Road Test: 2007 BMW 328xi

Advertisement oopStory continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Skip to Content DRIVING INTO THE FUTURE | Rethinking Road Safety in the Age of AI | Join us on Mar. 25 at 11AM SIGN UP NOW>> SIGN UP NOW DRIVING INTO THE FUTURE | Rethinking Road Safety in the Age of AI | Join us on Mar. 25 at 11AM SIGN UP NOW Find your car   Search driving.ca Perform search
  • Car Finder
    • Most Popular Cars
      • Tesla Model Y
      • Honda Civic
      • Toyota RAV4
      • Tesla Model 3
      • Honda CR-V
      • Toyota Corolla Cross
      • Ford F-150
      • Nissan Kicks
      • Ford Bronco
      • Subaru Crosstrek
    • Car Rankings 2026
      • Best SUVs
      • Best Luxury SUVs
      • Most Efficient Plug-in Hybrid SUVs
      • Best Hybrid SUVs
      • Cheapest Electric Cars
    • Car Rankings 2025
      • Best SUVs
      • Cheapest Electric Cars
      • Best Hybrid SUVs
      • Most Efficient Plug-in Hybrid SUVs
      • Best Luxury SUVs
    • Car Rankings 2024
      • Best SUVs
      • Cheapest Electric Cars
      • Best Hybrid SUVs
      • Most Efficient Plug-in Hybrid SUVs
      • Best Luxury SUVs
    • Brands
      • Acura
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Aston Martin
      • Audi
      • Bentley
      • BMW
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • Chrysler
      • Dodge
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Fisker
      • Ford
      • Genesis
      • GMC
      • Honda
      • Hyundai
      • Infiniti
      • Jaguar
      • Jeep
      • Kia
      • Lamborghini
      • Land Rover
      • Lexus
      • Lincoln
      • Lotus
      • Lucid
      • Maserati
      • Mazda
      • McLaren
      • Mercedes-Benz
      • Mini
      • Nissan
      • Mitsubishi
      • Nissan
      • Polestar
      • Porsche
      • Ram
      • Rivian
      • Roll-Royce
      • Subaru
      • Tesla
      • Toyota
      • Vinfast
      • Volkswagen
      • Volvo
  • Reviews
    • Previews
    • First Drives
    • Road Tests
    • Comparison Tests
    • Road Trips
    • Reader Reviews
    • Owner Reviews
    • Used Vehicle Guides
  • Advice
    • Maintenance
    • Safety
    • Insurance
    • Gear Guide
    • Winter Driving
    • Shopping Advice
    • New Car Deals
    • Best in Class
    • More Features
  • News
    • New Vehicles
    • Technology
    • Awards and Surveys
    • Info For Drivers
    • Industry News
    • Entertainment
    • Crash, Bang, Wow
    • Local News
    • Auto Shows
    • Driving en Français
  • Experts
    • Motor Mouth
    • Lorraine Explains
    • Best-Selling Cars
    • Troubleshooter
    • Corner Wrench
    • How It Works
    • Plugged In
    • Driving into the Future
    • On the Road
    • Collector Classics
  • Car Culture
    • Speed & Performance
    • Vintage & Collectible
    • Off-roading
    • Technology & Innovation
    • Sustainability
    • People
    • Travel
    • Top 10s and Lists
  • Vehicle Types
    • Pickup Trucks
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Supercars
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Hybrids
    • Family Vehicles
    • Affordable Vehicles
    • Performance Vehicles
    • Classic Cars & Trucks
    • Used Vehicles
    • Motorcycles
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Profile
  • Settings
  • Saved Articles
  • Newsletters
  • Customer Service
  • FAQ
  • Sign Out
  • Car Finder
  • Reviews
  • Advice
  • News
  • Experts
  • Car Culture
  • Vehicle Types
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
Sponsored My Picks 0Edit My PicksCompare NowAdvertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Breadcrumb Trail Links
Article content

Surely, these are signs that, if we are not exactly succumbing to Roman Empire-like hedonism, at the very least, automobile engineers are running out of things to mechanize or digitize. There is cruise control that doesn’t require us to pay attention to the cars in front, computer-controlled steering that parks our cars for us and, of course, those diabolical on-board computers that allow us to customize everything from suspension settings to underseat cooling fans to keep our Calvin Kleins cool and moisture-free.

Article contentAdvertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content

BMW, as is often its wont, takes things one step further — it’s the four-wheeled equivalent of not only having chocolate mints delivered to our hotel pillows but also completely unwrapping the little squares for us less our fingers tire from liberating the tasty little confections.

Article contentArticle contentArticle content

In the case of the 3 Series Coupe, there is no Jeeves to follow you around and take care of your every need and desire. But the 328xi does have the next best thing — a mechanized arm that, upon insertion of the ignition key, pushes the seat belt forward to within easy grabbing distance — BMW recognizing that the modern upscale Boomer is likely to throw out his shoulder if required to reach behind him. It’s a natty affair, likely to impress anyone sitting for the first time in a spanking new BMW coupe.

