After 20 years of clean driving, I got my first speeding ticket ever... I blame the bright red BMW 330i. OK, it takes two to tango and with all that power and great handling, speeding IS very tempting. But in this case I was behind a line of cars, driving through the small town of Raymond, Washington, when the cop picked me off...
He said I was driving 11 mph over the posted speed limit, even though, as I said, I was pacing other cars in traffic. I guess the bright red paint and the California plates didn't help me blend in. Honestly, it really makes me wonder if there's some truth to that urban myth about red cars being cop magnets.
It was bound to happen, though: Driving over 2,400 miles in a garishly red sport sedan, bouncing from highway speeds to 30-mph through small towns. With six speeds and ample passing power, driving the 330i takes a lot of discipline. But in this case, I didn't give in to that temptation, I swear.
Caroline Pardilla, Production Editor
table16 says:
04:58 PM, 07/ 1/06
Edmunds, you are in constant love with your 330i. My recent test drive of a 330i was nothing special. I wish I could see the light about the 3 series. Apparently it's a kind of religion I just don't get.
blueguydotcom says:
10:55 PM, 07/ 1/06
Table, what did you drive? Be specific about features, packages, tranny.
table16 says:
12:09 AM, 07/ 2/06
It was the steptronic, sport package. An '06 with 12,000 miles. It was a nice car, don't get me wrong. And being slightly used, even attainable. But the driving dynamics -- at least on neighborhood streets -- didn't feel especially sharp or different from many other cars. (The IS350 had a bit more presence with the engine power.) Perhaps it was the fact that I wasn't driving a manual 330i. And the seat felt a bit up high, which I adjusted down during the drive. And though it was a black on black color, which I love, I was a bit put off by the very thin leather they had on there, kind of like in a VW, and the somewhat antiquated feeling of the dashboard wood and Windows-like iDrive graphical interface. The whole thing felt a bit old. I have nothing against BMW and will probably get one someday because I love their brand. But the reverence given to the 330 by people I respect, like Edmunds, probably does set expectations too high. It felt like I was driving a nice sedan. (I know. I'm a rube!)
blueguydotcom says:
02:10 PM, 07/ 2/06
You may value different things. No big deal. The manual 3 is far more involving than the steptronic car though.
table16 says:
03:26 PM, 07/ 2/06
That was probably it. If I ever did get a Z4 I would get the manual, despite SoCal traffic. You just don't get to do enough letting the gears change by themselves.
elic says:
09:52 AM, 07/ 3/06
I test drove a 330 (manual, sports package) and absolutely loved it. I did the driving through some carving roads in the hills, so that might be the difference between you and me. How do you get excited about driving dynamics when you're going from stop sign to stop sign? I didn't even notice the dash or leather - for me it was just concentration on the steering feedback and the forces on my back.
roddles says:
05:32 PM, 07/28/06
I, too, am in love with the 330 manual (fanatic perhaps), which I was lucky enough to pick out of my local dealer's inventory last year. As far as the competition, I agree that the IS350 is extremely close and probably even a better value (unless you value BMW engineering), yet the love affair with my 330 rages on.
I've spent some time in the seats of both cars in the Santa Monica mountains and up the coast (more of course in my car than friends' IS350's--though, I'm outnumbered at least 3-to-1), and there's something magic in the 330 package that comes out at 3 AM on the canyon twists that the Japanese car just doesn't have. Barreling south out of the Valley and shooting to the top of Topanga Canyon...it leaves a smile on my face that no other sport compact ever has. I swear this car defies physics. Newton is rolling over in his grave!
I also can't seem to stop looking at the styling. I'm very much "turned on" by modern design, and BMW's designers have poured their own modern take into every last detail. When I encoutner another 3-series on the road, I think to myself, "that is absolutely fantastic! I can't believe I'm in the same car right now!"
If you won't settle for less than a superb driving experience, need third and fourth doors and seats, and can afford the price, I just can't see how anyone would choose anything else. Well, not until the 335i Coupe arrives...
bmwrulz says:
12:24 AM, 11/26/06
haha, yes, i believe red paint does attract the five-O.
I owned a 1992 Honda Prelude Si, which was red, and I received 3 tickets during the year and a half.
After the Prelude, I purchased a white Audi Convertible, not 1 ticket, but did have an accident, wasnt my fault.
After the Audi, I got a Mini Cooper S. That was blue and once again I have not received one ticket. Knock on wood.