Richard Hammond Reviews The 1999 BMW 3 Series
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ต.ค. 2013
- Richard Hammond takes a look at the 1999 BMW 3 Series and finds out if it has what it takes to go up against the top competitors in the Coupe market. He test the 3 Series for it's performance and handling as well as giving it marks on it's overall styling.
[This clip is from 4 Wheels Good: Season 6, Ep. 18. The full episode can be watched here: • 4 Wheels Good: Season ... ]
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Probably the most cohesive design BMW has ever produced. The seating position, the interior, the timeless exterior. Classic proportions, nothing excessive. Well done chaps. Well done.
+Josh Charlie I agree, even though i prefer the previous design from the mid 90s
It’s starting to look a bit dated now in today’s standards, it’s ageing well though still very pleasing on the eye. Personally I prefer the E90/E92 shape, especially with the msport body work. That still looks very modern when compared to new shapes. I prefer it over the newest 3 series.
I own one, it's fab (In fact I love it so much I've spend several times what its worth today in refreshing it mechanically), but the seating position is not great, feels like you're sitting on top of the car, not in it. I'm actually looking at having custom seat brackets made.
I'd agree, except doesn't the boot floor have a habit of collapsing ?
i never felt that way in my e46 with the oem sports seats nor with the recaro cs that are currently residing inside of it.
lowest hight, completely forward and leaning back, my head is around the rear part of the side window ( coupe ) i'm sitting really relaxed and i have a full view on the road.
I have had my 1999 328Ci since 2002. Its identical to this one in the video. Now with 165000 miles on the clock and still flawless and my daily driver. I still look back at it after parking and think, hmmm. I like.
This car looks amazing even today,imagine how people felt buying this car in 1999.
18 years later, it's still prettier car than the new ones
And still rolling!!!! Lol BMW's are ageless. I have an 2004, & it's the best car I've ever had. I would take mine over any new car these days. ❤
After waiting 17 years to be able to drive one I finally bought one🙏 always wanted one now it’s the 2nd one in the family
I like the way the 4 Series looks more.
@@triple-aries it didnt exist back then.
Joseph Briffa I know it didn’t. The OP said that this 3 Series is prettier than new cars today, but I don’t agree. I think the 4 Series, which is a newish car is prettier than this 3 Series.
I hate people who open and close doors while pushing the frameless glass. STOP TOUCHING MY GLASS DAMNIT. But it's hammond so its ok
Exactly. And that too after eating a bag of chips.
haha i feel same way
No way eating in a car :)
Yeah I have e46 coupe too and I hate it when people do it😅
It made me cringe watching hammond do that
E46 is arguably a timeless classic
The interior of this particular car is gorgeous.
"BMW's philosophy has never been to be wild with it's cars" this didn't age well.
Still Beautiful after all these years
I also have one. People often tell me that especially E46 modell looks much younger than it actually is. They are right^^
Christoph meister ha right! I get asked if my cars an 08 or 09 ha 2000
the Hammond is beautiful or the car :D?
@@ismailm970 lol
Ja
Ahh, the E46, a timeless classic that still looks classy, modern and "expensive" almost 20 after it was introduced.
Not really.
@@dannnsss8034 yes really
@@user-og8zx2fe4nyeah
"Honda's new S2000" lol how old are we?!
how old is that car lol
Rajiv Manderson 21 years old now
meanwhile in 2020,
"this car ONLY has 193 hp and 206 lb/ft torque"
I got a chance to drive a new 118 today with a tiny 3 cylinder turbo engine pushing 160bhp and 220Nm, the latter not being far off my old E90 with its atmo inline 6. It's nippy, but felt almost lacking in comparison
I recently bought my second e46. Went from a 1999 316i to a 2001 330ci. I’m loving it so much!
316 to 330 😂😂 must feel good 😂
@@tomii1132_ it does
Ess stage 2 it
Look after it because it's an assured future classic. Have you seen what E30 325s go for these days!? 😮
@@soundseeker63 I’m taking very good care of it
Love, love my '00 e46. Great interior and exterior. Bulletproof engine. Handles like a dream.
Like mine
What About Ride?
@@S500- its a bit on the firm side but decent
What engine do you have?
18 years old and still looking good
I also look good, and I'm even older!
