silvership
02-27-2007, 10:58 PM
This week I picked up my 2007 328xi with premium package, cold weather package, and automatic. This is my first BMW and here are my initial impressions.
Summary:
It's an amazing vehicle that I thought was head and shoulders above the other vehicles I test drove (Audi A4q, Infiniti Gx, Lexus IS250). Feature-for-feature, it's about $2K more expensive than the others, but in my opinion, well worth it. Here are my initial thoughts and observations.
Pros:
1) The 3 series has significantly improved the fit and finish compared to the models from a few years ago. I have always been biased toward the Audi interior, but this comes very close (I switch to BMW this year after owning 2 fantastic Audis so maybe I'm biased).
2) I was amazed at the torque, and 'throatiness' of the V6. It is unmatched in this class. You'll appreciate how smooth and powerful the 328xi is compared to a car like the Infiniti Gx V6 which is more powerful on paper, but it sure doesn't seem so when you drive it.
3) The Sport mode automatic. Prior to test driving the car, I was biased toward the manual transmission, but the automatic in this vehicle behaves more like a manual transmission than any other automatic car I've driven. The Sport mode provides noticeably more responsive throttle and acceleration than the standard mode and is quite fun to drive. I think this is the best automatic transmission in the industry.
4) Seats. I am rather tall, and unlike previous generations of 3 series, the seat and telescoping wheel allow me more than enough room for me. The seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in. Also, the seat heaters work faster than any other car I've been in. Nice job BMW. This alone will make long trips much more enjoyable.
5) Road feel and handling. You really just have to drive the car to understand what the hype is all about. It more closely resembles the handling of my friend's Boxster than that of my former Audi A4.
6) Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors. I know this is pretty common these days, but I've never had them. I used to tilt my exterior mirrors down every night to avoid the headlight glare so I really appreciate this feature. It works well.
Quirky Features
1) I was surprised at the level to which BMW engineers made so many basic features driver-programmable such as...
The lights/horn behavior upon locking/unlocking can be programmed.
You can program the seat and mirrors to set themselves up for your memory settings when you use your key fob to unlock the doors or when you open the doors.
Adjustable daytime running light settings2) In my opinion, the whole key fob push-button ignition system is unnecessary and a bit annoying. I'd rather insert the key fob into the slot and rotate it like a normal key. I don't understand the utility of the start / stop button. Does anyone know the story behind this one? The key fob is also quite chubby and adds bulk to my key chain that I'd rather not have in my pocket.
3) DST/DTC button. You really need to study the drivers manual carefully to understand how DST and DTC are different and why turning on the Dynamic Traction Control feature, "may make the vehicle less stable." This is very counter-intuitive for most people. The actual feature seems to work well, but the human factors work related to this button and how its described in the manual need a re-work. I think they probably should have renamed DTC to something like "snow mode."
3) Owner's Manual. In general I think it is not written very clearly and in some cases it's downright confusing (how many people were able to successfully program their garage door opener on the first try?)
4) Parking Lights. The owners manual spends a fair amount of time talking about using parking lights. What are they and when would someone use them?
5) The 'knurled wheel' on the climate control vents. What's the purpose of setting a cabin temperature using the digital climate control system, then changing the temperature you just set by using the red/blue 'knurled wheel' (as the manual calls it) to change the temperature from certain vents. I don't really get the purpose. Is this just a throw-back feature from the old days?
Gripes
1) Bluetooth Voice Dialing. This is 2007 and this car is using voice recognition technology from the stone age. It was very easy to pair the car with my Bluetooth phone, and I was impressed how the car 'sucked in' my phone's contact list, however, the voice dialing requires me to train each contact with a voice tag. The process was far too complicated and fragile therefore I probably won't use it. Many mobile phones today have 'speaker-independent' voice dialing which automatically voice activates my phone's entire contact list without requiring any training from my voice. I wish the BMW voice dial button simply initiated a Bluetooth link with my phone and used my phone's built-in speaker-independent voice dialing system using the car's hands-free system. This is now most Bluetooth headsets work- when you press the Bluetooth voice dial button, it uses the phone's built-in voice dial system. If anyone knows of a hack that would enable this, I think this would be the most valuable improvement to the car.
2) Funny noise. I have 63 miles on the car, and today, something under the hood (I think) makes a buzzing noise when the car is accelerating and the engine passes through the 1500 RPM range. Something is loose and is vibrating somewhere and it's incredibly annoying. A bit annoyed about having to take a brand new $40K car back for something like this, but I don't think I can wait for my first oil change to deal with it.
3) High pitch tone when car is off. After I turn off the car and lock it, it emits a very hight pitch tone for about 2 minutes. What is this? It sounds similar to the high pitch tone that some household light bulbs make when they are dimmed.
4) Owner's manual and glove box. BMW provides a very nice leather-ish binder to hold all of the various manuals and service guides and maps however the binder doesn't quite fit in the glove box. It's about 1/8" too big so the hatch won't close if you try to store the binder in there. Come on guys- this is just embarrassing. Who wants to store their owners manual, atlas, etc. in the trunk?
Summary
In my opinion, some of the controls and electronics are over-engineered and over-complicated, and the Bluetooth Voice Dialing feature is stone-age, but overall, it's the best car I've ever owned. The engine and handling is unmatched, and the interior quality is now comparable to the Audis. I can't wait for the next snow storm so I can test the xDrive.
