New BMW gets new name

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

BMW is to rebadge two of its new 3-Series Compacts, the entry-level model due to go on sale in New Zealand in July.

Both the 316Ti four-cylinder models will have Compact and Compact SE on their rear ends instead of the traditional 316Ti badge.

Why so? The cars as they stand now confuse badging with engine capacity. The 316Ti is not powered by a 1.6-litre engine but uses a 1.8-lite unit.

Mixing up badging with the size of the engine isn't new to BMW. The 3-Series 323i, for example, uses a 2.5-litre engine.

Confused? It's all largely to do with tradition and individual model lines. BMW has used the badging 316, 318, 320 and so on for many years and it isn't going to stop now.

But BMW outlets throughout the world can't just rebadge to suit themselves. In this case, BMW New Zealand asked its German parent for permission, if only to save confusion among the many first-time buyers it hopes to lure with the Compact.

The two 316Ti models will be the only Compacts to be badged as such. The 318Ti, although it will use a 2.0-litre engine when it gets here next year, will retain the numerical badging. So will the 325Ti when it arrives later this year.

The base model Compact is expected to cost $39,995, a price that will rock the segment if it confirmed in July

The car's all-new 1.8-litre engine uses an improved breathing system called Valvetronic, developed by BMW boffins.

This system replaces the traditional butterfly throttle with a lever positioned between the camshaft and variable inlet valves. This lever serves to direct the fuel-air mix into the chamber for more efficient combustion.

The result, says BMW, is a 10 per cent saving in fuel useage and a leap in technology comparable to the changeover from carburettors to fuel injection.

BMW says the 1.8-litre unit provides more useable power across a wider rev range. It officially says the engine develops 85kW at 5500 rpm and 175Nm of torque at 3750 rpm.

But on a test drive some weeks ago the four-cylinder appeared to be developing considerably more torque than 175Nm, perhaps as much as 190Nm.

European carmakers often understate torque figures and BMW presumably is no different.

Questioned about the apparent difference, a BMW engineer laughed and said: "Let's just say the engine delivers no less than 175Nm."

BMW likens the way the new engine breathes to humans. "We breathe in deeply when we need air," it says. "But whenever we need less air we do not throttle the supply by closing our mouths.

"A throttle butterfly is comparable to a human being keeping his or her mouth partially closed when breathing in. Valvetronic provides the optimum amount of air in the fuel mix all the time."

The new BMW is a driver's delight, offering class-leading dynamics and a quality interior.

Much of its appeal can be attributed to the multi-link suspension, which has been borrowed from the 3-Series sedan and replaces the trailing arms setup of the outgoing car.

Superb damping and communicative rack-and-pinion steering add to the enjoyment. The slightly longer wheelbase gives the new model an accuracy the old one lacked.