inlinesix Supersonic January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 My colleague just bought a brand new S60 T4 (which means 1.6T) at $170k. Your colleague probably got the S60 T5 which is 2.0T ... at 150k, i think is reasonable. But if its T4... then its not. My colleague will not buy 1.6T @ 150k for family car. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civic6228 6th Gear January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Tested the 316i last Thursday. Pretty good car, if it were me i would rank the 1.6-litre compact exec cars like this BMW 316i > Volvo S60 T4 > Mercedes C180 1.6 CGI. I didn't know the 316i had only 136bhp when i tested it. I have tested the C180 1.6 before and used to drive an S60 T4, now am driving an S60 T6 both current generation. And to me, the 316i felt spirited but breathless once past 4000rpm whereas the T4 has a 2nd wind of power at 5000rpm. I had thought the 316i had something closer to 160bhp. It is a really pleasant car to drive with good spongy suspension and lovely cabin design. Driver has slightly less left foot space than I would like and the gearbox jerks when changing gear. Other than that, I really like this car which in my opinion is now the class leader in the 1.6-litre compact exec class. And not that the C180 is a bad car, but it is an aged design and I really hate foot operated brakes. Its replacement is around the corner and I wouldn't want to buy something nearing the end of its life. Just a word of caution ... the 316i is manufactured in SA and the C180 CGI is manufactured in Germany. My E90 was manufactured in SA and my W204 was manufactured in Germany. I can see that there is some differences in the quality of the car from the different country of manufacturing. I agree that the W204 is coming towards the end of the product cycle and the F30 is a new model. I would have gone with 316i if I have to make a choice but the country of manufacturing is important to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myxilplix Turbocharged January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Tested the 316i last Thursday. Pretty good car, if it were me i would rank the 1.6-litre compact exec cars like this BMW 316i > Volvo S60 T4 > Mercedes C180 1.6 CGI. I didn't know the 316i had only 136bhp when i tested it. I have tested the C180 1.6 before and used to drive an S60 T4, now am driving an S60 T6 both current generation. And to me, the 316i felt spirited but breathless once past 4000rpm whereas the T4 has a 2nd wind of power at 5000rpm. I had thought the 316i had something closer to 160bhp. It is a really pleasant car to drive with good spongy suspension and lovely cabin design. Driver has slightly less left foot space than I would like and the gearbox jerks when changing gear. Other than that, I really like this car which in my opinion is now the class leader in the 1.6-litre compact exec class. And not that the C180 is a bad car, but it is an aged design and I really hate foot operated brakes. Its replacement is around the corner and I wouldn't want to buy something nearing the end of its life. The driving experience matches the power figures on paper, meaty on the low end but tapers off quite soon. But with the 8 speed gearbox i guess they can compensate for that and still have a decent top speed. Can you remember what the redline on the tacho was? Turbo must be damn small, i wonder if can lup bigger turbo in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjlim Clutched January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Just a word of caution ... the 316i is manufactured in SA and the C180 CGI is manufactured in Germany. My E90 was manufactured in SA and my W204 was manufactured in Germany. I can see that there is some differences in the quality of the car from the different country of manufacturing. I agree that the W204 is coming towards the end of the product cycle and the F30 is a new model. I would have gone with 316i if I have to make a choice but the country of manufacturing is important to me. The 316 is manufactured in Germany, the rest of the 3 Series in SA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Moderator January 17, 2013 Author Share January 17, 2013 Tested the 316i last Thursday. Pretty good car, if it were me i would rank the 1.6-litre compact exec cars like this BMW 316i > Volvo S60 T4 > Mercedes C180 1.6 CGI. I didn't know the 316i had only 136bhp when i tested it. I have tested the C180 1.6 before and used to drive an S60 T4, now am driving an S60 T6 both current generation. And to me, the 316i felt spirited but breathless once past 4000rpm whereas the T4 has a 2nd wind of power at 5000rpm. I had thought the 316i had something closer to 160bhp. It is a really pleasant car to drive with good spongy suspension and lovely cabin design. Driver has slightly less left foot space than I would like and the gearbox jerks when changing gear. Other than that, I really like this car which in my opinion is now the class leader in the 1.6-litre compact exec class. And not that the C180 is a bad car, but it is an aged design and I really hate foot operated brakes. Its replacement is around the corner and I wouldn't want to buy something nearing the end of its life. Thanks for the write-up!! Very interesting cos on paper I'm abit disappointed with the 136hp but that goes to show we can't judge a book by its cover and should go for test drive to have a proper feel. