Ok, I have had my car for 5 days now. Here's a review.
Modes and DHP: Very cool. You basically have 3 different cars. Each with a unique set of performance and suspension characteristics.
Transmission: 8 Speed Sport with paddle shifters is a HUGE improvement over the base E90 335 Steptronic. HUGE! The 8 Speed is the fastest transmission I ever had. Overall performance is exhilarating in the Sport modes. Even though the E90 335 was wicked fast, there was always that lag I didn't like because of the Steptronic transmission. Keep in mind, I'm obviously only comparing the E90 6 Speed Step with the F30 8 Speed Sport. Manual transmissions aren't applicable here...
Engine: I already talked a lot about performance, but yeah, the 6 is lots of fun. 300 HP! Very cool! Acceleration is exhilarating. Nothing really to add...
Sport Seats: Jury still out. I obviously still need to fool around with the settings some more. One thing is for sure, I can see how a much bigger person would absolutely hate these things. I'm about 5'10" 175 lbs, and I feel like I am having a hard time squeezing into these. I am beginning to think that these sport seats might turn out to be the one thing I don't like about this car.
ASS: After reading all the negative reviews on the 'Fest, I expected the worse, but after experiencing it firsthand, it just isn't that horrible (IMHO). I definitely see no need to re-program it. I just leave it on all the time. Honestly, it's not that bad.
Steering: I read a lot of reviews asserting that the E90 had superior steering qualities, but keep in mind, that's subjective and opinion, it's not fact. Just like with ASS, after reading all the negative reviews, I expected the worse, but the steering is fine. Keep in mind, I have DHP -- so folks without DHP might experience something totally different. However, I really like the variable sport steering that comes with DHP and how it adapts to different situations. The steering feels perfect to me.
HK Sound System: Sounds great. 16 Speakers, 600 Watts. What do you expect? I took some of the advice I read on the 'Fest. I adjusted the fader to the back speakers ever so slightly. That really does improve it. However, I decided to leave surround sound turned on. I also set bass, treble and the EQ flat. I just like it better that way. I was listening to Dream Theater the other night, and it sounded fantastic. Of course, Sirius sounds like crap, and that was expected, because Sirius always sounds like crap no matter what kind of car or sound system you have. I still listen to Sirius a lot anyway…Lots of good programming.
NAV & iDrive: Excellent. I just love how I can email an address or POI from Google to the car. It's just fantastic! Perfect example is that I was looking at a college for my son on the internet. We're going to visit the campus 2 weeks from now. From Google, I simply just clicked on the address in Maps, and sent it right to my car. 2 weeks from now, when we get in the car to go, I can just pull it up in messages, click on it, and we're all set. How cool is that? I also like the much bigger screen in the F30 relative to the E90. In terms of iDrive in general, I've been a fan since the beginning. No complaints there at all...
Rear View Camera: This is going to be a controversial statement, but this might be one of the biggest improvements the F30 offers over the E90. Rear camera is really nice; especially in conjunction with PDC. I also like how it kicks in automatically when you're pulling into the garage. You don't have to be in reverse for it to kick in. Very nice.
Instrumentation & Controls: Generally speaking, it's very similar, and almost identical to the E90 in a lot of ways. The 2 extra programmable buttons is a nice bonus. I do like the 4 dial layout better than the 2 dial layout that was in the E90. I also like the extra sport dials you get in sport mode: HP and Torque. Very cool! In terms of HUD, I like it. I'm not as passionate about it as others, but I like it.
Fit, finish, quality of materials: Very very good. Not as opulent as a 535, but still very good…
Comfort Access: It's basically the same as the E90 comfort access, but also includes hands free trunk opening. This is a nice feature because I throw my laptop in the trunk when going to and from work. I haven't had too many problems with this yet. Only exception was Thursday after work. Not sure why, but it just didn't open…Plus, I sort of looked goofy trying to get it to work. People were looking at me like I was some kind of moron. I finally just opened it manually, but it has worked fine since then.
Lighting package: It comes standard with the 335 and is basically the same as what we got on the E90, but I just felt it necessary to say how much I love it.
Overall, after 5 days, no regrets at all. I'm loving it.
:roundel:
Modes and DHP: Very cool. You basically have 3 different cars. Each with a unique set of performance and suspension characteristics.
- ECO Mode: I never thought I'd use this, but it's perfect for bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. I use this every day, but beware, in ECO mode, the car is just not very thrilling to drive at all. That's by design. It's designed to save fuel. I call it the Toyota Prius mode. But during rush hour traffic, it's not like I can go anywhere fast anyway...
- Comfort Mode: Very nice. Perfect for driving around town, perfect for a quick trip to the super market. I call this the Acura TL mode, but in all fairness, even in comfort mode, the F30 is still much tighter and much firmer than a TL.
