[a3ndy]

TEST CAR: 330i Automatic, Black Dakota Leather, 18” 162 Ellipsoid Wheels, I Drive (Sat NAV). Xenons

Hi, I Finally had the long awaited test drive today. Here's my review:

Arrived at the dealers, and because the car is already registered, there was no need for the Salesman to join the test. He demonstrated how the engine button works, then handed me the keys and said, "Go test it, and take as long as you like". I had a big grin on my face.

I sat in the car for a bit to adjust seats, mirror etc. and checked out the I-Drive Sat Nav system too, but not for to long as I really wanted to get out on the road. I apologize for the poor picture quality. They are from my mobile phone. I had forgotten my digital camera. External shots only too. Anyway here’s my official review:

EXTERIOR
It was Black sapphire. The car was equipped with 18” style 162 Ellipsoid wheels. They looked a perfect fit with the 330i. To me they didn’t look over the top – just right, in fact. Black Sapphire makes the E90 look strong, sturdy, robust, and somewhat shorter than it does, say in a lighter colour. The xenons with Angel eyes gave the car more style and an aggressive look. I must admit that the darker colours hide some of the strong lines of the styling. The front kidney grills looked awesome, especially against a dark colour. They really stood out, and so did the headlights. The rear lights look really cool also, and give the E90 a fresh new style. The SatNav aerial fin adds a finishing touch to the E90. Although I think it looks just fine without too. The chrome surrounds above and around the doors portrays elegance, in particular against a darker colour. But this is only available on the 325i and 330i. It was great sat in traffic. Other drivers were just staring and gawping at the black beauty on the road.

INTERIOR
The E90 had Black Dakota leather seats, not sports seats, but very comfortable indeed. The dash had the dual hood because of the SatNav screen, and looked really impressive. A regular radio and single slot CD player was also installed. The interior exudes quality. Everything just flowed, design wise. Everything was in easy reach. This test car had an automatic shift box (which is what I requested) and the matt titanium strip on the gear leaver looked really impressive as it did on the dash. Next to that was the I-Drive navigation button. I didn’t know how to use it at first, but soon got the hang of it. It’s just a turn dial that you press to select your options. The interior size didn’t look excessively large. I know that the E90 has increased in width as well as length, but I couldn’t really tell. I was trying to compare it to my A3 interior, and to be honest, it didn’t look that different. The rear screen is fairly large so you get enough view from the rear view mirror. The space in the back is very generous. My Dad, who accompanied me on this test, checked out the rear seat space, and there is plenty of space to comfortably house 3 adult passengers, with leg room aplenty.

The engine start stop button is a cool device . In order to start the engine, I had to push the key fob into the slot below the button and then put my foot on the brake (not sure if this if for automatic boxes only) and then push the start engine button. To switch the engine off, I had to put handbrake on, put gear into P, and then push the button. Then to remove the key, I had to push the key in then it pops out.

The standard 3 spoke leather steering wheel felt a little thin to me. Some people may prefer the sports steering wheel. I know I would.

The CD player and radio are very easy to use. The same goes for the climate control settings. The I-Drive control knob and navigation system took me a few minutes to get used to. I managed to put it on to the guidance system for a certain route, and it worked very well, with audio too.

I found the indicators a little weird to use. If you want to have the indicator flash 3 times for motorway lane changing, you have to just flick it once, but to keep it flashing for longer; you have to keep it selected for a little a few seconds longer. Other motorists must have thought I was a learner driver. I soon go the hang of it though.

The boot space isn’t as impressive. It’s quite deceptive form the outside, but it’s not that big. I’d say it’s okay but not very deep, even though there is no spare wheel.

RIDE QUALITY
I have been asking this question myself: Will those 18” wheels compromise ride quality? I have the answer. No. This test car sported 18” wheels and had normal SE suspension, not sports suspension. During my 45 min test drive, I drove over many pot holes and bumps, and I can safely say that I didn’t notice them. I was very surprised. I was expecting to feel every bit of the road. So a big thumbs up to 18” wheels. I think I'd prefer my setup with out sports suspension. Slightly harder ride.

