BMW Compact

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BMW Compact (E36)

Manufacturer	BMW
Production	1993-2004 371,498 built [1]
Successor	BMW Compact (E46)
Class	Compact car
Body style(s)	3-door hatchback
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	1.6 L I4 102 PS (75 kW; 101 hp) 1.9 L 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) 1.8 L I4 140 PS (100 kW; 140 hp) 1.9 L I4 140 PS (100 kW; 140 hp) 2.5 L I6 170 PS (130 kW; 170 hp) 1.6 L I4 Petrol/Biogas 87 PS (64 kW; 86 hp) 1.7 L I4 diesel 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp)
Wheelbase	2,700 mm (110 in)
Length	4,210 mm (166 in)
Width	1,700 mm (67 in)
Curb weight	1,175 kg (2,590 lb)−1,290 kg (2,800 lb)

1997 BMW 318ti California Edition

1995 BMW 318ti Sport competing in an autocross event

The BMW Compact is a compact car / small family car, basically a truncated liftback version of the BMW 3 Series, produced by the German automaker BMW between 1993 and 2004. The wheelbase remained the same as the full-size sibling. From 1994, it was based on the BMW E36 platform, switching to the BMW E46 platform in 2001. Production of BMW Compact ceased in 2004 when it was succeeded by the 1 Series.

The car was available in 316i, 316g (compressed natural gas)^[2], 318ti, 318tds (diesel) and later as a 323ti. The title 'Ti'(Touring International) used on the more powerful versions, harking back to the ti models of the sixties.

E36/5

The BMW E36/5 Compact shares its suspension with the BMW Z3, M Coupe/Roadster, which has E36 front suspension and rear suspension based on the E30. From front bumper to A pillar, the Compact looks identical to the E36 sedan, sharing both front fenders, bumpers, lights and the hood.

In order to save space, the E36/5 made use of a smaller semi-trailing arm rear axle derived from the older 3-series (E30). The inherent design of the trailing arm suspension was that it favoured oversteer. Consequently, the Compact received mixed reviews from the automotive press, some claiming the chassis was the most balanced of the E36 range, while others said that the car wandered and darted in a straight line, and was uncomposed in the corners.

Trims

In North America, these models were equipped with a 1.8 litre, 138 bhp (103 kW; 140 PS) four-cylinder M42 engine for the 1995 model year. In 1996, the engine was expanded to 1.9 liters (M44), a treatment given to all 318i/318is. As some changes were required to make the car compliant with OBD-II, power curve adjustments occurred at the same time. European buyers had the option of a smaller 1.6 litre engine, a four-cylinder diesel, and German buyers had the exclusive and rare 323ti option with a 2.5L, 170 PS (125 kW; 168 hp) Inline-6.

The interior was all BMW: apart from a simple one piece dashboard, it shared the same seats and trim as the full-sized 3-series. 318ti came in different trim levels, including the base, Active and Sport. Sport package is similar to the ones offered to coupe/sedan models, giving the car the suspension upgrade, colour coded bumpers, foglights, alloy wheels, sport seats and the like. Active package offered comfort items such as OBC(On-board computer), cruise control, sunroof and remote keyless entry.

The Clubsport edition was only offered in the model year 1995. It received the treatment of BMW Individual, much like the 1995 M3 lightweight and 1995 BMW E34 540i M-sport. The car had upgraded suspension, limited slip differential, sport seats, and full M-aerodynamic package including front and rear bumpers as well as side mirrors. It should be noted the Sport package for 1995 318ti had all the performance upgrade with no exterior distinction from the base model. Starting 1996, the sport package included the M-aerodynamic package like the Clubsport model, with the exception using the standard side mirror. Also there is a rare California edition of the vehicle, introduced in 1996, featured a Webasto style folding canvas roof reminiscent of those used in the Citroën 2CV. 1999 is a unique year for 318ti in US, since the introduction of E46 sedan/coupe models, BMW has made a decision not to offer the four-cylindered cars available to the rest of the world. All 1999 318ti's came with the sport package. It is the rarest and most sought after of the E36 318 lineup by enthusiasts, being the lightest, fastest, best handling and least expensive.