- Sport Mode / Sport Mode +: Awesome. Just awesome. You just have to experience it yourself. This is what I use on roads where I can let it rip. My E90 335 never performed so good. Sport mode keeps the engine revving for sudden burst of acceleration. Speed is not just about 0 to 60. I am talking about acceleration across the entire band. 30 to 60. 20 to 50. 10 to 40. 50 to 70. WOW! JUST WOW! In terms of handling, I will never take this car on a track, but honestly, on the open road, it's as good or better than the E90. I really don't get how people could say otherwise. It's definitely not inferior to the E90. That's for sure.
Transmission: 8 Speed Sport with paddle shifters is a HUGE improvement over the base E90 335 Steptronic. HUGE! The 8 Speed is the fastest transmission I ever had. Overall performance is exhilarating in the Sport modes. Even though the E90 335 was wicked fast, there was always that lag I didn't like because of the Steptronic transmission. Keep in mind, I'm obviously only comparing the E90 6 Speed Step with the F30 8 Speed Sport. Manual transmissions aren't applicable here...
Engine: I already talked a lot about performance, but yeah, the 6 is lots of fun. 300 HP! Very cool! Acceleration is exhilarating. Nothing really to add...
Sport Seats: Jury still out. I obviously still need to fool around with the settings some more. One thing is for sure, I can see how a much bigger person would absolutely hate these things. I'm about 5'10" 175 lbs, and I feel like I am having a hard time squeezing into these. I am beginning to think that these sport seats might turn out to be the one thing I don't like about this car.
ASS: After reading all the negative reviews on the 'Fest, I expected the worse, but after experiencing it firsthand, it just isn't that horrible (IMHO). I definitely see no need to re-program it. I just leave it on all the time. Honestly, it's not that bad.
Steering: I read a lot of reviews asserting that the E90 had superior steering qualities, but keep in mind, that's subjective and opinion, it's not fact. Just like with ASS, after reading all the negative reviews, I expected the worse, but the steering is fine. Keep in mind, I have DHP -- so folks without DHP might experience something totally different. However, I really like the variable sport steering that comes with DHP and how it adapts to different situations. The steering feels perfect to me.
HK Sound System: Sounds great. 16 Speakers, 600 Watts. What do you expect? I took some of the advice I read on the 'Fest. I adjusted the fader to the back speakers ever so slightly. That really does improve it. However, I decided to leave surround sound turned on. I also set bass, treble and the EQ flat. I just like it better that way. I was listening to Dream Theater the other night, and it sounded fantastic. Of course, Sirius sounds like crap, and that was expected, because Sirius always sounds like crap no matter what kind of car or sound system you have. I still listen to Sirius a lot anyway…Lots of good programming.
NAV & iDrive: Excellent. I just love how I can email an address or POI from Google to the car. It's just fantastic! Perfect example is that I was looking at a college for my son on the internet. We're going to visit the campus 2 weeks from now. From Google, I simply just clicked on the address in Maps, and sent it right to my car. 2 weeks from now, when we get in the car to go, I can just pull it up in messages, click on it, and we're all set. How cool is that? I also like the much bigger screen in the F30 relative to the E90. In terms of iDrive in general, I've been a fan since the beginning. No complaints there at all...
Rear View Camera: This is going to be a controversial statement, but this might be one of the biggest improvements the F30 offers over the E90. Rear camera is really nice; especially in conjunction with PDC. I also like how it kicks in automatically when you're pulling into the garage. You don't have to be in reverse for it to kick in. Very nice.
Instrumentation & Controls: Generally speaking, it's very similar, and almost identical to the E90 in a lot of ways. The 2 extra programmable buttons is a nice bonus. I do like the 4 dial layout better than the 2 dial layout that was in the E90. I also like the extra sport dials you get in sport mode: HP and Torque. Very cool! In terms of HUD, I like it. I'm not as passionate about it as others, but I like it.
Fit, finish, quality of materials: Very very good. Not as opulent as a 535, but still very good…
Comfort Access: It's basically the same as the E90 comfort access, but also includes hands free trunk opening. This is a nice feature because I throw my laptop in the trunk when going to and from work. I haven't had too many problems with this yet. Only exception was Thursday after work. Not sure why, but it just didn't open…Plus, I sort of looked goofy trying to get it to work. People were looking at me like I was some kind of moron. I finally just opened it manually, but it has worked fine since then.
Lighting package: It comes standard with the 335 and is basically the same as what we got on the E90, but I just felt it necessary to say how much I love it.
Overall, after 5 days, no regrets at all. I'm loving it.
:roundel: