BMW 328i Review, For Sale, Specs, Models & News in Australia | CarsGuide

In the pantheon of iconic BMW 3 Series models, the 328i is almost as famous as the legendary M3, as it came to represent the biggest six-cylinder engine option within the regular (non M-car) sports-sedan (and coupe and convertible) range in the model’s mid-’90s heyday.

The badge arrived with the E36 generation facelift in 1994, replacing the 325i, which itself succeeded the famous 323i moniker topping the original E21 and era-defining E30 versions of the ’70s and ’80s. The 328i name lived on in the 1998 E46 successor, but only until 2000, when it was replaced by the larger-capacity 330i. Still, what goes around comes around, and the 328i stormed back for the E90 facelift in late 2007. 

However, though the badge remained on the 3 Series’ posterior for its late 2011 metamorphisis into the smooth F30 generation, the beloved in-line six-cylinder engine was dropped in the name of lower emissions for a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo, angering many brand loyalists despite sparkling reviews. 

The 328i badge vanished (again) for the 2015 facelift, usurped (again) by another 330i. But don’t worry, BMW fans. It’s bound to return to a 3 Series bootlid sometime in the future…