[BimmerGuyFL]

1st place BMW 330i sport in 6 speed manual
2nd place Lexus IS350 Sport
3rd place Mercedes C350 Sport in 6 speed Manual

330i 0-60 in 5.8 second
IS350 0-60 in 5.2 seconds
C350 0-60 in 5.4 seconds

BMW won compario for the reason being that it was the most satisfing of the trio to drive and power performance was not far behind.

Review here - http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...hp?t=74&page=2

[ben1364]

Interesting! (1) BMW NA must have made a big ad buy, and (2) I was not aware that the C350 was available with a manual transmission. I bet it is nose heavy.

[subframe]

Is that issue in the stores yet?

[Ed_330i]

Originally Posted by ben1364

Interesting! (1) BMW NA must have made a big ad buy, and (2) I was not aware that the C350 was available with a manual transmission. I bet it is nose heavy.

ya a C350 was relased recently.

just with the new 3.5 V6 before the model dies.

[ksfrogman]

Originally Posted by subframe

Is that issue in the stores yet?

I had just bought the February 2006 issue earlier today at Barnes & Noble.

[SCA]

Wow! Those 0-60 times have to be embrassing for BMW when compared to their competition.

[RichReg]

I would think BMW would feel pretty good about out-selling two competitors that both have more powerful engines.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by RichReg

I would think BMW would feel pretty good about out-selling two competitors that both have more powerful engines.

Apparently not comfortable enough...rumored 328 & 335.

[ChineseGuy]

I love BMW's style, winning with less horses.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by SCA

Apparently not comfortable enough...rumored 328 & 335.

Rumor?
No way.....its a certainty that BMWs horsepower insecurity is the sole reason for the creation of a 335.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by RichReg

Rumor?
No way.....its a certainty that BMWs horsepower insecurity is the sole reason for the creation of a 335.

Rumor, speculation or whatever, as we all know it is not official until BMW makes a public announcement.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by SCA

Apparently not comfortable enough...rumored 328 & 335.

OUCH.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by SCA

Rumor, speculation or whatever, as we all know it is not official until BMW makes a public announcement.

I'm going to check with my dealer @ Open-Road BMW today & see if I can get a peak at that calender again.
Now that its 2006, dealers memos & other docs might be floating around a bit more freely...

[epiphone3]

In any case, I think that the good people at Motortrend have realized that there is much more to a car than it's 0-60mph time.

Those 0-60 times will be much different than what is experienced in the real world anyway... for example, magazines used to bag some crazy 0-60 times with the Subaru WRX a few years ago (the 227 hp version) like 5.4 seconds or something. It turns out that they were dropping the clutch at something 4500rpm (a practice that a Car and Driver does and admits "will put you on a first-name basis with your parts guy") and the all-wheel drive obviously didn't allow the wheels to spin.

Incidently, I raced a WRX of this type with an E46 330i. I had 3 passangers in the 330i (four 160lb to 225lb males) and the guy in the WRX was on his own. I actually matched him to 160 km/h and maybe started to gain on him a little. So much for magazine acceration times.... the E46 330i was given a 6.0 second 0-60mph time.

I think a better measure, if you are looking at magazine times, is probably 0-100mph or 0-150mph. These times will allow more of the engine and drivetrain characteristics to come out and be more easily able to compare to the real-world as the lauch accounts for a lower fraction of the overall time.

Oh, and by the way, BMW always upgrades their 3-series engines part-way thru the Model life... they did it with E36, E46, and now with E90. It is nothing new... it is not like they weren't going to do it and now, because of Lexus, they will. It was always in the plan.

[Jason]

If anyone wants to read the entire review, you can find it here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...hp?t=74&page=2

[Mono]

The 0-100 mph times are quite different. 15.7 seconds vs. 13.0 seconds is a HUGE difference in power. Low-end engine torque and gearing play a large part in the 0-60 mph tests. Raw horsepower pretty much takes over after 60 mph. Clearly, the 300+ horses on the IS begin pulling away from the 330 pretty good after 60 mph. Just look at the variance between the two at 0-70 mph.

My modified Mustang GT was dyno tested at 252 rwhp SAE which equates to about 300 at the flywheel (15% driveline loss for MT) My car did a best of 13.5 sec. @ 101 mph in the quarter mile. The new IS 350 is doing 100 mph by 13 seconds flat. That’s pretty impressive.

The 0-100 mph tests are truly indicative of a car’s total straight line ability. Lots of automakers can design quick cars to 60mph, but much of their power drops off after 60 mph.

I still wouldn’t purchase a Lexus IS 350. Dollar for dollar, I’d rather spend my money on the new 330i. On the streets in the USA, you won’t notice the extra power of the IS too often.

Another thing to consider about magazine reviews is that they often post “corrected” test numbers adjusting for temp., elevation, humidity, etc.

[chazmtb]

Competion, gotta love it. Just let other companies come out with good fast cars. BMW will respond by building a better car to make it the ultimate driving machine.

[needashower]

Looking forward to the reintro of the Challenger and the Camaro. I liked them in the 70s and think they will score big in the US market.

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by epiphone3

In any case, I think that the good people at Motortrend have realized that there is much more to a car than it's 0-60mph time.

Those 0-60 times will be much different than what is experienced in the real world anyway... for example, magazines used to bag some crazy 0-60 times with the Subaru WRX a few years ago (the 227 hp version) like 5.4 seconds or something. It turns out that they were dropping the clutch at something 4500rpm (a practice that a Car and Driver does and admits "will put you on a first-name basis with your parts guy") and the all-wheel drive obviously didn't allow the wheels to spin.

Incidently, I raced a WRX of this type with an E46 330i. I had 3 passangers in the 330i (four 160lb to 225lb males) and the guy in the WRX was on his own. I actually matched him to 160 km/h and maybe started to gain on him a little. So much for magazine acceration times.... the E46 330i was given a 6.0 second 0-60mph time.

I think a better measure, if you are looking at magazine times, is probably 0-100mph or 0-150mph. These times will allow more of the engine and drivetrain characteristics to come out and be more easily able to compare to the real-world as the lauch accounts for a lower fraction of the overall time.

Oh, and by the way, BMW always upgrades their 3-series engines part-way thru the Model life... they did it with E36, E46, and now with E90. It is nothing new... it is not like they weren't going to do it and now, because of Lexus, they will. It was always in the plan.

10 - 100mph is the absolute true street test ....!

[voltron1011]

I think BMW should have released a higher displacement motor than just 3 liters.