Conversations, Calatagan, & the ultimate driving fun

You don’t chat or merely talk with one another; you have actual, meaningful conversations. Seemingly, you know what’s on each other’s mind, anticipating wants, needs and pleasures. All accomplished without so much as a single word getting in the way.

Such is the relationship between the driver and BMW’s latest machine. A fact we recently had the privilege of experiencing first hand when BMW Group Philippines invited the media to a ride-and-drive affair going to Calatagan, Batangas.

The event is intended to introduce the German carmaker’s 2002 318iA sedan model range. The latest 318iA comes in three variants, the 318iA, the 318iA Executive and the 318iA M Sport. Accompanying the pair for the 2002 3-series model range are the 316i and the 325iA.

But while all these new 3-series models have revised styling, retooled steering and upgraded safety stuff by way of rear side airbags, it’s the 318i models that get a new powerplant as well. On the outside, the 3-series have thoroughly restyled skins, but one would be hard pressed to note exactly where these changes are.

BMW have always followed an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary path in design, always keeping an eye on its styling heritage. The subtle revision on the new cars is not an exception. While the 3-series sports a cleaner hood, fender, taillights, and front and rear bumper designs – even the signature kidney grille is wider and has an upward flair – only the new headlamps are easily recognizable. As with the two semi-circular lines at the bottom, the whole headlamp assembly now has a more swooping design, its lines going upward toward the sides of the front fenders.

Where the previous car’s face had a smiling demeanor, the new one has a more aggressive, almost growling one. Which is only fitting, especially so for the 318iA. Under the hood’s wider and bulging "power dome" is BMW’s latest generation N42B20 motor, after all, which boasts of the company’s newly developed Valvetronic feature.

Initially offered only on its four-cylinder gas engines, Valvetronic allows for infinitely adjustable valve lift. This gizmo discards the conventional throttle butterfly that controls engine intake. Trouble with the butterfly is a loss of power when it is not fully opened. Plus, it wastes fuel too.

Taking away the butterfly in a conventional setup, though, means the engine would constantly run under full throttle. Think of it as playing a computer racing game using a keyboard. You’re either on full power or no power at all. Using an eccentric shaft controlled by an electric motor, Valvetronic allows the intake valves to switch from a position with only a short lift or one with a tall lift, thereby optimally controlling the intake charge entering the combustion chamber. All without the need for a throttle butterfly.

Working with BMW’s proven take on the variable valve timing technology – which the company calls double-VANOS – the new motor wins the heavy-breathing contest since it now has infinitely variable valve lift and duration. What these technobabble means is that the Valvetronic-equipped 318iA has more than 20 horses on tap than the previous model, and it’s a much welcomed increase too.

We drove the old 318i going to Calatagan, and quick definitely it’s not. Now, the new 2-liter motor makes a respectable 143 horsepower. It is bolted on to a five-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic feature, which allows the driver to manually shift gears, sans the clutch pedal dance routine, of course. Incidentally, as opposed to the previous 3-series models, the new car’s Steptronic has a more instinctive shifter operation: Pull the lever to upshift, push to downshift.

The M Sport is the quintessential sports sedan. Flick this car into a corner and it turns the exact second you’re thinking of turning. Plunge it deep into a really tight corner at speeds sane people may consider as ludicrous, and it stays glued to the asphalt. On fast, sweeping turns, one may turn in early expecting the M Sport to roll and drift a little, but no, it doesn’t. Simply track the correct line, no need to compensate for the car. Trust me, the M Sport seems to say. Its chassis is so taut, its steering laser-guided, its reflexes so immediate, the result is performance that’s downright instinctive. Communication between driver and machine is clear and direct. The driver and car is not man and machine anymore. The driver is the machine. One that’s capable of having tremendous fun at that.