ohnoes
03-08-2008, 06:27 PM
Just test-drove, albeit not for very long, a Space Gray 335i coupe with saddle brown interior, pretty much loaded to the hilt. Sports package, premium package, cold weather package, iDrive, etc. etc. Strangely, it didn't have Comfort Access. Sticker price was a pretty penny: $49,700 or so.
Before I started her up, I played around for a few minutes with iDrive and some of the other various buttons and doo-dads in this computer geek's heaven of a cockpit. And I have to say, it's not NEARLY as much of an egregious failure as the press and laymen make it out to be! I don't know what grievances people have with it, as it's actually pretty straightforward. "Intuitive" may be a bit of a stretch, but it isn't terrible, by any means. It took me literally no time at all to figure it out, and I'd really never used it before (I did on an E65/E66, but that was five years ago at an auto show and not for very long... I digress).
It paired up instantly with my BlackBerry 7250. Didn't seem to want to work with my Treo 650, but the latter is getting up there in age and occasionally acts somewhat quirky... maybe something I forgot to do on the Treo. Didn't check for my address book, but I presume it was all there. Didn't make any calls, either, but again I presume it works. There was just too much else to distract me and take in there that playing with every little piece of technology could compel my undivided attention for days on end! :eek:
Then we were off, the salesman and me. Cool guy, has an E70 X5 4.8i. Told me about his experiences at the ride-and-drives that BMW salespeople attend down in Spartansburg to get "acquainted" (to put it lightly :devillook) with their cars and those of the competition (latter is a great idea!). Very cool stuff.
My first impression was smoothness. Compared to the comparatively visceral and peaky nature of the S54 that powers my E46 M3, this thing just offers power, torque, and smoothness in spades throughout the rev band--it truly is the gift that keeps on giving!
My M3 definitely pulls a lot harder on the top end, harder in the mid-range, and about the same down low, but there are a few reasons for this: a) it is a naturally-aspirated, strung-out N/A Motorsport engine with lots of high-end power, where the N54 is a twin-turbo powerplant with gobs of torque, b) my car is not stock, c) I did not really romp on the 335i much because the motor was cold.
One thing I was a little bit disturbed by was how careless the salesman was in driving the car. It had obviously not been driven at least overnight, and it was all the way at the cold (160 degrees) mark, yet he nearly redlined it every shift just to demonstrate, when we left the parking lot. Is this normal practice for salespeople? I'm worried it is. Someone needs to educate and monitor them insofar as they learn not to do this, as it is clearly bad for the motor. I'd hate to know that my new BMW were being abused like this during delivery...
The sound of the engine is pure I6 goodness. It has a very subtle but audible growl that really inspires one to keep on pushing it. It's an easy sound to fall in love with! And it's certainly one that sounds better stock than the S54, at least until you hit the world-class symphony in the latter that is 6,500 RPMs+.
Clutch and transmission action were great, probably better than any other BMW I've driven. The salesman told me the shifter gates were weighted so that hunting for the next gear is no longer an issue. Is this true? It definitely snicks into gear much more easily than my M3 which sometimes protests up or downshifts.
Can't remember if this car had Active Steering or not, but one thing I noticed about this component of the car was that the steering felt noticeably heavier than my M3. Not really ponderous or lazy, but certainly heavier and different. I really like the sport steering wheel.
Handling was incredible as usual for a BMW 3-Series, though much to my disappointment, the salesman had to get back to apparently sell a loaded 550i before I could really hunt down and spiritedly tackle some serious twisties. I did get a decent feel for it, but I'd like more seat time if I were going to make a firm appraisal of its abilities stock for stock versus the M3. It certainly bugs me at surface level that it doesn't come with an LSD, but no non-M since 1994 has.
It definitely feels more solid and composed, as well as generally smoother, than the E46 chassis at speed and in turns; it's obviously a superior suspension design. I think it does, though, lose some of the road feel that the former offers--but this is to be expected, as it has occurred in each successive generation following the E30. It also feels heavier, but it's not a pig.
Miscellaneous observations included that the Logic7 audio system sounds very, very nice; the seatbelt extenders seem flimsy, unnecessary, and inevitably destined for breakage at some point; seats are very, very comfortable and supportive; glovebox is TINY, as I've read elsewhere--not even big enough to fit the owner's manual :rolleyes; interior layout, design, and quality is head and shoulders above previous 3-Series, and I love the extended center console for rear passengers; dash is less "driver-oriented" than its predecessors.
