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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Impressions from Detroit 3 Across America



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      04-17-2005, 09:07 PM   #1
Jason
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Photos from Detroit 3-Across-America

Thanks to fellow member roburado for these pics! His extensive review/writeup of the event is below. Thanks roburado!!


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      04-17-2005, 09:09 PM   #2
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      04-17-2005, 09:12 PM   #3
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      04-17-2005, 09:22 PM   #4
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Thumbs up Impressions from Detroit 3 Across America

I finally saw the E90 up close and personal today. Overall, I have to echo the comments of those who say that one really has to see the car in person to know how nice it is.

The cars that were there were a Sparkling Graphite 325i, which reportedly had both the Sport and Premium packages. There was the TiAg 330i, which, I believe, had both the Sport and Premium packages as well. As you have seen, the cars do not have navigation/iDrive.

Exterior Impressions:
To some, the car may look boring in pictures. Honestly, I found it breathtaking in person. To me, it's muscular. It's aggressive. Yet, in the tradition of all (okay...most of them) the wonderful BMW designs that have come before it, the E90 still is has an understated elegance, I think. I think it's quietly athletic. It's like a professional athlete in a suit much like many other BMWs before it.

I think that one of the problems that these cars have in regards to people's perception of the vehicle in pictures is that pictures don't show very effectively how the contours flow into one another. One can kind of get the idea how they do, but I think this aspect of the design is best appreciated up close. For instance, the contour around the belt line (from the Bangle butt down to the hood) just flows beautifully into the sides of the hood. [Sorry for my American terminology. Don't remember if those in the UK or other regions have another term.] That's something that the E60 and the E63 also have. It's a feature that I did not appreciate until seeing those vehicles up close. I love that feature. Also, the spoiler's integration into the trunk is something I found to be lovely. Some don't like it, but I think it really gives the car a nice touch. I'm glad it's not some stick-on lip spoiler that's held on by some cheap adhesive strip. The front-end is likewise lovely. I love all the sculptural detail of it. Some may not like the broken-up contours, but it works for me.

Moving to more specific features, the one that sticks out in my mind right now, is the Xenon headlamps. Yes, we've seen the floating "angel eye" rings in other pictures before, but what I did not notice until this afternoon was that around the "iris" of the headlamp were markings that reminded me of the markings around the rim of a 35mm SLR lens. You know...the markings that say stuff like Nikkor AF, then the focal length, the maximum aperture. It's a lovely detail, I think. The headlamp seems to be globe-shaped like an eye, which makes sense to me. If the eye is going to turn up and down (for self-leveling) or right and left (for Adaptive Headlights), well, why not copy the eye! I thought it was marvelous!



I think, for me, the most wonderful thing about the vehicle's design is all the little details like those mentioned above. To me, the E90 is the crown jewel in this era of BMW design. It just seems to have more of these nice little touches. Or...maybe, I just was paying more attention this time.

Interior Impressions:
As I said above, the little details are what make the car (at least, as far as appearance and everything short of driving pleasure are concerned). Many have criticized the door panel design. I wasn't really thrilled with the door panel on the X3 when I saw it up close. I didn't fall in love with the E60 or E63 door panels either. I just accepted and tolerated them. The thing I liked best about the E90 door panel was the arm rests and handles (the hand-grip things that you use to pull the door closed). They have a wonderful, organic (that's my friend's word) curve to them. My forearms just seemed to lie very comfortably and very naturally on them. The door handle is right where my hand would land too. If you think about the way your forearm and hand are designed, the down-sloping curve of the those arm rests makes perfect sense. I find the shape of the door handles on the passenger doors to be similarly perfect for my hands whether for actually opening the doors or just filling my idle hands while riding.

My one, very small gripe about the ergonomics of the door panel is that the window controls seem to be placed a bit far from me, but that's not too big a deal, I suppose. I think that it's nice to have that door handle right where my hand lies. Besides, I only open the windows for things like paying tolls, swiping my ID card to access the parking garage at work, etc. I probably will open and close the door more often than doing those other things.

I found the materials to be of high quality. They were better than I expected. On the E90, whatever they did, wherever they got them, well...they did a better job, I think, than from what I remember in the X3 and even the E60. Perhaps, I'm not being as picky as I was with the E60 and E63. At those pricepoints, I'd really expect something nice. At the E60 pricepoint, well, I expect something of the quality that I saw today. I would feel like I got my money's worth.