Summary:
It's an amazing vehicle that I thought was head and shoulders above the other vehicles I test drove (Audi A4q, Infiniti Gx, Lexus IS250). Feature-for-feature, it's about $2K more expensive than the others, but in my opinion, well worth it. Here are my initial thoughts and observations.
Pros:
1) The 3 series has significantly improved the fit and finish compared to the models from a few years ago. I have always been biased toward the Audi interior, but this comes very close (I switch to BMW this year after owning 2 fantastic Audis so maybe I'm biased).
2) I was amazed at the torque, and 'throatiness' of the V6. It is unmatched in this class. You'll appreciate how smooth and powerful the 328xi is compared to a car like the Infiniti Gx V6 which is more powerful on paper, but it sure doesn't seem so when you drive it.
3) The Sport mode automatic. Prior to test driving the car, I was biased toward the manual transmission, but the automatic in this vehicle behaves more like a manual transmission than any other automatic car I've driven. The Sport mode provides noticeably more responsive throttle and acceleration than the standard mode and is quite fun to drive. I think this is the best automatic transmission in the industry.
4) Seats. I am rather tall, and unlike previous generations of 3 series, the seat and telescoping wheel allow me more than enough room for me. The seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in. Also, the seat heaters work faster than any other car I've been in. Nice job BMW. This alone will make long trips much more enjoyable.
5) Road feel and handling. You really just have to drive the car to understand what the hype is all about. It more closely resembles the handling of my friend's Boxster than that of my former Audi A4.
6) Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors. I know this is pretty common these days, but I've never had them. I used to tilt my exterior mirrors down every night to avoid the headlight glare so I really appreciate this feature. It works well.
Quirky Features
1) I was surprised at the level to which BMW engineers made so many basic features driver-programmable such as...
The lights/horn behavior upon locking/unlocking can be programmed.
You can program the seat and mirrors to set themselves up for your memory settings when you use your key fob to unlock the doors or when you open the doors.
Adjustable daytime running light settings2) In my opinion, the whole key fob push-button ignition system is unnecessary and a bit annoying. I'd rather insert the key fob into the slot and rotate it like a normal key. I don't understand the utility of the start / stop button. Does anyone know the story behind this one? The key fob is also quite chubby and adds bulk to my key chain that I'd rather not have in my pocket.
3) DST/DTC button. You really need to study the drivers manual carefully to understand how DST and DTC are different and why turning on the Dynamic Traction Control feature, "may make the vehicle less stable." This is very counter-intuitive for most people. The actual feature seems to work well, but the human factors work related to this button and how its described in the manual need a re-work. I think they probably should have renamed DTC to something like "snow mode."
3) Owner's Manual. In general I think it is not written very clearly and in some cases it's downright confusing (how many people were able to successfully program their garage door opener on the first try?)
4) Parking Lights. The owners manual spends a fair amount of time talking about using parking lights. What are they and when would someone use them?
5) The 'knurled wheel' on the climate control vents. What's the purpose of setting a cabin temperature using the digital climate control system, then changing the temperature you just set by using the red/blue 'knurled wheel' (as the manual calls it) to change the temperature from certain vents. I don't really get the purpose. Is this just a throw-back feature from the old days?
Gripes
1) Bluetooth Voice Dialing. This is 2007 and this car is using voice recognition technology from the stone age. It was very easy to pair the car with my Bluetooth phone, and I was impressed how the car 'sucked in' my phone's contact list, however, the voice dialing requires me to train each contact with a voice tag. The process was far too complicated and fragile therefore I probably won't use it. Many mobile phones today have 'speaker-independent' voice dialing which automatically voice activates my phone's entire contact list without requiring any training from my voice. I wish the BMW voice dial button simply initiated a Bluetooth link with my phone and used my phone's built-in speaker-independent voice dialing system using the car's hands-free system. This is now most Bluetooth headsets work- when you press the Bluetooth voice dial button, it uses the phone's built-in voice dial system. If anyone knows of a hack that would enable this, I think this would be the most valuable improvement to the car.
2) Funny noise. I have 63 miles on the car, and today, something under the hood (I think) makes a buzzing noise when the car is accelerating and the engine passes through the 1500 RPM range. Something is loose and is vibrating somewhere and it's incredibly annoying. A bit annoyed about having to take a brand new $40K car back for something like this, but I don't think I can wait for my first oil change to deal with it.
3) High pitch tone when car is off. After I turn off the car and lock it, it emits a very hight pitch tone for about 2 minutes. What is this? It sounds similar to the high pitch tone that some household light bulbs make when they are dimmed.
4) Owner's manual and glove box. BMW provides a very nice leather-ish binder to hold all of the various manuals and service guides and maps however the binder doesn't quite fit in the glove box. It's about 1/8" too big so the hatch won't close if you try to store the binder in there. Come on guys- this is just embarrassing. Who wants to store their owners manual, atlas, etc. in the trunk?
Summary
In my opinion, some of the controls and electronics are over-engineered and over-complicated, and the Bluetooth Voice Dialing feature is stone-age, but overall, it's the best car I've ever owned. The engine and handling is unmatched, and the interior quality is now comparable to the Audis. I can't wait for the next snow storm so I can test the xDrive.