SedanBMW65% by Neofiliac Team

BMW 3 Series E46 LCI

Compact Sedan

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Product Overview

BMW 3 Series E46 LCI is a compact executive sedan in production from 2001 to 2005. It is available with a range of inline-4 and inline-6 engines that displaced 1.8 to 3.0 liters.

Owners will likely appreciate the most the M54 petrol and M57 diesel inline-6 (I6) engines, which are perfectly balanced while being rather simple to work on. However, some may prefer the pre-facelift version, which are arguably better looking.

On the plus side, the LCI E46 comes with a high towing capacity.

Drivers who appreciate handling should keep in mind that the E46 uses MacPherson front suspension, which doesn't provide the best cornering performance, though the E46 LCI has lots of aftermarket and enthusiast support, making it a modern classic.

Ratings

What we found

Neofiliac score 65%

Pros

Good M54 and M57 engine options
Good towing capacity
Classic BMW handling characteristics

Cons

Stuck with MacPherson struts in the front
Uglier than pre-facelift

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Specifications

Variants shown:

316i

316i AT

318d

318d AT

318i

320d

320d AT

320i

320i AT

325i

325i AT

325ix

325xi AT

330d

330d AT

330i

330i AT

330xd

330xd AT

330xi

330xi AT

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