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Moderator January 17, 2013 Author Share January 17, 2013 The 316 is manufactured in Germany, the rest of the 3 Series in SA. Strange isn't it that the 316 is made in Germany whilst the rest of the 3 series in SA. Wonder why? But this certainly makes the 316 a good choice at least by virtue of place of manufacture. Whilst the C class is coming to the end of its life cycle, my fear is they won't make a 1.6litre anymore as I read somewhere is not their main engine size and only catered for targetted markets like ours, true?? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjlim Clutched January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Strange isn't it that the 316 is made in Germany whilst the rest of the 3 series in SA. Wonder why? But this certainly makes the 316 a good choice at least by virtue of place of manufacture. From what I understand, there isn't enough demand for the 316 worldwide for them to justify setting up a separate assembly line at their plant in SA. Singapore is one of the few countries to get the 316, simply to fit into Cat A COE. So they just manufacture the 316 in limited numbers in Germany lor. Bro davidtch is the expert on this, I've seen his comments in the BMW forum before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohto Hypersonic January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Thanks for the write-up!! Very interesting cos on paper I'm abit disappointed with the 136hp but that goes to show we can't judge a book by its cover and should go for test drive to have a proper feel. For our city driving, high torque at low rpm is more important. High HP more for top speed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
inlinesix Supersonic January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Just a word of caution ... the 316i is manufactured in SA and the C180 CGI is manufactured in Germany. My E90 was manufactured in SA and my W204 was manufactured in Germany. I can see that there is some differences in the quality of the car from the different country of manufacturing. I agree that the W204 is coming towards the end of the product cycle and the F30 is a new model. I would have gone with 316i if I have to make a choice but the country of manufacturing is important to me. Are you sure that it is made in SA? Rosslyn export program covers the entire Asia. Other than Sg, i don't see any demand for 316. For such a small volume production, it is gonna be from Munich or Regenberg lah. Even though SA confirms it, i still don't believe them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexchung Neutral Newbie January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 U must be from China. too long in china Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralliart99 1st Gear January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 how about leg room for the 316 and C class ? which one is worse ? :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjlim Clutched January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 how about leg room for the 316 and C class ? which one is worse ? :) Definitely better in the 316, which is now a bigger model. I sat at the back when my friend was test-driving it - plenty of leg room. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralliart99 1st Gear January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 Definitely better in the 316, which is now a bigger model. I sat at the back when my friend was test-driving it - plenty of leg room. hmm, interesting. i basically have to crawl inside the c class rear seats Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjlim Clutched January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 hmm, interesting. i basically have to crawl inside the c class rear seats Yeah, so did I when I checked it out previously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civic6228 6th Gear January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 From what I understand, there isn't enough demand for the 316 worldwide for them to justify setting up a separate assembly line at their plant in SA. Singapore is one of the few countries to get the 316, simply to fit into Cat A COE. So they just manufacture the 316 in limited numbers in Germany lor. Bro davidtch is the expert on this, I've seen his comments in the BMW forum before. I cannot be 100% sure about the country of manufactured for the 316i ... below is the link from the BMW forum .... I remember reading somewhere that the country of all 3 series is manufactured in SA. http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/bmw-3-series-...oon-pml-16.html In any case, there is no need to setup a complete assembly line just to produce the 316i .... they only assemble a different engine for the 316i. Btw. the engine is also unlikely to be manufactured in SA ... they probably ship the engines from Germany. Setting up a plant to manufacture the engine is a big big project. I hope that the 316i is made in Germany .... as I would not interested if they are manufactured in SA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 The 316 has a very nice BMW badge. Isn't that why people buy the 316? For the badge? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercs Hypersonic January 17, 2013 Share January 17, 2013 The c class has very little leg room for rear passengers. If this is a concern, the e class would be a better choice. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohto Hypersonic January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 The c class has very little leg room for rear passengers. If this is a concern, the e class would be a better choice. They are in different CLASS and pricing is also alot different.. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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