as impressed by this new 2.0-liter turbocharged motor as we ultimately were. "It has tremendous strength at low revs for such a small capacity engine, with 225 pound-feet of torque arriving at 1,250 rpm and staying flag until 4,800 rpm," we wrote. "The odd thing is, it doesn't feel like a torque monster in normal driving...The 2012 BMW 328i offers a drive that starts strongly and just gets stronger."
Strength and torque, though, weren't the driving force of the switch from a straight-six to a turbocharged four. No, the reason was, like so many other things today, fuel economy. drove the change. And it appears to have worked.
The 2012 BMW 328i with the eight-speed automatic, returned 36 mpg highway on the EPA cycle, 24 mpg city and a combined rating of 28 mpg. This combined rating is better than the highway rating of the 2011 BMW 328i with the 3.0-liter inline-six. That car managed 18/28 with either the 6AT or the 6MT.
When equipped with the six-speed manual, the 2012 BMW 328i scored 23 mpg city, 34 highway and a combined rating of 27 mpg.
ed124c says:
11:00 AM, 01/31/12
Gotta hand it to BMW for making a SIX-speed manual with comparable gas mileage to the
EIGHT-speed auto.
Even though I have taken a vow to never buy a German car again, I have to say this is a very enticing package.
How about a 3 year lease? I have never leased before. Are there any benefits beyond being able to give up the BMW before the free maintenance expires?
rr811 says:
11:01 AM, 01/31/12
Very impressive but let's see how this does in the real world
powell_jr says:
11:13 AM, 01/31/12
Awesome numbers. If real world highway mileage is anywhere over 30 this is a win.
roadburner says:
11:17 AM, 01/31/12
I'm currently trying to figure out how to fit one under the hood of my Club Sport; I just have to find a standalone engine management system that can integrate the engine to the vehicle.
carguyg35 says:
12:28 PM, 01/31/12
Everything I have read puts torque at 255-260 foot pounds. Not 225. The 1250 RPM you have is correct though.
bimmerjay says:
12:59 PM, 01/31/12
Very impressive ratings no doubt, but I'd also like to see how easy it will be to achieve these in the real world.
The new F30 335i received equally impressive ratings - 23/33/28 with the 8-speed auto and 20/30/23 with the 6MT.
half_ton says:
01:01 PM, 01/31/12
Hmm . . .
2.0L force fed four cylinder, eight speed auto, nearly 260lbs-ft of torque and up to 36MPG (ON PAPER) highway MPG.
Since most of the above specs are the same did BMW out-Audi Audi?
blueguydotcom says:
01:16 PM, 01/31/12
@ed - the lease deals on the new 328i are crazy supported. Best thing about the leasing - you don't pay for anything but tires.
I sincerely doubt most people will see a combined 28 as that would require driving in Eco + mode and not many people will do that. My money is on combined 22-23 MPG with city driving still in the high teens to low 20s.
bimmerjay says:
02:05 PM, 01/31/12
@blueguydotcom,
If I'm not mistaken, the EPA tests at whatever the default mode is at start-up. Since Eco Pro must be selected, I don't think that mode factors into the testing.
"My money is on combined 22-23 MPG with city driving still in the high teens to low 20s."
I achieved a combined 22-23 mpg with my 335i 6MT that was rated at 17/26, with a 70/30 city/highway mix; and I did 24 mpg combined easily in my 2006 325i 6MT. I think the 328i will be able to do at least a few mpg better than that.
ed124c says:
02:52 PM, 01/31/12
Thanks, blueguy. Do you mean by "crazy supported" that the leases are cheaper than they should be, or the other way around?
Anyway, as nice as it might be, as usual I probably can't afford it. I thought maybe a lease would be reasonably priced-- like $250 a month for a 328 with the only option being a sunroof (unless it is standard). Of course, there would be a down payment. Am I way off here?
bankerdanny says:
03:16 PM, 01/31/12
I am able to routinely beat the old EPA estimate on my MkIV Jetta 1.8t tiptronic, and that is the old method that is supposed to be less accurate. So I wouldn't be surprised to see the BMW hit the EPA number assuming a cruising speed of 70 rather than 80.
brn says:
03:30 PM, 01/31/12
Seems similar to Ford's 2.0L EcoBoost.
isend2c says:
03:42 PM, 01/31/12
@ ed124c, you can lease a 2011 328i for $349 / month, so I think it should be similar for the 2012, with 10% of the MSRP down. That however, is a helluva lot less than a financed amount for a $37,000 car for 36 months.
bimmerjay says:
03:43 PM, 01/31/12
@ed124c,
You should never put a down payment on a lease, unlike conventional financing where at least 10% is the rule of thumb.
