Every driver in FL needs that feature. Seriously.

One step closer to driverless cars...

I hate to say but kind of looking forward to it with so many terribly uncaring drivers

BMWs feature warns you with a steering wheel vibration only and yes it can be shut off ... it is a pretty annoying feature and I always left it off on my 550.



Agreed, we leave ours off

But this is also what baffles me. It's electric steering, which means they could easily create these different modes if they wanted to. The M2 steering isn't ideal, but it's better than the abortion they coded into the F30.

If they were serious about targeting multiple driver preferences, why not just make the M2 steering programming the "sport" mode across all models? The luxury cruiser buyers don't need to turn it on. It's truly a win-win.

Guessing it may have to do w/ suspension/wheels/tires as well. So many things affect steering feel and feedback. My old e46 felt completely different riding on 16s w/ winter tires vs 17s with summer tires. On the 16s it probably did a decent impression of f30 style steering. The M2 benefits by not having runflats and all the benefits that go along with that. In theory, a track handling pack F30 should feel better (w/ Michelin PSS), but they decided to bundle it with their variable ratio steering rack which people complain about. And I bet that they don't change the suspension calibration on those cars to take advantage of not having runflats. I think the M2 uses a different steering rack as well. With software only, I think can only tweak the weight, and maybe artificially add some lightness back if the car loses grip (I think mazda does that for example).

If I test-drive a 17 or 18 330 and it still feels like the 328s i've driven in the past I think that would be a deal breaker. Some of the worst steering i've experienced in a modern car

I know what ya' mean. Dealing with the nuisance drivers day after day has sapped most of the fun out of being behind the wheel.

That's what I was thinking too. I can't imagine that it would be terribly difficult or expensive to provide drivers the ability to choose modes. Maybe even make it "infinitely" adjustable within high/low limits.

So, the dealer loaned me a 330 wagon overnight.

The Good:
-Love the way it looks especially in mineral gray
-Seemed like our 3 year old had more space in the back even w/ his enormous car seat. He wasn't kicking the front seat as much.
-The controls and layout is spot-in. Everything is logical and where you'd expect. Idrive is pretty much perfect at this point. Love the nav system-- much, much better than messing around w/ Siri or Google maps.
-Engine was smoother and less laggy than my old n20. Still prefer the 6 in my old x3 though.
-Ride was good- not harsh and not floaty
-overall pretty good build quality. More solid "thunk" than i'd remembered from earlier F30s.
-Power trunk w/ foot wave opening actually worked well. Love having keyless entry ("comfort access") with a small kid.
The meh
-The ZF 8 speed was a bit smoother than i'd remembered but i still notice it in stop and go traffic.
-The higher seating position of my 08 x3 has grown on me and the seats seem more comfortable as well.
-cargo area is definitely less practical than our x3 due to the lower roof and the way it angles down. Cargo Floor dimensions might be similar.
The bad
-This car had the HK stereo. With the surround sound feature off, it seemed like it played only through the front speakers but with it on it sounded kind of muddy. Even the base system in our x3 sounds better to my ears.
-Steering wasn't terrible-- it's precise, reasonably quick and not overly light. But there's still a vaguenes on-center that could get annoying on long highway drives (makes you feel like you need to keep correcting it).

Overall, when you really grab it by the scruff of its neck, it's fun. The tech and ergonomics are great. More passenger space is nice. I'd miss the on-center feel, seating position and comfort of the x3 on longer trips.

It's probably the best overall balance we are going to find in terms of looks/tech/comfort/performance/practicality/price in a new/newish car at this point. If we decide to stick w/ an SUV, I'm not really sure what areas I'd be willing to compromise on. Could probably be talked into a HEMI powered Durango or Grand Cherokee but my wife has no interest. A better deal could be had on a leftover x3 28i but that's too much car for that engine. A new Cayenne would likely be perfect but way out of my price range. The mainstream crossovers are all noticeably worse in several areas.

probably going down the same rabbit hole as you.

I loved the Cayenne loaner I just had --but when I drove the E61 recently, that was a very level setting exercise because then I liked the new Cayenne significantly less.

I like the new 3 series wagon. it's HUGE.

does it have enough pep?

Has anyone driven the diesel version? Is there any point in that? Yeah, the new 3 looks roughly the same size as the E61, which to my mind is actually a good thing (if they're not going to import the 5 wagon). Just wish they wouldn't just give us the hobbled engine versions.

We loved the Cayenne S we drove (short drive), but, wow, they get stratospherically expensive in no time. Plus it had the old entertainment tech. Our 718s is much improved in that regard. At any rate, the X5 was a much better value loaded up.