[agarbati]

Well I attended the BMW ultimate driving experience today. They had the 06 G35 and the 06 A4 quattros for comparison driving. The E90s were 330s with ZSP. The driving sequence was, 330->A4->330-> G35.

The A4 handled well but definitely had more noticeable roll than the 330. It had a roomier interior than the 330 but the driver seat on the 330 really cradled my tush a lot better on the curves. Snug as a glove. The A4 also had some understeer which the instructors had warned us about in the briefing before going to the track. They said it was due to the 60-40 weight distribution on the Quattro.

The G35 literally felt like a boat in comparison. The torque on the G35 didn't kick in until higher RPMs making the E90 feel a lot more powerful and faster even with the horse and torque difference between the two engines. I had the traction control kick in a couple of times while going around the track. We had the DTC off (not completely off) on the E90 also and didn't feel any power limitation.

If I had the choice again, I would definitely go for the E90 hands down. I am regretting not getting the ZSP now. Well in fairness I didn't drive mine on the track so I don't have an objective basis for the ZSP feel, but after what I had read on the forums I was expecting the ride to be a lot stiffer and rougher. The track was not very smooth, and we kicked up a fair amount of gravel/dust, but the ZSP felt just as smooth as my non-ZSP 330.


Verdict -

1st - E90
2nd - A4
3rd - G35

[NaTuReB0Y]

Any info on when they'll include the LEXUS IS350 as part of the comparison......I can't wait to see the verdict on that!