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Spent some time with an 04 330Ci this weekend |
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Written by JST
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Wednesday, 28 April 2004 |
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.
Originally posted on carmudgeons.com.
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JST's Cornered Test Drives 