Overall, I love the car. But is it a worthy and suitable replacement for my M3? I'm still trying to decide. I haven't fallen head over heels for it, but maybe that's to be expected coming from an M3.
I'd really to have both of them. :evil2
Before I started her up, I played around for a few minutes with iDrive and some of the other various buttons and doo-dads in this computer geek's heaven of a cockpit. And I have to say, it's not NEARLY as much of an egregious failure as the press and laymen make it out to be! I don't know what grievances people have with it, as it's actually pretty straightforward. "Intuitive" may be a bit of a stretch, but it isn't terrible, by any means. It took me literally no time at all to figure it out, and I'd really never used it before (I did on an E65/E66, but that was five years ago at an auto show and not for very long... I digress).
It paired up instantly with my BlackBerry 7250. Didn't seem to want to work with my Treo 650, but the latter is getting up there in age and occasionally acts somewhat quirky... maybe something I forgot to do on the Treo. Didn't check for my address book, but I presume it was all there. Didn't make any calls, either, but again I presume it works. There was just too much else to distract me and take in there that playing with every little piece of technology could compel my undivided attention for days on end! :eek:
Then we were off, the salesman and me. Cool guy, has an E70 X5 4.8i. Told me about his experiences at the ride-and-drives that BMW salespeople attend down in Spartansburg to get "acquainted" (to put it lightly :devillook) with their cars and those of the competition (latter is a great idea!). Very cool stuff.
My first impression was smoothness. Compared to the comparatively visceral and peaky nature of the S54 that powers my E46 M3, this thing just offers power, torque, and smoothness in spades throughout the rev band--it truly is the gift that keeps on giving!
My M3 definitely pulls a lot harder on the top end, harder in the mid-range, and about the same down low, but there are a few reasons for this: a) it is a naturally-aspirated, strung-out N/A Motorsport engine with lots of high-end power, where the N54 is a twin-turbo powerplant with gobs of torque, b) my car is not stock, c) I did not really romp on the 335i much because the motor was cold.
One thing I was a little bit disturbed by was how careless the salesman was in driving the car. It had obviously not been driven at least overnight, and it was all the way at the cold (160 degrees) mark, yet he nearly redlined it every shift just to demonstrate, when we left the parking lot. Is this normal practice for salespeople? I'm worried it is. Someone needs to educate and monitor them insofar as they learn not to do this, as it is clearly bad for the motor. I'd hate to know that my new BMW were being abused like this during delivery...
The sound of the engine is pure I6 goodness. It has a very subtle but audible growl that really inspires one to keep on pushing it. It's an easy sound to fall in love with! And it's certainly one that sounds better stock than the S54, at least until you hit the world-class symphony in the latter that is 6,500 RPMs+.
Clutch and transmission action were great, probably better than any other BMW I've driven. The salesman told me the shifter gates were weighted so that hunting for the next gear is no longer an issue. Is this true? It definitely snicks into gear much more easily than my M3 which sometimes protests up or downshifts.
Can't remember if this car had Active Steering or not, but one thing I noticed about this component of the car was that the steering felt noticeably heavier than my M3. Not really ponderous or lazy, but certainly heavier and different. I really like the sport steering wheel.
Handling was incredible as usual for a BMW 3-Series, though much to my disappointment, the salesman had to get back to apparently sell a loaded 550i before I could really hunt down and spiritedly tackle some serious twisties. I did get a decent feel for it, but I'd like more seat time if I were going to make a firm appraisal of its abilities stock for stock versus the M3. It certainly bugs me at surface level that it doesn't come with an LSD, but no non-M since 1994 has.
It definitely feels more solid and composed, as well as generally smoother, than the E46 chassis at speed and in turns; it's obviously a superior suspension design. I think it does, though, lose some of the road feel that the former offers--but this is to be expected, as it has occurred in each successive generation following the E30. It also feels heavier, but it's not a pig.
Miscellaneous observations included that the Logic7 audio system sounds very, very nice; the seatbelt extenders seem flimsy, unnecessary, and inevitably destined for breakage at some point; seats are very, very comfortable and supportive; glovebox is TINY, as I've read elsewhere--not even big enough to fit the owner's manual :rolleyes; interior layout, design, and quality is head and shoulders above previous 3-Series, and I love the extended center console for rear passengers; dash is less "driver-oriented" than its predecessors.
Overall, I love the car. But is it a worthy and suitable replacement for my M3? I'm still trying to decide. I haven't fallen head over heels for it, but maybe that's to be expected coming from an M3.
I'd really to have both of them. :evil2