Enjoying driving my AWD loaner BMW 330xi - impressions...

007

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Jan 29, 2002
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My BMW is in for service so I have a 2006 330xi loaner. My impressions:

I dont like the exterior appearance much at all (older BMWs looked so much better), but the interior is nice. I didnt realize the thing had a engine-start/stop button and was fumbling with the key fob for a bit. After driving it for a few days, the engine button seems to be a completely useless gimmick. Rubbish IMO.

Another VERY irritating "upgrade" is the new turn signal lever thingy. It doesnt latch in place and then un-click when you turn... instead, you press it and then it always drops back to center and the CPU manages it staying on or not. If you press it VERY gently, it goes on for 3 secs and then off vs if you press it a tiny bit harder it stays on. Trouble is, if the signal is turned on and you dont turn enough to have it automatically shut off, then when you go to just snap the lever back to center to cancel the signal, you end up signalling the other way. :mad: Its very clumsy.

Seats are really really nice, lots of side bolstering. Heated seats always rock in the winter. No heated steering wheel though. How awful!:nonono:

The 6 speed auto is a bit sluggish, but the sport mode shifts very intelligently - staying in gear when youre going nutso, and you can manually override at any time. Not as much fun as my 5 speed BMW but with much harder shifts itd be MUCH better than the 4R70w in the stang.

Suspension feels absolutely excellent. Motor is reasonably powerful, no doubt hindered a lot by the AWD and auto. The best thing about the car is the AWD though. Man is it nice to be able to MURDER the throttle from a stop round a 90 degree corner in the wet. This thing always has so so so so much traction, and its really nice for that not to be an issue at all in any weather. Its really making me consider an AWD sports car next time...

I've been driving it like I stole it.:nice:
 
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I agree that the suspension and AWD make that a very fun car..... as the occasional Valet, ive driven many cars- this being one of them. The 330 really disappoints me in the power department. Every one of them ive driven is slug city... even the manuals. No doubt its a very well handling car.
 
I really like my Dads Z4, I've never before driven a RWD car in the snow that I couldn't spin out, but the computer is smarter than me apparantly. BMWs are nice cars, but I'll stick to sloppy American Muscle.
 
Another VERY irritating "upgrade" is the new turn signal lever thingy. It doesnt latch in place and then un-click when you turn... instead, you press it and then it always drops back to center and the CPU manages it staying on or not. If you press it VERY gently, it goes on for 3 secs and then off vs if you press it a tiny bit harder it stays on. Trouble is, if the signal is turned on and you dont turn enough to have it automatically shut off, then when you go to just snap the lever back to center to cancel the signal, you end up signalling the other way. :mad: Its very clumsy.

All you have to do to cancel the turn signal is push it again in the same direction. You don't have to snap it back to center.
 
All you have to do to cancel the turn signal is push it again in the same direction. You don't have to snap it back to center.

hmm. I'll try it. Thats not very intuitive though is it. A completely useless "upgrade". Regular signals have always worked just fine for my liking.
 
hmm. I'll try it. Thats not very intuitive though is it. A completely useless "upgrade". Regular signals have always worked just fine for my liking.

No, it's not. The only reason I found out about it was from another forum. However, after almost 3 months I have gotten used to it, and I like it now.