320d Performance brings out the Mr. Hyde in BMW’s mild-mannered sedan

THE DEVIL in repose. The 320d Performance is a four-door that can mix it up with sports cars.

A BMW sedan is not the first thing (or second, or third) that comes to mind when we imagine a car coming straight from the devil’s lair. Yet the 320d that rolled out from the darkened dealership looked distinctly sinister. For one, it was painted a deep, dark blue-indeed, Deep Sea Blue, or as we liked to think of it, the Deep Blue Sea. A pair of racing stripes highlights the car’s beltline on each side—a thick silver (excuse me, Weiss) line underscoring the fenders and window frames.

Adding more helpings of meanness are the blacked-out kidney grilles and the liberal application of carbon fiber. The wing mirrors are cloaked in the material, and the front splitters are made from carbon as well. There’s a delicious tail spoiler, perfectly balancing discretion and wickedness. All of these pieces are of course genuine carbon fiber, not mere stickers.

Then there are the wheels: enormous 19-inch aluminum double-spoke numbers that wouldn’t look small on a 7 Series. On the 320d, shod with 35-series Pirellis, the car’s footwear looks ready to scrape the wheel wells. They enclose upgraded brake discs with yellow calipers. The car we drove had the Performance sport suspension that lowers the vehicle for an extra measure of stability and handling.

THE 320 cockpit is generously garnished with carbon fiber trim.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to vehicle modification: one is to customize a vehicle to your heart’s desire, and the other is to leave it the hell alone. The dilemma is magnified when it comes to luxury cars: why modify what is already a high-performance vehicle, and why spend more on an already expensive car?

What we mere mortals may not understand is that the more expensive the vehicle, the more it opens itself up to customization. A Ferrari would be able to easily swallow up several thousand times the options available to a Jazz, say, while pushing the stratospheric performance even higher.

The 320d Performance is firmly in the go-all-the-way camp, leaving few items untouched. The interior also gets a heavy makeover. The original metallic decorative pieces are swapped out for carbon panels. The wide swath covering the dashboard and surrounding the iDrive knob look like the automotive equivalent of dark chocolate-good enough to eat. The only pieces missing were the sport seats, which look like they were lifted from a DTM race car.

CARBON fiber done right: Trunk lid spoiler is discreet and devilish.

So the car looks like the Devil Incarnate. Does it perform like it looks? What is wonderful about the 320d is that it can play the role of mild-mannered family sedan all day and night and it won’t complain. There’s none of the snarling ferocity inherent in other wildly-decked out sedans-the Subaru Impreza STi comes to mind. There’s just a louder rumble to the engine, a reminder that: Dude, I’m ready. Just give the word.

And when you do give the word, via your right foot, the car obliges nicely. No modification is complete without the engine getting some go-faster parts as well. At the heart of the 320d Performance is a power kit that ups the power and torque of the already formidable engine. Power goes up from 181 hp to 197 hp, and there’s an additional 40 Nm on tap. Acceleration time to 100 km/h drops by…wait for it, 0.3 seconds. A very expensive eyeblink, that. Well, what does matter is that it feels faster. As a bonus, the engine does sound more guttural. The best part is that fuel efficiency and emissions remain the same.

The engine just pumps out a boatload of torque, from any rpm. With the gearshift in Sport mode, the car easily scythes through traffic with the agility of a pure sports car. The enlarged brake discs, high-performance calipers, and sticky P-Zero tires give extra confidence.

GENUINE carbon fiber surrounds the iDrive control knob.

The 3 Series has some of the best steering feedback of any car, never mind that it’s a four-door sedan. There’s an extra bit of tingle filtering to your fingertips, courtesy of the racing-type steering wheel wrapped in grippy Alcantara fabric. You’ve no doubt heard of Formula One steering wheel costing tens of thousands of dollars, so you won’t be shocked at the price tag of this one.

We were not surprised to find that ride comfort is still quite acceptable. The ride feels firmer and there’s some rumble when on the move, but jolts and bumps are still well isolated.

Is this a (young) dad’s perfect car? No doubt that a two-door body style would do a better job of massaging his ego, but for the perfect balance of having space for the family and going like the Devil when alone, the 320d Performance pushes all the right buttons.

So what price Performance? Like the saying goes: “If you have to ask…” Well, we did have to ask, so here goes: Be ready to write a check for P2,252,214. Standard 320d not included. (Check out the sidebar for the complete parts list.) With all the upgrades, the 320d Performance shoots up into the midsize European sedan category. There are quite a few nice choices there, some with excellent diesel engines as well. If factory-sanctioned modification and performance parts are your desire, as well as a feel closer to that of a pure sports car, the 320d Performance fits the bill quite nicely.

HUGE 19-inch alloys, Pirelli P-Zeros, carbon splitters and blacked-out grille give the 320d a dash of diabolical. Photos by Jason K. Ang

<strong320d PERFORMANCE PARTS

Power Kit—P227,210
Sports Suspension—P131,717.17
Steering Wheel—P186,707.40
Brake (F & R)—P234,805.33
Hand Brake—P11,502.69
Aluminum Pedal—P10,080.20
Sport Stripes – Weiss—P17,669.64
Aero Kit—P517,697.08
Sport Seat set—P376,137.01
Wheel set—P345,744
Silencer system—P112,184.76
Aluminum foot rest—P7,233.81
Interior trim carbon—P73,524.93

CARBON fiber shell makes for one mirror where the backside is useful as well.