By now, you're probably reading these Vancouver-related BMW 330i blog entries with plenty of skepticism. Really, the Bimmer can't be that good, now can it? It's just a car that costs a lot ($42,685 as optioned) and has a stuffy German badge.
Well, you're welcome to make up your own mind, but after racking up 3,400 miles in 8 days, I'm still delighted with the car and ready to buy one (though likely a used one). As much fun as the 330i was on the curvy stretches of U.S. 101, it turned out to be amazingly practical. Consider that we averaged 25.1 mpg for the whole trip, despite the fact that we drove the car aggressively with little regard for fuel frugality.
Our best tank was 28.6 mpg (when driving on I-5 in Northern California and southern Oregon). Our worst tank was 16.5 mpg (when running hard on British Columbia's Sea to Sky Hwy). The highest price we paid for premium gas in the U.S. was $3.84/gallon at our very first gas stop in Bakersfield, CA. The lowest price we paid for premium was $3.20/gallon in Newport, OR.
I also found the 330i's seats unbelievably supportive. Usually, I can't go 3 hours without my neck acting up, but I never once felt discomfort on this trip, even though we spent 9-10 hours of each day on the road. One complaint is that we could never get the seat memory feature to work right, even with the help of the owner's manual. In addition, I would like to have an in-dash CD changer in this car: This may be the age of MP3s, but I still have a CD collection, and in a $42K car with no nav system, you might as well give me a changer so I don't have to swap CDs while trying to drive.
Additionally, I still don't like the cupholders in this car. They intrude on the front passenger's personal space and their flimsy plastic design causes most small water bottles to rattle.
Finally, it's worth noting that while this car was the perfect size for two 30ish women on an 8-day road trip, it wouldn't be a great pick for a family of 3 or 4 unless everyone really travels light. We didn't pack anymore than we needed and we still managed to fill up the trunk and the backseat.
Erin Riches, Sr Content Editor, 14,673 miles
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