Initial comparison (E46 to E90)

BMW M

///Member
Having been the proud owner of a few 3 series cars, starting with a very basic e30 316i which only had aircon as an extra, I was hooked the moment I drove her. Very torquey little 1.6i.

And that is what these cars are about. Well builldt, extremely well engineered, with the odd exception here and there, pre-facelift 320d e46 comes to mind. My e36 cars was lovely, didn't have the 'go-cart' feel of the e30, was more refined with loads more features and safety. Then I bought my first e46 325i Steptronic.... What a disaster, the car was a lemon from the word go and alomost put me off the brand forever. Then came my first diesel, e46 330d - EPIC does not discribe the way this car made me feel, she was refined, yet pulled like a train, and economic.

Then my first e90, 320d Sport Auto, picked her up at the Rosslyn plant... Fell in love the moment I saw that Titanium Silver with the 18" wheels... Granted, the ride quality on the sport suspension was hard in comparrison with my 330d, and the runflats didn't help either, but she was a looker, and a sleeper. With a bit of turbo lag in the low ranger with the autobox being a bit frustrating at times.

Then one morning I decided to walk into Pinnacle Auto and kick some tires while the wife was at the hairdresser... And there she was, e90 LCi 320d Dynamic Edition with 3000k on the clock... Asked Cecil for the keys, he didnt even go with me on the test drive, came back, requested finance, and two hours later went home with a EPIC car which overshadows the 330d I had which was my benchmark for diesel performance and quality.

Yes there is differences in the interiors, e46 was probably better (dash layout etc), but, performance from this little 2.0d with shortshifter 6 speed is a little beast, she makes me smile from ear to ear every time I decide to thump the oil pedal to the floor like no other BMW I've ever owned. Every single other person who has ever driven her in my presence cannot believe how she moves and how she looks, granted its not a standard sportpack (She has the carbon fiber bits etc, with the colour coded wheels)

Very few e46's, with the exception of some Individual ones will compare looks wise with this little diesel. She is a small oilburner with a big heart, that makes this car a winner in my opinion.
 

herr bmw

///Member
also looked at the 320d dynamic edition at club motors,very nice looking with the carbon piecses.didnt drive it though

:thumbs:
 

Sandman

///Member
Gizmo said:
Oh, one more thing I left out on the list. No spare wheel for the e90.:thumbdo:

I bought a spare wheel :=): it has a bag, which has a slightly abrasive texture, which is probably to prevent it from sliding in the boot. Will post a picture soon.
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Sandman said:
Gizmo said:
Oh, one more thing I left out on the list. No spare wheel for the e90.:thumbdo:

I bought a spare wheel :=): it has a bag, which has a slightly abrasive texture, which is probably to prevent it from sliding in the boot. Will post a picture soon.

That's what I still want to get, it should also have tie-downs to secure it. Wouldn't want it to be lying loose in the boot!!
 

LPM320

///Member
I think where as the e46 was an evoloution of the e36, the e90 was a design from scratch. I think thats why BMW tried to move away from certain ''traditions''.

I feel the exterior is brilliant, but the interior leaves me with some reservations.

Personally to me the lack of driver centric console is the biggest let down in the interior and gives it that annoymous feeling. I cant see any benefit of mounting the window controls on the door though, as they will constantly be exposed to the elements everytime the door is open and that is bound to affect durability.

On a whole i think that the e90 was a great leap forward, in which a lot of newcomers were drawn to the brand because of the more universal appeal of the e90. I just wish that they would have tried to maintain more of the traditional design elements to make us BMW enthusiasts feel more at home .
 

Sandman

///Member
LPM320 said:
I just wish that they would have tried to maintain more of the traditional design elements to make us BMW enthusiasts feel more at home .

Thats why they left the badge and the kidney grill. The problem with the console before, facing the driver was that a passenger couldnt see most of the buttons, which caused problems for alot of married ppl, the wives couldnt interact or press anything in the car anymore. And due to the influx of complaint letters sent by the wives of bmw drivers, they were forced to change this. :roflol:
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Sandman said:
LPM320 said:
I just wish that they would have tried to maintain more of the traditional design elements to make us BMW enthusiasts feel more at home .

Thats why they left the badge and the kidney grill. The problem with the console before, facing the driver was that a passenger couldnt see most of the buttons, which caused problems for alot of married ppl, the wives couldnt interact or press anything in the car anymore. And due to the influx of complaint letters sent by the wives of bmw drivers, they were forced to change this. :roflol:

That is typical BMW, so make the dashboard more accessible for the wife, but then put the window control buttons on the drivers door rather than around the centre console. :rollsmile: :nonono:
 

Sandman

///Member
Philip Foglar said:
That is typical BMW, so make the dashboard more accessible for the wife, but then put the window control buttons on the drivers door rather than around the centre console. :rollsmile: :nonono:

Im glad you asked this question. You ever wondered why the window buttons are positioned so awkwardly on driver side, that you have to reach far forward to use them. Well its too hide it from your passenger/wife, thereby giving them the impression that there is only the single window button on each door, but not the complete set (hidden) on the driver side.

So, wot BMW hav done was give the impression to the passenger that they have access to everything, yet still giving the driver one bit of technology perfectly hidden for ultimate control and power. :rollsmile:
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Sandman said:
Philip Foglar said:
That is typical BMW, so make the dashboard more accessible for the wife, but then put the window control buttons on the drivers door rather than around the centre console. :rollsmile: :nonono:

Im glad you asked this question. You ever wondered why the window buttons are positioned so awkwardly on driver side, that you have to reach far forward to use them. Well its too hide it from your passenger/wife, thereby giving them the impression that there is only the single window button on each door, but not the complete set (hidden) on the driver side.

So, wot BMW hav done was give the impression to the passenger that they have access to everything, yet still giving the driver one bit of technology perfectly hidden for ultimate control and power. :rollsmile:

'Und zay vont be expecting zat' :roflol:

I have gotten used to the position, but this means that when I am driving other vehicles with similarly located window buttons I am fishing down well past their actual position... :nonono:
 

Sandman

///Member
Philip Foglar said:
I have gotten used to the position, but this means that when I am driving other vehicles with similarly located window buttons I am fishing down well past their actual position... :nonono:

So just move the button position of your other vehicles, or you could contact the car manufacturers and tell them due to BMW standards their button positions are ergonomically unacceptable.
And let me know what they say. :=):
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Sandman said:
Philip Foglar said:
I have gotten used to the position, but this means that when I am driving other vehicles with similarly located window buttons I am fishing down well past their actual position... :nonono:

So just move the button position of your other vehicles, or you could contact the car manufacturers and tell them due to BMW standards their button positions are ergonomically unacceptable.
And let me know what they say. :=):

:roflol:
 

Venda Boy

///Member
E90
hate
1. the location of the cup holders

2.checking oil level though the dash stuff

3. boot space

e46

ugly body shape at the back


 
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