BMW E36 Features You Should Know

The BMW 3-Series E36-generation was top in its class giving no room to its rivals as the E36 came with much popularity and desirability due to its excellent performance. The car became BMW’s flagship from its sleek styling to the fitment of a new independent rear suspension set-up, known as the Z-axle. This multilink set-up kept the E36 as the market sector’s best handling car in the 90s. BMW launched the 3-Series in the four-door saloon, a two-door Coupe in 1992, a two-door convertible in 1994, and a five-door Touring in1995.

The car featured some of the finest engine options as at the time of its launch amongst them were the in-line four-cylinder and a collection of straight-sixes, all of which were as brilliant as before. VANOS variable valve timing was introduced in 1993 and the 2.5-liter diesel launched in TD and TDS form (115 and 143bhp respectively). This gave the E36 a successful outing in the 90s as its demands surge. Literally and figuratively, the 3 Series soon became a lightning rod for upwardly mobile types and a true status symbol during one of the most materialistic periods in history. Stick around as we bring to you more facts about the third-generation 3 Series E36 and possibly the most thrusting of them all.

The Interior Features of the E36
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The E36 interior design was enhanced by the extra length of the car compared to its predecessor. The extra length gave room to spacious rear legroom as BMW went for a solid plastic base with molded foam padding for the front seat instead of its traditional net structure. Standard on the saloon rear seat was a folded center armrest and a center lap belt for a fifth passenger. The main seat belts worked in the opposite direction from other cars.

The coupe, on the other hand, had no center armrest but featured similar seat belts. Although the rear seat folder was in a 50/50 split to make a useful extension to the boot space. Normally saloons had a solid steel bulkhead behind the rear seat but folding seats were an option. Rear head restraints were standard in touring but optional in all other models.

The dash featured an analog clock with an adjacent coin tray, a digital clock, and an external temperature sensor but the full OBC (onboard computer) was the thing to have. The OBC could tell you the average speed, economy, bleep at you if you exceeded a preset speed and had a nice mileage countdown and estimated arrival time function for long journeys

Coupes had opening rear windows which unlike the later E46 were almost always manual rather than electric. Air conditioning was very rare on early UK cars as it was exceedingly expensive. The E36 had a rotary knob to regulate the car’s temperature instead of the traditional sliders that came with the previous models.

Saloons and coupes had a generously large boot with a good-sized opening and a much lower lip. Due to the slant of the rear window, the boot was deceptive in size as the top of the lid was fairly short. On four-cylinder cars, there was an oddments tray on the right-hand side but six-cylinder cars placed a rear-mounted battery in that location. E36s were a good deal quieter inside due to better aerodynamics and more effective sound deadening.

The Exterior Design
The E36 is the third generation of the range of compact executive cars from the BMW 3-series. The different models that came with the car were the four-door sedan body style, followed by the coupe, convertible, wagon (“Touring”), hatchback (“Compact”), and the rare four-door convertible Baur TC4 in later years.

The sedan, coupé, convertible and Touring models use the “Z-axle” multilink suspension in the rear, which was introduced in the BMW Z1 roadster. Considering the rear end of the hatchback which is truncated, BMW decided to revisit the E30 3-Series design taking a lift from its rear semi-trailing arm suspension to create some room for the E36 Compact models.

Engine Options of the E36
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Under the hood of the E36 comes the four-cylinder petrol engines carried over from the previous generation 3 Series; the BMW M40 SOHC engine and the BMW M42 DOHC engine. In 1993, the M40 was replaced by the BMW M43 SOHC engine and the M42 was replaced in 1996 by the BMW M44 DOHC engine.

The six-cylinder models of the E36 featured the-new BMW M50 DOHC petrol engine. In late 1992 the M50TU versions added single-VANOS (variable valve timing), which increased torque (peak power was unchanged). In 1995, the BMW M52 engine replaced the M50TU, resulting in the 328i model replacing the 325i and the addition of a new mid-range 323i model powered by a 2.5-liter version of the M52.

In 1992, the 3.0 L BMW S50 engine debuted in the E36 M3. In 1995, its capacity was increased to 3.2 L. Initially, the turbocharged straight-six BMW M51 engine was used in the E36 325td model. In 1993, the 325tds model was released, which added an intercooler to the M51. In 1994, the 318tds model was introduced, powered by the four-cylinder BMW M41 turbocharged and inter-cooled engine.

What to look out for
That slip in build quality causes a few issues with the E36, the most obvious being rust, which tends to take hold around the front wheel arches first, though rear arches, jacking points, and door bottoms can be problems areas too.

The E36’s body is also renowned for being weak around the rear sub-frame and can split in various places. The only way to be sure this hasn’t happened to a prospective purchase for sure is to inspect it from beneath – though any odd handling traits, knocks, or rattles from below or behind the rear seats might give you a clue. As you might expect, this isn’t cheap to repair, so if you find a car like this, walk away.

E36 cooling systems are notoriously weak, so on your test drive check the temperature gauge reads normal, and leave the car running for a while to see whether the cooling fan cuts in. Dashboard displays can lose Pixels which is a tricky DIY repair, but you can find companies out there who’ll do it for you if it’s beyond your abilities.

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