NOISE LEVEL
All I can say is what noise? It is the quietest car I have ever driven. I could speak in a whisper tone to my Dad and be heard. It was so quiet it was unbelievable. No wind noise or whistling or anything - just a perfect almost silent humming of the engine. Very impressed! This was a petrol 6 cylinder engine so I can’t say the same for diesel or the others, but I wouldn’t expect them to differ much.

HANDLING & PERFORMANCE
I managed to get on to a dual carriage way, so that I could truly test its 0-60 in 6.6 secs, and 255 horses. As soon as I approached the dual carriage way I put my foot down, and WOW , it took off, and left everyone for dust. The strangest thing is that it didn’t feel that I was going XXX mile an hour because I was already there in such a short time. That’s how fast this beast is. The acceleration was smooth and only requires a small tap on the accelerator and the horses are pulling.

On corners, I did slide slightly within my seat. This is because the seats were standard ones. Bucket sports seats would have been cool, but I’d say that they aren’t absolutely necessary. The brakes are very, very responsive. The steering is smooth and effortless. It actually feels like a small sporty hatchback rather than a compact saloon, which is a bonus.

CONCLUSION
After putting the E90 330i through its paces in my short 45 minute drive, I can safely say that BMW have really done a fantastic job with the E90. I have never driven a BMW before and found this to be a brilliant driving experience. The E90 is extremely stable, holds the road extremely well and exudes superior quality in its furnishings. It looks magnificent from the outside, is extremely comfortable on the inside, and drives like nothing you have driven before.

My only problem now is TiAg or Black Sapphire?

[Mark]

my friend.. awesome awesome write up and pics. you just made me about 100000x more excited about this car and I cant wait to get one for myself !

im soo happy u liked it that much and that BMW built us an even better performer and quality car then the e46... as for your color choice, thats a tough one, my 2 previous E46s were those two colors you are deciding between. I think I prefer the black sapphire in the end (the car in my sig because when its clean it is just perfect looking. Of course you have to clean it very often (silver you wouldnt have to clean often at all, it stays clean for a really long time.. or I should say, hides dirt well)... But for that 2-3 days when the black is clean it is really amazing. And like you said, the kidney grills really stand out in a very nice and classy way against the black.

great writeup !

[a3ndy]

No problem mark

Glad you liked the review! Cheers for the advice on the Black. It is the colour on the order at the moment, but it may change...

I bet you can't wait for you test drive. Hope you get the 330i to test. Have fun with it.

[SCA]

Good write up! I can not wait to test drive at the end of the month. Currently I regret selling my E46, but I have a feeling that is all about to change.

[YYdoodle]

Very nice review... one of the most detailed ones I've read. I can't believe you had 45 minutes alone with the car! My test drives have always been with the stealer salesman babysitting me and taking me through roads with the most traffic lights. Glad to hear the interior is good quality. Coming from an Audi owner, that means a lot.

[a3ndy]

Yeah it was good that the salesman didn't tag along. It would have been different with someone in the car that you don't know. You need time, your own time to fully appreciate the car.

If I had it on 24 loan that would have been even better.

[sushi-x]

Is it just the lighting in the pics or does that car have tinted windows? Anyways that car looks awesome! Black with clear headlights, chrome trim surrounds and tinted windows. So aggressive Good choice.

[a3ndy]

Originally Posted by sushi-x

Is it just the lighting in the pics or does that car have tinted windows? Anyways that car looks awesome! Black with clear headlights, chrome trim surrounds and tinted windows. So aggressive Good choice.

Just the lighting I'm afraid. Just think with tinted it would look the business. i just wish I had remembered my digital camera. I guess a dodgey picture is better than no picture at all. Yeah you guys in the US need to get clear indicator lights...those amber ones make the E90 look tame.

[RikfromBelgium]

amazing test, and awsome pictures
I really love that colour, good God

[mad-azn]

Thanks for for the write-up A3ndy. Weren't you originally going to get silver? What changed your mind?