Article content

The downside is that the thing’s a little fragile, being a long, unsupported arm that protrudes from the rear seat’s door trim. Indeed, in my first time in a 2007 Coupe, I broke it off before even leaving BMW Canada’s parking lot. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a caveman and a little more indelicate than most, but I’m sure that I won’t be the only one to do so.

Advertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet.Trending
  1. 120 km/h speed limit on Alberta divided roads — first test drive next month

    Highway 2 signs for the new 65 Avenue exit and interchange. Calgary
  2. Zero Interest: Honda cancels 0 line of EVs, takes massive loss

    Honda 0 Series Industry News
  3. 3 Chinese EV companies prepping to enter Canadian market

    BYD Dolphin Mini Industry News
  4. Ottawa green-lights extra U.S. imports as reward for unnamed automaker

    A Toyota RAV4 at the automaker's plant in Woodstock, Ont. Industry News
  5. Used Porsche Cayenne 2019-2025 buying guide

    2019 Porsche Cayenne S Used Vehicle Guides
Advertisement 2AdvertisementThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content

It’s the only fragility the new 328xi Coupe seems to have. The first two-door Bimmer equipped with the company’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system, the 328xi benefits from the development the system has undergone since being introduced in 2002.

Article content

Learn more about the cars

PREV
  1. 2026 BMW 3 Series

    4.00

    out of 5

    MSRP  $60,500 to $91,900

    Add to Compare Remove Vehicle
NEXTArticle content

Original versions sat noticeably higher and were suspended quite a bit softer than their rear- drive counterparts, rendering their steering dramatically more vague than was typical for a BMW. Now, with so many products being developed with all four wheels being driven, the system has become much more sophisticated. Handling is all but indistinguishable from rear-drive models. The steering’s a little heavier and its response is a tad mushier, but there’s no mistaking the 328xi for anything less than a BMW, even when shod with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires.

Article contentAdvertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content

Nor did this version of BMW’s venerable 3.0-litre in-line six feel lesser for its 328 moniker. Contrary to their designations, all of the upscale versions of the ’07 Coupe — the 328 and 335 — use a variation of the 3.0L six. The 335 is differentiated by its two turbochargers and 300 horsepower, while the 328 gets the same basic architecture as the discontinued 330 and its Valvetronic intake system, but with only 230 hp.

Article content

It doesn’t feel like “only” when you’re driving it, however, especially when it’s mated to the slick-shifting six-speed manual, which makes it easier to keep up the revs. In rear-drive format, the 328 is good for a 7.1-second zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour time — the extra weight of xDrive requires but 0.3 seconds more. The 328 may not engender the sensation of endless, effortless torque that the 335 does, but it is no slouch. That in-line six revs as sweetly as anything this side of a Rolls-Royce V12.

Advertisement 2This advertisement has not loaded yet.Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content

Your personal sense of luxury will determine how satisfied you will be with the 328xi’s interior — or the cabin of any BMW for that matter. If you’re looking for the velour hedonism of an old Caddy or the warmth of a topline Jaguar, you’ll be disappointed. Lust for the sparse efficiency so common to Teutonic luxury and you’ll love the 328.

Article content

The aforementioned seat belt pusher aside, the 328 is thankfully unencumbered by the invasive gadgetry of its upscale siblings. The radio is a little fiddly, requiring a switchover to manual tuning mode (you can’t get it to default to manual rather than seek/scan) every time you want to move two notches over to your favourite but weak-signal station.

Article content

On the other hand, BMW has adopted the useful, fold-out storage bins in the door panels that made Audi door panels so useful. The two cup holders are up front and centre without getting in the way of the gear lever, and BMW sinks the rear-seat cushions a little to make up for the Coupe’s more sloped roofline.

Article contentAdvertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content

Coupes are not my cup of tea. Given the same drivetrain and handling (i.e., the sedan versions of the 328 and 335), I will always opt for the practicality of four doors over the sleek looks of two. That said, the new Coupe is the best mainstream product to emerge under stylist Chris Bangle’s regime, so I can’t blame anyone for being seduced by the swoopy two-door.

Article content

[email protected]

Article content

THE SPECS

Article content

TYPE OF VEHICLE All-wheel-drive compact sports sedan

Article content

ENGINE 3.0L DOHC I6

Article content

POWER 230 hp @ 6,500 rpm; 200 lb-ft of torque @ 2,750 rpm

Article content

TRANSMISSION Six-speed manual

Article content

BRAKES Four-wheel disc with ABS

Article content

TIRES 225/45R17

Article content

PRICE: BASE/AS TESTED $46,100/$53,785

Article content

FUEL ECONOMY L/100 KM 12.2 city, 7.1 hwy.

Article content

STANDARD FEATURES Multi-function sport steering wheel, dual-zone air conditioning, auto-dimming interior mirror, heated front seats, interior electric trunk release, cruise control, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, power windows, AM/FM/CD audio system

Article content

OPTIONS Sport package ($2,000), Premium package ($4,300), burl walnut wood trim ($585), metallic paint ($800)

Article content

Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.

