BMW 318i -original post date 4/2/2013
This
is the BMW 318i spotted in the Home Depot parking lot the other day. I
estimate this to be a 1990 model year, or close to it. The paint is a
bit faded, but otherwise, the car appears to be in decent shape for a
vehicle that's over 20 years old. The
lack of rust on the rocker panels and around the wheel wells lead me to
believe this was probably not used as a winter driver.
This is a rear wheel drive sedan, and is considered a compact executive car. It is powered by a 1.8L in-line 4 cylinder engine that makes 111HP and 119 lb ft of torque and is probably good for around 25-30 MPG.
You may have noticed that BMW (and other luxury car makers, too) doesn't name their cars with nouns or actual names. 318i... All this alpha-numeric stuff does seem boring and uninspiring -which it is... but there's a system in place here.
BMW uses the first number to let you know what size vehicle you're dealing with. What you'll most commonly see are the following: a 1 series (very small), a 3 series (like this one, which is a compact "executive" car), a 5 series (mid sized), and a 7 series (full sized). The next two digits let you know about the engine. In this case, the car has a 1.8L engine, and so that accounts for the 18 in the model designation. Lastly on this car is the "i", which stands for fuel Injection (it was a bigger deal decades ago than it is now)... giving us our 318i.
You might notice other BMW's with an "X", a "D", an "L" or a "C" in their model emblems. The X is for all wheel drive, the D for diesel, the L is for long wheel base (kind of a slightly stretched BMW), and the C to let you know it's a coupe. Kinda neat, eh?
This is a rear wheel drive sedan, and is considered a compact executive car. It is powered by a 1.8L in-line 4 cylinder engine that makes 111HP and 119 lb ft of torque and is probably good for around 25-30 MPG.
You may have noticed that BMW (and other luxury car makers, too) doesn't name their cars with nouns or actual names. 318i... All this alpha-numeric stuff does seem boring and uninspiring -which it is... but there's a system in place here.
BMW uses the first number to let you know what size vehicle you're dealing with. What you'll most commonly see are the following: a 1 series (very small), a 3 series (like this one, which is a compact "executive" car), a 5 series (mid sized), and a 7 series (full sized). The next two digits let you know about the engine. In this case, the car has a 1.8L engine, and so that accounts for the 18 in the model designation. Lastly on this car is the "i", which stands for fuel Injection (it was a bigger deal decades ago than it is now)... giving us our 318i.
You might notice other BMW's with an "X", a "D", an "L" or a "C" in their model emblems. The X is for all wheel drive, the D for diesel, the L is for long wheel base (kind of a slightly stretched BMW), and the C to let you know it's a coupe. Kinda neat, eh?
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