If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Reflections on a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP
Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000
miles on the clock. Observations: The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine loves to wind. I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap (nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but grew to respect its accuracy. The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. If BMW wants to know how to buld a short throw shifter, they should ask Subaru about the short throw optional on the STI. Now THAT's an excellent shifter that BMW should just copy. Far, far better. The shifter feel, on the other hand, is excellent. Buttery smooth, although overall I'd still take the slightly notchier STI short shifter, overall. The ride is a nice compromise between sport and comfort. Definitely better than in an M3. The seats (fabric) are nice, but I've sat in better. If you set the seat back far enough to make a 6-footer comfortable, the shifter is a reach. The Xenon lights are nice, especially when you are in a truck canyon (semi's on both sides) where they throw a lot of side light. The high beams are fantastic. The air conditioning system is inferior to that on our 1992 LS400. You get cooler air in the face than to the feet, for some reason. This car is jus the right size for two adults in front. Plenty wide enough, but not too wide. Stay out of automatic car washes with this car. This one had two wheels torn up by a the guide track of one. The wipers work great in driving rain. Beware of add-on window tint at night. It just devastates rear window visability and I don't mean just dims it; it distorts it as well. The seat heaters heat up fast and are multi-level. My wife loved 'em (it was near freezing). The stereo (radio) is excellent. Great sound. This was mostly highway driving, so I could not test out the handling much, but the few times I challenged it, it felt great. I can see why people like these things, but I think an STI is a loads more fun car to drive if you are willing to sacrifice taste (looks), space, and some comfort. - nopcbs |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Uh, that's "nice" as in "a nice one" in the first sentence.
- nopcbs. "nopcbs" > wrote in message ... > Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000 > miles on the clock. > > Observations: > > The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds > well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine > loves to wind. > > I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. > Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. > > The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap > (nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. > > I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but > grew to respect its accuracy. > > The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. If BMW wants to > know how to buld a short throw shifter, they should ask Subaru about the > short throw optional on the STI. Now THAT's an excellent shifter that BMW > should just copy. Far, far better. > > The shifter feel, on the other hand, is excellent. Buttery smooth, although > overall I'd still take the slightly notchier STI short shifter, overall. > > The ride is a nice compromise between sport and comfort. Definitely better > than in an M3. > > The seats (fabric) are nice, but I've sat in better. If you set the seat > back far enough to make a 6-footer comfortable, the shifter is a reach. > > The Xenon lights are nice, especially when you are in a truck canyon (semi's > on both sides) where they throw a lot of side light. The high beams are > fantastic. > > The air conditioning system is inferior to that on our 1992 LS400. You get > cooler air in the face than to the feet, for some reason. > > This car is jus the right size for two adults in front. Plenty wide enough, > but not too wide. > > Stay out of automatic car washes with this car. This one had two wheels torn > up by a the guide track of one. > > The wipers work great in driving rain. > > Beware of add-on window tint at night. It just devastates rear window > visability and I don't mean just dims it; it distorts it as well. > > > The seat heaters heat up fast and are multi-level. My wife loved 'em (it was > near freezing). > > The stereo (radio) is excellent. Great sound. > > This was mostly highway driving, so I could not test out the handling much, > but the few times I challenged it, it felt great. > > I can see why people like these things, but I think an STI is a loads more > fun car to drive if you are willing to sacrifice taste (looks), space, and > some comfort. > > - nopcbs > > |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
In article >, nopcbs says...
