Category: Convertibles 
Price Range: No data available
Solid, beautifully built, practical, great to drive, fine six-cylinder engines.
Inconsistent accelerator response.
One of the best convertibles of its time.
The multi-adjustable driving position should suit all, and the switches, dials and controls are laid out with typical BMW clarity. The view out is good, too, thanks to a waistline lower than the coupe's and a hood that disappears into the rear deck, so there isn't a hump to peer over when parking. But the drive-by-wire accelerator takes some getting used to for a smooth drive: the first movement does very little, then it all comes in a rush.Some versions of the E46 3-Series have felt a bit dull to drive, their engines lacking the muscle power to exercise the capabilities of the suspension and the tyres. That all changed with the 330Ci, whose gutsy engine makes for plenty of fun when powering out of a bend or accelerating past slower traffic. The effect has been to sharpen the whole car, making it more the driving machine that BMW claims. The smaller engines give a good time, too, again thanks to a more muscular power delivery at low revs.
Engine performance is also brilliant. But this applies only to the 330Ci version, whose 3.0-litre, 231 bhp engine replaces a 2.8. As well as buckets of power, it has usable torque, so you don't have to work the engine hard. As ever, the straight-six, 24-valve motor is creamy-smooth and sounds glorious. The 325Ci has the same 2.5-litre capacity as the old 323Ci engine but is more powerful, and there's a 320Ci of, bafflingly, 2.2 litres. These smaller engines are super-smooth but lack the big one's firepower.
