[Nathan]

I wanted to put this together for all those that are awaiting their e90s, and for those who are still debating on ordering one.

Even after 30 days, i still can't wait to get into the driver's seat, be it excessively speeding on the highway or stuck in a two hour Chicago commute.

Any regrets so far? None. I almost picked up a 545i, but i decided on the 330i for its amazing handling.

Navigation - this works perfectly, but you have to read the manual and learn how to use it. With the exception of two instances where the Nav screen went blank or rebooted itself right after starting the car, its been relatively flawless. I'm sure with the new updates, that this problem will be fixed.

Cruise Control - at first i was a little frustrated with the new lower stock on the left side of the steering wheel, but its actually a great innovation for cruise control. The thing i really like about the Cruise Control Stock is the incremental increase and decrease of speeds. As soon as you turn cruise on, it will round the speed up or down to the closest 0 or 5. This means, if you were going 71 and you turned cruise on, it would set it at 70 mph. At that point, if you wanted to increase speed, you gently tap the stock towards the front of the car, each tap gives you a 1 mph increase.
If you push the stock all the way, it then gives you an increase of 5 mph per tap. Same works for slowing down as well.

Side indicators - love the new flash three times tap, only to change lanes.

Bluetooth - i had an AudioVox SMT5600 Smartphone and when it didn't work with my e90, i just went out and got a Moto Razr V3, and it has been completely flawless. Besides the great phone and audio reception in the car, i like how the phone automatically moves the call from the phone to the car during a call. I've done this many times during a conversation, and the other party doesn't even notice that i jumped into my car, until of course i revv up my engine.
One thing that i'm not sure i like, is what happens to a call when you stop the car and try to exit the vehicle. Even after you take your fob out, the call continues until it ends. Its great when your at a gas station trying to fill up, but useless when you get to the office and want to leave the car. Yes, i konw you can turn bluetooth off on your phone to transfer the call, but i think this should be simplified.

Sports Package - I will never buy another car without it. It really sucks in the city and on torn up roads, but on the highway and nicely paved streets, its no less than amazing. Love the seats and most importantly, the thigh support.

330i Engine - i love that growl, and when you can get from 75-110 in a few seconds, now that is awesome. Even at speeds between 120 and 140, the car feels like your going 65. Of course, you have to stop more often to fill up.

Styling - i like 90% of the exterior styling, there are times from the front profile that make the lights look a little off and too rounded, but the rest of the time it looks very fresh and refined.
I love the interior, just wish there was more rear leg room, but i'm not complaining.

Brake Lights - I really wish they used LEDs, but that will come.

Auto Folding mirrors - probably the coolest thing IMO, but i wish there was a way to program the car to do this automatically, when you lock the car, or even a button on the remote to do this for you. Not a big deal.

Color - i had my doubts about Black, and it is amazing when its clean, but that doesn't last for long. I try to wash it at least once a week, so it doesn't really bother me like it did a month ago.

Audio Aux Input - this is great, but they really need an independent volume adjustment like they have on non-idrive cars. iPOD integration to get digital sound would be even better. i can definitely tell the difference in audio quality betweeb iPOD and a CD with the same song.

Premium Sound - those subs are unbelievable, i love the thump you feel when listening to pretty much anything, but in particular, some great jazz or hip hop.

Sirius Sat Radio - not impressed, the sound isn't great on all except a few stations, then again, most of the other channels are probably analog and converted to digital.

Key Fob - cool, but it could be smaller. between my RSA ID, house keys and everything else, my pocket buldge is even bigger than with my X5 key.

Start Stop Button - nice, but useless in my opinion, especially if you have to plug in the FOB, i think Comfort Access will kill the latter necessity.

Cup holders - as a single drive 90% of the time, its great. But for passengers, i'm always popping them in so they don't break it, its a pain to manage.

Center Armrest - could have used the sliding, pivoting and a version with more compartments.

BMW Assist - Awesome and very quick.

Aluminum Pedals - just get them, the grip is awesome, and they look cool too.

Alarm - its an alarm, what more do you expect?

