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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Test drive of 325 stick and 330 auto



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      05-09-2005, 02:08 AM   #1
Athos
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Test drive of 325 stick and 330 auto

I’ve been lurking on this board for the past few weeks. I’ve really appreciated the information, particularly on ED, driving impressions, sundry configuration details, pictures, and the overall congeniality of participants. I thought I would add my experience to the collective (sorry, no pictures.)

Today I test drove the 325 and 330 at Sonnen BMW in Marin County, California. The salesman, Jim Leavitt, was terrific. I called ahead of time to see if they had demonstrator cars. When I showed up, he basically just went and got the keys, took me out to the cars, and let me take both out on my own with absolutely no fuss or attitude. He was low key, business-like, and respectful which I found refreshing. I hate having a saleperson in the next seat gabbing at me about features I’ve already researched when I want to concentrate on the sensations of driving the car. It’s another reason I turn down the AC and generally run with the stereo off for most of the test drive.

The 325 was equipped pretty basically and had a manual transmission. It had an Arctic exterior with black leatherette interior and burl walnut.

The 330 was an automatic with the sport suspension, premium package, and iDrive. It had Jet Black exterior, black leather, and burl walnut. I didn’t pay attention to any of the other options.

Both were nice cars. They both felt really solid and stable. Both handled flat through all the corners I put them through. There was light rain today, so I didn’t push the cars too hard through the corners. In any case, this car clearly has more handling capability than most good street drivers will have the ability to challenge. This combination of solidity and handling is the car’s real strong suit in my estimation.

Potential owners of the 325 should be happy with this car. I was pleasantly surprised with the 325 after reading the board for the last few weeks with most participants’ strong preference for the 330. The 325 has plenty of power and it accelerated nicely both from a stop and at roll-on speeds. If you’re coming off an E46 330 I doubt that you will miss it’s 10 extra horses much with the E90 325. The manual was good but it didn’t feel quite as crisp and convincing as I had expected. This may just be a personal preference of mine (see remarks below.) I did clearly feel the hesitation in the response in hard initial acceleration on both cars. It was more pronounced on the 330 but that may have been because it had an automatic transmission while the 325 had a stick. I would advise people to compare the auto and the stick for this when you do your own test drive.

The 330’s extra power was noticeable but not astonishing. It was compelling nonetheless, and I’ve found that extra power is addictive on cars and motorcycles. I test drove a 2005 Audi S4 on a racetrack last summer (clearly more powerful than the 330) and the extra power certainly felt liberating and like something I could quickly come to expect (15mpg on the S4 is unacceptable to me.) The 330 handled a bit better than the 325, but that is almost certainly due to the sport suspension--particularly the bigger tires. I was impressed with the automatic transmission and it gives up a little to the stick other than the pleasant sensation and familiarity that comes with shifting a machine that truly feels sporting. I naturally thought I would prefer the manual in a car of this size, but after driving both cars I’m surprised to say that it would not be an easy choice for me because I have a long freeway commute coupled with a lot of city driving over San Francisco hills (clutch and brake killer.)

My biggest disappointment with the car was something I’ve increasingly noticed in modern cars. Cars now are a big improvement in structural solidity, smoothness, and refinement. They are generally much more capable and powerful and improved in almost every way. But they are also heavier and comparatively anesthetized. They feel more removed from the sensation of being in touch with the pavement and machinery of the car.There was an exciting visceral feeling I used to get driving cars like the old Alfa Romeos or the Miata which is lacking in today’s amazing ubercars. I miss it and I hope someday someone will figure out a way so that we can have our cake and eat it, too. In my opinion, as good at the E90 is, it is no exception to this overall trend. Although I was genuinely impressed with the E90s performance and handling I was secretly hoping for more of that visceral sensation.

