20 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 1, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Metal convertible top creates a BMW 3 Series for all seasons By Jim Robinson OAKVILLE BEAVER The 2007 BMW 328i and 335i (shown) Cabriolets feature a metal, retractable hardtop that goes up and down in just 22 seconds. While both have the classic BMW inline sixcylinder engine, the 335i also has twin turbos producing 300 hp. DO THE RIGHT THING AND HAVE FUN DOING IT! DRIVE A SAFE, FUEL-EFFICIENT SUZUKI. 0 $100 BONUS G GR E E N RE G EN $100 0 BON US $ 379 1.8 0 LEASE FROM LEASE RATE FOR 60 MONTHS ** % PURCHASE FINANCING %*** $ 299 2.7 0 LEASE FROM LEASE RATE FOR 60 MONTHS ** % PURCHASE FINANCING %*** PER MONTH PER MONTH DOWN PAYMENT $2,055 MSRP $30,995* FOR 48 MONTHS DOWN PAYMENT $3,450 MSRP $25,495* FOR 48 M MOTORING TV BEST NEW LARGE SUV Available AWD / 3.6 litre, V6 engine / Seating for seven Front and side curtain airbags / Climate control A/C ESP with Traction control ABS with EBD / Cruise control 5-speed automatic / Towing capacity: 3,500 lbs Power steering, windows, mirrors and door locks Remote keyless entry / Tire Pressure Monitoring System AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with 6 speakers / Engine immobilizer WINNER CONSUMER GUIDE AUTOMOTIVE "BEST BUY" AWARD FOR COMPACT SUV Standard 4 WD / 2.7 litre, V6 engine Towing capacity: 3,000 lbs / ABS with EBD Information display (clock, outside temperature, fuel consumption & range) AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA player with 4 speakers Power steering, windows, mirrors and door lo Climate control A/C / ESP with traction contr 6 standard airbags / Remote keyless entry WINNER FUEL ECONOMY: City12.9 L/100 km; Hwy9.0 L/100 km FUEL ECONOMY: City13.0 L/100 km; Hwy9.5 L/100 k XL7.CA GRANDVITARA.CA SUZUKI.CA Suzuki of Oakville 2219 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, ON L6L 5L7 905-469-2429 Toll Free 1-866-229-3897 Fax 905-469-4562 CONSUMERS SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING: Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. *MSRP for the 2007 Swift+ with manual transmission (model H5MS5A7) / the 2007 Grand Vitara with manual transmission (model LLN81S7) / the 2007 XL7 with automatic transmission (model 6E1D8A7). Destination and Delivery fi ($1,195 / $1,395 / $1,395) not included in MSRP. Registration fee, license, insurance, administration fees and applicable taxes are not included. **Limited time offer to qualified retail customers on approved credit (O.A.C.) available through FinanciaLinx to lease a new 2007 Swift+ with manual transmission (model H5MS5A7) / 2007 Grand Vitara with manual transmission (model LLN81S7) / 2007 XL7 with automatic transmission (model 6E1D8A7) for 60 months. Total lease obligation of $10,693.25 / $21,387.96 / $24,790.55 including down payment of $0 / $3,450 / $2,055, or equivalent trade-in, with 100,000 km total mileage allowance ($0.10/km for excess mileage). $0 security deposit. First month's lease payment is required at lease inception. Lease payments include Destination and Delivery ($1,195 / $1,395 / $1,395). This offer does not include license, insurance, acquisition fees of $350, administration fees, PPSA of $60 + taxes and any applicable taxes which are due at lease inception ***0% purchase financing is available for 60 months on 2007 Swift+ and for 48 months on 2007 Grand Vitara and 2007 XL7. Finance example: $10,000 at 0% APR for a 60 / 48 month term; the monthly payment is $166.66 / $208.33; cost of borrowing is $0; total fi obligation is $10,000. Down payment may be required. Suzuki Canada will give on purchase or lease a green bonus of $500 for the 2007 Swift+, $1,000 for the 2007 Grand Vitara and $1,000 for the 2007 XL7. Suzuki Green Bonus applies only to retail customer purchase, lease, or finance agreements for new 2007 r Swift+ ($500.00), 2007 Grand Vitara or 2007 XL7 ($1000.00). Concluded respectively with Suzuki Canada Inc. between July 3rd and August 31st 2007. The Suzuki Green Bonus includes PST, GST, HST, QST where applicable. Some conditions apply. Subject to change or cancellation without notice. ****These offers cannot be combined with any other offer except for the Suzuki Graduate Program. With the Suzuki Graduate Program, recent university or college graduates may be eligible for an allowance on the purchase or lease of certain models. Fuel economy based on Transport Canada ratings. ESP is a registered trademark of Daimler-Chrysler AG. Dealers may lease or sell for less. See participating dealers for details. Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it, especially if you want to own a convertible. Until now, having a rag top in the winter meant drafts, water/sleet seeping in around the windows, huge blind spots and plastic rear windows that turned opaque in a year and were devilishly expensive to replace. BMW, like several other manufacturers, has gone the route of a metal, power retractable hood that makes four-seat convertible ownership possible year round in our Canadian climate. Because BMWs are renowned for their chassis rigidity and supple suspension systems, producing the 2007 BMW 328i and 335i Cabriolets was not just a matter of cutting off the metal roof and scooping out more stowage area in the trunk. A spate of BMW engineers sit on an panel that works on the BMW ORACLE racing yacht team with the object of implementing knowledge gained from cars to yachts