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Re: bmw-digest V5 #121

Mitch wrote:

>I am considering the purchase of a new 328i 4 door sedan. Dealers are
>telling me that the '97s will be out in about 6 weeks - but they can't
>tell me very much about what's different from the '96s. Anyone know
>anything that the dealers don't ?
>
>Also, more directed to BMW owners in the cold 'climes' of Toronto, or
>Montreal, how's the car in the Winter ? Heater any good ? 

Can't answer the first question, but as I live within 100 km of Montreal in
Southern Quebec, I can easily answer the second.

1) the heating is fine.  The heated seats (get the inclement weather
package) work ok, and are nice, but the heated seats in a Volvo 850 warm up
faster and hotter (actually almost to the point of not being able to stand
them).

2) handling depends on how comfortable you are with rear-wheel drive on snow
and ice. I personally prefer a rear wheel drive, especially one like a
3-series, which has near perfect 50/50 weight distribution.  My 328i has
LSD, and my previous 320i (E-36, 1996) had neither LSD nor traction control,
but was still a snap to drive in the snow and on ice, compared to my
previous fwd Honda Accord which was less predictable, and oddly, had poorer
traction for going up my sloping driveway, even with the exact same
snowtires.  While I took delivery of my 328i on April 4th, I did have the
opportunity to try it during a few late snowstorms (without snow tires) due
to the lousy climate up here in separatist la-la land, and it seemed even
better than the 320i on account of the LSD.  My two 3-series BMW's have been
by far my most enjoyable winter cars so far.

Mike Gammon
1996 328i (Arctic Silver for an Arctic Climate)
1994 320i (previous)