325i; a few initial impressions

xyz123 · 10-26-2005, 02:37 PM

I have only had the car for a couple of days and of course have not driven it hard but I already have a couple of positive impressions.

Mystic Blue is a slightly darker shade than I had expected, probably due to ambient lighting conditions. It has been cloudy with rain since I picked up the car while it was sunny and bright when I saw the colour on an E46 in June and made my choice. I had already owned a Sierra yellow and 2 whites, a black, a medium grey and a silver BMW and I was fed up with non-colours. BMW’s will always look great in the classic shades of grey and loud colours tend to go in and out of fashion quickly. However, I think the Mystic is conservative enough that it will not become tiresome. For me, waiting for a medium blue was well worth it.

It has been a huge surprise to me that the E90 325i with sports suspension is a lot more comfortable over rough surfaces than my former E46 328i with its sport suspension. The difference is like night and day and was totally unexpected. I had thought that runflats being stiffer tires would produce a harsher ride but they don’t.

I installed a weighted M3 short shift knob. This seems to have reduced the notchiness of gear changes a bit but not completely.

The new 325i must be the revenge of the nerds. I purposely avoided ordering I-drive but the car is still loaded with marginally useful gimmicks. It’s so complicated that you practically need a simulator to train on before taking it on the road and I haven’t even started to tackle the radio yet.

This forum was a tremendous help to me when making my purchase decisions, for example, I was armed with the crucial knowledge that new colours were coming in September when I went to the roll-out of the E90 in June. None of the salespersons I talked to at that time knew or would admit to it and I very probably would have bought a colour that would not be among my first three choices. So thanks to everyone here, especially E90 Fleet and Tierfreund.

thd13 · 10-26-2005, 03:41 PM

Congrats on buying a beautiful color. I, myself, love it and it will look a lot better after the weather clears and the sun comes out.

Sho · 10-26-2005, 05:47 PM

Any photos to show?

E90 Enthusiast · 10-26-2005, 07:04 PM

must...have...photo...

xyz123 · 11-10-2005, 05:29 AM

I have had the car now for about two weeks and have a couple of additional impressions.

The cockpit layout is better for me than the E46. I never did find a driving position that did not block the tops of the main gauges on the E46. On long trips, I change the seat position from time to time, which is one reason why I ordered powered sports seats, and there are several good positions I can use on the E90. This is a bit of a surprise since the sport steering wheel is smaller in diameter and thicker than the one I had on the E46.

As others have reported, I too find the throttle response a bit odd. In the old days, I might have said that there is not enough mechanical advantage in the throttle linkage but these days it is probably electronically controlled and it is the way that BMW has chosen to program it. There is too much pedal travel required to blip the throttle on downshifts but it's not a big deal; I'll get used to it. The pedal return spring feels a bit light as well.

Attached is a photograph of my Mystic Blue 325i, sports & premium, Canadian configuration (i.e., winter package). The wheels are my winter wheels, 16" Borbet Type E, with Blizzaks.

ON325i · 11-10-2005, 05:35 AM

sweet!! which area in toronto do you live??

brickley · 11-10-2005, 06:43 AM

where did you get the m3 short throw knob?? How much

Thanks.

davinet78 · 11-10-2005, 06:46 AM

congratulations on your new car enjoy

natalia · 11-10-2005, 06:47 AM

I like the color of mystic in your pic. It's darker than what I have seen in other posts.

xyz123 · 11-10-2005, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brickley

where did you get the m3 short throw knob?? How much

Thanks.

Actually, I made a slight mistake in my first post, it is an E46 M knob not an M3 knob - I think they are different. My sales rep gave it to me as a good will gesture when I took delivery of the car; the parts department had one in stock and I believe its selling price is around $90.00 Canadian. However, I believe that they are now very scarce; I think BMW Canada only had a few left in their warehouse as of a couple of weeks ago. You should be able to get the E90 M knob soon but it looks like they have a different shape, the more angular shape of the E90 OEM knob instead of the rounded E46 shape.

ase2dais · 11-10-2005, 01:56 PM

those winter wheels doesnt do justice to that car, other than than its gorgeous

obLu · 11-10-2005, 03:56 PM

Quote:

The new 325i must be the revenge of the nerds. I purposely avoided ordering I-drive but the car is still loaded with marginally useful gimmicks. It’s so complicated that you practically need a simulator to train on before taking it on the road and I haven’t even started to tackle the radio yet.

Been complaining about this for awhile ... I like the way you word it though, "marginally useful". Like the turn signal. Why? The old one worked perfectly and worked just like every other turn signal ever made. Why does it now need to be electronic? Answer: it doesn't.

Angel eyes. Yeah, the kids think they look cool but what purpose do they serve?

"Soft stop" brakes. I couldn't do this myself by letting up on the brake pedal a little before coming to a complete stop?

I'm sure I'll find plenty more to

at once my car comes. Why can't they just focus even more on driving dynamics and less on gadgets? German automotive electronics have *never* been known to be reliable.