Interior
Leatherette vs. leather: save your money in my opinion. I really didn’t see much difference between the two. The leather isn’t Bentley quality so I doubt that most people would notice. The interior was nice but not as nice as I expected. The materials and fit and finish were good, but not as nice as current Audi interiors and other cars in this class. The best thing about the interior was restraint from gimmicks (except the starter button), etc. that so often flaw cars when manufacturers try to get buyers to take notice. I do, however, think it ridiculous that BMW charges extra for a split-fold rear seat when you get it for free on many entry level Japanese cars these days. I definitely preferred the extra side bolsters on the sport seats and would opt for the sport package based on this, handling, and the looks of the larger wheels/tires. I sat in the back and it seemed ok but leg-room would be a problem for people probably over 5’9” would be my guess. If the back seat passengers are not too large and the front seat passengers don’t need to put their seats all the way back, it’s acceptable. This is a 178-inch car. That extra foot in a 5-series, E-Class Mercedes, Saab 9-5, and Jag S-Type makes a huge difference in back seat comfort and for many people with regular backseat passengers it is a must. However, I want a bit smaller car so I can get into some of the parking spaces I can’t fit into right now in San Francisco (BTW: no true San Franciscan ever calls it ‘Frisco’ so don’t make this mistake when you visit).

Electronics
I’ve never used iDrive before and I didn’t spend a lot of time with it. However, it seemed nice enough and rappears like it simply requires a bit of time intentionally learning the system to get comfortable with it. I won’t opt for it because it is not essential, doesn’t offer enough value, and I think screens like this are a bit distracting and unsafe. I don’t like nav systems for much the same reasons. The logic 7 stereo was nice but not nearly as impressive as the system in an Acura TL I test drove about a year and a half ago (hated the rest of that car, though!) The base was too boomy for my taste and felt a bit juvenile for a car of this quality.The stock stereo in the 325 was fine. I took a CD to listen on the stereo.

Exterior
I thought the car looks great. Best of all are the 3/4 angles. I also like the way it looks straight on. It’s weakest angles in my opinion are straight on looking at the side and the back (waybetter than a bangle-butt car, though--the trunk still looks like it’s happily integrated with the car rather than a visual ‘feature’ in it’s own right.) This car definitely looks great with the 18-inch 162 wheels. [BMW won’t let you order a 325 with this option--anyone know if dealers will offer this and for how much?] One thing I never understand are all the photos people take from pavement level. You just never see a car at that angle unless your putting air in your tires, etc. Cars often look great from this angle but it’s not how we view them 98% of the time. It was a grey day and the Arctic paint looked pale green and not particularly appealing to me, anyway. I’ve seen pictures when I liked the Arctic because it looked steely grey with a hint of color and in-between the silver and graphite in value. In real life, I didn’t like it and ruled it out. The jet black looks beautiful and I suspect it will be my final choice (silver, SG, and white remain options until I see them better first hand.) Of course, this is all subjective and it’s clear that anyone should really look at the cars in real life to make a decision they will feel comfortable with in the future.

Overall,
Nice cars, both. I will probably opt for the 330 with sport suspension but I don’t really believe it is worth the extra $6K for anyone stretching their bank account. I’ll need to test drive again to decide on the manual vs. automatic. Personally, most of the options just aren’t that compelling to me and I try to avoid extra complexity and wasted cash. I would probably have considered integrated bluetooth but it isn’t compatible with my Blackberry (this seems really out of character to me on a bimmer.) I think people who have opted for the 325 won’t be disappointed at all and the 325 delivers about 95% of the value of the E90. Does anyone know if you
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      05-09-2005, 03:28 AM   #2
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Wow, that was an excellent review. There are some car mags out there that could use someone like you.
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      05-09-2005, 03:32 AM   #3
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Nice review.

And since I will be picking up my 325 in a couple of days, it nice to hear good things being said about it too
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      05-09-2005, 07:17 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by voltron1011
Wow, that was an excellent review. There are some car mags out there that could use someone like you.
Welcome Athos. Awesome in-depth writeup. Thanks for taking the time!
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      05-09-2005, 09:33 AM   #5
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great review, plain and straight. could you give more of your opinion on the difference in feel between the step and the manual, and the sport/Non-sport? You are the first person to say the step was close to the manual, as well as another 330 owner i spoke to...
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      05-09-2005, 09:56 AM   #6
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Excellent write up! Honest and real world!
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      05-09-2005, 10:13 AM   #7
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Yes, excellent review. I very much enjoyed reading it, thanks for the great effort and time you put in.
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      05-09-2005, 10:56 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by voltron1011
Wow, that was an excellent review. There are some car mags out there that could use someone like you.
I agree. That was the best written review I can recall seeing before.

