[KevinC]

Hopefully this will be helpful to those of you who are in the market for an E90 but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Background: This is my first BMW. I have been driving a VW Golf .:R32(one helluva car btw) for the past 2 years, and also own a 16-valve Scirocco that I've had for quite some time that has graced the pages of european car magazine (July '05). I've owned many GTI's over the years, as well as a Passat, a couple of aircooled Beetles back in the day, several Datsun/Nissan Z-cars, a Sentra SE-R ("classic" original version), and a 510. I throw this info out there just to give you an idea what kind of cars float my boat. I've only owned one sedan in the past, a 2000 VW Passat, a great car for the money. I've never owned a car with an auto tranny of any kind and probably never will (unless forced to someday).

This past summer I decided it was time for an upgrade. 6-figure income, 2 houses, no unsecured debt.. and I'm driving 2 VW's? Wake up, Kev! I had no real "adult" car and it was time for a nice sedan again. I originally set my sights on the Audi S4. However after a test drive, I came to the conclusion that it was a horrible buy at $54k - horrendous gas mileage (including a gas guzzler tax tacked onto the price!), and while the 340-hp V8 is an awesome motor, that thing is so porky (3800+ lbs) that it NEEDED all that oomph to drag its ass around. And worse, it FELT heavy. quattro (AWD) is nice, but completely unnecessary here in the desert. Bzzt.

Meanwhile the new E90's were starting to appear. At first I was cold to indifferent to the new look. Then it gradually started to grow on me, to the point I really liked the look. Then it dawned on me - THIS is the car that meets all my requirements for a new sedan. German, stylish without being garish, awesome handling, sufficient power, manual tranny available, iDrive NOT required (would have been a deal-breaker), great resale value, much more comfortable than my R, and a helluva lot cheaper than the S4. I studied up on how the 330i is equipped and what options were available. Bluetooth, the Logic7 system, and full maintenance helped convince me to bite. So in late October I placed my order - Titanium Silver, lux pkg (w/black leather), sport pkg, comfort access, Sirius, aluminum trim, and 6-speed MT. I wound up not getting the car till Feb 13th, as my dealer had sold all his inbound allocations and I got pushed back to January production. I didn't particularly mind, the R32 has kept me plenty entertained on the road during the wait.

500-mile impressions? The car has exceeded my expectations. Coming from what I've been driving, even with the sport package, the car rides and feels like a big Lexus to me. Harsh suspension? Puh-lease! Not to my road-hardened backside! For the first few days my only miles were commuting to and from work. Finally last weekend I headed for the hills. OMFG, my luxury cruiser turns into a beast of .:R32-like proportions as soon as it's pushed in the twisties! I was truly amazed.. the car can be both a quiet, luxurious boulevard cruiser, then turn into an absolute beast on demand. The tranny, clutch, and brakes are all absolutely superb. My R has supercar-like brakes, and the E90's brakes feel as though they're equal to the task. Gas mileage has been good, despite the car being far from broken in yet.

The Logic7 system is awesome. While in the hills I had Sammy Hagar blasting at full-on "blow me out of the car" volume, and it was so clean and awesome-sounding that I twice cranked it up even further, and it still sounded perfect to my ears. The sport seats are both comfortable and very supportive. The fit and finish, in and out, are flawless. My car was delivered in absolutely immaculate, perfectly detailed condition. The sales process included ZERO BS, and no extra BS fees or other nonsense was laid on me at closing time. Big thumbs-up to Rich Hoferichter at Chapman BMW in Scottsdale and his whole staff - awesome experience.

What's not to like? Very little. The runflat tires are horrible. It's easy to tell that there's a ton of "extra" unsprung weight at each corner, and they wander fairly badly on smooth freeway surfaces. I will NOT be buying another set - when these are toast I'll go to Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's, which I also run on the Golf.. awesome tire. I got about what I expected with Sirius - sound quality on Sat radio is pretty marginal given the low bitrate they broadcast at.. but it sounds very close to FM and is satisfactory. Main reason I wanted it was for long trips and it will serve that purpose just fine. If you're considering it I suggest auditioning it before buying - some will find it satisfactory, audiophile-types probably will probably run.

Other nice stuff - the adaptive Xenon lights, Bluetooth integration is way-cool, and comfort access is a VERY nice feature (and really wows people you're showing the car off to). Overall I give the car a 10 on a 1-10 scale. It's just awesome to be able to have a nice, comfortable, quiet cruiser that can also satisfy the "driver" in me when I want it to. And it's the "adult" car I've been missing for quite a while. If you're on the fence - quit screwing around, place your order and get ready to be impressed!