In 1996, to celebrate the 50th birthday of the German automobile magazine Auto, Motor und Sport handbuilt (at least) one M3 compact. The car embodied all the technical and optical characteristics of the stock E36 M3, but in the compact body, and more. A quad exhaust tip, Recaro sports seats, four-point seatbelts and an alcantara steering wheel and gear lever were specific for this model. The car was widely regarded as a test mule for the Z3 M Coupe. The car was donated to the automobile magazine, but there are no details of the car's present whereabouts.

During 1993/4, BMW built several prototype 5-door compacts, which looked outwardly even more similar to the saloon right back to the C-pillar. However, following the initially disappointing sales response to the Compact (in comparison to the Saloon & Coupe models) BMW decided not to offer a 5-door variant. The prototypes were stripped and the bodyshells disposed of.

Sales

The car was offered in the United States and Canada for model years 1995 through 1999. Despite being reasonably priced, starting at $19,900, the 318ti never enjoyed popularity in North America, selling much better in Europe. While consumers desired a less expensive BMW, two factors conspired to keep sales low in the US.

BMW 3 Series Compact (E46)

BMW Compact (E46/5)

Manufacturer	BMW
Production	2000-2004
Successor	BMW 1 series
Class	Compact car
Body style(s)	3-door hatchback
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	1.8 L I4 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) 2.0 L I4 143 PS (105 kW; 141 hp) 2.5 L I6 192 PS (141 kW; 189 hp) 2.0 L I4 diesel 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) 2.0 L I4 diesel 150 PS (110 kW; 150 hp)
Wheelbase	2,725 mm (107.3 in)
Length	4,260 mm (168 in)
Width	1,750 mm (69 in)
Curb weight	1,300 kg (2,900 lb)−1,405 kg (3,100 lb)

The TI/Compact was redesigned in 2000 (as part of the E46 line), but was never exported to North America. Although the E46 compact was never sold in the U.S., there have been many attempts to import them.^{[citation needed]} The E46 Compact does not feature styling similar to the rest of E46 cars. Most notably, the headlight assembly on the Compact models differ greatly from either coupe, sedan/touring models.

BMW E46 Compact

The TI/Compact is mechanically identical, model for model, to the E46-series saloon, estate, coupe and convertible. It featured the same engines, same transmissions and same suspension components - just in a package eight inches shorter.

The steering was also sharpened, offering a quicker rack than any other 3 Series model

The car received mixed reviews from the press and public. The press thought that the Compact was a great little hatchback that handled well, but it was let down by the fact that the e36 compact had a bad reputation. The Compact also had mixed reviews regarding the look of the car. Some people thought that the Compact looked 'chic' and 'exotic' and the looks are still fresh and new, whereas some people criticised the car due to the fact it doesn't look like a BMW, and because of the fact the front lights look similar to that of a Rover 200 series.

Build and quality of finish was much-improved over that of the earlier Compact: this time, there were no obvious differences from the rest of the 3-Series range. A few problems reported, including turbo failure in the 320d.

In 2004, the TI/Compact was effectively replaced by the BMW 1 Series (the 1-Series did not go to North America until 2008).

Racing

A Motorsport version of the car was briefly considered by BMW but it was concluded that such a production run would never return adequate profits. Despite this, the 16-valve versions 318ti compact and the various versions of the 318is (as 2 or 4-door E36, or as 2-door E30) won overall championships in the German endurance racing series on the Nürburgring, VLN [1] in 2002, 2004 & 2006 and RCN/CHC in 2003, as its class ("V2 standard cars up to 1850 cc") usually has the most entries due to the low costs, and thus slightly more points are rewarded according to the special scoring system. Yet, it was beaten to both the VLN and the RCN/CHC title by 1600 cc Opel Corsa once (VLN 2003, RCN/CHC 2005).

Engines

Versions available to the European market:

E36

E46

References

External links

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