Modern equivalent to BMW 528e/325e

Is there a more recent analogue to these cars? 80's BMWs weren't packed with luxuries like they are today, and these would have been base models anyway. They still took the "ultimate driving machine" motto to heart, and are plenty of fun with no-nonsense, driver focused interiors and handling to help you forget that they are underpowered. They're a very practical size, so though a CRX probably gets better MPG everywhere, these actually have functional back seats. Not to mention they still had the build quality of a premium brand (at least at the time).

For those of you not hip to the BMW M20B27 engine and the cars in which you can find it, it was a fantastic attempt to increase fuel economy in their bread and butter 5 and 3 series.  Known as the "eta" engine, referencing the greek letter used for efficiency in engineering equations. They took a couple cam bearings out of their M20 inline 6, increased the displacement to 2.7L, gave it the laziest camshaft and ignition timing, for a result of 121hp/170lb-ft and a truly blistering sub-5000rpm redline. Fuel economy was great though, you could expect mid 20's city and over 30 on the highway if you don't drive like Sammy Hagar. The low RPM torque made it a great engine for most non-racing activities, and the tall final drive meant you didn't really need to exceed 2000 rpm on your commute. Before the E30M3 price explosion that has dragged every 80's BMW value up with it, I'd have considered these cars a fantastic value, offering the same e30/e28 chassis as the more powerful cars, but with longer trips between fuel stops.

The closest modern approximation I can come up with is a Mazda 3 or 6. They're hard to find with 3 pedals though, and FWD is a bummer. Anybody have any better ideas? It's not hard to find efficient cars of a practical size, but I'm specifically looking for something that isn't burdened with modern bloat, and is still fun to drive. I'm not convinced BMW makes one of those anymore.

(I figure this is a more interesing thought experiment than the question "what should be my new daily?")

Cactus said:

The closest modern approximation I can come up with is a Mazda 3 or 6. They're hard to find with 3 pedals though, and FWD is a bummer.

Have you driven one? My mom drives a 2010, 2.5, 6 speed Mazda 3. My only complains come from gummy controls but I complain about that one almost every car I drive.

I've only driven an automatic one, and it was a short trip.

Lexus IS250 will be closest, with a four-cylinder/manual ATS also in the discussion.

I am not a fan of new BMWs just because of the amount of technology however  ( and I am getting older and more crotchety) I do look at the 128i-135i from time to time. I would guess they are pretty epic to drive. 

In reply to OjaiM5 :

The new 1-series is about as exciting to drive as taking a poop.  Yawn fest.

E46 3 series, Acura TL, 10th gen Civic Si?That's about all I can think of that will be somewhere close to your torque, space, and mpg requirements.

New Accord with a 4-banger and a manual?

I'm thinking you guys are on to something with recent Hondas. Turbos, but for the sake of efficiency rather than sheer power. They have good build quality without luxury bloat. Still available with 3 pedals.

135is are damn nice cars, but they've got a lot of expensive parts that just break and wear out sometimes.

If you can give up on the stick shift, would a Lexus GS hybrid fit the bill?  Seems like that’d be the equivalent of a 5 series.

Your post screams modern mazda. Honestly my mid level 2012 mazda6 is just as luxurious and well appointed as my e39 was, while getting better mileage with far better reliability. Ind its faster in every metric i can butt dyno on the street. 

You mentioned Mazda6.  A derivative of that is the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan.  From '06 up to about '13 you could get a 4cyl w/manual.  '06-'09 was 2.3L w/ 5 speed.  '10+ was 2.5L w/ 6 speed (better choice.)  In the end they even had a turbo 1.6L too!  

What I find most interesting about the Fusion manual trans was that you could order the 4cyl manual all the way through the option list; not just a stripper (though many are stripper.)  

Not a wicked fast car but probably no slower than an ETA, but sadly, FWD.  

No one goes looking for a manual trans Fusion (and even fewer look for a manual Milan) so the few out there are slow to sell and slow can mean a good price.  

The new Toyota Corolla, Camry, and Honda Accord all look freaking sweet. If any of them drive as racy as they look, that would be your bogie.

Toyota seems to have unexpectedly brought out a new Corolla with a stick shift and sporting pretensions.

An even more unlikely one is that Buick turned out a number of Regals in the last decade with a four cylinder and a six speed manual box. Might be as hard to find one of these as a four leaf clover, though.

