Another E70 opinion
 

Well here it is....I finally took some time to hang at the dealership and have a lenghthy stay with the E70. Remember....this is my opinion. I think BMW missed the mark on this one. It really does look like a beefed up X3. Not that the X3 looks bad, but the 3 series doesn't look like a 5 series. I checked out a 3.0i, a 3.0Si, and the 4.8i....I'm not impressed at all. I think this vehicle will attract a different type of customer for BMW. The third row is truely a joke. The interior looked cheap at best, however...the layout was nice. As someone commented on a few days ago, the rear entertainment screen is in the way of the drivers arm rest. The plastic on the rear and front gives it an old honda CR-V look. The ride in the 4.8i wasn't too bad, but I guess I was expecting more from this SAV considering the price. I don't want to make this a long read, so I'll end with a :thumbdown on this one. Maybe the ///M6 and the 650ci on the showroom floor had my true attention:thumbup: ......now I just have to convince the CEO that they're worth the money......Phil

Thanks for the review. This is why I was hoping to see more info on the M-sport package or even better the 4.8is replacement (with the V8 biturbo).

Just test-drove the e70 3.0si. I agree with Phil that the third-row seating is a joke. I don't know why they even bothered.

That, however, is where our agreements end. I think the interior is high-quality -- on par, if not better than the e53. I test drove one without the sport package, and it felf "less rough" than the e53 (BMW did say they softened the suspension a bit). The car seems quieter, too. The jury is still out on the active steering. I loved the steering on the e53, and this one seemed a little too soft.

Overall, it's a great ride, and a nice evolution. They'll sell well.

Oh yeah, iDrive STILL SUCKS!

Juan

What is it about car manufacturers, they can get a ECU to run every single little gadget and sensor on a car but can not for the life of them figure out how to replace iDrive.... :)

I think we are stuck with iDrive for the next decade at least. I think my biggest issue is that it feels cheap. The functionality seems good, the controller seems real cheesy......Phil