[bavarian19]

Ok, so I dropped off my E90 to get the software upgrades and program options it should have gotten when I took delivery in September.

Lets start off with my current car:
E90 6sp 325i Monaco Blue/Black Leather
Sport
Premium
Heated Seats
Xenons
162's on non-RF tires
Msport steering wheel and Msport shift knob

Loaner:
E90 Steptronic Alpine White/Black 'ette
Heated Seats
(and thats it)

First comparo: 6sp manual to steptronic - While it is certainly not my cup of tea, I was pleasantly surprised by the auto. Rather responsive for an auto, and the sport gear selecting was good enough for the day to tide me over my obsession with controlling gear changes. I would never get the auto, but it was better than I expected.

Second comparo: Sport vs. Non-sport - This also was better than expected. In a straight line, these two take bumps and inconsistancies in the road similarly. The non-sport suspension is not spongy and springy like a cadillac. Cornering was a little softer, and had a little more body roll than the sport (obviously due to its height and other suspension components) but again, handled rather well. This was also on tires that seemed to have enough sidewall to go offroading. Did not have the stability that I had with the 162's, but still handled much better than other cars.

Second and a half comparo: Sport steering wheel and seats - This alone makes me much happier in my sport package. In comparison to the normal sport wheel (not even the upgraded msport wheel I currently have on), the standard wheel feels like I am holding on to a small pipecleaner. The thickness of the wheel really was getting to me after driving for a while. I guess I am just used to the Msport wheel and am completely spoiled by it. The sport seats are also a HUGE improvement from the standard seats (as you would almost expect). The extra bolstering and adjustments make the seat that much more comfortable. Im not saying the non-sport seats are bad, just not for me.

Third: Premium vs. non - I do miss the dimming mirrors and bluetooth. Leatherette was alright, but I do prefer the leather.

Fourth: Xenons vs. Halogens - Like the premium package, I do miss the xenons. They do a great job at night. Halogens are good, but glad I went with the Xenons.

Overall I was somewhat impressed with the stripper 325. I am too OCD, and enjoy the small enhancements my optioned 325 has. The only option I wish I got on mine was the iDrive, but oh well. Point being, the 325i, even as the most basic model, is still a fantastic car. God bless the E90 :rocks:

[bavarian19]

By the way... I can not wait to get my E90 back. It will now have the following:

- Pathway lighting (Xenons on for 40s after turning off car)
- Car-key memory (for memory seats and such)
- Auto unlock on one press of the unlock button (all doors)
- Drive away locking (removed). It doesnt auto unlock, and that bothers me...

:rocks:

[StevoSEA]

Originally Posted by bavarian19

Ok, so I dropped off my E90 to get the software upgrades and program options it should have gotten when I took delivery in September.

Lets start off with my current car:
E90 6sp 325i Monaco Blue/Black Leather
Sport
Premium
Heated Seats
Xenons
162's on non-RF tires
Msport steering wheel and Msport shift knob

Loaner:
E90 Steptronic Alpine White/Black 'ette
Heated Seats
(and thats it)

First comparo: 6sp manual to steptronic - While it is certainly not my cup of tea, I was pleasantly surprised by the auto. Rather responsive for an auto, and the sport gear selecting was good enough for the day to tide me over my obsession with controlling gear changes. I would never get the auto, but it was better than I expected.

Second comparo: Sport vs. Non-sport - This also was better than expected. In a straight line, these two take bumps and inconsistancies in the road similarly. The non-sport suspension is not spongy and springy like a cadillac. Cornering was a little softer, and had a little more body roll than the sport (obviously due to its height and other suspension components) but again, handled rather well. This was also on tires that seemed to have enough sidewall to go offroading. Did not have the stability that I had with the 162's, but still handled much better than other cars.

Second and a half comparo: Sport steering wheel and seats - This alone makes me much happier in my sport package. In comparison to the normal sport wheel (not even the upgraded msport wheel I currently have on), the standard wheel feels like I am holding on to a small pipecleaner. The thickness of the wheel really was getting to me after driving for a while. I guess I am just used to the Msport wheel and am completely spoiled by it. The sport seats are also a HUGE improvement from the standard seats (as you would almost expect). The extra bolstering and adjustments make the seat that much more comfortable. Im not saying the non-sport seats are bad, just not for me.

Third: Premium vs. non - I do miss the dimming mirrors and bluetooth. Leatherette was alright, but I do prefer the leather.

Fourth: Xenons vs. Halogens - Like the premium package, I do miss the xenons. They do a great job at night. Halogens are good, but glad I went with the Xenons.

Overall I was somewhat impressed with the stripper 325. I am too OCD, and enjoy the small enhancements my optioned 325 has. The only option I wish I got on mine was the iDrive, but oh well. Point being, the 325i, even as the most basic model, is still a fantastic car. God bless the E90 :rocks:

Thank you, also. I absolutely agree about sport seats and steering wheel. the SP is the one thing that I could not live without if re-purchasing another E90. Nice to hear others validating my choices based on actual driving experiences. What tires are you using? and is the Msport steering wheel and shifter an actual benefit or mostly for looks (serious question)? p.s. Cowers is my favorite NFL coach
thanks again

[bavarian19]

Originally Posted by StevoSEA

Thank you, also. I absolutely agree about sport seats and steering wheel. the SP is the one thing that I could not live without if re-purchasing another E90. Nice to hear others validating my choices based on actual driving experiences. What tires are you using? and is the Msport steering wheel and shifter an actual benefit or mostly for looks (serious question)? p.s. Cowers is my favorite NFL coach
thanks again

Msport wheel and shifter is an actual benefit. The steering wheel is much more thicker and a littie cushier. It was an improvement over the stock sport wheel, and 10x better than the standard wheel.

The tires I am using are Pirelli PZero Nero M+S High Performance All Season non-RF tires. These are great tires, but I think I am going to go with a dedicated summer and winter setup as soon as these tires wear out...

This is the first superbowl win in my lifetime that I can remember, so it was certainly an awesome experience... Still on cloud 9...

[David328M-Sport]

glad you liked the steptronic. i made the conscious decision to buy the auto option for the first time in a bmw after 13 years of manual bmws.

glad i made the choice with the 6 speed/n52 engine. a terrific combo, especially once you adapt.

you are absolutely correct that even a virtually option free e90 is a superb vehicle.

enjoy your updates.