Define modern. If you're willing to go back ten years, you can find base E9x cars with NA inline sixes and manuals. The E82 is a lot smaller inside than an E28; it's more of an E30 equivalent. If you're willing to go back further, the base E39 (528i/525i) are pretty similar. Nothing since the eta experiment has had the low-revving efficiency focus of those cars.

If you want newer, the modernish Mazdas (3 & 6) I've driven are probably as close as you can find.

1st gen Mazda 3 felt a lot like an e30 to me

In looking for a car for my kid, I drove a mid-oughts Mazda 6 with the V6 and a stick.  While the car was pretty beat, I came away somewhat impressed with the way it drove.  So....  Mazda 6 V6 with a stick.

This is a hard one. A base model Civic is by most peoples definitions more luxurious than one of the old BMW's. The one that it doesn't hit? The feel. You can't put your finger on it, but everything feels high quality. Maybe a Jetta or a GTI, but I haven't driven a recent one. It is the same reason why I'm in my Lexus GS, it just feels extremely high quality despite having 290k miles.

That isn't to say that the Civic or Corolla or Accord isn't high quality, but they don't have the same bank vault doors that the BMW did (and those were frankly not very Bank-vaultish, but they're moreso than most cars). 

Late 00's G37s, not lacking in performance though

Otherwise the Genesis G70, 4cyl manual, "premium" sedan for today version of the cars you are wanting.  Cheapish, not fast but not slow, limited slip, RWD.  Ticks most boxes other than brand

It's getting older but I love my 128i.  Very simple for a somewhat modern car, yet it retains all the goodness of BMWs of old.  The reliability has also been stellar.  I'm now at 112000 miles and have owned it since it had 60k, and the only issue has been an O2 sensor and one set of tires.

I just picked up a b5 s4 avant recently that I've found is surprisingly close driving-wise to my '84 325e. The interior is very similar in construction, maybe not style. Red/Orange lighting, matte or satin plastics and leathers and very comfortable with the sport seats. It's also feels lighter and more nimble than it should (considering the weight). Although the s4 trumps the e30 when it comes to hp. I had been swapping between a jaguar StypeR and my e30 and the jag feels very nice, but BLOATED and very numb. (again, the hp is very very appealing with the supercharged v8). The s4 wagon just makes me want an e30 wagon even more.

clutchsmoke said:

E46 3 series, Acura TL, 10th gen Civic Si?That's about all I can think of that will be somewhere close to your torque, space, and mpg requirements.

10th gen Civic Si is bloated and a very numb driving experience compared to 9th and 8th gen variants. Efficiency is great with the 1.5T setup, steering is numb and light, and fake engine noise takes away from the raw appeal of previous generations of the Si. Then you have dual zone climate control, heated seats, Honda Sensing (lane departure, auto braking, adaptive cruise control, etc), and traction control/vsa. The current Civic Sport might be more of an answer than the Si since the Si now carries all these upmarket features. 

As other said you ned to define modern. Are we talking the last 10 years? Last 15? Or new on the market? 

I'll go with the last 5 years:

- Previous generation Accord Sport 4dr, 4 cyl, 6-spd. 

- Current gen WRX - swapped the EJ for the FA with equal length headers and twin scroll turbo for efficiency while offering improved gas mileage and a linear torque band. 

- Genesis G70 with the 4 cyl, 6-sped combo

- 3rd gen Honda Fit Sport with a manual if you can find one

- I can't believe no one has mentioned the FRS/BRZ/86 twi-triplets. 

I'm not totally clear on what it is you're looking for - a family-size sporty-ish car that gets good fuel economy and drives well at low RPMs?

IDK, seems like any 2.0T VW would work for you (GTI, GLI), or frankly anything with a V6. 

In reply to irish44j :

I'm not clear on what I'm looking for either.  The answer to what car I should buy is "dude, just fix your broken 528e."

But I'm not even in the market for another car anyway.

As another guy who owns an E28 and knows what you're talking about I would say the closest thing is probably the final Honda/Acura K24 powered cars like the 9th gen Civic Si and TSX, or the aforementioned Mazdas with the 2.5 engine and 6-speed. I drove a new Mazda3 with the 2.5/6-speed combo and was really impressed, would have bought it if my GTI didn't come along for a screaming deal.

Broad torque from a relatively small engine in a solid car with enthusiast bones is how I think of it.

BMW has not built a car like what you seek since the introduction of the twin cam engines, IMO. I've lost almost all desire to work on anything newer than the M20/M30. MAYBE an M42...