Description: Luxury Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $28,100-$55,600
Invoice Price Range: $25,730-$50,755

The majority of all cars sold with a BMW badge come from the 3-Series class of compacts. These vehicles -- in designs of a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon and two-door coupe or convertible -- set a high standard for performance, handling and agility. Model nomenclature amounts to alphanumeric designations to describe the body style and displacement of an engine.

Two in-line-six aluminum-block engines -- measuring to 2.5 liters and 3.0 liters -- power the class, earning 170 hp and 225 hp, respectively. Sedans and wagons with the 2.5-liter engine are labeled 325i for RWD and 325xi for AWD; for the 3.0-liter plant, the two sedans are the 330i (RWD) and 330xi (AWD). Coupes and convertibles carry similar designations as 352Ci and 330Ci, each with rear-wheel driveline.

The coupes and convertibles have a revamped front-end design for 2004 and standard automatic headlight control system, with xenon HID headlamps optional for the adaptive headlamp control system. The 330i and 330xi sedans and wagons show new front grilles and headlight surrounds trimmed in black.