[obLu]

Funny you should mention it ... I had the rear wheel off to do the alarm install tonight. Picked it up ... 'my gawd these are heavy, damn I gotta start working out again'. So I brought out my trusty bathroom scale and slapped it on there ... 63lbs. Wheel and tire, inflated to 38psi.

I know oem cast wheels are boat anchors, but either the wheel is obese or those rft's weigh a significant amount more than normal tires ... that's my guess.

[kobechrome]

I agree with everything except for when you compare it to a Lexus

[voltron1011]

Welcome aboard. It's funny you mention the S4. I have loved that car ever since they introduced the V8 engine, but couldn't stand the MPG rating. You're right about the price. For that kind of money, you are very close to a 550i.

[Marven]

Thx Kevin...I am waiting on a delivery myself....glad to see that you are enjoying it...although I am trying to be patient it almosts hurts waiting to drive it! You reaffirmed my decision to get the 330..Thanks again for posting this!

M.

[Imperial]

welcome aboard, Kev! I'm a recent convert from Audi myself and agree with everything you've said about the E90. Honestly, I can't rant and rave enough about it myself, too! And on POINT w/ respect to the new S4s. I agree wholeheartedly as I drove my buddy's car and had the same impressions.

E90 3-series > like everything

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Harsh suspension? Puh-lease!

thats what I've been saying. All these grandmas and grandpas in this forum are too damn sensitive. They want "sports luxury sedan" and yet complain about slightly firmer suspension. They feel "every rock on the road" with sport package.

I recommanded them a Kia Optima once and got seriously flamed.

[Lost Rider]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

thats what I've been saying. All these grandmas and grandpas in this forum are too damn sensitive. They want "sports luxury sedan" and yet complain about slightly firmer suspension. They feel "every rock on the road" with sport package.

I recommanded them a Kia Optima once and got seriously flamed.

I couldn't agree with you more.

[Saintor]

I remember having read you on vwvortex.com about the subframes cracks on your VW.

I owned 3 Scirocco 16v and it is a bit weird to say but one of the best thing in my new BMW is that I feel the same Teutonic and somehow raw temperament I had in my old VWs (that unfortunately disappeared in the new VWs).

[CnoteMD]

I may be one of the few people who don't mind the run-flat tires. I have driven cars in the past with suspensions tuned more harshly than the E90, so I am quite comfortable in this car.

After all of the talk about how heavy the run-flat tires are, I did some measurements of my own and looked up specs on tirerack.com. This thread shows that even though run-flat tires are heavier, it really doesn't amount to very much.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11554

[BMerDRMer]

Nice review Kevin .......... I think you are ready to join the editorial staff for the "car rags" in your next career. I am somewhat surprised at your strong comments on the RFT's. It is hard for me to separate the tire feel from the suspension characteristics. I detect a little harshness and bump chatter on the ride, but is it the tires, or the setup? Running Dunlop M3's at the moement ...... had a short ride on my RE50's before swapping off for the season. I did not detect much change in the firmness or feel off the bat......understand only 20 miles experience of light driving on the RE50's to date though.

[ska///235i]

I agree 101% on the run flat tires

Congrats on the new ride

[LEDZEP]

Welcome! Nice write up.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by Saintor

I remember having read you on vwvortex.com about the subframes cracks on your VW.

Small world. It's fine now, but required a custom-made reinforcement bar for the front crossmember and a lot of welding.

Here's a pic of said Scirocco. Off-topic but it's vintage German beauty, so wtf?

[voltron1011]

I'm also a former VWvortexer, being a former MKII GTI owner. I also always wanted a Scirocco 16valve, but could never find one that hadn't been beat to death.

You've got 2 excellent examples of MKI and MKII Sciroccos. Gorgeous.

[BMW0]

~Benvenuto E90Post Nuovo Member~ It's always a treat to hear great things about E90s.

[darkside]

I agree about the runflats, but felt the 3 series handled fasirly well with them, probably due to the fact that the suspension was designed with these tires in mind. I just changed out the runflats on my 550i. I added M5 19" rims with Michelin PS2 tires and what a difference! Now it handles more like the 3 series. I feel in complete control again, the way I felt in my M3, and on my e90 330 test drive.