Sat in a E90 330 at the auto show...

[Silva]

Well, I got to check out the new E90 330 Sedan at the Dallas auto show this weekend...

Overall the exterior was better then I expected, but still not nearly as appealing as the E46. The interior? Absolute crap!

The only thing I liked about the interior was the seats, they aren't as 'choppy' as the E46 seats, they had flow (used to the E46 sport seats). The dash, the controls, the colors, and especially the steering wheel looked terrible, and made me feel almost ashamed I owned a car made by the same company!

Moving the windows controls back to the drivers door, stupid
Placing the hazard and DSC (2 things you almost never touch) to the most prominent posistion on the dash, stupid
On and On and on, hate it...

Thoughts?

Oh, they had the new M5 as well... I was impressed, but still, not that great!

What happened to the BMW styling, the heritage, the passion? I'm sure all the new ones are still great drivers, but who wants to drive something that UGLY? If someone knows Chris Bangle, kick him in the nuts for me!

 

[deutsch100]

Like Silva says....The interior? Absolute crap!

I am so disappointed in BMW, that I honestly feel that after my M3.....I truly do not think I will purchase a BMW again. There is not one model after model year 2002, that I can say I would buy. I admit, I like the looks of the 645 and M6....but again the interior is so god awful ugly and cheap looking.

Yes, people will buy the new E90...but I would be very surprised if the numbers come anywhere near the E46. I have a feeling BMW will be feeling this new cost-cutting design right where it means the most to them....in the bank account.

I think you f--ked up royally BMW. München, wir haben ein problem

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

You guys are forgetting that BMW's number one customers aren't enthusiasts they are roundel-loving performance luxury car chasers. The 0-60 of under 6 seconds, the 30mpg fuel economy, the 150mph top speed, along with the sporty handling, maintenance warranty, and BMW nameplate will sell the new E90 to E46 levels or higher...

 

[deutsch100]

You guys are forgetting that BMW's number one customers aren't enthusiasts they are roundel-loving performance luxury car chasers. The 0-60 of under 6 seconds, the 30mpg fuel economy, the 150mph top speed, along with the sporty handling, maintenance warranty, and BMW nameplate will sell the new E90 to E46 levels or higher...

I have to completely disagree with you. I personally know 2 people that did not buy BMWs in the last 5 months due to current design and interior quality.

A very good friend of ours finally realised it was time to retire her 1991 MBZ 300E (she drove it exclusively for 14 years and 216,000 miles). Due to the well known problems new Benzes have, she made up her mind to get a 530i. She went to her local dealer to get one and was shocked to find the 5 Series she wanted had been replaced (she did not know the new 5er was out). She really didn't like the looks, but thought what the hell "I am here". After a long test drive, she said she could just not live with "the crappiest interior plastics and layout " she had ever seen, and thought the exterior was a bad copy of something Japanese. Case 1, that the Roundel will not sell it self. After 14 years in a tank like Benz, BMWs new interiors did not please. She thought it felt like an old Hyundai. She bought a 2005 Lexus LS430. She said as long as I am getting something that looks Japanese, I might as well go for reliability. The new 5 loses again another customer.

Case 2. My cousin has been holding out for the new 3er for about 9 months now. After he saw official pictures of the E90...he just extended his lease on his E46...and says in 2 years will get the new A6 due to the amazing interior, and attention to detail and feel.

BMW cannot ignore BMW enthusiasts completely, and from our experiences, non-BMW enthusiasts are not pleased with their current cost cutting interiors and odd exteriors. It is foolish to assume the public will accept any Dreck you just slop out to the public.

 

[Tom]

I agree Silva, saw the same car at the Dallas car show. I went there late Friday night and people were flocking all over the new 3-Series. Interior seems very bland compared to the E46, but like Bmw 325i 7803 stated, the performance specs are probably going to be the major selling factors on that car.

Check out my pictures:
http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15907

 

[tih2k]

Awesome pictures! If I had known, I would've went, damn!

