BMW 3-Series convertible

Top up, now that it has a metal roof, the BMW convertible lacks the crisp sense of purpose achieved by the coupe's design. Top down, however, it's a striking statement: fast, yet poised; aggressive, yet not childish. It's an iconic look that will stand the test of time.

Interior

Done in black Dakota leather - with new sun-reflective technology that keeps seats up to 36 degrees cooler - our test model reflected the serious nature of BMW design. The front seats support spirited driving, while the back seats are best left to packages, not people. Instruments are precise and easy to read. Buttons are a bit small, but well-organized. There are plenty of storage bins, though the cup holders that pop out of the dash are dreadful.

How it works

While the 335 model gets turbo-chargers, the 328 makes do with BMW's naturally aspirated 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. Coupled with a six-speed manual, this motor makes 230 horsepower - up 46 horsepower from last year's 325Ci convertible and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. With this sweet stick shift, I think there's plenty of power for most drivers.

Neat bit

BMW adds a retractable hardtop for the first time, and it's a crowd-pleaser. It lowers in 22 seconds, raises in 23 seconds and is like an electro-hydraulic carnival show. The three-piece steel roof makes for a quiet ride when you decide to keep the top closed. A trunk partition makes for a bit of trunk room, but just a bit.

Fumes

20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. According to fueleconomy.gov, this car with the same engine and transmission will get 17/27 in 2008 using the new EPA formula.


Extras

While the $750 cold-weather package adds heated seats, and the $2,650 premium package adds leather seats and some enhanced mirror functions, it's the $1,200 sport package with its 18-inch alloy wheels, better tires and sportier suspension that makes this already road-hugging car such a joy on the twisties.

The 328i is easily BMW's top-selling convertible in the United States, over the other 3-Series variants, the different Z4 models and the 6-Series droptops.

2007 BMW X3 3.0si

The "si" is a meaningful addition to the badge, signifying a new, stronger engine, but there's more to the 2007 BMW X3 than a power upgrade. Fresh styling throughout, an available six-speed automatic, a more capable chassis, and additional content enhance this already appealing vehicle.

The BMW X3's freshened visual athleticism is technically supported by a more sophisticated version of BMW's standard xDrive. Quicker in response to traction issues, it also offers, for the first time in a BMW sport/ute, Dynamic Traction Control that allows the driver to choose a higher threshold of wheelslip before the electronics kick in. A longer push of the button deactivates stability controls completely except when the system detects wheelspin--not difficult to achieve with the brisk throttle response from the 260-horse inline-six.

Its 225 pound-feet of torque peaks at a low 2500 rpm, helping the 4100-pound BMW X3 claim 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds with the six-speed manual and 7.1 seconds with the no-cost optional six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic. Any way you want to shift it, the BMW X3 is as rewarding as any of BMW's sport sedans.

2006 BMW 325xi Sports Wagon

The latest xDrive system (available in the 325, 330, 525, and 530 sedans, and the only drivetrain available in 325xi and 530xi Sports Wagons) is designed for a low center of gravity and optimal dynamics with minimal intervention and "extremely fast response times," BMW engineers say. (xDrive won't be available on the 7 Series until the all-new 2009 model.) The latest-generation xDrive, an update over what's in the X3 and X5 (there's no space for the SUV's transfer case in the cars), is integrated with the dynamic stability-control (DSC) system to provide a safety and handling benefit that'll satisfy most enthusiasts. The aluminum front axle is placed high up, through an opening in the oil pan, and the clutch can lock up completely when sensors detect the need for hard-core traction. Normal torque split is 40/60 front/rear, but the system can transfer all the torque to the front wheels. xDrive adds some 250 pounds.

How does it work? With good winter tires, like a rally champ on Arjeplog's ice circles and snow routes. You can mindlessly floor the throttle, and the DSC will work with xDrive to get you motivated efficiently, if not quickly. The DSC catches you if you turn in too fast. The hand of the Bavarian gods lets itself be known, although not as resolutely as an AWD Benz or Lexus.

Turn the DSC off, and you can play junior rally driver, sliding the car around an ice circle or drifting it on an icy road course, so long as you're prepared to pull it off a snow bank. xDrive is a worthwhile option on sedans if you're in schussing around in a far-northern climate, but enthusiasts facing more moderate weather will be happier with a set of winter tires and the lower weight and better balance of rear drive.

2007 BMW 335i Convertible

BMW could've topped its fourth-generation 3 Series convertible with handsomely tailored five-layer twill fabric like the one it just rolled out on the supercalafragalistic Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. But while the fabulocracy will write a check for a Flying Lady whatever her scarf is made of, the working rich are a whole lot fussier. For them only a tin-top will do these days.

Of course, BMW's breadwinner couldn't wear just any old tin-top. The company's design ethic doesn't include the flying wedges and chin-high beltlines that offer convertible-top designers a convenient place to pile the metal and glass out of sight. No, for the Roundel regulars, the junkin-the-trunk look would never do, and the existing three-piece-roof designs in use on competitors like the Volvo C70 and VW Eos were all deemed too bulky. So the company teamed with its German softtop collaborator Edscha AG to design what it claims is the slimmest-stacking top in the business.

Indeed, the new top not only disappears below a trunk that looks similar to the coupe's, it even preserves 7.4 of the 12.3 cubic feet of trunk space available when the top's up. That slimness exacts a slight aesthetic penalty, however. Two of the rods that guide the front section back over the middle remain in view when the top is closed. They're disguised as a couple of rubstrips running the length of the roof, but it's a less clean look than the competition offers.

The new top mechanism consumes very little rear-seat width, so shoulder and elbow room increases by 3.2 and 4.8 inches, and the side glass is 30 percent larger providing an airier view out. Sparse legroom will elicit grimaces from rear-seat riders over fivefoot-six, however, so vacationers will likely use the back seat for luggage. Toward that end, the rear seatback folds down to form a flat carpeted shelf and preserve the seat leather. BMW even offers a custom-fit bag to fill this space. There is a trunk pass-thru, but it's big enough only for golf clubs and skis, and it can be accessed with the seatback up and the center armrest portion removed. Loading luggage in the trunk with the top down is tricky. Customers opting for the $500 Comfort Access (keyless starting) package can use the key fob to raise the folded top out of the way and load the trunk, but the decklid pivots backward so the gear has to go in over the gunwales. It's far clumsier than the Volvo/Mercedes approach of raising the top stack with the trunk open normally.

Opening and closing the top takes just over 20 seconds and can be done from outside the car with the Comfort Access key fob. Operating the top with the car in motion is verboten for legal reasons (pivoting the trunklid back obscures the license plate). Other convertible highlights include an accessory windscreen that can be installed by one person from the driver's side of the car and leather upholstery treated with an infrared-reflective pigment that can lower the temperature of dark-colored seats by almost 30 degrees. The climate-control system also switches to a top-down mode that redistributes airflow and relies more on the outside-temp and sun sensors than the interior temperature monitors. Safety kit includes pop-up roll-bars and front-seat side airbags with head protection.

Despite the fact that the steel roof and its myriad motors and hydraulics weigh 308 pounds, the finished vehicle weighs just 440 pounds more than the coupe. Credit goes to weight-savers like plastic front fenders and more astute structural reinforcements using varying grades of steel. Torsional rigidity is up 50 percent, and indeed a 335i sport model sampled on smooth Arizona byways felt snare-drum tight, with no dashboard shakes and just an occasional high-frequency vibration following a bump impact with the top up or down. Using the wind blocker, heated seats, and climate-control system, the 3 Series convertible delivers quiet, comfortable, topdown motoring in sunny weather at temps as low as 40 degrees.