BMW 3-Series sedans were redesigned in the Fall of 1998 and 3-Series Coupes in the Spring of 1999, but the new 323Ci Cabriolet was a relative late-comer, making it to our shores in April of 2000.
The new 3-Series convertible model shares the Coupe’s front-end styling up to the windshield pillars, and has the same basic suspension and interior design as the 3-Series coupes and sedans. It retains the current 170 horsepower 2.5 litre inline six cylinder engine, but for 2001, three new inline six cylinder engines will be offered, a 2.2 litre, 2.5 litre, and 3.0 litre.

The 323Ci is the first 3-Series model with seat belts integrated into the front seats. Integrated seat belts are more comfortable than standard shoulder belts because they move with the seats and wrap easily over the shoulder – and they don’t interfere with rear passengers climbing in and out of the back seat. To enter the rear seat, the 323Ci has an “Easy Entry” power button which moves the front seats forward at twice the normal speed. With the seatbacks returned to their normal position, the seats return to the original position.

My test car had a black interior with horizontal aluminum trim which extended across the dash and onto the door armrests, and on the centre console. The sporty aluminum trim adds a necessary contrast to the rather monotone dashboard. The well-bolstered leather and fabric-covered, heated seats in my test car offered great support and comfort while the two rear bucket seats with a centre armrest were also more comfortable than typical convertible or coupe back seats.

Front and back seats have adequate headroom and legroom when the top is up, and all four seats have three-point seatbelts and adjustable head restraints.

The 323Ci’s simple round instruments are backlit in an aggressive red colour at night. The instruments consist of a tachometer, speedometer, an analogue instant fuel economy readout, and a digital outside temperature readout. Its interesting to watch the instant fuel economy gauge – when accelerating, the car uses huge amounts of fuel, but when cruising, it uses virtually nothing.

The AM/FM/cassette/CD player in my test car offered excellent sound, Seek and Scan functions, but didn’t have a Tune function. My experience is that even the best radio’s Seek and Scan devices won’t pickup radio stations with moderately-weak signals. The only way to find that obscure jazz station you really like is to manually tune the dial.

The 323Ci features automatic climate control – the driver sets the temperature and lets the system do the rest. Like other BMW’s, the power window buttons are located in the centre console area, not on the armrests.

Cupholder technology on German cars has come a long way, but it’s still not quite up to par. At the rear of the centre console are two open cupholders with small spring-loaded knobs for gripping different-sized cups. But extra-large cups won’t fit in here.

BMW convertibles have many safety features, including two ‘pop-up’ roll bars behind the rear seats and a strengthened windshield frame that can act as a rollover bar. In addition, there are front and side airbags (for front passengers), adjustable head restraints, three-point seatbelts, and standard ISOFIX mounting points for child seats.

In a recent frontal crash test of a BMW 3-Series sedan by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the BMW 3-Series was rated as a ‘Best Pick’.

The 323Ci has a well-made fabric top with integrated headliner and a heated rear glass scratch-resistant window. The power top is fully automatic and is protected by a hard boot cover when lowered. Raising and lowering the top takes approximately 25 seconds which BMW claims is the fastest time in its class.

The 323Ci’s 2.5 litre inline DOHC 24 valve six cylinder engine produces 170 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 181 ft-lb. of torque at 3,500 rpm. This engine uses BMW’s variable valve timing system called ‘double VANOS’, a system that allows infinite adjustment of intake and exhaust valve cams, and thereby of valve opening times. Double VANOS provides optimum combustion based on engine speed and load, benefiting both emissions and fuel consumption.

The engine is designed for a long life and minimal servicing. The engine’s camshaft is chain-driven and the alternator uses a ribbed drive belt, providing an expected life equalling that of the engine. Long-life spark plugs do not need to be changed until 160,000 kilometres, and the average oil-change interval is about 24,000 kilometres.

A new 2.5 litre engine is expected this Fall which will offer more horsepower, torque and engine efficiency, but will remain an inline six cylinder engine of the same displacement.

I found the 2.5 litre inline six cylinder engine to be extremely smooth and refined, and in this new chassis, seems quieter than in the previous generation 3-Series body. Under hard acceleration, the engine revs up in a smooth, even progression up to its 6000 rpm redline. Even at high revs, this engine doesn’t seem strained. At a steady 100 km/h in fifth gear, the engine revs at 3000 rpm, higher than most six cylinder engines at this road speed, yet not rough or noisy at all.

The 323Ci has excellent driving dynamics. Its 50/50 front/rear weight distribution and fully independent suspension (front strut-type/rear link) provide superb handling and balance with high cornering limits. The 323Ci is very easy to drive quickly because of its precise, well-weighted steering feel, balanced chassis, and excellent four wheel disc brakes. The 5-speed manual transmission in my test car felt as slick as a soup spoon immersed in olive oil, but when changing gears, the driveline wasn’t as tight as I expected.

While the 323Ci’s ride is very smooth and comfortable on the highway, the raised top tends to shake and quiver when traversing road bumps and lane markers, and the ride feels stiff over bumpy roads, perhaps due to its very low-profile 225/45R-17 inch radial tires.

With the top down and the side windows up, there is very little wind buffeting in the front seats at highway speeds. Normal conversation is possible. With the top up, the two rear passengers have plenty of headroom, and adequate legroom in part because of knee depressions in the back of the front seats. The thick ‘C’ pillar of the convertible top creates a blind spot for the driver when attempting to change lanes, but otherwise outward visibility is very good.

As I mentioned, the 323Ci’s power convertible top is fully automatic. The driver presses a switch on the centre console, and the top unlocks itself from the windshield and folds into a cavity under the hard rear boot cover which raises and lower automatically to accept the folding top.

The fabric top looks extremely durable, and has a 3-layer fabric liner to keep heat in and noise out. A glass rear window with defroster is standard.

The 323Ci comes well-equipped. Standard features include 16″ tires and alloy wheels, 5-speed manual transmission, leather sport steering wheel with tilt and telescopic adjustment and cruise control functions, heated seats, air conditioning, front and side airbags, traction control, trip computer, remote key fob, headlight washers, foglights, xenon headlights, in-dash CD, heated rear glass window and integrated seatbelts.