@@magg93😂
E46 best car of it's generation 😍😍😍
Indeed,
I have two.
Touring & Coupe.
Soon goin get the msport version after I sell my Focus
Good Idea to sell your focus.
BMW Reviews i have an 01 e46 no start no crank issue do u know what it can be?
starter motor maybe
If BMW only built their cars and sav (suv)'s that good today, with smooth inline or naturally aspirated engines and timeless looks. I suppose time marches on but progress is not really progress at all, if you gain in one area at the sacrifice of other important areas. A restart is needed to bring these vehicles back to the ultimate driving machines they once were.
Gregory Trane yeah unfortunately times change mate, around the period this video was made BMW were pretty much untouchable with the likes of the much loved trio of E46, E39 and E38. Much better than Mercedes at the time as they’d gone downhill
2:51 I've met people that use their hands while talking a lot (Italians etc.), But damn Richard you take it to the next level with your feet. :,)
Some people say he also uses them for talking
i hate it when they close my doors with the window. 2:45
but if they dont , the air inside the car haves no where to escape which will cause an presure buildup inside and mostlikely break a window
no no , i know the windows go down and up a little, i mean people touching the window as a handle to close the door ;)
yea , you are right :D they leave fingers and all
hahaaa I so get you
Piter Dimitrov and bcause the windows feels a little flimzy inside their mount
I'm sat here watching this in my e46 coupe
Very solid car 24 years later.
So at the end he says, that this is a timeless design. Here I found myself with tears and my eyes, because I own one of those two-door beauties and love it more and more every single day. The most beautiful car ever.
Same bro
Compared to modern cars, modern BMWs especially, these are so pert and pretty. A work of art almost! Just a shame they rust so badly in the UK, you seldom see them around anymore but they were everywhere in the mid 2000s, and thats the main reason why.
Still got mine. A truly timeless Classic, great looks and still looks the business. Never selling mine. It was this review that made me want one in the first place.
honestly.. .still my favorite styling of all the BMWs the ones before this were nice, no doubt, but for me it started to go all ASBO after this lineup. What i mean is the genre of the cars. as in when they launch their new line ups. You could launch this car today in 2016 and it would still look new. That's quite an achievement.
It wouldn't. Maybe a facelift coupe M Sport.. But not a 1998 with those lights.
You mean the orange indicator lights? ok, ill concede they look shit. But now you are nitpicking. The point of my comment is that it was a great looking car and still looks classy even today. Sure, pop in some clear indicator lenses, and some Led day lights. And what have you, a car that looks better than most new cars. And certainly looked a hell of a lot better than the next model after this one which was dog shit ugly with it's fat body and shopping trolley wheels.
DAGATHire
yes its a timeless shape. i would think a 2006 E46 330i on a private plate would look new. aged better than the e90, and is the last driver oriented m3. something alpina is looking to fix.
***** It's unfortunately the pedestrian safety laws which have resulted in the trend toward bulbous front end car design these days. Like the new one now, it looks quite aggressive with that massive bulge on the bonnet etc. But it's a result of the pedestrian safety laws. The wedge shape is basically illegal now.
DAGATHire
I respect that, but the new 3 series, in M Sport guise, definitely looks meaty. In the days of the E46, cars were seen more as transport, than now, where designers have to make cars look striking, because, meaning that the new 3 series has to look flash, and not timeless.
Bought my 2001 325Ci convertible in the Spring of 2013, with about 125k miles on it. Sierra Red exterior, beige leather interior, love it every day. Best car I've ever owned, I'd like to be buried in it. Timeless design and visual appeal.
This is automobile supremacy at its finest ! A car that can even fill a man with desire even after 15 yrs of being discontinued... bravo BMW 👏👏👏 a design to die for !!
Its still an amazig car. I own a 2001 325ci and it often gets positive compliments (I fully detail it every 2 weeks).
This one,E30 and 5 series E34 are the best BMW ever made and in my heart they are best cars ever made.
