Spent some time with an 04 330Ci this weekend

JST · 04-28-2004, 05:47 PM

A buddy lent me his 330 to take to a wedding this weekend. This is the first 330 I've driven in a while, and the first non-Zee Aitch Pea 6 speed 330 I've ever driven.

I was very impressed. As a highway car, the 330 is pretty hard to fault. It doesn't have the holy-shit-this-is-stupid rush to redline of the M3, but it's plenty quick in every real world driving situation. The M54 is much more biased to low end torque, too, meaning that the engine is very tractable in traffic.

The 6th gear and the 2.93 rear end really make this a relaxed car at highway speeds. The M3 is much louder, partly from the engine, partly from the exhaust, and partly from tire roar. As a result of this and the higher engine speeds, the M3 is a more tiring car to drive at speed, even if it is much faster from, say, 70 to 100.

Oh, and the DVD Nav? It's an incalculable improvement over the excerable piece of filth in my car. It's actually usable, whereas mine is frustrating dashboard jewelry.

Negatives? The suspension is a bit soft over expansion joints. The steering wheel is waaayy to thin. The throttle response is slow-witted. And the 2.93, while relaxed, might still be just a bit tall for my tastes.

All in all, a very nice car. A Zee Aitch Pea would solve three of the four problems identified. I can see why someone would buy one of those.

04-28-2004, 05:47 PM	#1
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,614	Spent some time with an 04 330Ci this weekend A buddy lent me his 330 to take to a wedding this weekend. This is the first 330 I've driven in a while, and the first non-Zee Aitch Pea 6 speed 330 I've ever driven. I was very impressed. As a highway car, the 330 is pretty hard to fault. It doesn't have the holy-shit-this-is-stupid rush to redline of the M3, but it's plenty quick in every real world driving situation. The M54 is much more biased to low end torque, too, meaning that the engine is very tractable in traffic. The 6th gear and the 2.93 rear end really make this a relaxed car at highway speeds. The M3 is much louder, partly from the engine, partly from the exhaust, and partly from tire roar. As a result of this and the higher engine speeds, the M3 is a more tiring car to drive at speed, even if it is much faster from, say, 70 to 100. Oh, and the DVD Nav? It's an incalculable improvement over the excerable piece of filth in my car. It's actually usable, whereas mine is frustrating dashboard jewelry. Negatives? The suspension is a bit soft over expansion joints. The steering wheel is waaayy to thin. The throttle response is slow-witted. And the 2.93, while relaxed, might still be just a bit tall for my tastes. All in all, a very nice car. A Zee Aitch Pea would solve three of the four problems identified. I can see why someone would buy one of those.