Automotive

The engine does have some torque and is actually quite fast in certain situations.  There is no turbo lag, and the torque is fairly consistent (no surges in torque across the RPM range).  Overall, it's a good engine.  

There is substantial torque.  There is some torque at 1300, but a little higher you feel more torque.  But in general, there's no shortage of torque.  The 328i sedan in the USA has the same engine and I've driven that extensively.  0-60 mph acceleration in the sedan is approximately 5.7 seconds.  It's a fast car!  If you punch the accelerator in a low gear, you do feel your head going into your headrest.  

The transmission is 8 speeds and buttery smooth.  It's an automatic.  It has D, DS (a sport mode equivalent) and M (manual) modes.  In DS mode, the transmission is very clever, holds gears in turns, keeps the RPMs higher so you're in the torque band, and is very quick to downshift upon braking.  Overall, a great transmission.  The manual control is very fast, and the transmission has the ability to change gears very quickly very smoothly.  It's almost like a double clutch system.  

The sound...  The sound isn't bad.  It's just not that good.  For a BMW of this caliber, the sound is fairly normal.  It doesn't sound as good as the straight 6 nor like the turbine-like V8.  The turbos have muted the sound a little bit.  Overall, there isn't a huge amount of sound, but the amount that you do hear is neither unpleasant nor special.  

I drive a very quiet and smooth car.  I can say that every now and then it'd be nice to drive a noisy one.  Like your Clio with Brembo front brakes.  

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