[Ewrek]

NICE.....good review and very detailed....good job!!

[bimmerphreak]

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to my test drive even more now!

[booforty]

I've driven the E90 325i auto and the E90 330i manual and the manual gearbox is awesome and much more fun - so I ordered a 330i manual !!

[SCA]

Originally Posted by a3ndy

Yeah you guys in the US need to get clear indicator lights...those amber ones make the E90 look tame.

I don't think it is going to happen, at least not OEM.

[a3ndy]

Originally Posted by mad-azn

Thanks for for the write-up A3ndy. Weren't you originally going to get silver? What changed your mind?

No worries. You're right Mad-azn. I was going to get TiAg, and I am still getiing TiAg. Changed the order before the cut off period. It goes into production on the 15th April. ETA end of June. I guess I had better add to the Placed order thread.

[Trigun]

Originally Posted by SCA

I don't think it is going to happen, at least not OEM.

SCA is right, I've asked around and the feedback I'm getting is that it won't be a factory option in the U.S. No worries, there'll be plenty of other ways to get it (Bekkers, etc..).

[booforty]

Great write up a3ndy!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the E90 UK launch at Rockingham in February where I drove the 330i (on the race track), 325i (on the skidpan and slalom course) and 320i (on public roads outside the track). I also drove a 325i auto when it arrived at my dealer in March.

I agree with your views and thought I would share mine too.

EXTERIOR
I like the shape of the E90, it looks very sporty with very sleak lines and side skirts, and the 18” style 162 Ellipsoid wheels and sports suspension makes it look even better. The 18's really are a perfect fit for the car and lower suspension makes the car look fatter and wider. The 17's are nice but 18's really make the car look at its best.

They had all the colours at the UK launch and the best colours were black, silver and sparkling graphite. I actually thought the silver looked the most sporty of all the cars there. Arctic looks nice on some of the photos but in person I wasn't that impressed. The xenons with angel eyes look awesome and give the car that unique BMW look. I agree that the darker colours hide some of the strong lines of the styling and the titanium silver looked so shiny and sporty and the lines are more noticeable and defined on the lighter cars. The chrome front kidney grills are much nicer on the 325i and 330i and again give the car that unique, strong BMW look. The rear lights have grown on me and I agree they do give the E90 a fresh new style. The satnav aerial fin adds a sporty finishing touch to the E90 which I also like. The chrome surrounds above and around the doors portrays elegance and looks striking. It is more noticeable on a darker coloured car. Put it this way, the exterior turned plenty of heads when I test drove the 325i near my home!

INTERIOR
The sports seats are very comfortable indeed and hug you securely and you don't move an inch throwing the car into corners. They really do add to the sportiness of the interior. I agree that the dash is so much more interesting with the dual hood because of the satnav screen, and looks really impressive. Without the dual hood, the interior is too simple and dull. The interior quality is actually very good and the leather helps exude the BMW quality you would expect. I didn't get to play with the idrive but I can't imagine it being difficult to use. My dealer seemed to easily flick through the menus whilst I was driving and said 20 mins playtime and you'll know how to navigate around the system. My test car had an auto box which was impressive but I'm not a fan of auto's. I like the control and feel of a manual and I felt that the auto took the fun out of the test drive. I'm a manual man through and through! The matt titanium did look really good and the black leather with matt titanium made a great combination and made the interior look very sporty. The interior felt roomy and comfortable. The room in the back is also bigger than you think. The car definitely looks bigger when you see it in person. My dealer had three in the showroom and the 325i with 18's and sports suspension looked so much bigger and better than the more standard models.

The engine start stop button is cool, but I think its more novelty than anything. Nice to show off though! My test car had the sports leather steering wheel and this is awesome, nice and fat and smaller than the other wheels. It certainly adds to the quality and sportiness of the interior and it was very comfortable driving and you get lots of feel and responsiveness.

