The BMW “3 Series” is as close to a “BMW for the masses” as it gets. It is their most popular-selling vehicle, and it provides a lot of BMW luxury for a relatively low price. It is currently in its fifth generation, and is built on the “E90” chassis. The “xDrive” is BMW’s patented all-wheel drive system in which the torque split between the front and rear axles is adjusted electronically when one axle has wheel slip.

The 2010 BMW 328i xDrive is an entry-level luxury sedan, and is the second of five trim levels. It has a 3.0 liter inline-6 cylinder engine that produces 230 horsepower. It has 16-inch alloy wheels, the aforementioned all-wheel drive, and a 6-speed manual transmission. It is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The 328i comes with a leather-covered, tilt-telescope steering wheel, power front seats with height adjustment, premium leatherette upholstery, cruise control, full-power accessories, 2-zone climate control, wood trim on the console, dash, and doors, a rear defogger, automatic headlights, foglights, and a trip computer. The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack. There are myriad upgrade packages available.

The 328i also comes with side front airbags, side curtain airbags, active front head restraints, stability control, traction control, and ventilated antilock brakes that feature brake-assist, brake-drying, electronic distribution of braking force. In government testing, the 328i received 4 stars out of 5 for front impact and a perfect 5 stars for side impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it their high scores of “good” in both front and side crash tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is typical BMW. The gauges are old school, and the build quality is excellent. The materials are high-quality and soft-touch in an attractive design. There is plenty of cabin space, especially in the front, where headroom and legroom are enhanced by the adjustable seats. The rear seats have plenty of legroom, but taller passengers might take issue with the amount of headroom if they are in the car too long.

The handling is world class, and the 328i is one of the finest-handling cars in production today. Even in their least-expensive model, BMW gives superb handling, with responsive steering and suspension, while giving a ride that anyone would love. The 328i handles well in any conditions, and the engine gives effortless power and some of the smoothest acceleration you’ll ever experience.

Whether it is for commuting, short hops to the country club, or long trips, the BMW 328i won’t disappoint. And if you get a chance to take it on a winding road and test it out a little bit, you will really become enamored. This car delivers a great combination of power, tight suspension, and hugging the road, and is probably one of the safest cars you can drive in inclement conditions.

The verdict: if you have the extra money, it is worth every penny.

This is a very long name for a car, but it seems to be needed to explain exactly what is going on.  This is another of “those” cars that almost defies being put into one market segment.  It is officially a hatchback, but it is built like a wagon, has all-wheel drive like a crossover SUV, and it is tweaked for sport.

Sometimes, cars like this end up with a little bit of everything for everybody and develop a wide following.  Sometimes, they don’t have enough of anything for anybody and end up on sale for a drastically-reduced price at the end of the model year.  To answer the implied question, we haven’t seen the 550i on sale yet.

The 550i xDrive has a 4.4 liter, twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 400 horsepower.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, all-wheel drive, and an 8-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifter.  It is rated at 15 mpg in the city, 21 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 5.3 seconds.

The 550i xDrive comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel that has audio and cruise controls, 8-way power front bucket seats with height adjustment and lumbar support, leather upholstery, full power accessories, three 12-volt power outlets, a split-folding rear seat, front and rear sunroofs, a rear defogger, automatic xenon headlights, foglights, and a voice-activated navigation system with realtime traffic.  The audio system has 10 conventional speakers, two subwoofers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and Bluetooth.

The 550i also has the BMW assist telecommunications service, antilock brakes with brake-drying, hill-hold, and brake fade compensation, stability control, traction control, side front airbags, and side curtain airbags.  There is no safety rating, but BMW’s standards are higher than those of the government or the IIHS.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The 550i is a full-luxury BMW.  Everything you have come to expect from BMW, like wood and leather trim, soft-touch materials, and understated but profound luxury, are there.  The seats are as comfortable as it gets in the front and back.  There is plenty of both headroom and legroom all around, and the seats theselves are comfortable and supportive.  The front seats are so adjustable that it is almost impossible not to be comfortable in them.

There is plenty of cargo space.  There is a trunk under the hatchback that has 15 cubic feet of cargo space, and the total grows to 60 if you fold the back seats and use them for storage.

The 550i is a star when it comes to handling and acceleration.  The engine is powerful and effortless during both acceleration and cruising at highway speeds.  The transmission is extremely smooth, too, and there is almost no road or wind noise.  The steering is very responsive, and the transmission is tweaked for sport, but there is a touch of body roll.  BMW’s patented xDrive keeps the car going down its intended path even in the most inclement of conditions.

The ride is a bit stiff for a BMW.  You can feel a bit of road, and you don’t get the usual BMW detachment.  Luckily, “stiff” for a BMW would be a luxury ride for almost anyone else.  Look at it as a luxury ride with just enough punch to keep passengers engaged.

The verdict: if you want a little sport with your BMW, this is a great vehicle.