> >Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000 >miles on the clock. I've got a 2005 330Cic ZHP. >The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds >well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine >loves to wind. True! Though I do find myself downshifting to 3rd more than I'd expect from a 3.0. I expected in my 1.8 Miata to have to flog it to get any oomph. >I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. >Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. I've never gotten better than 19.5 according to the OBC. Though my driving style is quite...spirited. >The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap >(nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. I've got leather, except for the wheel and shift boot, where I have that Alcantara suede stuff. I like it now, hope it doesn't wear. But I've heard some folks just use a fabric shaver on it when it pills up. >I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but >grew to respect its accuracy. I'm still baffled by the existence of that gauge. >The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. Definitely shorter than the non-ZHP though. The huge shift throw on the non-ZHP was a dealbreaker for me. I'm still getting used to this one, after years of driving Miatae. Longer throw, and MUCH longer clutch. When I drive the Miata now, I'm amazed at how short the clutch travel is before grip point (like, 1 inch) and the snick-snick-snick of the shifter. Miata trannys are the best I've ever driven for sporty driving. >The shifter feel, on the other hand, is excellent. Buttery smooth, although >overall I'd still take the slightly notchier STI short shifter, overall. I agree on the feel. I wish I could blend the Miata and the BMW shifting setup. >The ride is a nice compromise between sport and comfort. Definitely better >than in an M3. Yeah, my friend has an M3, and it is a *very* nice ride, but a bit firm for commuting. However, I have yet to autox my 330, so I might be whining for a stiffer setup after the first race. >The Xenon lights are nice, especially when you are in a truck canyon (semi's >on both sides) where they throw a lot of side light. The high beams are >fantastic. Did that one have the adaptive Xenons that turn? I love those on mine. Didn't know how much it matter till I had them. >The air conditioning system is inferior to that on our 1992 LS400. You get >cooler air in the face than to the feet, for some reason. Did you try adjusting the little wheel on the dash between the two center vents? Assuming that car has one like mine does. I like it. I can set the temp to, say, 71 when it is cold out, but get cooler air in the face instead of hot air, which bugs me. But the temp still ends up 71. >I can see why people like these things, but I think an STI is a loads more >fun car to drive if you are willing to sacrifice taste (looks), space, and >some comfort. So you decided against it? -- Jason G "This isn't a matter of being tolerant; it's a matter of being sane." --REP, a.s.c. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
No, I bought it. The heart said new STI, but the mind, eye, age (53) and
SWMBO said late-model 3-Series. It's real pretty sitting there in the garage, all red and with those nifty wheels, but I am going to miss that stump-pulling STI power and that sweet gear-box/shifter. I think I'm going to try to get the dealer to do a leather steering wheel swap and get rid of that silly fake-suede and its fuzz balls. If that doesn't work, a nice Wheelskin leather cover goes on. Will make the rim even fatter, too. I like that. That vaccum gage puzzled me at first, too. Really looks weird with the needle bouncing around, but, as I said, it does appear to be accurate and gives an instantaneous mpg estimate. Fun to see it go to 50 mpg when you back off going down-hill. I'm surprised that you get only 19.5 mpg. Maybe your engine is still tight. I'm pretty happy with the 28 mpg this thing gave me with the 70 mph cruise. Next time out I'm going to play with the mpg read-out vs. speed (older people do this sort of thing). Now I have to find some place to buy oil filters for this thing. I am not about to do the 15,000 mile oil change interval BMW will pay for. She's going to be fed sytnthetic at 5,000 mile intervals. Enjoy the ride. - nopcbs "Jason G" > wrote in message ... > In article >, nopcbs says... > > > >Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000 > >miles on the clock. > > I've got a 2005 330Cic ZHP. > > >The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds > >well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine > >loves to wind. > > True! Though I do find myself downshifting to 3rd more than I'd expect from a > 3.0. I expected in my 1.8 Miata to have to flog it to get any oomph. > > >I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. > >Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. > > I've never gotten better than 19.5 according to the OBC. Though my driving > style is quite...spirited. > > >The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap > >(nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. > > I've got leather, except for the wheel and shift boot, where I have that > Alcantara suede stuff. I like it now, hope it doesn't wear. But I've heard > some folks just use a fabric shaver on it when it pills up. > > >I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but > >grew to respect its accuracy. > > I'm still baffled by the existence of that gauge. > > >The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. > > Definitely shorter than the non-ZHP though. The huge shift throw on the non-ZHP > was a dealbreaker for me. I'm still getting used to this one, after years of > driving Miatae. Longer throw, and MUCH longer clutch. When I drive the Miata > now, I'm amazed at how short the clutch travel is before grip point (like, 1 > inch) and the snick-snick-snick of the shifter. Miata trannys are the best I've > ever driven for sporty driving. > > >The shifter feel, on the other hand, is excellent. Buttery smooth, although > >overall I'd still take the slightly notchier STI short shifter, overall. > > I agree on the feel. I wish I could blend the Miata and the BMW shifting setup. > > >The ride is a nice compromise between sport and comfort. Definitely better > >than in an M3. > > Yeah, my friend has an M3, and it is a *very* nice ride, but a bit firm for > commuting. However, I have yet to autox my 330, so I might be whining for a > stiffer setup after the first race. > > >The Xenon lights are nice, especially when you are in a truck canyon (semi's > >on both sides) where they throw a lot of side light. The high beams are > >fantastic. > > Did that one have the adaptive Xenons that turn? I love those on mine. Didn't > know how much it matter till I had them. > > >The air conditioning system is inferior to that on our 1992 LS400. You get > >cooler air in the face than to the feet, for some reason. > > Did you try adjusting the little wheel on the dash between the two center vents? > Assuming that car has one like mine does. I like it. I can set the temp to, > say, 71 when it is cold out, but get cooler air in the face instead of hot air, > which bugs me. But the temp still ends up 71. > > >I can see why people like these things, but I think an STI is a loads more > >fun car to drive if you are willing to sacrifice taste (looks), space, and > >some comfort. > > So you decided against it? > > > -- > Jason G > "This isn't a matter of being tolerant; > it's a matter of being sane." --REP, a.s.c. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
