BMW E36 316i review, a good car or just a disposable drift machine?

BMW E36 316i
1995
m43b16 (BMW guys will know)
1596 ccm
75 kW/ 102bhp @ 5500 RPM
150 Nm @ 3900 RPM
195 km/h
12.7s
1140 kg
5 speed

As many of you should know this E36 is my personal car. She is my baby, and also my first car so it is only appropriate for this to be my first car review. I’ve been driving her for four months now and I got to know her pretty good because I use any excuse to go for a drive. The big question here is: what is the reason to buy this car. I mean, this is the cheapest BMW right now (aside from compact version). Is it any good or it is only for you to have a legendary badge in front of you in a cheap car and use it as a disposable drift machine.

I will tell you, the first of all, this car is NOT easy to drive and probably not perfect if you’re not a good driver. In fact, you will only suffer, especially if most of your driving is in the city. It has a number of design flaws such as bad rear window visibility. Honestly, the rear window is useful only for looking at the sky. OK, it’s not that bad - you can see if there is someone behind you, but you will have a hard time reversing, especially if you’re used to driving hatchbacks. Another big problem for driving in the city is gearing. I’m honest - THIS IS THE REASON WHY EVERY BMW DRIVER DRIVES LIKA A MANIAC! It is too long so when someone else in a smaller car is on ~2.5k rpm in 3rd, which is the most common case, you are driving on ~3k in 2nd or <2k in 3rd which wouldn’t be a problem, but this car doesn’t have any power below 3k, so you constantly have to shift between 2nd and 3rd. This is rather frustrating and you will find yourself yelling at the driver in front most of the time in rush hour. The long gearing is the reason BMW drivers have the reputation they have. The problems don’t end here. The pedal throw of all pedals and shifter are really long and the clutch pedal and steering wheel are heavy, so from that fact you can conclude that this makes it even harder for city-driving. Also, you will need some time to get used to it especially to the break pedal - because of its long throw you will always have a feeling that breaks are bad, but actually, you just need to press it deeper. The last and maybe the biggest problem is the fuel consumption. You will be happy to get 12 l/100 km in the city if you have a light right foot, which is not the impressive for 1.6 liter engine bearing in mind that it’s not the most powerful thing. So, is this car any good or not?

Absolutely yes! This car is amazing and, at least for me, perfect (that doesn’t mean there are not better cars out there). Yes, this car is not easy for someone that is not a good driver, but that means it is that much better for the real driver and I’d bet majority of the people reading this article is real drivers. Why? Well one thing is gas and break pedal are close, so that makes it easy for heel and toe. Also, it doesn’t have any electronics (except for ABS) that “help” you drive, but in reality it makes you more isolated from the road. Speaking of isolation, the sound is loud and good for a four banger, but my car does have a modified exhaust. The rear window? You get used to it pretty quickly and you do have a spoiler that helps you judge where the back end is. Yes, the long gearing is a problem in the city, but it is really good on the back roads and highways, so that’s the sacrifice you just have to make. Also, you get used to long pedal and shifter throw quickly, but that doesn’t ruin driving experience at all and you can guess, heavy clutch and steering wheel are absolutely stunning. After you drive the car for a second time, you don’t even notice that heaviness. You will laugh every time you drive a different, more modern car because clutch will feel like it is not connected to anything. Also, one more plus: the gas pedal is linked mechanically which makes any car about 256 times better to drive then gas pedal using sensor. The fuel consumption? Who cares, you still get 500+ km from one tank (62 liters). But the best thing about that cars is that it is the perfect mixture of comfort and sport driving. It feels perfect to drive and you always get out of it more relaxed than you got in. Seriously, once I spent five hours driving around the city in traffic and I was so relaxed that I could have done it again a few more times.

So this is my review of E36. It is the best car I’ve ever been into (other than Porsche 924, but that is a whole different story) and if you are thinking of buying one - DO IT! I hope you read it all and it wasn’t boring, so tell me your thoughts in the comments. It is a bit long, but that’s because I have a lot to say about it, my future reviews should be a little shorter. Check out my instagram page if you like my content!