When you look at the car from the front, it looks good, a bit like a Lexus IS, but substianally enough to not be confused as one. The front is nice, not aggressive, but nice ... very smooth if you will. From the side, the wheels do a good job of filling out the wheels (if you opt for the 18" sport package). Behind the 18" wheels are some complex looking calipers... you can tell those are not ordinary. There is something there requires additional machinery. I'll talk more about the brake drying, rotor wear indicators and panic brake preparation in a little bit. When you look at the rear of the car, you can visibly see that the car is longer. From the back, the car looks subtle, but again, you can see the added length by the visible rake of the rear window and the rear exhaust tips protrude just a little bit too much from the rear bumper. Somebody is going to sue BMW because they will inadvertently get burnt.
As the big door swings open, it is evident that it has BMW heft to it. The front part of the dash looks just like any other E90 3 series. However, that's about it. The center console now stretches all the way from front to bank eliminating the possiblity of a fifth passenger in the rear ... which is fine, nobody should be back there anyway. The passenger comparement has been completely redesigned for accomodate larger adults in the rear seats. I'm guessing that is where the added length went to.
When you close the door, the car utilizes a little arm if you will to push the seat belt forward from the B pillar to the drivers hand without the need to stretch... nice nifty feature, but I see it getting broken easily. Seats are much more supportive over the E90 3series sedan... Lots of bolster to keep you in place.
Insert key, clutch in ... push button start and the engine fires to life. The first words that come to mind are buttery smooth. Tapping the exhaust pedal yields nothing as again it seems throttle response is lacking from idle. Don't know if this is a function of the turbos or just the way the engine is designed... who knows.
Now we are off... Acceleration from a stop is good, very brisk. If you didn't know anything about this car, you would never know it is turbo charged. Full throttle from idle yields plenty of power, but no where near as fast or as powerful feeling as the E46 M3. E46 M3 felt much more brutal. However, that being said, the car does pull strongly. Suprisingly, it'll hit 110 in 3rd gear with ease. The shifts are crisp, but with BMW smoothness. There is no doubt that you are in a uber saloon as you change gears. Each gear change is precise and crisp. Power is available in all gears at all ranges of the powerband. In 6th gear at 40mph, you can mash the go pedal and the engine will pull you forward ... can't really do that in a E46 M3. The more you downshift, the faster you accelerate... but again, feeling of power is better in the E46 M3.
Brakes are beefy. Remember earlier when I was talking about the brake calipers? Well this car comes standard with some nice new braking features. Panic brake preparation - when you snap your foot off the go pedal, it pre-pressurizes the brake system and brings the calipers withing 1mm of the rotor so when you stab the brake, you get INSTANT stopping power and during that time it will maximize braking power without triggering ABS. If you trigger ABS it'll continue to work. The brake system also supports a Brake Dry feature. When driving in the rain, with the windshield wipers active, the brakes will periodically lightly apply the pads to the rotors to dry the pads and rotors so when you need braking power, you won't have to suffer from rain fade on the brake pad/rotor.
When it comes to handling... the car feels good, feels very tight, However, mid corner bumps can upset the chassis giving it an uneasy feeling, not all bumps, but certain bumps sent the chassis into an see-saw effect where you feel a bit unnerved. Loads of grip are available though which provides for lots of driving excitement. Throttle induced oversteer as power is readily on tap. However, by default, the car will understeer if you approach corners too swiftly. Traction control is switch to step in and act if needed.
Basically, it's a nice car... feels great, but it is no M. When the M comes out, expect a review from yours truly.
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