Hope this helps, i'm in Minneapolis this weekend for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference and miss my car all the time, especially since i have a 2005 Toyota Camry as a rental, that is the biggest tub of lard i've ever driven. 100% Reliability, 0% Drive, Excitement, Technology. Can't wait to get back Monday and drive my baby. Happy Motoring.


Nathan

[Kimo]

Thanks for this Nathan. Since my wife's car, coming in August, appears to be the identical twin to your car, I have a couple follow-up questions:

Still happy with Sapphire Black vs. Jet Black? Some of the pictures I've seen of the jet black look darn good. How 'bout the aluminum trim?

"No independent volume control on iDrive cars for Aux input." Not sure what you mean by this. In my e46, you can set the general Aux input level, and then the volume is controlled by the device itself. Is the aux level preset in the iDrive e90s, and if so, is it at a lower level than the other sources?

Navigation: What is the absolute simplest way to get the Nav to take you back home. In one of the cars we tested (Acura RL maybe?), you could simply use the voice command to say "Go Home." Can't get much simpler than that. I assume the e90's system won't do that?

Sirius: Disappointed to hear that the sound quality is not very impressive, as the XM that I have in my e46 is very nice quality sound. Regarding the display, does the name of the station/artist/song appear on the iDrive screen? Are the titles/names truncated? Do all three fields appear at the same time, or do you need to toggle through them? How's the satellite reception? Can you switch Sirius channels with voice command, i.e. "Satellite Channel One Zero Five", or something like that?

Cheers
Mike

[YYdoodle]

Good to see you posting again Nathan and great 30 day write-up

[JLBecerra5]

Good post man, ur right about almost everything u said about the car, BMW really hit the mark with the E90 man...I mean look at the E90 competitors, G35, A4, C-Class?? None of those cars compare to the overall status of the E90...go BMW!!!

[LEDZEP]

Nathan - Great post. Thanks for sharing. I can send you a lanyard for that SecurID token!

[silverado]

Thanks Nathan. I would like to add that another thing I love about the cruise control is that it can apply the brakes to slow the car down! Like you said, there are two levels of pressing for both the + and - sides and when you press the high level in either direction, the car is more aggressive in changing the speed in that direction and it includes using the brakes for slowing down.


Also, I love the start/stop button! It is very cool. I don't know how it could be "useless" if it starts the car Seriously though, I really think it's quite nice and remember that you do not need to hold it down to start the car. I like to make a point to press it quickly and remove my hand. The starter then goes long enough to start the car. Would be nice to see if the length of time the starter is engaged changes when the cold weather hits.

[Kimo]

Originally Posted by silverado

Thanks Nathan. I would like to add that another thing I love about the cruise control is that it can apply the brakes to slow the car down! Like you said, there are two levels of pressing for both the + and - sides and when you press the high level in either direction, the car is more aggressive in changing the speed in that direction and it includes using the brakes for slowing down.

Are you guys referring to Active Cruise, or the standard Dynamic cruise that comes if you don't spring for the Active Cruise option?

[silverado]

Originally Posted by Kimo

Are you guys referring to Active Cruise, or the standard Dynamic cruise that comes if you don't spring for the Active Cruise option?

This is with the standard (Dynamic) cruise control. It's anhything but standard!

[Mauricio]

I agree with Nathan also. I was out of town last weekend and couldn't wait to get back to my 3. I really missed driving it and I don't even mind getting stuck in traffic anymore! The seats are comfy and the sound system rocks. It's like a little getaway everyday after work.

I agree about the cupholders and the Sirius. The cupholders are great when I'm in the car by myself, but when I a have a passenger, they are in the way. but it's cool...I'll deal with it. As far as the Sirius, I've come the conclusion that it doesn't sound that great. In fact I'm dissapointed with it. I used to drive a Ford Ranger with an fm modulated first generation xm receiver it it sounded much, much better. No joke! Listening to Fox news sounds like its AM. And it constantly is interupted when I go under freeway overpasses and trees. Never happened with XM. I still go to work the same way and I never lost reception once with XM.