ABR · 11-10-2005, 05:16 PM

Blue... Nice color. My next car will be in Blue again.

Sho · 11-10-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyz123

I have had the car now for about two weeks and have a couple of additional impressions.

The cockpit layout is better for me than the E46. I never did find a driving position that did not block the tops of the main gauges on the E46. On long trips, I change the seat position from time to time, which is one reason why I ordered powered sports seats, and there are several good positions I can use on the E90. This is a bit of a surprise since the sport steering wheel is smaller in diameter and thicker than the one I had on the E46.

As others have reported, I too find the throttle response a bit odd. In the old days, I might have said that there is not enough mechanical advantage in the throttle linkage but these days it is probably electronically controlled and it is the way that BMW has chosen to program it. There is too much pedal travel required to blip the throttle on downshifts but it's not a big deal; I'll get used to it. The pedal return spring feels a bit light as well.

Attached is a photograph of my Mystic Blue 325i, sports & premium, Canadian configuration (i.e., winter package). The wheels are my winter wheels, 16" Borbet Type E, with Blizzaks.

Do you have close photo of your car with Borbet E? I had E on my old car, and love the look. Now I am thinking to get a set of 17x8 for everyday using.

David328M-Sport · 11-10-2005, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyz123

It has been a huge surprise to me that the E90 325i with sports suspension is a lot more comfortable over rough surfaces than my former E46 328i with its sport suspension. The difference is like night and day and was totally unexpected.

So you can imagine how I felt moving from the e46 323 to the e90 325. My sentiments EXACTLY!

Power and torque upgrade is fantastic. And thats moving from a manual 323 to my wonderful step 325!

Congrats and enjoy you car.

xyz123 · 11-10-2005, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sho

Do you have close photo of your car with Borbet E? I had E on my old car, and love the look. Now I am thinking to get a set of 17x8 for everyday using.

My rims came from Tirerack via a local tire shop. You should go to Tirerack's excellent website and follow the wheel selection links for your car and model. There is a neat feature that lets you see what the rim will look like on your specific car model plus medium and large blowups of the rim and some very enlightening technical information about Borbet rims and the company. That is what tipped me in favour of Borbet wheels. Their manufacturing and quality control methods should produce a light, strong, high quality wheel and they supply OEM rims for various auto makers, apparently including BMW.

xyz123 · 11-11-2005, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obLu

Been complaining about this for awhile ... I like the way you word it though, "marginally useful". Like the turn signal. Why? The old one worked perfectly and worked just like every other turn signal ever made. Why does it now need to be electronic? Answer: it doesn't.

Angel eyes. Yeah, the kids think they look cool but what purpose do they serve?

"Soft stop" brakes. I couldn't do this myself by letting up on the brake pedal a little before coming to a complete stop?

I'm sure I'll find plenty more to

at once my car comes. Why can't they just focus even more on driving dynamics and less on gadgets? German automotive electronics have *never* been known to be reliable.

In my case, I wasn’t complaining, just observing. BMW is successful because it gives its customers what they want. As the saying goes, the customer is always right and these days consumers want gadgets and gimmicks, not just in cars but throughout their daily lives. Under all of this is a fantastic car - I thought the E46 was a great car, and still do, but the E90 feels even better.

Tierfreund · 11-11-2005, 10:00 AM

I love your avatar. That´s a very nice picture of the car that built the BMW brand image more than any other.

xyz123 · 11-12-2005, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tierfreund

I love your avatar. That´s a very nice picture of the car that built the BMW brand image more than any other.

The recent delivery of the E90 marks 33 years of continuous ownership of small BMW's from the one in the avatar. It sure is a different car today!