172k miles. great car, never selling
I have 164K on my 03 330i MSport, such a fun car, and is great looking
I think a new one is needed 😂
2001 330ci with 140k miles here, and still fine car that has cost me minimal problems or expenses. Recently purchased a 2011 E92 M3 which makes the E46 look and feel very dated, it's my fave M car, pretty much my fave car period--of all time....an absolute laugh to drive and I think spectacular looking as well although I wouldn't car what either looked like if they weren't just plain GOOD to great all around. Plan to keep the old one for daily and save the M for weekends and trips. :D
Bo McGillacutty I think we have different mind sets if you have a new version why drive the old one 😂🤦♂️
Theo Bell
If I had infinite money I would, but I don't. It's a waste to drive the new one around town, in the rain, continuous heavy traffic or other sub-optimal conditions. I don't want to risk getting it doored, or otherwise damaged in conditions where it can't even begin to be tapped. I don't need to rack up miles just putting around in it on short trips, too many cold starts, too much wear and tear for too little benefit. Plus it loses some of it's 'specialness' using it daily. I put groceries, boxes of whatever, even bare root trees n such in the old one. Why would I want to drive a pristine, thoroughbred 'race car' for that? The M sits low and has challenges with certain steep curb cuts between parking lots and roads, on and on....it's far more specialized even though the footprint (shadow, the tire print is like 2 to 1, lol) size, shape, cargo cap., and such are similar. The two are in entirely different classes.
One's worth maybe $4k and the other $35k. Old get's up to 30 mpg and is cheap to operate, other gets max of 20 mpg and that's the trivial part, tires are $1200 to $1500 (compare at around $400 for 330) and that's the 2nd trivial part. Get it now? I have all sorts of fantastic, less traveled canyon and back roads within easy reach where the M *really* gets with it and thrills me, the E46 is very good for those but it's a joke against the E92. The M has a good chance to stay 'like new' for quite a few years with less frequent use.
T274 ARX is still on the road. At its last MOT in September this year it had just over 202,000 miles on the clock!
+warren6815 How do you know?
You can find the MOT history of any UK car, as well as any issues or failures its had. www.check-mot.service.gov.uk
warren6815 Cool, thanks.
It's sorn now as of march 2018
Gurbir Singh and still sorn
I had the exact same colour and wheels on my 328ci..god I really miss it now,they still look great 10 years later!
2:50 Hammond looks like a miniature Dracula.
he looks like a proper twat
1:56 the sport steering wheel was basically the 2go option anyways. whoever got it with the normal steering wheel was insane. I prefer the sport steering wheel even to the 2010 steering wheel imho.
Here after just grabbing a '55 plate 330ci Clubsport. Used to have the 318i back in the day so it's a bit strange seeing something familiar yet so different! Great cars.
I have the 99 328i coupe to , very nice car! Great performance with my manual gearbox to.
I have a 2000 323i with 110k miles and looks brand new. Just had the entire coolant system replaced. Runs good and still fun to drive.
watching in Aug 2018, still undeniably elegant!
Love my E46 Coupe even if it's just the 4 Cylinder 318ci. Such timeless design and also great handling
Compare this to the current 4 series styling wise and....well.. there is no comparison really.
This is a subtle, flowing, graceful piece of design that they eye can rest on comfortably.
The current car is almost willfully brash and aggressive looking. Almost brutal.
I hope one day BMW manage to recapture that simple flowing grace they had back in the 90s for their smaller cars. I find the current 1-series and 3/4 series to be almost willfully ugly :-/
+soundseeker63 I disagree. I think the new 4-series actually looks a lot like older bmw's. If you take a close look, the E36 and F82 isn't that different in looks. And it is almost 30 years between them. The new 4-series looks absolutely amazing.
The only car in BMWs current lineup that has that old school grace is the 2-Series coupe.
Red Pill Intelligence Couldn't agree more!
In my city the e46 is the most popular and common car:)
20 yrs later - still a beautiful car.
I like that work from Mr Richard H ,, timeless classic
Watching in Jan 2018, love owning this car
yup got a 99 323i- great car! love it- lol and it's been a wonderful project... Bring My Wallet! (BMW) lol
I have the sedan, After all these years it still looks and drives great.
Great car, I own the e46 320i touring and i love it
Мартин Иванов 320i sucks dude get a 330i:)
I watching in 2018, and still i like this car, it look nice and worth to buy
Just got a BMW 318 e46 2002. Runs like a charm
Still use mine as a daily driver, still love it.
