Grand Tourer: 2010 BMW 3 Series Coupe

It's a rare sight to see a thoroughbred German coupe in Dhaka, but it is the rarity that pushes people to purchase these semi-exotics in most cases. While our feature car today is not the M3, the top dog sports coupe from BMW's stable of high end machinery, it still comes close. The 325i comes equipped with a 2.5 liter 6 cylinder unit which provides a smooth, creamy power range to play with, with max power figures standing at 218 hp. There's loads of low end torque to get you moving nicely, and what the power figures may lack next to those the M3 offers, this 3 series coupe makes up for with pure visual drama.

The front and rear bumpers are lifted off the M-division catalog of high end customization parts, which offer the atypical German build quality and finesse. The fit and finish, as expected, is top notch, they'd have to be for the price the customer pays for them. The finely sculpted forged M wheels look the part next to the flame surfaced bodylines and carbon fiber lips. They all work together to give the 3 series a more poised and ready to prowl look.

The highlight of the exterior is not from an M division catalog, however. That would be the crown jewel of most modern BMWs: the angel eye headlights. It might be clichéd, but those projection headlamps and built-in DRLs never seem to get old, and a discerning enthusiast can spend hours scrutinizing every last detail of the intricate light cluster up-front. Same goes for the LED overdose in the rear lights.

The interior still has the new car smell, an attribute of most well maintained garage queens. It is a superb place to be in, with stitched bucket seats which pamper your behind, glossy carbon fiber accents, and a general absence of any untoward plastics anywhere. It's all properly posh.

This car woos you over with its noise. The thick grunt from the engine when the accelerator is pressed, the rapid expulsion of exhaust gasses from the quad outlet system out back, it makes the car feel much faster than it really is. Not that it isn't fast, the coupe builds speed quite well without being an obnoxious speed freak. You can almost imagine some German guy in a lab coat, unimpressed by the inefficient and crass hunt for horsepower that other manufacturers seem obsessed with, while developing this gem of a car.

For efficient GT motoring, the old 3 series coupe set a very high precedent, and till we get to experience the brand new replacement 4 series coupe, the first impression of this efficient grand tourer will stay with us for a while.