[markh]

First Impressions

After three months of waiting, my car finally arrived and I went to pick it up. It’s a 325i SE (titanium silver, black leather with aluminium trim, front parking sensors, sports steering wheel, chrome exhaust trims and 162 18” wheels with standard suspension).

The Long Wait
I managed to sell my previous car (an E46 325i SE in silver grey) three weeks earlier so I’ve been without a car for quite some time. This made the wait even more painful. Unlike in the States, we don’t have access to online information so I’ve had to piece together its status from regular updates from my dealer. After a slightly disappointing dealer experience last time, my sales person was absolutely brilliant, responding immediately to email queries.

The day of collection – wow what big wheels!
In the UK, new car registrations occur on 1st September. The car arrived at the dealer two days before. So, I arranged to collect the car at 8.30am (opening time!) on the 1st. I arrived, with my family, with a few minutes to spare but immediately saw the car – you couldn’t miss it with the 162 wheels. I had ordered the car with no test drive (no 325’s available – smaller/diesel engines are more popular in the UK) and not knowing what the wheels would look like. The wheels were the first thing that struck me. They look much bigger than in the photos and really impressive. You need to see them in three dimensions to really appreciate their shape.

Quick handover
I signed a few bits of paper and the salesman took me to the car. He quickly showed me everything. When I told him I’d already downloaded and read the manual, he handed over the key, and wished me good luck.

First impressions sitting in the driver’s seat
The car feels more driver-focussed than the E46. It looks more like an aircraft cockpit and more stylish than the E46. I’m undecided about the quality of the plastics. The E46 materials were very good. This is different – no better, no worse, just different and more modern and still very high quality. The leather looks to be a much higher quality than before. With my children sitting in the back seat, the extra legroom was clearly evident. Not a huge car, but definitely more practical. I pressed the cupholders to find them very sturdy and well made. Finally, I noticed that the (standard) seats were substantially more comfortable than my previous car. They seem more padded and softer, supporting my lower back better. Overall, I was VERY pleased.

Time to start the engine
It was time to start the engine. Wow – that is quiet. There is definitely a lot more acoustic dampening compared to the last car. This was confirmed when I set off. This car was incredibly quiet in the cabin. I have driven my brother’s E46 with 18” tyres and they were incredibly noisy. With the 162s, it was very, very quiet. I was amazed. With 16” tyres on my last E46, I did notice the bumps a little more. I was grateful that I had opted for non sports suspension. To me, it proves the best compromise (with a family). Better handling with comfort. After going round a few roundabouts, it was clear that the handling of this car is miles ahead of the E46. Absolutely brilliant! It holds to the road like glue. It is astonishing how BMW has engineered such handling while maintaining superb comfort levels. How do they do that? After changing gear a few times, you realise that gear changes are just superb. Just like the brakes. They seem incredibly safe. This is a much better car than the E46.

And the rattles?.........what rattles
After reading posts about rattles, I was nervous. After going over several bumps, no rattles whatsoever. The car feels incredibly solid – much more solid than the E46.


Impressions after two days
While my first day was spent with Zaino (which took most of the day!), I’ve had more chance to drive it. To me, it feels and looks a lot more sporty than the previous model – perhaps more in line with previous 3 series (which I have never owned). My neighbour has an E46 in his drive, which I used to think looked fantastic. However, now that I’ve got used to the E90, when I look across, the car now seems incredibly dated. Scary.

Overall, the engine is absolutely brilliant. It is so quiet and seems much smoother than the previous engine…..and more potent. I cannot wait until it is run in. Not having tried a 330i, it has plenty of power. The only problem with the car is when you are driving at 70, it actually feels like you are doing 40. That’s why I use cruise control to prevent me getting into trouble.

Overall, this is a fantastic car. One thing that I did like was opening the car at night to find little lights illuminating the door handles, which then dim down. It looks really cool (and very useful).

[thrill30]

Originally Posted by markh

First Impressions

After three months of waiting, my car finally arrived and I went to pick it up. It’s a 325i SE (titanium silver, black leather with aluminium trim, front parking sensors, sports steering wheel, chrome exhaust trims and 162 18” wheels with standard suspension).

The Long Wait
I managed to sell my previous car (an E46 325i SE in silver grey) three weeks earlier so I’ve been without a car for quite some time. This made the wait even more painful. Unlike in the States, we don’t have access to online information so I’ve had to piece together its status from regular updates from my dealer. After a slightly disappointing dealer experience last time, my sales person was absolutely brilliant, responding immediately to email queries.