Love my e46 just gotta make sure you keep up with the maintenance mines a 99 and everything plastic is extremely brittle at this point
That is one very beautiful car even after all these years
Still the sexiest 3 series coupe ever designed, way better looking than the new ones.
I have to disagree. Even though the E46 coupe is my favourite "everyday" BMW, the E92 and the F32 with the M body panels are very handsome indeed.
GOD the current BMW executives desperately need to see this video. "if we were to change that, we would risk alienating a lot of our customers"
Just bought a 323 for the track p, hopefully it should be fun.
I own a 03 325xi sport winter package, I must say, it’s pretty unique
The base to the car that all of us that have grown up with nfs love till the end of time
Timeless 🙏
I had a 2003 for about 3 years, and it was about $4000 a year in repairs, not maintenance items. bought used when it was 9 years old with 65K. I got rid of it after driven 10-12k. it was good looking, handled well, comfortable seats, good audio, but left me stranded 3 times. couldn't open the door because the cables kept breaking. couldn't start the car the last few months of ownership. door actuators were intermittent and wouldn't always lock and unlock. phantom headlight electrical problem would keep the driver headlight off. takata airbag recall, never fixed. hazard switch surround cracked and required replacing.battery in electronic trunk, so when battery's dead, you can't get to your battery. I drove with the backseats down as a safety precaution to get to the battery. Replaced starter. Anything else? It was also a bitch to park in the city as it was a manual. Last guy put tape over the brake sensor to hide the fact the parking brake wasn't working.
wow that bad, i keep seeing these comments that even if it is in perfect condition you need to budget 1 to 2k euro a year for repairs , i am not used to that, i been driving Japanese more than European cars , and i thought oil change was expensive lol . i did own a VW Caravel , it was basically new 36k km on the clock , and during the 1 year i had it i drove it for 15k and drive shafts needed replacement, electrical problems with HVAC system controller , rust , doors didnt open , had a mind of their own, sunroof started leaking . on the other hand i had a leon Cupra and that was super reliable and i drove it hard for 3 years . so i guess it depends. but with the Japanese it is more likely you get better reliability , i never had any major issues with any of my Japanese cars and with the current Subaru forester , i thought i had strange sound coming from my timing chain tensioner , i ignore it and it went away lol . and dont even ask what went wrong with my 2002 rangrover , from 18k to 46 k , omg
Since the E46 came into the market, I still want to own a 328i or a 330i someday as a daily driver. Especially now as the prices for a used one is between $5000-$12000.
Lot cheaper than that
+omgits rei Yeah I picked up my 03 with 70k miles on the clock for only £2k which is way less than that
$1800 max
Jay Williams u buy a 330 ci ore a 325 ci with that money? with 500.000 kms on clock , yes.
Smile everytime i start my 330i coupe 2002 e46 i'm loving it
Everything built to last! BMW owners cant agree more on that!
I had the 330 M sport coupe. Loved it and miss it. But watching this, I really like the slightly classier looking CE.
Back then they where on its peak what a beauty...today even more then when it was new
At least until they put odd grille on new 3 and 4 series
E46 best looking 3 series ever. I have the m3
Chris J my dad have not M3 but E46 year 1999
e30 and e36 look waaaay better
King Brilliant uff, what do you prepare
Wow the speech at the end, what happened BMW?
I have a 20 y/o 323ci and I still love it
That car just screams class i just wish they would have come out with a turbo or supercharger option to match with the manual trans
my 328 doesnt look that bad. You might like it. It's making 228 HP at wheels; imgur.com/a/OnqeK3r
5:50 is why modern BMW faces so much criticism. They need to bring BMW back to a restrained yet well designed.
When was this filmed?
I like how he tells that they wont do crazy style and only evolution it, because customers like it and wont make them embarrass, and then in 2001 come out with E65 :D
It's an amazing car, I own the BMW 328i.. it's amazing
In case anyone is on the fence line: Just got a 2001 330ci in 2018 and I love the looks i get. Sorta like a “yeah we both know what I could do... but we both know I’m too reasonable to do it.”
Still a beautiful car in 2020!!
1:41 That's the first time I've seen a beemer with its indicators on.
I just bought my first e46
Its a e46 330ci coupe with manual transmission
This car looks so nice! But the doors are a bit too big, it’s hard to get out on the shopping car park.
