Used 2012 BMW 3 Series Convertible Review & Ratings

The BMW 3 Series Convertible provides its owners with the refreshing freedom to travel rooftop down, sunglasses on and hair blowing in the wind. Of course, on those steamy hot days, you can always keep the top up and crank up the air-conditioning too. The 3 Series Convertible is considered a luxury vehicle; it provides an amazing amount of comfort, yet remains practical. Even though the folded roof adds a lot more weight to the car, the 2012 BMW 3 Series Convertible is one of the best handling drop-top four-passengers cars available on the market.

This 2012 model by BMW is available in three trims, namely the 328i, 335i and 335is, with performance being the primary difference. The 328i is powered by a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine that provides 230 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. While that may not blow the competition away off the line, it is still respectable. Not to mention, it will be appreciated at the pump as it returns 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. When you move up to the 335i, 300 is the magic number for both horsepower and torque. Then, if you require a little more power, the 335is grants you 320 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. One of the great things about the BMW 3 Series Convertible is that it comes with a six-speed manual transmission standard, which seems to be harder and harder to come by these days. You do also have the option of an automatic six-speed Steptronic gear thought as well. The 335i possesses an all-aluminum crankcase with high-precision fuel injection allowing the car to get to 60 mph in as quick as 6 seconds.

There are a lot of torn reviews when it comes to safety in the BMW 3 Series Convertible. Although it did receive a "Good" rating on frontal-offset crash tests, it only ranked with a "Marginal" rating on side-impact tests. Not to mention, braking to zero from 60 mph takes 115, which isn't horrible, but it is certainly nothing to get excited about. The BMW 3 Series Convertible boasts all the safety features that you would expect it to have, plus the stability control is quite unique. It is designed in such as way that it wipes the brakes dry periodically when the wipers in use.

This is a good looking convertible. It has some unique features and surprisingly impressive gas mileage, but one has to wonder if BMW has done enough to compete with others in this class.