10-26-2005, 02:37 PM	#1
xyz123 Private First Class 9 Rep 141 Posts Drives: 2013 E82 Msport, manual Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	325i; a few initial impressions I have only had the car for a couple of days and of course have not driven it hard but I already have a couple of positive impressions. Mystic Blue is a slightly darker shade than I had expected, probably due to ambient lighting conditions. It has been cloudy with rain since I picked up the car while it was sunny and bright when I saw the colour on an E46 in June and made my choice. I had already owned a Sierra yellow and 2 whites, a black, a medium grey and a silver BMW and I was fed up with non-colours. BMW’s will always look great in the classic shades of grey and loud colours tend to go in and out of fashion quickly. However, I think the Mystic is conservative enough that it will not become tiresome. For me, waiting for a medium blue was well worth it. It has been a huge surprise to me that the E90 325i with sports suspension is a lot more comfortable over rough surfaces than my former E46 328i with its sport suspension. The difference is like night and day and was totally unexpected. I had thought that runflats being stiffer tires would produce a harsher ride but they don’t. I installed a weighted M3 short shift knob. This seems to have reduced the notchiness of gear changes a bit but not completely. The new 325i must be the revenge of the nerds. I purposely avoided ordering I-drive but the car is still loaded with marginally useful gimmicks. It’s so complicated that you practically need a simulator to train on before taking it on the road and I haven’t even started to tackle the radio yet. This forum was a tremendous help to me when making my purchase decisions, for example, I was armed with the crucial knowledge that new colours were coming in September when I went to the roll-out of the E90 in June. None of the salespersons I talked to at that time knew or would admit to it and I very probably would have bought a colour that would not be among my first three choices. So thanks to everyone here, especially E90 Fleet and Tierfreund.
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10-26-2005, 03:41 PM	#2
thd13 Major 46 Rep 1,445 Posts Drives: A07 330i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Murrland iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Congrats on buying a beautiful color. I, myself, love it and it will look a lot better after the weather clears and the sun comes out. __________________ My other ride is your mom.
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10-26-2005, 05:47 PM	#3
Sho Lieutenant 35 Rep 574 Posts Drives: E90 325i 6-speed Join Date: May 2005 Location: WA iTrader: (0)	Any photos to show?
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10-26-2005, 07:04 PM	#4
E90 Enthusiast Second Lieutenant 2 Rep 225 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Missouri iTrader: (0)	must...have...photo... __________________ 9/13/05 ED - 325i SG / Terra / Burl / PP / SP / CWP / iDrive / Step / Logic7 / 35% Tint / Blacklines
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11-10-2005, 05:29 AM	#5
xyz123 Private First Class 9 Rep 141 Posts Drives: 2013 E82 Msport, manual Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	I have had the car now for about two weeks and have a couple of additional impressions. The cockpit layout is better for me than the E46. I never did find a driving position that did not block the tops of the main gauges on the E46. On long trips, I change the seat position from time to time, which is one reason why I ordered powered sports seats, and there are several good positions I can use on the E90. This is a bit of a surprise since the sport steering wheel is smaller in diameter and thicker than the one I had on the E46. As others have reported, I too find the throttle response a bit odd. In the old days, I might have said that there is not enough mechanical advantage in the throttle linkage but these days it is probably electronically controlled and it is the way that BMW has chosen to program it. There is too much pedal travel required to blip the throttle on downshifts but it's not a big deal; I'll get used to it. The pedal return spring feels a bit light as well. Attached is a photograph of my Mystic Blue 325i, sports & premium, Canadian configuration (i.e., winter package). The wheels are my winter wheels, 16" Borbet Type E, with Blizzaks. Attached Images
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11-10-2005, 05:35 AM	#6
ON325i Captain 18 Rep 740 Posts Drives: e90 325i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 e90 325i [0.00]	sweet!! which area in toronto do you live?? __________________ e90 325i Jet Black / Sports Pkg / Auto
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11-10-2005, 06:43 AM	#7
brickley Enlisted Member 3 Rep 40 Posts Drives: 06 325i, SG, 6spd, Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Mass iTrader: (0)	where did you get the m3 short throw knob?? How much Thanks.
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11-10-2005, 06:46 AM	#8
davinet78 Lieutenant Colonel 28 Rep 1,832 Posts Drives: bmw e90 320d Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: gibraltar(europe) iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 bmw 320d E90 [0.00]	congratulations on your new car enjoy __________________ e90 320d,arktis,lumber support, hifi speaker, alarm, dakota beige, 162 18", xenon with washer spray,window chrome trimmings, professional radio, 6 cd changer wood trimmings 6 speed manual.
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11-10-2005, 06:47 AM	#9
natalia Second Lieutenant 14 Rep 266 Posts Drives: Not a BMW Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC iTrader: (0)	I like the color of mystic in your pic. It's darker than what I have seen in other posts.
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11-10-2005, 01:56 PM	#11
ase2dais //Mdicted 347 Rep 9,988 Posts Drives: a Cop Magnet Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: 495 Ring iTrader: (18) Garage List 2009 e92 M3 DCT CF ... [10.00] 2015 S-Works Roubaix [0.00] 2013 Trek Madone 5.9 [9.50] 2012 Scott - CR1-Pro [10.00] 2008 e92 M3 6MT (Up ... [10.00] 2002 e46 M3 Cabriol ... [7.00] 2006 e90-325i (DD) [7.00] 2002 e39 M5 (retired) [9.50]	those winter wheels doesnt do justice to that car, other than than its gorgeous __________________ Oo\(lll)'(lll)/oO : 2009-e92 ///M3 SpaceGry DCT CF Rf/Trim ZTP ZPP ZCW Sat/PrmSd : \_lOOl___lOOl_/<< Clickies
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11-10-2005, 05:16 PM	#13
ABR First Lieutenant 29 Rep 379 Posts Drives: 330i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Blue... Nice color. My next car will be in Blue again. __________________ 94' Opel Vectra Manual 96' Opel Vectra Manual99' Honda Accord Auto01' Toyota Sienna 06' BMW 330i Step
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11-11-2005, 10:00 AM	#18
Tierfreund Major 21 Rep 1,002 Posts Drives: E90 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Germany iTrader: (0)	I love your avatar. That´s a very nice picture of the car that built the BMW brand image more than any other. __________________ No, not THAT kind of tierfreund!
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