The day of collection – wow what big wheels!
In the UK, new car registrations occur on 1st September. The car arrived at the dealer two days before. So, I arranged to collect the car at 8.30am (opening time!) on the 1st. I arrived, with my family, with a few minutes to spare but immediately saw the car – you couldn’t miss it with the 162 wheels. I had ordered the car with no test drive (no 325’s available – smaller/diesel engines are more popular in the UK) and not knowing what the wheels would look like. The wheels were the first thing that struck me. They look much bigger than in the photos and really impressive. You need to see them in three dimensions to really appreciate their shape.

Quick handover
I signed a few bits of paper and the salesman took me to the car. He quickly showed me everything. When I told him I’d already downloaded and read the manual, he handed over the key, and wished me good luck.

First impressions sitting in the driver’s seat
The car feels more driver-focussed than the E46. It looks more like an aircraft cockpit and more stylish than the E46. I’m undecided about the quality of the plastics. The E46 materials were very good. This is different – no better, no worse, just different and more modern and still very high quality. The leather looks to be a much higher quality than before. With my children sitting in the back seat, the extra legroom was clearly evident. Not a huge car, but definitely more practical. I pressed the cupholders to find them very sturdy and well made. Finally, I noticed that the (standard) seats were substantially more comfortable than my previous car. They seem more padded and softer, supporting my lower back better. Overall, I was VERY pleased.

Time to start the engine
It was time to start the engine. Wow – that is quiet. There is definitely a lot more acoustic dampening compared to the last car. This was confirmed when I set off. This car was incredibly quiet in the cabin. I have driven my brother’s E46 with 18” tyres and they were incredibly noisy. With the 162s, it was very, very quiet. I was amazed. With 16” tyres on my last E46, I did notice the bumps a little more. I was grateful that I had opted for non sports suspension. To me, it proves the best compromise (with a family). Better handling with comfort. After going round a few roundabouts, it was clear that the handling of this car is miles ahead of the E46. Absolutely brilliant! It holds to the road like glue. It is astonishing how BMW has engineered such handling while maintaining superb comfort levels. How do they do that? After changing gear a few times, you realise that gear changes are just superb. Just like the brakes. They seem incredibly safe. This is a much better car than the E46.

And the rattles?.........what rattles
After reading posts about rattles, I was nervous. After going over several bumps, no rattles whatsoever. The car feels incredibly solid – much more solid than the E46.


Impressions after two days
While my first day was spent with Zaino (which took most of the day!), I’ve had more chance to drive it. To me, it feels and looks a lot more sporty than the previous model – perhaps more in line with previous 3 series (which I have never owned). My neighbour has an E46 in his drive, which I used to think looked fantastic. However, now that I’ve got used to the E90, when I look across, the car now seems incredibly dated. Scary.

Overall, the engine is absolutely brilliant. It is so quiet and seems much smoother than the previous engine…..and more potent. I cannot wait until it is run in. Not having tried a 330i, it has plenty of power. The only problem with the car is when you are driving at 70, it actually feels like you are doing 40. That’s why I use cruise control to prevent me getting into trouble.

Overall, this is a fantastic car. One thing that I did like was opening the car at night to find little lights illuminating the door handles, which then dim down. It looks really cool (and very useful).

Congratulations... if you think you are impressed now, wait until you have gone past breaking her in.... you will see what I mean :rocks: .

Remember to upload some pictures... it would be great to see the side profile on a car with 162s and standard suspension... I would really like to see how different it looks compared to 162s with Sport suspension.

Don't forget to vary your speed and revs while breaking her in, as recommended in the Owners Manual.

[Kurupt1811]

I also just took delivery of my new e90 earlier today and it honestly is the ultimate driving machine. Its now 4:37 am and I just got done driving around. Car started with 3 miles on her and now she has 80!!

BTW...how many miles until the car is officially broken in and what rpm should I keep her under?

[markh]

Under 4500 rpm and 100mph

[markh]

and 1200 miles!

[thrill30]

Originally Posted by Kurupt1811

Its now 4:37 am and I just got done driving around. Car started with 3 miles on her and now she has 80!!

hahaha... welcome to the E90 addiction.... and the best part is that this addiction does not die down after a month or so... I'm on my second month now, but i still make excuses to drive around for the fun of it... and because I'm now beyond break-in, I plant my right foot, and the response is amazing... that's why I went past break-in in two weeks

Enjoy and drive safely...

[vivekk]

While my first day was spent with Zaino (which took most of the day!), I’ve had more chance to drive it.

Congratulations on the car markh.
Where in the UK did you get the Zaino from?

[markh]

Thanks

You can get Zaino in the UK from

http://www.advancedcarproducts.com

Mark

[vivekk]

Cheers!
Viv