BMW 330Ci is Beautifully Styled and Technically Superb

There was a time when the 3-Series Coupe was merely a two-door saloon. Then BMW realised it could charge a premium for it and it became a must-have for the up-and-coming executive. The 3-Series coupe retains what's great about a BMW: sophistication, superb engineering and stylishly subtle styling. This generation of 3-Series Coupe has grown up, but is still one of the best driving machines you can buy. Like all BMWs, it's rear-wheel drive, but it's not as tail-happy as previous models. It offers a safe and well-balanced yet still sporting drive, particularly the more potent Sport models. On the road the 330Ci's firepower moves onto another plain. BMW claims a 0-62mph time of 5.6sec for the manual supercharged Schnitzer, compared with 6.5sec for the stock 330Ci and 5.1sec for the M3. Part of the appeal of a coupe such as the BMW 330Ci is that it does two jobs. If you treat it like an executive saloon it'll waft around in perfect refinement. Should you want to have fun, it has plenty of power and the handling to match, too. The third method of gear selection is the least effective. Shifting the stick into 'C', which stands for Cruise, engages a crude automatic mode designed primarily for city use.