and vice versa. On a yacht, the more weight you have below the waterline means the lighter it can be above. Thusly the 20-tonne keel of ultra high-strength steel and two-tonne carbon fibre hull of the BMW ORACLE are combined to cope with structural pressures of up to 50 tonnes. The object is the get the maximum stability for the least amount of material weight. The same holds true in an open top car. It order to sustain the same rigidity as a coupe, reinforcing members have to be stiff but still light as possible, along with other parts you might think of like side sills. Learning from the BMW ORACLE, the A pillar that holds the windshield on the 3 Series Cab is also made from ultra high-strength steel that, in a rollover, can withstand a load of more than three tonnes. This is in addition to two roll bars behind the rear that deploy in microseconds. The top has elements that extend and/or retract in 22 seconds. When up, the 328i or 335i looks like a coupe. In fact, it is the first BMW convertible ever where the signature reverse 'hockey stick' rear side window styling cue could be used. There are two engines available on the Cabriolet and both are inline six-cylinders. If anything can be called the soul of BMW, it is the inline six. Sure there are now V8s and even 10-cylinder engines, but it is the legendary smoothness of the six that made BMW's reputation. The "base" engine is 3-0-litre twin cam producing 230 hp and 200 lb/ft of torque and is found in the 328i model. I guess I'm still confused about BMW nomenclature because the first number always (and still does) stands for the model with the next two numbers standing for displacement. For example a 530i is a 5 Series with 3.0-litre engine with the "i" for injection. So as I used to understand it, this 3-Series should have a 2.8 litre not a 3.0-litre or called the 330i. The 335i Cabriolet tested here should therefore have a 3.5-litre engine when it fact it is also a 3.0-litre, but with a difference. Using two parallel turbochargers, power jumps up to 300 hp and 300 lb/ft of torque that starts feeding in as low as 1,400 rpm. This engine caught a lot of people by surprise when it was announced, even some at BMW Canada, because few were expecting a turbo, let alone two, from Bimmer. Interestingly the two 3.0-litres have different bores and strokes. The 328i fuel consumption is rated at 11.9/7.7L/100 km city/highway for the manual and 11.5/7.3L/100 km city/highway for the automatic. The 335i as tested gets 12.5/7.6L/100 km city/highway for the manual and 12.2/7.6L/100 km city/highway for the automatic. When you leave a traffic light in the 335i there is a point at which the turbo kicks in, but it's not sudden and off/on like turbos of old. This one is more like a tap you control with your foot. It is also possible to steer by using the gas pedal, even at lower speeds because of the way the power can be let in and out by the pressure of your toes. The 335i Cab is strictly a rear-driver with a choice of either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The automatic can be equipped with sequential shift paddles but my test 335i came with the manual. Action of the shifter is short and positive and it finds each gear without hanging up during downshifts. It doesn't have the lightness of a Japanese box but it's also a long way from the hefty Getrag-made manuals in the BMWs I owned in the 1980s. BMW labels itself as being the builder of the "ultimate driving machine". Try as competitors might, and they've come close, a 3-Series defines what are called European sports sedans. Conventional wisdom says wishbone suspensions are the best, yet BMW has stuck with the MacPherson strut at the front going back to the 1970s with the first 3 Series. Constantly refining and honing the MacStrut has allowed BMW to create one of the most satisfying to steer cars on the road. With a 50:50 weight distribution even in the 335i, the Cab is neutral in terms of yaw and that results in a stable ride and delivers uncluttered feedback to the steering wheel. Optionally available, and fitted to my 335i tester, is Active Steering that changes the wheel's turning ratio and turn-in angle and adapts the input level to suit the Cab's speed. In low speeds the wheels can turn from lock to lock in two spins of the steering wheel. At the other end of the performance scenario, the faster the car is moving, the more effort is needed. This car was also fitted with the sports suspension and runflat performance tires. What I love about driving a BMW is the placement of the controls. If you've ever driven a BMW before, you'll feel right at home with the two big gauges (speedo left, tach right) right where you want them, just below the line of sight. Drop your hand from the wheel and it cups the shifter. The seats are wide and supple with just enough firmness to make a long drive literally not a pain in the butt. The technology that is built into this car is astounding. There is simply no room to go into it, but I remember once being told there is more computing power in a BMW then it took to send man to the moon. Price for the 335i Cabriolet starts at $66,300 and options like the $1,500 Active Steering and the $795 wind deflector bumped that up to $72,195.50 as tested. The BMW 328i starts at $55,300. That's a lot of money for sure, but what you get is an all-weather convertible that delivers more than a satisfying ride, but an experience every time you drive it.