nopcbs wrote:
> Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000 > miles on the clock. > > Observations: > > The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds > well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine > loves to wind. > > I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. > Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. > > The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap > (nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. > > I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but > grew to respect its accuracy. That ain't no vacuum gage. It is actually electronic and tied to the ECU (at least that is how it is on my E30). It is pretty damn accurate. -- Rob Munach, PE Excel Engineering PO Box 1264 Carrboro, NC 27510 |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
The STis etc use forced induction don't they? Bolt on a supercharger &
a quality aftermarket suspension setup & away you go. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
> I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but > grew to respect its accuracy. It's not a vacuum gauge. Its signal is generated electronically (hint: nearly have of BMW's cars have diesel engines, and they have the same gauge). If anyone wonders why it's there, it's a useful reminder of how much your driving style is costing you, at over $6 a gallon. > The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. The marketing department at BMW NA clearly knows very little about the car's technology. For "shorter gearknob", they must have read "short throw gearshift" (BMW GN tried the same line with the 330Ci Clubsport, so they're not alone). |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
"nopcbs" > wrote in message ... > Just finished a 350 mile test drive of a 2003 330i ZHP in nice with 20,000 > miles on the clock. > > Observations: > > The car has more than ample power. It accelerates from pretty low speeds > well in any gear, but 6th. Very impressive for a 3 litre six. The engine > loves to wind. > > I got 28 mpg averaging 70-72 mph with a few stops for gas and leg stretch. > Looks like it gets in the low 20's in suburban traffic. > > The fake suede is OK on the seats, but it wears too fast and feels cheap > (nappies) on the steering wheel. A stupid mistake not to use leather there. > When you put yoru order in, check the Leather Option. > I thought the vacuum gage masquerading as a mileage gage was chintzy, but > grew to respect its accuracy. > That vacuum guage is really a real time indicator of the fuel delivery and speed. It is not a vac guage at all. > The short throw shifter is not short throw by any stretch. If BMW wants to > know how to buld a short throw shifter, they should ask Subaru about the > short throw optional on the STI. Now THAT's an excellent shifter that BMW > should just copy. Far, far better. > > The shifter feel, on the other hand, is excellent. Buttery smooth, although > overall I'd still take the slightly notchier STI short shifter, overall. > > The ride is a nice compromise between sport and comfort. Definitely better > than in an M3. > > The seats (fabric) are nice, but I've sat in better. If you set the seat > back far enough to make a 6-footer comfortable, the shifter is a reach. > I am a 6-footer, 6'1" to be precise, and the shifter is not a stretch for me. I can set the seat back to the point where the clutch is a stretch, and the shifter is well within reach. Maybe you would like the E36 better ... > The Xenon lights are nice, especially when you are in a truck canyon (semi's > on both sides) where they throw a lot of side light. The high beams are > fantastic. > > The air conditioning system is inferior to that on our 1992 LS400. You get > cooler air in the face than to the feet, for some reason. > The dials can direct air anywhere you might want it, and you can set the dial mid-point between two settings and get the air from both of them. Tweek the knob closer to one to get more air from that duct. > This car is jus the right size for two adults in front. Plenty wide enough, > but not too wide. > > Stay out of automatic car washes with this car. This one had two wheels torn > up by a the guide track of one. > > The wipers work great in driving rain. > > Beware of add-on window tint at night. It just devastates rear window > visability and I don't mean just dims it; it distorts it as well. > > This is a function of the window tint, not the car. > The seat heaters heat up fast and are multi-level. My wife loved 'em (it was > near freezing). > > The stereo (radio) is excellent. Great sound. > > This was mostly highway driving, so I could not test out the handling much, > but the few times I challenged it, it felt great. > > I can see why people like these things, but I think an STI is a loads more > fun car to drive if you are willing to sacrifice taste (looks), space, and > some comfort. > > - nopcbs > > |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
In article .com>, Andrew
Thomas says... > >It's not a vacuum gauge. Its signal is generated electronically (hint: >nearly have of BMW's cars have diesel engines, and they have the same >gauge). If anyone wonders why it's there, it's a useful reminder of >how much your driving style is costing you, at over $6 a gallon. I think mine must be broken. It seems to stay all the way to the right almost the whole time! :-D -- Jason G "This isn't a matter of being tolerant; it's a matter of being sane." --REP, a.s.c. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Jason G wrote:
> I think mine must be broken. It seems to stay all the way to the right almost > the whole time! :-D You have the Canadian model? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Alfa test drive day | DesmaisonLCM | Alfa Romeo | 0 | October 21st 04 08:02 AM |
In search of Speedvision Audi S8 test drive video | Markbot | Audi | 4 | August 28th 04 04:43 AM |
My GT test drive thoughts | PhilipS | Alfa Romeo | 18 | August 15th 04 11:38 PM |