Exterior styling-wise though, I absolutely love the way the car looks from all angles and I constantly get compliments! In fact yesterday I was dropping my girlfriend off at the airport and was saying goodbye while I left my car running. The security guards came over to my car and I ran over to move it, but they told me not to worry, they just wanted to look inside. They asked me all kinds of question about it and how much it cost. They loved it.

Everytime I drive in front of a reflective window I look to see what my car looks like. I love it!

I now have 2500 miles in 3 weeks and I've loved every minute of it.

I thought about getting an M3 for a little more, but have now realized how much more practical this car is. It's more than fast enough for how I drive and where I live, and it's ride is very sporty yet very refined. I made the right choice!

[BMW Enthusiast]

Great reviews and information guys!

[agarbati]

Originally Posted by Nathan

...
Hope this helps, i'm in Minneapolis this weekend for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference and miss my car all the time, especially since i have a 2005 Toyota Camry as a rental, that is the biggest tub of lard i've ever driven. 100% Reliability, 0% Drive, Excitement, Technology. Can't wait to get back Monday and drive my baby. Happy Motoring.


Nathan

Welcome to the tundra of the Midwest. Although right now you wouldn't be able to tell how cold it gets - the summers can be quite deceiving.

[davinet78]

nathan thanks a lot for that special detailed report, cos after reading this i am more excited of getting my car each day but i guess that until my delivery in end august its going to be a long wait, but more excited each day.

[skimo]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Start Stop Button - nice, but useless in my opinion, especially if you have to plug in the FOB, i think Comfort Access will kill the latter necessity.


Nathan

Very good review Nathan, however I must disagree on one point:

With a manual tranny, I find the Start?stop button VERY usefull. It helps you pull out much faster. I push the button and switch gears to R while the engine is reving up. By the time the engine is "ready" im already in gear ready to roll. As compared to holding your hand while the engine starts THEN put the car in gear...so the start button definately saves me a nice fraction of time.

(also if you stall, this gets you moving faster ! )

SKimo

[thrill30]

Thanks guys for the great reports.

These are the kind of reports that keep me sane while waiting for my car. It's great to get confirmation that the E90 is as rewarding as I think it is... I just can't get enough of the E90 test-drives.... it's addictive.

[Nathan]

Ok, so maybe 'useless' was a bad word to use. However, for me, i wasn't ever bothered about using a regular key in my X5 or my e46, so now it seems like i have to pop the fob in and then hit the button to start the engine, so two wrist movements as opposed to one. I'm sure that will be solved with Comfort Access.

Good point on those with manual trannies though.

I don't hate it, its just different. And its the wave of the future, because everyone is getting the Start Stop buttons these days, at least until we have the security embedded in our bodies.


Hey thanks for the lanyard offer, but i just got a bunch at the Microsoft Worldwide Conference over the weekend.

[Kimo]

Originally Posted by Kimo

Thanks for this Nathan. Since my wife's car, coming in August, appears to be the identical twin to your car, I have a couple follow-up questions:

Still happy with Sapphire Black vs. Jet Black? Some of the pictures I've seen of the jet black look darn good. How 'bout the aluminum trim?

"No independent volume control on iDrive cars for Aux input." Not sure what you mean by this. In my e46, you can set the general Aux input level, and then the volume is controlled by the device itself. Is the aux level preset in the iDrive e90s, and if so, is it at a lower level than the other sources?

Navigation: What is the absolute simplest way to get the Nav to take you back home. In one of the cars we tested (Acura RL maybe?), you could simply use the voice command to say "Go Home." Can't get much simpler than that. I assume the e90's system won't do that?

Sirius: Disappointed to hear that the sound quality is not very impressive, as the XM that I have in my e46 is very nice quality sound. Regarding the display, does the name of the station/artist/song appear on the iDrive screen? Are the titles/names truncated? Do all three fields appear at the same time, or do you need to toggle through them? How's the satellite reception? Can you switch Sirius channels with voice command, i.e. "Satellite Channel One Zero Five", or something like that?

