[MoreCowbell]

I am LOVING this car. I have about 500 miles on her at this point. My observations...

1) She drives well at low speed, but what she REALLY LOVES is when you give her gas over 60 MPH. The engine just keeps making that "give me more growl sound". This engine just loves all you give it.

2) The car is ROCK solid. Not a rattle, not a shake, nothing. The car just feels sturdy and well built. Try doing 90-100 in a Chrysler or Ford, it feels like you are driving a the massage chair from Brookstone. This car is like "ain't no thang..."

3) Titanium Silver, with just a little bit of wax on it shines like there is no tomorrow. The black interior was the correct choice, but I always find myself wiping it down to void streaks and such. Anybody have advice on how to rub down the wood trim?

4) I have a 330i without ZSP as I live in Manhattan. My parents have a 330xi WITH ZSP. All wheel drives allows the XI to feel a little firmer on the pavement, but you really need to concentrate to feel it. Love the sports seats and the steering wheel though.

5) Love the Navigtation. Worth every Penny. I-Drive however is extremely poorly designed and needs a complete overhaul. My opinion is that a touch screen would be a better choice. Either way, when it's time for my next one in 2 years, I hope to see some improvement. (Who am I kidding, I'm getting it either way because I can't live without NAV)

6) Hated the turn signals at first but i'm getting used to them. Winshield wipers are bit complicated but then again i'm not splitting the atom any time soon either.

7) Logic 7 is Great!!! I'd love a full ipod interface, but i'm sure thats not far off.

8) Push button start takes an extra step. What was wrong with old fahioned keys? Don't get me wrong, I love gadgets and i'm usually the first on the street to own something, but sometimes new ideas don't necessarily help things...

9) The leather quality is good, but i'm not sure it's the level that i'd expect of a $42,000 car.

10) If run-flats were an option, i'd leave them off for a smoother ride, but it's not a big thing.

11) Auto folding mirrors are brilliant, the cruise control light is genious idea that should have been around 20 years ago, keys fobs are great, dual climate control works great, heated seats work faster than my toaster...

12) The brakes are great. Very tight. However occaisionally when I come to full stop, and then release the brake, there seems to be a sudden "jump", not sure what that's about.

This car has surpassed EVERY expectation. I am really enjoying it. There is nothing out there in this class.

Also, the members or this board have added to this experience every step of the way. Thanks for all of your help. Hopefully, from here forward I can try to be more of giver than a taker. I find I want to discuss cars constantly now. And my fiance just doesn't understand the way you guys do....

[ver.e90]

gluck75, thanks for sharing your initial impressions. I live in ny as well, though not in manhattan. So, I opted for the ZSP, though I do make the occasional trip to nyc to pick up my wife from work, dinner with friends, haircuts @ Astor Place...(let's see how long it'll take for me to get my first bent rim!!!)

I'm supposed to be getting my 330i in about 3-4 weeks, so as soon as I get my hands on the wheel, I'll give my impressions as well.

BTW- did you get the OEM rear spoiler installed on your ride?

[MoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by AWDriver

gluck75, thanks for sharing your initial impressions. I live in ny as well, though not in manhattan. So, I opted for the ZSP, though I do make the occasional trip to nyc to pick up my wife from work, dinner with friends, haircuts @ Astor Place...(let's see how long it'll take for me to get my first bent rim!!!)

I'm supposed to be getting my 330i in about 3-4 weeks, so as soon as I get my hands on the wheel, I'll give my impressions as well.

BTW- did you get the OEM rear spoiler installed on your ride?

Didn't get the spoiler. Haven't seen any pics, do you have any? My father got the sun sheild for the sunroof for his e90 and it looks great.

What other accessories did you buy? Also, where did you order your car from?

[ver.e90]

Originally Posted by gluck75

Didn't get the spoiler. Haven't seen any pics, do you have any? My father got the sun sheild for the sunroof for his e90 and it looks great.

What other accessories did you buy? Also, where did you order your car from?

I've seen some pics of the OEM spoiler, But can't locate where in this forum I came across them.

Didn't get any accesories as of yet, though I'm planning on getting the spoiler and a clear bra (either ventureshield or 3M).

I ordered my car at Westchester BMW March 9.

Did you order yours at Manhattan BMW?

[MoreCowbell]

Yes, I went through BMW of Manhattan

[RGRAY]

Originally Posted by gluck75

I am LOVING this car. I have about 500 miles on her at this point. My observations...

4) I have a 330i without ZSP as I live in Manhattan. My parents have a 330xi WITH ZSP. All wheel drives allows the XI to feel a little firmer on the pavement, but you really need to concentrate to feel it. Love the sports seats and the steering wheel though.

8) Push button start takes an extra step. What was wrong with old fahioned keys? Don't get me wrong, I love gadgets and i'm usually the first on the street to own something, but sometimes new ideas don't necessarily help things...

I'm LOVING mine too.

Point 4.

I have a 330xi with sp and think you are right on.

You have to love the steering wheel and seats.

Point 8.

You must not have comfort access.

[MoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by RGRAY

I'm LOVING mine too.

Point 4.

I have a 330xi with sp and think you are right on.

You have to love the steering wheel and seats.

Point 8.

You must not have comfort access.

Correct, no comfort access here. Probably on the next one.

[davinet78]

nice review thanks

[Xtype0]

Thanks for your thoughts. Makes my wait even more unbearable as I have another 38 days until my 330xi arrives.

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by gluck75

5) Love the Navigtation. Worth every Penny. I-Drive however is extremely poorly designed and needs a complete overhaul. My opinion is that a touch screen would be a better choice. Either way, when it's time for my next one in 2 years, I hope to see some improvement. (Who am I kidding, I'm getting it either way because I can't live without NAV)

How exactly is iDrive "extremely poorly designed". It's easy to criticize without making statements to back it up so please explain what you mean. I don't think a touchscreen would do anything except make the screen dirty from fingerprints and oils. Using the haptic controller combined with voice commands allows you to focus more on the road.

I think it's a very good design for what it sets out to accomplish. It displays a tremendous amount of information, makes accessing functions such as Personal Profiles very easy, is flexible in terms of configuration (split screen etc.), and organizes functions in fairly logical categories.

[bos]

7) Logic 7 is Great!!! I'd love a full ipod interface, but i'm sure thats not far off.

I'd rather have a USB interface, along with a standardized protocol for audio streaming and playlist browse and control over USB, similar to what's been done for Bluetooth and cell phones.

I would even suggest Bluetooth for audio players, but even if technically possible, reasonable battery life might not be achievable while continuously transmitting.

The portable audio player market changes so fast that it's best not to lock consumers into one manufacturer.

[LEDZEP]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It's so refreshing to read a post like this... like it was last summer.... ah nostalgia.

For wiping down the wood trim, I just use a clean damp (not wet) SOFT cloth and then follow immediately with a dry one (no streaks). Longer term I'm sure a normal furniture polish could be used. Not sure what the coating over the wood is, but it's probably a polyurethane of some sort.

Ain't nothin like a new 3! Very glad to hear you're enjoying it.

I would also be curious for some detailed information on what you don't like about iDrive. I don't have it and have almost convinced myself that the next one will.