I had to go to the dealer again to get yet another window regulator replaced. The upside of that was that I confirmed my Number 1 status on the E90 M3 list and gave them a deposit and I got to test drive the E90 330i Sport with 6 speed manual transmission.
It was a Titanium Silver with black example. I must admit that overall it looks better in person. The front 3/4 is actually not too bad looking; definitely better than the 5er. The rear is still not nice, IMO, mostly because of the funky Japanese looking tail lights. In Ti Silver and with the Sport wheels it was rather nice looking.
The interior was also quite nice. The big improvement IMO was the absence of the "double hump" dash because this one did not have nav. The dash flowed much better and looked more traditional, not to mention the welcomed absence of the iDrive knob. The HVAC controls were very good with the temperature adjustment being achieved with a dial. No more tap, tap, tap to change the temp. Just twist the knob. The MID shows more information and in smaller pixels than the previous MID. Ergonomically, the seating position was very good and the pedals were well positioned for heel-and-toe shifting. It was actually easier to heel-toe than in my Boxster. One ergonomic flaw, at least for me, was the position and size of the center armrest. I found that as I shifted into 2nd, 4th, and 6th I'd hit my elbow on the center armrest. It seems to be too tall relative to the shift knob. I grapsed the shift knob where it is intended and felt like I had to cock my elbow up to avoid the bump. (Get your immature minds out of the gutter!)
Driving impressions? This is a great car. The engine is awesome. It is very responsive and very quick. It had no problem blasting away to pass in 4th gear. At one point a Cadillac CTS-V was driving along a fast stretch with me. No racing, just having fun. The engine is just very smooth, powerful, and flexible. The exhaust note is very nice. It's mellow but has a wonderful crisp growl when revved. The brakes are very, very good. The steering was precise and didn't feel dead at center. The transmission was superb. Other than the center armrest getting in the way, the gearbox is precise and smooth. Every gear went in with ease and there was no rubberiness at all. The clutch was interesting. It was surprisingly light and had a very short travel. It felt Japanese. I had to get used to it from having driven my Boxster this morning. Once I got used to take up, I liked the lightness. The handling was very good too. I was impressed with the Sport suspension. It was typical BMW in that it was firm but not harsh. It soaked up the bumps and some big road imperfections but tightened up with pushed. I think it was smoother than my X5 Sport. Overall, the car felt very nimble and lighter than the E46 even though the E90 is wider and heavier. I guess that's the beauty of a newer chassis and suspension design.
I was quite taken with the car and it made me more excited about the M version. I did however, think at one point that the 330i is so capable and so useable that the M3 would be overkill. At $42,000 it's a good deal too. Nah, you can never have too much power and that V8 will be killer. I'm still not in love with the looks but I could more easily get used to them than with the 5, 6, and 7er.