The seats were very comfortable, i thought. The front seats, to me, fit like a glove. They were reportedly the sport seats. So, I don't have any clue what non-sport seats would be like. The extra (vs. the E46) interior room of the backseat was welcome. It's still not quite as roomy as, say, my B5.5 Passat, but comfortable enough, I think. Sitting in the backseat behind the driver's seat--as set the way I would have set it if the car were mine--I thought that my passenger would have ample room. I think putting 3 people in the back seat will be too snug for anything more than short trips. 2 people would be fine, I think.

Overall Experience
It would have been nice if the Detroit venue were something better than just one of the parking lots near Comerica Park [baseball stadium for those who don't know], but really, the things that matter most are the cars. I have to say it was a convenient enough location. We parked in the same parking lot where the venue was. Parking was also free. I appreciated having a box lunch with a large supply of water and sodas.

I asked Larry Koch, the M Brand manager who gave the presentation on the vehicle, if it was true that the car would be available as a 4-door M3. He said he didn't know. Someone asked if the M3 would have a V8. He said he didn't know. So, no confirmation from him regarding those rumors.

It was cool to see the old 3s and the 2002tii. In our family, we've had two E21s and one E30. Those cars brought back memories. Even the smell that I remember from the E21 was there. The poor E30 had a dent in the right front fender, though. I said to my friend that they ought to have used mine. It looks better.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience very much. I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire time I was there.

Wow...I wrote a lot, huh?

Last edited by roburado; 04-17-2005 at 09:37 PM..
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      04-17-2005, 09:39 PM   #5
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Thanks, Jason, for posting the pics for a html-challenge forum member.
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      04-17-2005, 09:39 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roburado

I asked Larry Koch, the M Brand manager
He is the Mgr. of BMW NA Mobile Tradition and from others that have attended 3 Across American, he does not know $hit about $hit.
BMW NA should be throughly embarrassed.
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      04-17-2005, 09:56 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCA
He is the Mgr. of BMW NA Mobile Tradition and from others that have attended 3 Across American, he does not know $hit about $hit.
BMW NA should be throughly embarrassed.
Yeah. Whatever he is, he didn't really provide any insight beyond what I already knew--or thought I knew.
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      04-17-2005, 10:33 PM   #8
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Nice job...very detailed..Good post.
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      04-18-2005, 05:59 AM   #9
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Thanks.

More stuff from the presentation by Larry Koch: He did say that he drove the 330 from New Orleans to Dallas. He said that he averaged 79 mph and got about 30 mpg, which is nice.

Also, there was another 325. It was blue. I guess that was Monaco blue, but it drove away before I could get close to it. We were parking as it was driving away.
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      04-18-2005, 08:22 AM   #10
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Excellent write up Roburado! Excellent Pictures too. You wouldn't get that kind of event in the UK. It's pull rather than push advertising.
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      04-18-2005, 07:20 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by a3ndy
Excellent write up Roburado! Excellent Pictures too. You wouldn't get that kind of event in the UK. It's pull rather than push advertising.
Thanks, a3ndy. As I told jwocky, who complimented my enthusiasm for the car, I just love the car. Consider the write-up a labor of love.
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      04-19-2005, 07:27 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roburado

Yet, in the tradition of all (okay...most of them) the wonderful BMW designs that have come before it, the E90 still is has an understated elegance, I think. I think it's quietly athletic. It's like a professional athlete in a suit much like many other BMWs before it.
classic BMW design philosophy lives on, I love it. we dont need scoops and holes in our cars to make them look sporty, while keeping the distinction of the car.


Quote:
Originally Posted by roburado
I think, for me, the most wonderful thing about the vehicle's design is all the little details like those mentioned above. To me, the E90 is the crown jewel in this era of BMW design. It just seems to have more of these nice little touches. Or...maybe, I just was paying more attention this time.
yes !


thanks for the writeup ! wow i just cant get enough of these things, the fever only grows and grows.. my head is going to pop if I dont get an e90 under me soon
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      04-19-2005, 09:42 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark@e90post
thanks for the writeup ! wow i just cant get enough of these things, the fever only grows and grows.. my head is going to pop if I dont get an e90 under me soon
Thanks for the compliments on the write-up.

Man, I've been passing by the BMW dealership near me at least once a week this April, hoping that E90s will be there. At least, I got to go to 3 Across America. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. At least, that tided me over.
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      04-19-2005, 10:20 PM   #14
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Yo

Marke90post:

BTW-your sig pic has a car in it that looks AWESOME!!! That's one of the main reasons I'm having trouble deciding between a 2005 330i ZHP and the e90. Nice ride mate! If that's black saphire instead of jet black I may be sold. Great thoughts too!

And thanks to roburado for your write-ups and passion. Very helpful.

sparky
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