As for BMW leases, there are two main reasons they are often darn good deals. First is that BMW residual values are generally pretty high and BMW Financial Services passes on this "savings" to the customer. The second reason is the lease interest rate (or 'money factor' in lease-speak) is subsidized by BMWFS on popular models like the 328i/335i, 128i/135i, 528i, etc. Combine a high residual with a low MF and you get a cheap lease.
Leasing should not be summarily dismissed but it often is. If your ownership profile is a match (2-3 year term, < 15K miles/year) you should compare leasing vs conventional financing. Often times leasing is the better deal.
pookgai says:
04:29 PM, 01/31/12
I totally agree with bimmerjay, never put a downpayment for a lease. Ask the dealer to roll it into the monthly rate.
The reason for this is if god forbid you get into an accident and the car is total, you would have lost all the money from the downpayment.
In the end with both options, you will be paying the same amount of money.
ptcdawg says:
04:42 PM, 01/31/12
What exactly is a car payment? :)
I'll check one of these out in about 5 years when I can pay CASH.
yanoch says:
05:55 PM, 01/31/12
@half_ton
This will be great until Audi (or any other brand) come with something else. I really don't mind consumer are the real winners here.
I will admit that this car look pretty neat and I'm not a BMW fan. I like the cars they make I just can't identify myself with the brand.
firstwagon says:
08:45 PM, 01/31/12
Maybe I'm being picky but shouldn't this be a 320i and not a 328i?
blueguydotcom says:
10:37 PM, 01/31/12
Yeah, yeah i soundly beat the epa estimates with my 335 and my 330i manuals. Doesn't mean people will beat the epa numbers in the automatics. Visit the bmw forums and you'll see a bunch of people grumbling about their mpgs.
inlinesix says:
10:39 PM, 01/31/12
@ed,
With a BMW lease I agree with the others; you often end up paying about the same either way.
Instead of another lease I chose to pay cash for a used car that I can sell for a higher residual percentage (no new car price drop). I leased once and probably wont again. I figured if I bought a $12,000 car used and paid cash I'd pay about 1/2 of the lease/purchase cost. That is even if I have to put 2k into the used car for maintenance.
Benefits of the lease:
maintenance and warrenty all covered
no work with finding a buyer when you're done with it
can drive ~12,000 miles a year and not worry about the depreciation in value (you already paid for it)
and you have a new car about every 3 years if you keep leasing
little or no down payment
possibly less taxes depending on the state of purchase
viss1 says:
06:33 AM, 02/ 1/12
@firstwagon - BMW stopped using logic in their naming scheme about a half-dozen yeas ago. Unfortunately the masses don't have any clue that the number actually meant something.
arm51 says:
06:40 AM, 02/ 1/12
With my 07 328i 6MT, I routinely beat EPA estimates while cruising at 70+ mph on the highway. Usually, from Chicago to Minneapolis at an average speed of 70 mph and a high of 80 mph, I get around 31 mpg.
I'd envision that, given a careful foot, high 30s could be seen with the new 328i.
cr_driver says:
07:09 AM, 02/ 1/12
Very good numbers, and for the 335i as well.
Do I see a 328i for the long term fleet coming soon?
Wanna see real world fuel economy numbers.
blueguydotcom says:
09:29 AM, 02/ 1/12
@cr_driver - with Edmunds staff are their numbers close to real as they treat the cars like rentals?
bimmerjay says:
10:49 AM, 02/ 1/12
"@cr_driver - with Edmunds staff are their numbers close to real as they treat the cars like rentals?"
With a few exceptions the LT cars usually average within 1-2 mpg of their EPA combined averages. I don't think all the Edmunds staffers drive the cars hard.
I'd also like to see an F30 in the LT fleet - specifically a 6-speed 335i M Sport, but a 328i 8AT is probably more likely.
rl5 says:
11:22 AM, 02/ 1/12
good on paper, but we'll see about real world. C&D got 19mpg with 528i which also has lofty EPA figures for its size. For advertising purposes though this is great for BMW. Not that people buying lux cars buy for mileage, but it cant hurt to say "class leading MPGS".
firstwagon says:
09:32 PM, 02/ 1/12
viss1
Yeah I know but now the names are lame enough that I feel I must point it out.
blueguydotcom says:
09:33 PM, 02/ 1/12
@rl5 - where are you getting the idea the 3 series is luxury? It starts in the 30s - hardly luxury pricing. For instance, the Accord Minotaur with V6 starts at 31k.