 

[Militant-Grunt]

I have to completely disagree with you. I personally know 2 people that did not buy BMWs in the last 5 months due to current design and interior quality.

A very good friend of ours finally realised it was time to retire her 1991 MBZ 300E (she drove it exclusively for 14 years and 216,000 miles). Due to the well known problems new Benzes have, she made up her mind to get a 530i. She went to her local dealer to get one and was shocked to find the 5 Series she wanted had been replaced (she did not know the new 5er was out). She really didn't like the looks, but thought what the hell "I am here". After a long test drive, she said she could just not live with "the crappiest interior plastics and layout " she had ever seen, and thought the exterior was a bad copy of something Japanese. Case 1, that the Roundel will not sell it self. After 14 years in a tank like Benz, BMWs new interiors did not please. She thought it felt like an old Hyundai. She bought a 2005 Lexus LS430. She said as long as I am getting something that looks Japanese, I might as well go for reliability. The new 5 loses again another customer.

Case 2. My cousin has been holding out for the new 3er for about 9 months now. After he saw official pictures of the E90...he just extended his lease on his E46...and says in 2 years will get the new A6 due to the amazing interior, and attention to detail and feel.

BMW cannot ignore BMW enthusiasts completely, and from our experiences, non-BMW enthusiasts are not pleased with their current cost cutting interiors and odd exteriors. It is foolish to assume the public will accept any Dreck you just slop out to the public.

I definitly agree deutsch100, BMW has crapped out on interior quality by a lot, the plastics are horrible, the dreary greys are just bad.. The feel of the steering wheel is soddy, the steering wheel is ugly, the whole car feels cheap inside, my land rover feels more luxurious inside than a X3 or the new E90. No offense to tool fan, or anyone with an X3, but its The worst quality made bmw ever, on looks its right next to the 7 series (before facelift). If you were to sit in any new mercedes or audi, or even a VW, it feel 100 percent much better than the bmw interior...

thats just my .02 cents..

 

[MrElussive]

You're all full of shit. I have sat in and been in all of the new BMW's and they are amazing. Granted the exterior styling is subjective (along with interior styling), everything feels good to the touch. Just because some of the knobs and controls are (or feel) light, it doesn't mean they are cheap, shoddy plastic. If you try to get rough with the controls, nothing will happen. No surface scratching or damage, not a single rattle or loose piece, and everything feels solid like a bank vault.

All of this new BMW complaining is all coming from a bunch of people who simply do not like change. The new BMW's offer better, more ergonomic interiors. iDrive is quite possibly the greatest device ever. Acura, Lexus, Audi have all followed with the iDrive concept. Okay okay, I know the old BMW's are all more "definitive BMW" but the auto industry is constantly evolving and BMW has NO choice but to lead this industry with Mercedes and Audi (because that is what these guys do).


One thing I personally do not like about BMW is this:
BMW has turned "driving sport" into "BMW sport". BMW's cars are all setup now so that any noob can get into a BMW, take it for a drive, and feel great...this person probably won't even know the differences between FWD and RWD, but after the drive, they will have enjoyed it and will want one. This gives BMW more sales, but for driving enthusiasts, it's not so great.

BMW needs to work on their exterior designs and the drive of the vehicles. I am tired of seeing people in my area with an M3 w/SMG who do not even know how to drive manual. M cars used to be very special cars (and they still are to me), but everybody just likes to get them to say "I drive an M3." Give me a break.

There. I said it. Shoot me. [target]

 

[Militant-Grunt]

You're all full of shit. I have sat in and been in all of the new BMW's and they are amazing. Granted the exterior styling is subjective (along with interior styling), everything feels good to the touch. Just because some of the knobs and controls are (or feel) light, it doesn't mean they are cheap, shoddy plastic. If you try to get rough with the controls, nothing will happen. No surface scratching or damage, not a single rattle or loose piece, and everything feels solid like a bank vault.