Excellent job. I felt like I right there with you.
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      05-09-2005, 12:00 PM   #9
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Please keep in mind that I was comparing a manual and automatic on cars with different amounts of power--not an entirely fair comparison. I intend to go back and compare them both on the same model with the same suspension once I find the right combination of demonstration cars. The only thing I can add at the moment is that there were a couple of times on the auto when I wanted it to shift when it didn't. That's no criticism of the auto, and probably says more about my driving style. However, if you do want that complete sense of control, the manual is probably the better choice.
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      05-09-2005, 01:36 PM   #10
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During my test drive of a 330i Sport with autobox on Saturday I was going over a curved bridge overpass on the freeway with the transmission in the "Sport" mode. I was sort of surprised to see it hold a gear at a very high RPM through the turn even though I stopped accelerating because I came up on another car. I can't recall exactly but it must have been 5000rpm or higher that it kept the car at.
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      05-09-2005, 03:03 PM   #11
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Great review. Thanks for your insight.

You hit on the word value so I crunched some numbers and got some details.

For $6k more based on U.S. MSRP, a 330i will get you the following compared to the 325i... (based on the 2006 3 Series brochure)

40 more horsepower
3 Stage air intake manifold
1 inch bigger wheel
Xenons
Power Seats
Logic 7 sound system
Extra chrome details

No mention of the brakes on the brochure, but I'm assuming that it is bigger.

I would love to have all of those above, but personally, I don't think it is worth the extra 6k. However, I must have those Xenons with angel eyes .
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      05-09-2005, 04:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AskNiko
Great review. Thanks for your insight.

You hit on the word value so I crunched some numbers and got some details.

For $6k more based on U.S. MSRP, a 330i will get you the following compared to the 325i... (based on the 2006 3 Series brochure)

40 more horsepower
3 Stage air intake manifold
1 inch bigger wheel
Xenons
Power Seats
Logic 7 sound system
Extra chrome details

No mention of the brakes on the brochure, but I'm assuming that it is bigger.

I would love to have all of those above, but personally, I don't think it is worth the extra 6k. However, I must have those Xenons with angel eyes .
Here's what i got for $37545 ($500 off MSRP)
325i, Auto, SG, ZPP, ZSP, Xenons

I configured a 330i with the following Spec for $42045 (Assuming $500 off)
330i, Auto, SG, ZPP, ZSP (Xenons standard)

So its basically $4500 for

- 40 more horsepower(3 Stage air intake manifold)
- 1 inch bigger wheel
- Extra chrome details
- Logic 7 sound system


The 40hp and the 162 I'll definetely miss. But I wanted 17 inch wheels and compared to the 158, the 161's are beautiful and I get sports suspension.

In the extra chrome details - I like the chrome on tailpipes irrespective of the exterior color . But for SG/Black, I think the chrome gives a non-sporty look on the windows (I prefer the the black trim). I am still not sure of what I think about the chrome front grill on SG (I may do an after market makeover for the front grill.) I definetely do not like the silver (??) beam that comes on the 330i below the front grill. I prefer the black that comes with the 325. If you are doing TiAg, IMHO the chrome works wonders.

The logic 7 is definetely the deal breaker. If you decide to go for it with the specs above, I say get the 330. The price gap in no way justifies the lower end model. But in my case I was more than pleased with the stock system.

After all this, I would say if you have the cash to blow, definetely get the 330. But if you are on a budget, the 325 will be a great buy.

Also last week, I was at the dealers to testdrive the 330 and 325. (Not that I could change anything on the 325 I ordered - I am picking it up this week) I saw 4 E90's lined one next to the other. 2 335i (Arctic and Sapphire Black) and 2 330i's (Silver and SG). I must say the black instantly stood out. The best color IMHO. I think SG a close second. The silver looked sweet with the 162's but i somehow liked the black and SG better. The Arctic seems to be a very elusiv color. I saw alot of people praising the color in the forums and I did really like some of the Pics I saw - but next to the the other cars, it looked a lil left behind. But thats just me. I think a lot matters on your tatse. I somehow go for darkers colors.

Hope all you guys who ordered have a smahing time with your E90's :rocks:

Last edited by aragorn; 05-09-2005 at 04:39 PM..
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      05-09-2005, 07:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AskNiko
Great review. Thanks for your insight.

You hit on the word value so I crunched some numbers and got some details.