@bimmer - 2 MPG off EPA puts the vehicles usually 8-10% lower than expected. I recall their Cooper S was mid-20, which was significantly below EPA numbers. The juke is crazy low. Can't remember if they were off with A4 but maybe it's just turbos they miss wildly on?
blueguydotcom says:
09:42 PM, 02/ 1/12
@bimmer --
Looks like they're well below the EPA numbers on 1/3rd of their cars last month:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2012/02/big-list-of-fuel-economy-january-2012.html#more
To me that points to a good chance the really optimistic BMW numbers will not be met. Of course I'm a cynical guy so the glass isn't just half empty, it's dirty too.
cr_driver says:
07:22 AM, 02/ 2/12
Blueguy
Yeah, they drive the cars like rentals mostly.
But, the Mazda 2 did achieve its combined rating, and I think so far the Mazda 3 has done pretty well.
So, if Mazda can pull it off, with the Zoom Zoom as well, I would like to see if BMW can too. Those are pretty good numbers, and the perfomance is there. Now let`s see if the fuel economy is there too.
They will probably add a 8AT 328i.
rl5 says:
08:37 AM, 02/ 2/12
i meant that people spending over $36k probably arent buying their car based on MPGs. And I doubt many 3 series models will be sold for anything near the base price of $36k. decently equipped you're in the 40s in no time.
blueguydotcom says:
09:16 AM, 02/ 2/12
rl5 - a majority (or near majority) of 3s are leased. People leasing them are paying attention to how much they cost to operate. The included maintenance is another thing that helps. The people who buy the 3 off the lot without sport package hope to turn the car in with the same tires and walk away with only a payment, insurance and gas as their costs to operate.
Go to a bimmer board and check out how often some whiners post about wanting to use regular gas to save 20 cents a gallon on $4 gas! A 15% boost in fuel economy is a pretty big deal.
2011 328i 6AT has a combined MPG of 22 - 12000 miles a year @3.75 a gallon = 2046
2012 328i 8AT combined MPG of 28 - 12000 miles a year @3.75 a gallon = 1607
That's a monthly car payment in gas savings. *
*Assuming the unrealistic numbers are met, which I'm betting they won't be.
blueguydotcom says:
09:17 AM, 02/ 2/12
FWIW - that's a 27% jump in economy not 15. I just wrote the 15% off the cuff.
rl5 says:
11:29 AM, 02/ 2/12
well better mileage is never a bad thing. Point is anyone buying the car was going to buy it anyway. You dont seek out a $40k car to save money on gas. There are plenty of cheaper options out there if mileage is your concern. Besides, I dont expect to see upper 20s in real world mileage once they test this car.
nlxsteve says:
11:56 AM, 02/ 2/12
Bimmyjay, how do you get such good gas mileage when it's 70/30 city/hwy driving? Where do you live?
I do a 70/30 city/hwy driving but I'm in NYC so even highway driving can often times be stop and go traffic. I have a '04 TSX averaging 19mpg =(
litewerk says:
03:07 PM, 02/ 2/12
For me, this new 3 series compared to the old one is rather like the new (re-invented) Camry compared to the old one. At first glance there doesn't appear to be much of a change until you look a bit closer. My first impression of this new 3 series is that I actually like it a lot better than the old one; same with the Camry. If I actually thought I could afford one, the greatly improved fuel economy might lead me to give it serious consideration. Good for BMW. I can see this leading to greater sales numbers for the 3 series in the near future.
blueguydotcom says:
03:47 PM, 02/ 2/12
@rlc - most people don't buy the 3 series. They rent it for 3 years at 300-600 a month.
This isn't a 40k-50k car. It's a $4000-6000 a year car.
bimmerjay says:
10:39 AM, 02/ 3/12
"Bimmyjay, how do you get such good gas mileage when it's 70/30 city/hwy driving? Where do you live?"
I'm in the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area. I shut the car off at longer lights and frequently engine brake, and I know the traffic light patterns pretty well on my short commute. So I'm able to anticipate speed changes and which lane to be in which all help my mpg's.
My M3 on the other hand doesn't seem to do as well...
nnaz says:
06:36 PM, 02/ 7/12
So I'm on my second E90 328... first one was an 08 with 6MT and sport package and current one is an 11 with 6AT and no sport package. For the E90 328, EPA estimates are definitely achievable and the highway figure can be exceeded without any special effort to "hyper mile" or drive slowly.
For the 2012, the big determining factor in my opinion is how much the driver gets into the boost. If the driver is cruising on the highway with maintenance throttle (i.e. below the boost threshold) the EPA fuel economy numbers should be achievable.
@blueguydotcom: Definitely true that the 3er isn't a luxury car. My 08 had vinyl covered, manual seats, no bluetooth, and suspension tuning that would put rear passengers into the roof going over large bumps on the highway. As a trade off, the steering feel was great and the car was very progressive at the traction limit. Great choice for a sporty 4 seat car that can handle commuting as well as canyon driving.