Took the 3 Series on a run out to Phoenix and back last week. After the first six hour shot two things occurred to me: road trip cars don't get much better than the 330i, and fellow editor Josh Jacquot has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to turn signal stalks. As far as the first point goes, what is there to say that we haven't already said twice? Our 330i is more than just comfortable, it's quiet, fast and not bad on gas either...
With the cruise control set to 80mph (speed limit is 75 out in the desert), the 330i returned 27.7mpg. All that and I could switch between listening to Stern on Sirius or my iPod on the very capable Harman Kardon stereo.
And about that turn signal setup that drove Jacquot into a near rage? Well, I don't mind it a bit. I love the one touch lane change feature; I think every car should have it. It takes all of about two miles to figure out how hard to push the lever to get a constant blinker and from then on you're hooked. In fact, it wasn't long before I figured out that the cruise control stalk works in a similar fashion. Push it out softly and you get one mile per hour increment changes. Press a little harder and it bumps you up in multiples of 5. Pull it toward you to go slower and either up or down to cancel. You never have to even look at the thing. Perfect.
The next time I have a twelve hour round trip ahead of me, I can only hope to get a car as sweet as this 3 Series.
And about that turn signal setup that drove Jacquot into a near rage? Well, I don't mind it a bit. I love the one touch lane change feature; I think every car should have it. It takes all of about two miles to figure out how hard to push the lever to get a constant blinker and from then on you're hooked. In fact, it wasn't long before I figured out that the cruise control stalk works in a similar fashion. Push it out softly and you get one mile per hour increment changes. Press a little harder and it bumps you up in multiples of 5. Pull it toward you to go slower and either up or down to cancel. You never have to even look at the thing. Perfect.
The next time I have a twelve hour round trip ahead of me, I can only hope to get a car as sweet as this 3 Series.
blueice4589 says:
05:55 PM, 10/23/06
"fellow editor Josh Jacquot has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to turn signal stalks"
OoOoOoOo!!!!
blueguydotcom says:
09:15 AM, 10/24/06
You're not at all dismayed by the lousy gas mileage? Talk to e46 330i owners and they net over 30 mpg on long runs at averages well above 75. I used to do Sac to San Diego and SF to San Diego runs that netted 31 mpg with an average speed of 95 mph. A run to Vegas got me 27 mpg before with extended periods at over 110 - fifteen minutes at 130+ actually).
My e90 330i is lucky to get 28 mpg at an even 75. The car's not nearly as efficient as my e46 and quite a bit slower too.
desmolicious says:
12:50 PM, 10/24/06
bludot, like most things on the BMW, accessing the I Drive allows you adjust the car's behaviour. On the car's function's screen, for fuel economy select "excellent" instead of "good". It's the option right under "Owner whining On/Off".
blueguydotcom says:
04:09 PM, 10/24/06
Just curious why he was raving about really cruddy gas mileage. The e90's epa is 30 mpg and he got far less than that when the e46 superseded the epa figures.
Given the amount of praise this car gets, it's disconcerting as it's a worse car than the one it replaced. The ONLY thing that's better: when the car is outfitted with real tires, the e90's suspension will outperform an e46 zhp in handling. Of course you must remove the RFTs to accomplish that feat.
roar02ram says:
07:32 AM, 10/25/06
Of course, why BMW thought that we would think that increasing speed would equate with pushing the stalk towards the dash & not up is a mystery. Gotta love Honda and Toyota and just about everyone else out there for making things a touch more intuitive. Sure, the BMWs works & you learned it quickly, but you had to LEARN it. When was the last time you had to study a Toyota cruise control stalk?
blueguydotcom says:
11:49 AM, 10/25/06
Roar, when was the last time a Toyota was enjoyable to drive? The second gen MR2 turbo? That was a long, long time ago.
So, while I like the old school cruise control systems, I will gladly learn something new and poorly implemented if it means the car is exponentially more engaging to drive.
jerrywimer says:
05:07 AM, 10/27/06
blueguydot.com- yes, but was that enjoyment caused by the way the cruise control works, or the car's dynamics? More to the point, isn't it possible to keep the engagement with the driver without having non-standard unintuitive controls? The Toyota's controls are all fine. Graft them into the BMW and it would be no less engaging. In fact I'd go so far as to say it would be even more better. When I can subconsciously use the controls I need while keeping the rest of my senses and thoughts fully on the driving experience, I am even more immersed than if I momentarily shift focus to think about the "different" method I need to use to activate this control from what I've used anywhere else.
jerrywimer says:
05:09 AM, 10/27/06
Er, "even better". Hate when I edit a sentence in the middle of a thought, then hit the post button before realizing I left something there that shouldn't be. I would like it if I didn't do that no "more". :P
Edmunds, is it possible for us to get "edit" capability for our blog replies?
blueguydotcom says:
09:42 AM, 10/27/06
Jerry,
i agree that BMW should have stuck with the original cruise option. But as I have little use for cruise, it's not that big of a deal to me. It gets used mostly when I'm near a cop.
jerrywimer says:
06:56 AM, 10/30/06
LOL.
blueguydotcom says:
09:31 AM, 10/30/06
I had a Chevy uplander for a work rental over the weekend - that car has the SAME cruise control setup as the e9x BMWs. Guess it's nothing new. Weird that BMW would take an idea from the most lousy make on the entire planet.