Hit the local Stlr again this am to diagnose the fan chrip/growl/rumble and came away with a "new"/remanufactured water pump, belt and coolant, 8 days Before the expriation of my 4 yr/50K Warr and same for my 1 yr Ext Maint. Whew!
NEway, the new SA there is Titz and he tossed me an '06 330i to use instead of having me camp out and grumble in the showroom,
.
I put 60 miles on during an errand run up to the Asheville Mall and around town, hammering the entrance ramps, a brief run on the BRPkway,etc.
My 2Cts...
Picks:
-Handling is Very good. (This was an auto w/non-sport pkg).
-Steering is spot on and Tight.
-Fun car and felt like a "real customer" getting my first loaner in 4 yrs of BMW ownership,
-V.good engine power, accel, etc.
-V.good brakes...I really leaned on them a couple times to try them.
Nits:
-Had some weird squeaks and rattles...this Is a loaner and already had 6K miles on it, and it's a first year trial car,imo.
-"BizCD" radio w/"Harmon Kardon" speakers it said on spkr screens, sounded less "hi fi" than Any car I've driven of Any brand in last 10 years. Playing with all the adjustments and listening to my fave classical station and then playing the new Alanis Morrisette Acoustic Jagged Lil'Pill, left me shaking my head.
The 4 yr old BizCD radio in my X sounds twice as good. Maybe diff acoustics, or??? Very strange for a 40G car. No Xpert here, but I sorta know what I listen to, if that translates.
-Auto tranny hunts a bit and has very erratic "tip in" throttle: sometimes it would tip in like an electrical switch and Zoom! Other times it would tip in and not do anything for a second. I'd take the 6 Spd manual and Sprt Pkg if I ever got one.
-AC was not nearly as "cold" as my old X's is.
Ah, about getting one: here's some rub...
-The "back seat" is a joke unless 2 small, tranquilized children are going back there, or Very Vertically challenged adults requiring the front seats to be most of the way up. This is a 4 Door Sedan? My son's pos Jetta has a bigger back seat.
-The "trunk" matches the "back seats": I didn't have my clubs w/me but I do not think even 1 std medium sized cart bag will fit back there. Yeah, I know you can toss one side of the back seats, but not real handy and that fooking trunk is almost an afterthought. Very surprising...
I like the car a lot and I think a Sport Pkg/Prem/Cold/no nav/6 Spd etc., can be had with goodies for about 42ish and the mpg is 30 or so on the hwy., but that trunk and back seat "cubby hole" and Kmart radio are things that would make me ponder long and hard before I did it.
Back in my almost 4 yr old X and it felt like fooking home.
Maybe an X3 Sport someday...the 330 is on "hold"...no dis to 330 owners, '06 or previous MYs, jes'my opins.
My Qtr's Up. BR,md