All of this new BMW complaining is all coming from a bunch of people who simply do not like change. The new BMW's offer better, more ergonomic interiors. iDrive is quite possibly the greatest device ever. Acura, Lexus, Audi have all followed with the iDrive concept. Okay okay, I know the old BMW's are all more "definitive BMW" but the auto industry is constantly evolving and BMW has NO choice but to lead this industry with Mercedes and Audi (because that is what these guys do).


One thing I personally do not like about BMW is this:
BMW has turned "driving sport" into "BMW sport". BMW's cars are all setup now so that any noob can get into a BMW, take it for a drive, and feel great...this person probably won't even know the differences between FWD and RWD, but after the drive, they will have enjoyed it and will want one. This gives BMW more sales, but for driving enthusiasts, it's not so great.

BMW needs to work on their exterior designs and the drive of the vehicles. I am tired of seeing people in my area with an M3 w/SMG who do not even know how to drive manual. M cars used to be very special cars (and they still are to me), but everybody just likes to get them to say "I drive an M3." Give me a break.

There. I said it. Shoot me. [target]

Saw this coming from a mile away, today I went down to bmw of manhattan to look for a new rim for my Q.3s bike, just happened to look at the brouchures for the e90, I guess w/ premium package and a nice trim the interior doesnt look at crappy, but what about feel? Im still not convinced, too many shoddy plastics, compare a E90 325i or 330i to a W203 C230-C320, you will be flabbergassed in the difference in interior quality. BMW looks like a Hyndai next to Mercedes on the interior.

You be the judge, I sat in both & mercedes blows a knock out on interior quality.

 

[deutsch100]

Saw this coming from a mile away, today I went down to bmw of manhattan to look for a new rim for my Q.3s bike, just happened to look at the brouchures for the e90, I guess w/ premium package and a nice trim the interior doesnt look at crappy, but what about feel? Im still not convinced, too many shoddy plastics, compare a E90 325i or 330i to a W203 C230-C320, you will be flabbergassed in the difference in interior quality. BMW looks like a Hyndai next to Mercedes on the interior.

You be the judge, I sat in both & mercedes blows a knock out on interior quality.

Yeah, the re-vamped C-Class and especially Audi interiors blow away the new 3, 5, 7, 6, X3 and especially the Z4. Funny that Mr. Elussive is so pro-'New" BMW and I Drive when I have never, ever read one positive review of I Drive or the ridiculous way one must engage the gears in a 7 Series. I guess he just likes to stand up for the underdog, or just be difficult (no offense Emil). I personally don't care what anyone says...if you have personally owned and driven older BMWS and Mercedes, you will find the new BMW interiors flimsy, cheap, ghastly, poorly designed and just fugly.

 

[Militant-Grunt]

To add to my earlier comments:

"In addition to all this new hardware, the 3-series interior is completely changed, but not necessarily for the better. The appearance is terrific, but the switchgear and the materials seem cheaper than the old car's: the climate-control buttons, for instance, are no-where near as good as a VW Jetta's." Source: Automobile Magazine

http://automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans/0504_bmw_330i/index1.html

 

[MrElussive]

deutsch, it's not about standing up for the underdog. I don't care about the underdog. I care about my opinion. For example, you commented on the ridiculous way the new 7 shifts gears. I'm sorry if you prefer to use your whole arm to shift gears...I think most auto drivers will appreciate only having to lift a finger or two (and only a matter of inches away from the steering wheel) to shift gears in the new 7. Automatic is about doing as little as possible anyways, right?? Anyone would certainly appreciate that little gear shifter right by the steering wheel when trying to parallel park in NYC, for example.
And for iDrive...it is quite possibly the best thing ever. It is nice when you don't have to take your eyes off the road to adjust climate control, entertainment settings, etc. Once you are familiar with iDrive, you can switch from CD1 track 4 to CD5 track 8 without taking your eyes off the road, and a simple twists and clicks to the iDrive knob. How can it get any better than that???

 

[Chesty Bonds]

I have to completely disagree with you. I personally know 2 people that did not buy BMWs in the last 5 months due to current design and interior quality.

