Well, I went to the dealership yesterday with money in hand to possibly purchase an e90 328i. Of course I had to take a test drive first. Since they didn't have any with manual trans I took out an automatic. I must say that I was underwhelmed with the performance. It sounded great and pulled nice at high rpms, heck, it even shifted very quick and smoothly. But, once it kicked up a gear, the car didn't have enough power to keep the acceleration as linear as I would have liked. And yes, I used the "sport" mode.
Also, I suppose because BMWs are now being marketed to brand conscious common consumers rather than motoring enthusiasts, only 1 of the 40 e90s on the lot even had the sport package. The one that did was automatic (blah) and equipped with enough needless luxury items to push the price well north of $40K. My big problem with the non-sport package cars is that the 16" donuts they call wheels look freakishly small, and the awful continental tires mounted on them were less than sure-footed when pushed around on and off ramps.
I'm definitely in a crunch here. I don't want to step up to a 335 right now for several reasons. So my plan is going to be to wait for my dealer to get in a 328 with a proper transmission and give that one a shot. Providing it performs way better than that lame auto, I may order one to my specification. If it fails to impress, however, I may (sadly) have to skip this generation of 3 series and put my $36-38K to better use elsewhere.
EDIT: On the bright side.. I thought the brakes were fantastic, body roll was very controlled, the ride was comfortable, seat was soft yet supportive in the right places, radio sounded alright, and the steering was spot on. I guess my only major issue (tires not withstanding, I suppose I could upgrade) is the acceleration with the auto. Man, I really hope the manual performs up to my standards...
Linear Mode