For $6k more based on U.S. MSRP, a 330i will get you the following compared to the 325i... (based on the 2006 3 Series brochure)

40 more horsepower
3 Stage air intake manifold
1 inch bigger wheel
Xenons
Power Seats
Logic 7 sound system
Extra chrome details

No mention of the brakes on the brochure, but I'm assuming that it is bigger.

I would love to have all of those above, but personally, I don't think it is worth the extra 6k. However, I must have those Xenons with angel eyes .

Although, I ordered a 330, I would agree that all of those items put together are not worth $6K. My feeling is that the only way anyone should buy these cars is European delivery, where you save a bundle.
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      11-25-2005, 02:06 PM   #14
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One more thing to consider when comparing pricing between the 325i and 330i is the cost difference for the premium package. With the 325i sedan, the premium package costs $2900. With the 330i sedan, it costs only$2200, a savings of about $700. Xenon adaptive lights cost $800 on the 325i but are standard on the 330i. So if you're getting a 325i with Xenon lights and Premium package, the cost difference between the two would actually be more like $3505 (36,600-(31595-700-800)).

I see people in this post willing to shell out nearly $1000 for aftermarket air filter holders to gain 5HP maybe. The question I asked myself was "would I be willing to pay an extra 3.5K for better exhaust, induction, more HP, bigger wheels and tires?" YOU BET! Those nice wheels you see in the 3 series brochures on most of the photos are the sport wheels available on the 330i only.
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      11-25-2005, 02:56 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RichReg
Although, I ordered a 330, I would agree that all of those items put together are not worth $6K. My feeling is that the only way anyone should buy these cars is European delivery, where you save a bundle.
isn't in the end game of it, the ED method burns the same hole in your pocket, except you get a vacation /w hotel to Germany out of it?
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      11-26-2005, 02:47 PM   #16
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Great review Athos! Just a question: Did you try the auto in sport mode or even steptronic mode? Shifting the lever to the left makes quite a difference (That might make your choice of transmission even harder)...!
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      12-08-2005, 03:02 PM   #17
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I did almost the same test drive, and I quite agree with your assessment. While the 330i has more power, it isn't like I was stunned by the incredible acceleration compared to the 325i. Makes me suspect that the power difference isn't as great as the specs suggest. Both examples I drove had the sport package, and I was surprised that the 325i felt a little lighter and more tossable, perhaps the 17" wheels are lighter?

I also was pleasantly surprised by the leatherette - it is far better than the vinyl from the old days, as you said, nearly indistinguishable from leather, and much easier to care for. Interesting.

I was underwhelmed by the beige interior, I just didn't think the color of the plastics was quite right. I was surprised, as I normally like this color in bimmers, but like the E46, I don't think it quite works for me.

I was surprised by my reaction to the available colors. My last two cars have been black, and while I think it looks awesome when clean, it's tough to keep it that way. The dealer had most colors in stock, I think I've seen them all now, and I'm not blown away by any of them.
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      12-08-2005, 05:09 PM   #18
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Sounds like Athos is in the secret club of the "Bring the 130 ci over here and the 1 Series M as well please". Wellcome to the club. I have high hopes that that car once introduced and imported over here will get that driving feeling closer to the pavement back into the BMW fold, without having to buy a Mini or Z4
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      08-17-2006, 12:57 AM   #19
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FWIW, the power difference is noticeable when you get to higher RPM's...personally I heard more then I felt in the 325i, while with the 330i, I heard AND felt the acceleration. Both are great cars with similar engines. If I couldn't get the 330i, I would've gotten the 325i. No other make/model can compare IMHO.
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      08-17-2006, 07:50 AM   #20
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What you miss in a test drive is high rpm driving. Athos obviously was not getting up into the high revs where the motors love to work. When you do, it's no contest between the two- The 330 is dramatically stronger, and really outdoes the little brother.

There are some beautifully modded 325i's among the membership here. Yet I am constanting wondering how much cash is dropped into aftermarket mods to bring the car up to the desired level. I would wager the net is more than you would spend for a fully optioned 330i.
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      08-17-2006, 10:43 AM   #21
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nice review!
BMW certainly makes it hard for consumers to decide what to get.
always a reason to spend more money on our bmws
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      08-17-2006, 10:46 PM   #22
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Excellent review. Picking up a 325 ZSP in two days... Will post my impressions as well.
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