A very good friend of ours finally realised it was time to retire her 1991 MBZ 300E (she drove it exclusively for 14 years and 216,000 miles). Due to the well known problems new Benzes have, she made up her mind to get a 530i. She went to her local dealer to get one and was shocked to find the 5 Series she wanted had been replaced (she did not know the new 5er was out). She really didn't like the looks, but thought what the hell "I am here". After a long test drive, she said she could just not live with "the crappiest interior plastics and layout " she had ever seen, and thought the exterior was a bad copy of something Japanese. Case 1, that the Roundel will not sell it self. After 14 years in a tank like Benz, BMWs new interiors did not please. She thought it felt like an old Hyundai. She bought a 2005 Lexus LS430. She said as long as I am getting something that looks Japanese, I might as well go for reliability. The new 5 loses again another customer.

Case 2. My cousin has been holding out for the new 3er for about 9 months now. After he saw official pictures of the E90...he just extended his lease on his E46...and says in 2 years will get the new A6 due to the amazing interior, and attention to detail and feel.

BMW cannot ignore BMW enthusiasts completely, and from our experiences, non-BMW enthusiasts are not pleased with their current cost cutting interiors and odd exteriors. It is foolish to assume the public will accept any Dreck you just slop out to the public.

Yet again Deutsch I have to agree with you. My dad has owned only BMWs for about 25 years but now he is uninspired to buy one of the new breeds. Instead, he's sticking with his E38 740il - and I don't blame him. The BMW dealerships have been unrelenting in trying to get him to buy a new 7-Series but he's just not interested. The build-quality, fit and finish, driving involvement; all of these important things that made BMW what they are have been watered down for idiots that don't know one car from the next. BMW seems ever more reliant on the marketing ability of the badge and have scorned the real enthusiasts in the process.

 

[deutsch100]

deutsch, it's not about standing up for the underdog. I don't care about the underdog. I care about my opinion. For example, you commented on the ridiculous way the new 7 shifts gears. I'm sorry if you prefer to use your whole arm to shift gears...I think most auto drivers will appreciate only having to lift a finger or two (and only a matter of inches away from the steering wheel) to shift gears in the new 7. Automatic is about doing as little as possible anyways, right?? Anyone would certainly appreciate that little gear shifter right by the steering wheel when trying to parallel park in NYC, for example.
And for iDrive...it is quite possibly the best thing ever. It is nice when you don't have to take your eyes off the road to adjust climate control, entertainment settings, etc. Once you are familiar with iDrive, you can switch from CD1 track 4 to CD5 track 8 without taking your eyes off the road, and a simple twists and clicks to the iDrive knob. How can it get any better than that???

I have not talked to ONE current 7 Series owner that can praise I Drive. Everyone we know who has the car, and every review (even about the "revised" version) says that it is a distraction. I can change my radio station, Cd track, climate control without looking away from the road. How more distracting and annoying can it be to use a little metal mouse (er, I mean plastic painted to look like metal) to access menus and sub-menus to control basic functions like radio and climate. Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't think you will find many people on this board, or current 7 Series owners to agree with you. Living in Los Angeles is very similar to NYC in regards to finding parking, and then trying to park...and having the gearshift selector where it has always been, has never posed a problem. Changing so many things that people have been used to for 50+ years is just a distraction. One should not have to spend 2-3 weeks studying the owner's manual to learn how to access radio and climate functions. BMW has made counter-productive steps in terms of user friendliness.

 

[jaime-330]

Don't need to go that far as comparing it with the interrior of a Benz. Just put a picture of the E-46 interior next to the new E-90 and you'll see that there is nothing futuristic about the new one but to the contrary it gives you the feel of an older car.

 

[deutsch100]

Don't need to go that far as comparing it with the interrior of a Benz. Just put a picture of the E-46 interior next to the new E-90 and you'll see that there is nothing futuristic about the new one but to the contrary it gives you the feel of an older car.

