Driving The E90

[BimmerJD]

OK, so I went to my dealer today and met up with my salesman. He is a real deep car guy, and was more than happy to entertain me by letting me take out and thrash their E90 325i and 330i that had come in this week. What a BLAST!

The 325i had good power, and seems like a significant improvement over the 184hp version that is in my 2005 325i. The ride is much more taut, and the highway ride is about the same. The low speed ride is slightly more busy than the E46, but it was more than acceptable. The road in front of the dealer is under major construction and was a good place to test rigidity of the structure and ride... both were excellent. I could tell that the car had run-flat tires without looking. My Mini Cooper had them and they have a very distinct feel to them. Honestly though, the ride didn't really suffer as it did in the Cooper.

The interior was tan on both cars, with wood trim. I can say that the wood is less convincing than in the E46. It looks kind of fake. The quality of the trim is as to be expected, but I felt that the surfaces were more shiny and harder plastic than in the E46. Either way, it was quite nice.

The 330i with manual trans was a revelation... I've not driven an E46 330i, but had driven an early 328i back in 2000. This car was FAST! The suspension was perfectly tuned to the car, and it felt much more urgent than the 325i.

This is a GLOWING review... trust me.

I am just 1800 miles into my 325i, so I won't be trading up any time soon, but I can say that the look and feel of the E90 deserves a look... and a drive!