To watchers of the automotive press (or those
who work as one of its members), observing
all of the scribblers in the club come to the
same conclusion about BMW's 2006 3 series has
been more than amusing. When photos of the
car debuted this past spring, every car
scribe was so pleased it wasn't a styling
clone of the 7 and 5 series, they all but
forgot to take stock of how much the new 3
had actually changed. This car is longer and
wider, has a longer wheelbase and wider
track, has more interior room and trunk
space, more hip, knee and shoulder room, has
a much more powerful engine, a more rigid
chassis, a more refined and technologically
advanced suspension, gains less than 100 kg
in added weight and still maintains excellent
mileage (10.8 l/100km for the
330i).