I think the E46 coupe is one of my favorite BMWs ever.
my 328 doesnt look that bad. You might like it. It's making 228 HP at wheels; imgur.com/a/OnqeK3r
Just bought my first E46. It's a little worse for wear what with the previous owners. I love it so far. You get looks when you drive this car, and mine is missing a turn signal and a mirror lol.
FuckTheGov how's it been?
Got me a 1999 bmw 328i e46 sedan with 190k miles plus it’s the red sedan
Ahh the options back then, before the streets were full of peasant spec A class mercs, 1 series BMWs and useless crossover suvs. You had glorious cars like the Honda S2000, evo, impreza, legacy, e46 etc..
Dammit when bmw cars were understated, enthusiast oriented, reliable and it still looks goos to this day. But i would have gone for the evo or s2000 back then.
Does anyone know where I can find Jeremy Clarkson's review of the E46? All I can remember is it was from an early series of Top Gear and that he kicked off the episode with the review.
+carolasmx its on youtube
Davis Brown couldn't find it bro, u got a link?
carolasmx here: google.com
A very nice car
OMG, it's a baby Hammond! Also, it's 2023., I still want that car. Gimme a 330cd.
Still looks great 20 yrs later
One of the most beautiful BMWs of all times.
I got an auto '99 323i 4 door with 225k for 3,000 two months ago. My first bmw and my first auto. Or though I hate auto's I'm really liking this car...it's a bit heavy...a bit slow and the tip-tronic is backwards to my liking, with some pirelli P7 tires on it, it handles reasonably well. 15ltr of gas Whangarei to Auckland...about 180klm (pushing it on the back roads) it doesn't drink anywhere as much as I thought it would.
chockybones how's it held up?
I got rid of it...I just got bored with it, maybe if it was manual I would have liked it more. So now I only have my bikes '16 GSXR1000, 96 GSXR750 and the classic 85 GSXR750 ;-)
How Ironic of the corporate director to discuss the design of BMW being restrained and recognizable the moment before they went berserk with the styling
I had one of these with the same interior. Always regretted selling that car
wow I love Hammond but wtf brother. this car is a classic and a legend
5:37 fascinating hearing the BMW comms guy from 1999 talking about BMW styling. Literally everything he says BMW has now thrown out the window with the new 4 series. Such a shame.
got m54b22 with 450k on clock, still runs
Had this car for four years it's brill done 35k no problems now at 105k
How much you buy it for?
Hammond==>gym==> Leg workout
One of the best looking 3 series coupe. Shame the E46 doesn't look anywhere near as nice as a 4 door.
what are you on about?
Vos He was saying that although the coupe looks fantastic, the 4 door version looks rubbish. Was it too hard to understand?
"as a four door" can translate too "as much as a 4 door" in my motherlanguage and then the sentence didn't make sense to me , sorry.
i really like richard's reviews!even if he is driving an alfa romeo.lol
He says that the steering is « pretty direct » and right afterwards, he says that it could’ve done with a quicker rack, which is basically saying one thing and then the opposite in the same sentence...
2022 & my 00 e46 is still beautiful
I hate to say it but this looks better than my 2019 5 series does
320ci M52 Topasblau owner here
E46 guy myself.
Trying looking to get one of these now and they are all in shot quality. interior falling apart service lights going off engine issues screens inside the dash and center console stop working. Horrible
Not
Mr Honest
"a very good used buy"
If you are prepared to spend thousands of dollars on maintenance, then yes. Cooling system (radiator, expansion tank, thermostat + housing, hoses...), all kinds of suspension bushings, VANOS seal replacement, various sensors, window regulators, and interior trims are some of the things that are guaranteed to go wrong. And if you are unlucky, the dreaded subframe mount...
They are fantastic to drive, and that's the only reason people keep them longer than Vauxhalls, even if it costs way way WAY more than a Toyota to maintain over the same period of time.
donkgated made in mexico.
Vos
Depends what market and model. In Australia, the sedans were made in South Africa while the coupes, including M cars came from Germany.
i drive a 318ci 4 cilinder in Belgium, works fine , 260k kilometres so far, need 2 new hydro rubber dampers of the front suspension that's all. the climate here must be more mild for the rubbers and stuff
That Hamster looks young!