Cheers
Mike

Hey Nathan --
Any thoughts on my questions?
Thanks
Mike

[ACZakka325i]

i think that everyone should keep in mind that most cars of yesteryear came with a start button, and that the twist key starting mechanism was a progression and more easy way to start the car. now it seems to be novelty. as in aston martin always having it. it made its way into those jappy cars and now into bimmers cause everyone wants to be in a car with this cool and trendy feature.

i still think its stupid and useless. more effort is not better.

the only way it would be usefull is if you didnt have to slide the key into the car. if that were the case, then i would see the usefulness

[marcus330i]

Advantage of the start-stop button on cars with I-drive:

When you get in the car you push the key fob into the slot. The screen comes on (boots up). You can set the radio, use the navi to set a destination, or whatever you want to do. THEN...the last thing you do is start the engine. In the key system I think most of us start the car and then futz with the I-drive while the car is running. I guess that's nice if you want the engine to warm up but I found it nice (in my E90) to get all of my "computer work" out of the way before starting the car.

[George Chronis]

Originally Posted by Nathan

One thing that i'm not sure i like, is what happens to a call when you stop the car and try to exit the vehicle. Even after you take your fob out, the call continues until it ends. Its great when your at a gas station trying to fill up, but useless when you get to the office and want to leave the car. Yes, i konw you can turn bluetooth off on your phone to transfer the call, but i think this should be simplified.

Audio Aux Input - this is great, but they really need an independent volume adjustment like they have on non-idrive cars. iPOD integration to get digital sound would be even better. i can definitely tell the difference in audio quality betweeb iPOD and a CD with the same song.

Nathan

Nice review. I agree on everything. Couple of comments:
1. You can transfer a call from tha car to the phone when you leave to go to the office. I can initiate this from my phone (T616), so it depends on the phone, but I'm sure the RAZR should have it. Look in the bluetooth menus of the phone. Of course this is without turning BT off.
2. There is no digital sound out of the iPod. It's all analog, even via the line out, which is what you probably mean (instead of the phone jack). The iPod interface just has some additional lines to transfer music text data, but audio is still analog via 3 contacts (left, right and common). You could get an iPod car adapter that both charges the iPod and sends out the line signal instead of the phone jack signal. This will match the BMW Aux input perfectly. There are two on the market currently. You still don't get any track info though.

[Cloud9]

Nice write up, thanks!

[silverado]

Originally Posted by ACZakka325i

i think that everyone should keep in mind that most cars of yesteryear came with a start button, and that the twist key starting mechanism was a progression and more easy way to start the car. now it seems to be novelty. as in aston martin always having it. it made its way into those jappy cars and now into bimmers cause everyone wants to be in a car with this cool and trendy feature.

i still think its stupid and useless. more effort is not better.

the only way it would be usefull is if you didnt have to slide the key into the car. if that were the case, then i would see the usefulness

If your concern is which one is less effort, the start/stop button is the one that requires less effort. Do you realize that the car starts with a single press/click of the start button? You, the driver, do not hold the button in as the car is cranking up. That is done automatically. If you are measuring effort, pressing a button for a fraction of a second is less effort than twisting a key (with some effort) and holding it there until the car starts.

I don't think the start/stop button of yesteryear worked quite like this.

[Nathan]

Mike, sorry for the delay in replying, here are my answers:

Still love Black Sapphire and Aluminum trim, no regrets.

There is no level in iDrive cars for the Aux input, but it does exist on the standard BMW Professional Radio. It does seem a lot lower than the CD or SAT radio, even with the iPOD volume at 100%.

I've heard that the Acura Nav is the best on the market. To 'go home' in my car, I can:
Click the Voice button, say Address Book, use iDrive to Select Home and then Start Guidance. Not sure if there is a better way to do that or not.

SAT Radio, yes, i can notice the difference in quality. Don't get me wrong, its not bad, it just that i expected it to sound like a CD. You can see all the artist information, song information on one screen, but i did notice that the station names are truncated for some reason. For example, Sirius Hits appears on iDrive as Hits 1. You can't use Voice Commands to switch channels, that i know of anyways. I hardly use my SAT radio quite honestly.

Nathan