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I loved it!

The car was fan-freakin-tastic.

I was suprised by the initial get-up and go from a stop. Many bimmers have a slight lag of the line, but not this one. I drove mostly with DTC on. So, from a stoplight bam, your off the line (you can even chirp the wheels a bit if you like), then there is a slight DIP in power, then at 3k rpms it is all back, and at anything over 5k rpms the engine really sounds like it is gasping for air and working harder for less.

Overall the engine and ride were near perfect. The provided a buttery-smoothness at a level I have not experienced before. The car works in such harmony with the road it feels like it is an extension of yourself.

Quibbles: I tried to save some dough and omitted a few options I thought I could do without -- namely, power seats and leather.

The manual seats are still ultra-supportive and adjustable, but finding your "spot" takes at least five minutes. Switching seats with my wife really made me miss the memory setting.

I did not mind the leatherette at first. It was towards the end of the test drive that I realized I had a icky case of SWAMP BACK!!

On Monaco Blue: I did not hate it, but I did not love it. It's not black, it's not blue, it has no identity.

On the lack of chrome trim: I love it. I now cannot stand the chrome on the 330i.

On the manual trans: I test drove the 325i and 330i back to back and coulde tell a difference. The 325i was easier to snick-snick through the gears.

I really enjoyed the car, but mostly missed the power leather seats that I am accustomed to. Adding those options quickly put me in near ED-330i-pricing.

And 330i-pricing quickly approaches '00/'01 M5 princing.

Lastly, after all the test drives I found that my meager old '99 328i had new life and was nearly as enjoyable as the E90s!

Ah, why can't I keep them all.