The junior sedan in the compact BMW 3 Series family, the 320 sedan focuses on efficiency and value while retaining its luxury car credentials. Although you can't get every BMW feature on the 320, all the vital ingredients to the 3 Series' success are present.
What's New for 2015
The 320 gets minor equipment updates only.
Choosing Your BMW 320
The 320 is powered by a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine that's good for 180 horsepower. You have a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. Like most BMWs, the 320 starts out as a rear-driver, but you can opt for the xDrive all-wheel drive system. You can expect a healthy 28 mpg in combined city and highway driving.
Standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth phone and audio, and a premium nine-speaker sound system with HD radio and a CD player. Seats are upholstered in leather-like vinyl that BMW calls SensaTec, and wood trim is available as an upgrade.
You get a major injection of luxury of with the Premium package, which adds a leather interior with power front seats and driver memory, satellite radio, keyless ignition, a hands-free power trunk lid, a sunroof and auto-dimming heated mirrors.
The Cold Weather package gets you heated seats all around, a heated steering wheel and headlamp washers. For safety's sake, the Driver Assistance package equips the 320 with a rearview camera and front and rear parking sensors. There's also a Lighting package with adaptive xenon headlights and LED accent lights.
The sole performance upgrade is the Sport package, which features a sport-tuned suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, sport seats and matte chrome exterior trim.
A navigation system is available on every 320 as a standalone option. Note that many of features of the Premium package (power seats, leather, etc.) are available individually.
Adding too many options to the 320 spoils its best attribute: value. We would simply add the Premium package (which is loaded with goodies for $3,200) and call it a day.