The sound system was the standard system and it sounded really good. The Logic 7 must therefore be amazing!

The indicators were easy to use. To blink three times for lane changes you only need to flick the control gently. To continously blink you fully flick the control and it stays on until you've made the turn. Its a great idea and works well.

I really liked the park distance control. A graphical display of the car comes up on screen and shows you where the obstacles are. You don't want to bump your new E90 do you!

The boot space is big but not massive. You can certainly get a good load in there for a long weekend away. Maybe not if you have kids!

RIDE QUALITY
All I can say is very smooth and refined even on the 18's with sports suspension. The E90 is very smooth and felt fantastic cruising around. It was certainly as smooth as I would expect from a BMW.

NOISE LEVEL
There is none! No wind noise at all. The best noise I heard was opening up the throttle to hear the engine. The engine sounds awesome - The six cylinders have got that great deep growl that you expect from a quality BMW and boy are these cars fast! The 330i on the track blew my mind. I could not stop laughing and smiling while ragging that beauty - what a car to drive!

HANDLING & PERFORMANCE
0-60 feels very quick and even in 4th at 60mph accelerating away is quick with plenty of power available. The performance of the six cylinder is impressive. The 325i and 330i are considerably better than the 320i. Although when I drove the 320i on public roads I got stuck at lights whilst following a group of other E90s. When the lights went green I had to catch up with the group and didn't realise that I hit 100mph without noticing until the last minute! These cars fly! The handling is amazing, its a superb car to drive and is extremely responsive. On corners you don't slide in your seat as the sport seats hug you securely in position. The brakes are very responsive and you only need to press the brake pedal very gently.

I drove a 325i on a slalom course and skidpan. BMW wanted me to drive the car as hard as possible to see if I could lose stability and skid the car - impossible! The stability system is incredible from a safety perspective. It cuts power and applies brakes to the wheel that is sliding and losing control. An amazing experience. You know that you will be extremely safe in this car. Someone else I know went to a separate test day and accelarted the car to 100mph at which point he was asked to remove his hands from the steering wheel and apply the brakes as hard as he could. The E90 braked in a perfectly straight line and he was amazed how quickly he came to a stop. Now that is incredible. This car is an amazing piece of technology.

CONCLUSION
Having driven all the cars in the range, apart from the 320d, I agree with a3ndy that BMW have really done a fantastic job with the E90. The 325i and 330i provide a brilliant driving experience. Personally, I found the cars more dynamic and fun drive with manual transmission. The autos were smooth but didn't feel as fast. The E90 is extremely stable, holds the road extremely well and exudes quality as you would expect from BMW. It looks stunning on the outside and it really is a great looking car in person. I found the car very comfortable on the inside and you know that you won't feel tired after a long journey. The E90 is one of the best if not the best car I have driven. That's why I've ordered a 330i and cannot wait!!

Believe me, you will not be disappointed with this car. BMW have done a fantastic job and the driving experience is still truly and distinctively BMW.

[ShihearKallizad]

Thank you a3ndy and beauforty! It is good to see different perspectives, yet both love the car.

[BimmerJon]

Terrific detailed writeups. I love reading these. Until I get to actually test drive myself this is the closest I'll get to experiencing it and you guys did a great job of relaying the experience in detail.

[thedocmoz]

Beauforty, since you got to drive the car hard on a course, would you say that that the stability control interferes at just the right time or too early? My pet peeve is stability control systems that cut in way too early to have any fun in the car.

Also, does anyone know if you can completely switch it off or is it one of those systems where even if you turn it "off" it's still there in the background, but just interferes less?

Thanks.

[mduchesne]

Wow...great post again. I am just dying to get my car. I really appreciate all of you guys taking the time to write long reviews.

Matt

[a3ndy]

Great write up also beauforty

I think I saw some of your pictures on the net somewhere. Probably here. The one where they are all lined up and the TiAg one looks like a beast with 18" alloys. I think they are your pics.

Glad you liked the write up guys...closest thing to driving it until it's your turn....good things come to those who wait...