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      05-13-2013, 11:54 AM   #51
Jamesons Viggen
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Drives: '98 M Roadster stg 2+ S/C
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
I like them, and try to ignore the AOL connection, but they are a tertiary news source (I also liked them more when Inside Line was separate from Edmunds, not buried in the main site). The simple fact remains that with the 3er and 5er, the heart and soul of BMW, recent trends are that they just don't dominate the driving experience like they traditionally have. They're still terrific cars, but they're no longer clearly the drivers choice that they used to be.

I do agree with your assessment that the 328i has a clearer advantage on its direct competition than the 335i does, but the simple fact is that the competition is getting better with each generation while BMW has made some questionable moves recently.
I agree, I liked it better as Inside Line.

The 5 series started the trend, as it is too much of a 7 series light. But the F30 is not as an extreme desensitizing. It also gained a lot along the way, with F10 matching rear seat legroom.

I will say the F30 gave up about 10-20% of what made the E90 a drivers car. This comes from my own personal experience.

BUT

I feel (328 to 328) it gained 20% in terms of performance, 40% in aftermarket tunability, 20% in terms of fuel economy, 20% in terms of standard equipment/vs price, 20% in terms of overallsize/packaging

So yeah, I mourn the loss of that first 10-20% and work to get much of it back(light wheels+PSS, springs, swaybars, and hope for a TSB on the steering rack coding/hardware) but I feel like you get a good amount of other things in return.

There were always reasons why I would test drive an E90 and never put money down on one. I am not the only person to find the mix appealing in the F30 in comparison.
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'15 Buick Regal "T"(wife)
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