[pharding]

Yesterday I went to the 3 Across America Event here in Chicago. Here are my comments. I am an architect so my profession tends to impact my perception and observations.

Exterior Design One is initially struck by the size of the e90. It is noticeably larger, but slightly, very slightly smaller than my 01 e39 5 er. The overall massing of the car is extremely well thought out. Aesthetically, I like the car a lot with these reservations. The front two thirds of the car are extraordinarily beautiful. The front of the car is a work of art that is more impressive in person than in the photos. The headlight assembly design is probably the best of any BMW. The side crease lines are exceedingly well done. The wheels on the 330 sport package model are one of the best across the entire BMW lineup. From the side the back third looks like an e46 mated to a new design to me. The design is slightly dumbed down for my taste. BMW took a conservative approach to this design. Would it stop me from buying the car if I were to downsize from my 5 er or recommending the car to my son? No. Undoubtedly some will find this conservative approach appealing and less threatening than the rest of the new BMW lineup. Does it look like part of the BMW family? Yes. Overall the car is beautiful and well designed.

Colors They had a 325 in Sparkling Graphite with Black Leather and a 330 Sport Package in Titanium Silver with Black Leather. Sparkling Graphite looks like a dark, cool grey metallic. It looks fine, but I read so much posted hype about this color that it did not meet my very high expectations. It is still a fine color choice in my opinion. Titanium Silver. My e60 5 er is TS so I am partial to this color scheme. The lighter exterior colors show off the body design extremely well. I know that the rub on TS is that it is too common, but the 330 with sport package looks aewsome in TS and black leather. Especially with the silver aluminum interior trim. This trim pulls the exterior silver color into the interior for absolutely stunning and unique results.

Cabin Interior Interior fit and finish is exceptional. I am not sure why I have this impression, but the fit and finish seems ever so slightly better than my e60 545, not that my e60 is anything less than excellent. For my size the previous e46 was just too cramped. The e90 seemed surpisingly fine. Not spacious like an e60, but fine for a big guy like me. The displays and controls are exceedingly well thought out and logically placed. I do not like the way Japanese cars handle controls because they create confusing visual clutter with a lot of doo dads. I like simple direct strategies for the ****pit so that info is easy to read and that controls are easy to find and use. The center controls work well in my opinion. You have to bear in mind that I drive a 545 so part of my impressions reflect what I am familiar with. These cars did not have Nav. I have Nav on my 545. If you have the extra cash Nav with I-Drive is well worthwhile, but it is not a necessity. It simply is the best way to display more information. With Nav and I-drive, you get extensive voice commands. There are literally thirteen pages of voice commands on my 545. What this means is that you can guess at voice commands and most of the time you can accomplish what you were trying to do. Bluetooth integration with the I-drive is absolutely superb and by itself is a good reason to get Nav and I-drive. That said I am glad that the nav/I-drive is a stand alone option so that each person can decide what works best for him or her. There has been some criticism of insuffiecient skewing of the center dash to the driver. Personally what they did with with the e90 works well for me. I was surprised at the rear seat legroom and room in general. I am relatively large 6' 2" and 260 and I felt that I fit into the rear seat reasonably well with the drivers seat in a position such that I could sit in the front seat comfortably. The rear seat headroom was tight for me. The back of each front seat has a recessed area in the center. Within this recess there are two vertical recesses for each leg. BMW squeezed every fraction of an inch to make rear seat passengers comfortable or at least tolerable for larger individuals. Most of the discussion about the e90 has focused on the cars exterior, but personally I believe that interior design and the way that space is used in the cabin is a huge achievement. I believe that this car will become a cult classic, with a significant bump in sales because of the value and cabin size/design.

Six Speed Manual Transmission Incredibly silky smooth when the car is parked. We could not drive the cars so this is the best that I could do.

I-Drive and Nav The display cars were not equipped with this feature set. I have it on my e60 5 er. People that have the I-drive uniformly love it and find it is to easy to use after the initial learning curve. Journalists tend to pick on it. Undoubtedly they pick on it because they are too conservative and do not spend enough time in the car. The I-drive and its imitators are the wave of the future. However BMW did a smart thing by making it an option. Everyone can decide for themselves. The bottom line is that I highly recommend the I-drive. It is wonderful and easy to use.

Overall Value Undoubtedly a fantastic value, especially if one does Euro Delivery.

I hope that BMW enthusiasts find my personal observations helpful. 3 Across America is really well done. I highly recommend it. The BMW staff do a great job explaining the car and answering questions. The lead presenter should be on TV. They had the entire historic 3 series lineup there. It was fun to see the evolution of the car.

Peace, love, and joy
pharding