Exactly. Excellently said. When I look at my E46 interior (and actually exterior too), and then look at the E90....the E90 looks like the 1999-2005 model, and the E46 looks like the new model. The E90 does look like an old man's car. Some alter Knacker is going to love the new 3er...it will remind him of his Buick Park Avenue with the flat, boring dash, and lack-luster cheap plastics. Maybe BMW is trying to win old buyers, now that Buick is trying to re-vamp themselves, and Oldsmobile is dead.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Maybe BMW is trying to win old buyers, now that Buick is trying to re-vamp themselves, and Oldsmobile is dead.

hahaha

 

[Wallie05]

Military-Grunt, Deutsch, and Chesty. You guys are so on the money when it comes to the new interior quality. I couldn't have said what you guys did any better myself!!! I'm so glad I'm not the only out there who feels this way. It's also good to know that more and more people are waking up this reality and not living in Mr.E's delusional fantasy world: I-drive as the greatest device ever?? Please, somebody get that kid some meds ASAP!!

Audi and M-B's interior quality has definitely beat BMW's in recent years. M-G: Dude, that 3er interior pic looks so sad....

 

[MrElussive]

deutsch, if the new iDrive and everything else about the new 7 is so bad, why does it sell so damn much? Perhaps your friends do not have the brain power to use iDrive, but it really is quite simple....and if they don't like it, why do they own the new 7? There is more than enough negative iDrive reviews out there to "warn" people away from the system, yet the new 7's are superbly popular around here and even among your friends who "hate it." Granted there was nothing wrong with the center-mounted shift knob, the new 7's shifter is easier to use. You can either use your whole arm to change gears or you can use a finger or two. To tell me that you prefer the center-mounted shift knob is pure bullshit because I don't see any manual cars in your driveway.

The key to understanding the new BMW's is to understand the design. The exterior design is subjective, but technically, BMW actually took two steps forward instead of just one. On the inside, the new layout is very different from your average car and your average BMW, but that doesn't make it bad. It is just a new architecture you have to understand in order to appreciate.

Oh yeah, and as for the comments about the E46 interior being better than the E90, that is pure ignorance. Step into an E46 and you are presented with single climate control. Step into an E90 and you are presented with DUAL climate control. Last time I checked, single climate control is not more technologically advanced than dual climate control.

All of you who are against the new BMW's are simply afraid of change. BMW has changed the way you drive a car and you don't like it....it's perfectly natural. Just give it some time, it will grow on you. And once you all stop being so close-minded about this, you'll realize BMW is right.

Also, it is quite obvious that all of you have this opinion where if the car doesn't look, feel, or drive like an E46 BMW, it's "not acceptable". This forum needs a serious reality check regarding this.

Wallie, I think you need to change your tone. Coming into this thread (which you previously had no part of) and telling me I'm living in a delusional fantasy world and that I should take my medicine only stupidly appeals to the people on your side, and only shows me how much of a tool you really are. But to actually try to take you seriously for a moment (which, believe me, is harder than you could possibly understand), if iDrive is so bad, why do Audi, Acura, and Infiniti have similar setups on their new vehicles?


Face it people: old is being replaced with the new, and cars just don't last forever.

 

[deutsch100]

Actually Mr. E, if you read most of your posts, you come off very argumentative, and rude. I think what we are trying to say, is that most of us have some time and experience under our belt. We are not part of your use it and throw it away generation. We do not accept cheap plastics and radical, but crappy designs...just because it is something new. Not everything is compared to an E46, many posts talk about the E36, E30, both older 5 series and the past 7 Series. We have been around to drive and appreciate materials that last more than 4 years, and it is sad to see them change. I am not against change, just change when it is obvious to everyone but teenagers who just want something newer, faster and more "advanced".

And yes, we might not have any manual transmissions in our driveway, but that does not mean I want the gear shift selector on the steering column like an old American car. Even Ford has stopped that, or is currently in the process.

You need to stop telling us that we are full of crap, and don't know anything and are against change. By the looks of most posts, you are alone in your views, and seem quite hostile in your postings. Just chill out. No one likes a Besserwisser!!