Article contentMore in Road Tests
  • Truck Review: 2026 Ford Maverick Tremor | Reviews
  • Minivan Review: 2026 Toyota Sienna AWD | Reviews
  • See more David Booth picture

    David Booth

    David Booth

    David Booth is Driving’s senior writer as well as the producer of Driving.ca’s Driving into the Future panels and Motor Mouth podcasts. Having written about everything from the exact benefits of Diamond Like Coating (DLC) on motorcycle camshafts to why Range Rovers are the best vehicles for those suffering from opioid-induced constipation, Booth leaves no stone unturned in his quest for automotive veritas. Besides his long tenure with Driving, he was the editor in chief of Autovision magazine for 25 years and his stories have been published in motorcycle magazines around the world including the United States, England, Germany and Australia.

    Education

    Graduating from Queen Elizabeth High School in 1973, Booth moved from his Northern Quebec hometown of Sept-Iles — also home to Montreal Canadiens great, Guy Carbonneau — to Ottawa to study Mechanical Engineering at Carleton University. There, he wrote a thesis on the then-burgeoning technology of anti-lock brakes for motorcycles and spent time researching the also then-burgeoning use of water tunnels for aerodynamic testing.

    Experience

    After three years writing for Cycle Canada magazine and another three working for the then oldest magazine in Canada, Canadian Automotive Trade, Booth, along with current Driving writer Brian Harper and then Toronto Star contributor Alex Law, created an automotive editorial services group that supplied road tests, news, and service bulletins to what was then called Southam newspapers.

    When Southam became Postmedia with its purchase by Conrad Black and the subsequent introduction of the National Post, Booth was asked to start up the then Driver’s Edge section, which became Driving.ca when Postmedia moved into the digital age. In the past 41 years, Booth has tested well over 500 motorcycles, 1,500 passenger cars, and nearly every significant supercar of the last 30 years. His passion — and proudest achievement — is Motor Mouth, his weekly column that, after some 30 years, remains as incisive and opinionated as ever.

    Personal

    Booth remains an avid sports enthusiast — read: fitness freak — whose favorite activities include punching boxing bags until his hands bleed and running ski hills with as little respect for the medial meniscus as 65-year-old knees can bear. His true passion, however, remains motorcycles. If he’s not in his garage tinkering with his prized 1983 CB1100RC — or resurrecting another one — he’s riding Italy’s famed Stelvio Pass with his beloved — and much-modified — Suzuki V-Strom 1000.

    Booth has been known to accept the occasional mojito from strangers, and the apples of his eye are a certain fellow Driving contributor and his son, Matthew, who is Global Vice-President of something — though he’s never quite sure what. He welcomes feedback, criticism and suggestions at [email protected].

    Learn more about AuthorShare this article in your social network
    • CloseShare this Story : Driving
      • Copy Link
    Advertisement 3This advertisement has not loaded yet.Read Next
    1.   Image by default
    2.   Image by default
    3.   Image by default
    4.   Image by default
    5.   Image by default
    Latest from Gear Guide
    1. Tool Test: Freeing Rusted Bolts with the Vevor 1kW Magnetic Induction Heater

      Flameless alternative to torching rusted bolts works better than expected, but keep the MAP handy

      with Video September 5, 2025 Gear Guide Vevor 1kW Magnetic Induction Heater
    2. Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
    3. Gear Guide: Thule SnowPack M Ski and Snowboard Rack product review

      If you're planning to hit the slopes this winter, the Thule SnowPack M is a good choice, but we run down a few other great options

      with Video August 24, 2025 Gear Guide Thule SnowPack M Ski and Snowboard Rack
    4. Best Wireless Car Chargers

      A list of the best wireless car chargers available on sale today.

      with Video September 8, 2024 Gear Guide Best wireless car chargers
    5. The LEGO and F1 partnership brings new young fans to the sport

      The patent for LEGO’s interlocking brick system expired in 1978, the same year that Mario Andretti won the F1 championship, the last time an American driver would do so. Closing in on a half a century later, the two brands are world-spanning juggernauts, nearly at the level of Nike or Apple in terms of recognition. Globally, F1’s always been big, but its surge in popularity in North America is more recent, and for it to tie up in a partnership with LEGO is bound to raise the profile of both.

      with Video September 6, 2025 Car Culture Brendan McAleer worked with his kids to assemble the LEGO Speed Champions Ferrari F1 Race Car.
    6. Gear Guide: Wolfbox and MotoMaster Booster-pack air-compressor product reviews

      If you want a tool to fix both flat tires and dead batteries, consider these Wolfbox MegaVolt16 and MotoMaster MB22C two-in-one units

      with Video October 23, 2025 Gear Guide Jump-starting a car on a cold winter day
    Featured Local SavingsNotice for the Postmedia NetworkOKCloseChoose TrimImage PlaceholderMakeMy Picks Add 1 to compare CloseYou can only pick 5 vehicles to compare

    Edit your picks to remove vehicles if you want to add different ones.

    Edit My PicksCloseYou have reached the limit of vehicles

    You can only add up to 5 vehicles to your picks.

    OkClose drawer

    Looks like you've reached your saved article limit!

    You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.

    Looks like you've reached your saved article limit!

    You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.

Từ khóa » Bmw 328xi 2007