BMW 330i e90 M-Sport 2007 - Review

[CarMad]

Having had the chance to see how good the ESP system is on the BMW to be honest I will probably always leave it on you never know what's around the next bend.

I've not felt it at all when pressing on, only today as it happens when I came out of a junction. I didn't slip the wheels just rained in the power and then shot me off down the road.

When you can go put your foot flat to the floor whilst turning the wheel going round in a circle (and its wet) and the car still continues round and round without so much as changing its line at all or even a hint of spinning out its deeply impressive. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/169144-ok.gif[/img]

[Tizzy]

Very good review and a nice car. I did consider the Le Mans Blue when specc'ing my car up, but the Sparkling Graphite (v. similar to Audi Dolphin Grey) won me over in the end.
The M Sport E90's certainly are great to drive, even my comparatively low powered (170) 320D really goes and is incredibly smooth and quiet for a 4 cylinder diesel - really makes the VAG TDi's sound and feel very agricultural!

The Sat-Nav isn't as good as the Audi RNSE system though, the mapping isn't quite as clear and it doesn't have the Audi's neat choice of 3 different routes etc. The TMC on the BMW is much better though, with the warnings and detail screen very useful - although it doesn't always tell the truth...... I have to say though that having been in various VW's with the CD SatNav, the BMW system is much better than these.
The run-flats do give a hard ride, although grip from my Bridgestone Potenza's is very good wet or dry. They're blo*dy expensive though, I had a new 255 rear the other day and it was £187 fitted and only BMW dealers seem to carry them on stock, everywhere else has to order them in.

[Alastair_A3]

[ QUOTE ]
Very good review and a nice car. I did consider the Le Mans Blue when specc'ing my car up, but the Sparkling Graphite (v. similar to Audi Dolphin Grey) won me over in the end.
The M Sport E90's certainly are great to drive, even my comparatively low powered (170) 320D really goes and is incredibly smooth and quiet for a 4 cylinder diesel - really makes the VAG TDi's sound and feel very agricultural!

The Sat-Nav isn't as good as the Audi RNSE system though, the mapping isn't quite as clear and it doesn't have the Audi's neat choice of 3 different routes etc. The TMC on the BMW is much better though, with the warnings and detail screen very useful - although it doesn't always tell the truth...... I have to say though that having been in various VW's with the CD SatNav, the BMW system is much better than these.
The run-flats do give a hard ride, although grip from my Bridgestone Potenza's is very good wet or dry. They're blo*dy expensive though, I had a new 255 rear the other day and it was £187 fitted and only BMW dealers seem to carry them on stock, everywhere else has to order them in.

[/ QUOTE ]

That 2.0 litre diesel really is a cracking engine, ive got it in the 520d. The other week at 5am ish i briefly set the cruise at 130 kmh on the M6 toll, it just pulls! It really shifts the cars weight whilst delivering mpg in the 40's. I can only imagine what the 535d is like!

[CarMad]

Yeah I know what you mean about the sat-nav. Its great to look at, not sure about some of the routes it takes either and its a shame it doesn't do the full postcode support.

I wonder if future maps / updates will help. I've got 07-01 disks for mine but I think later ones are out. If full postcode search was added and warn near POI so that speed cameras could be included it would be excellent. Fingers crossed hey.

Its all the other features on the iDrive that make it so good. I wish my other half did what she was told by command. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[MrMe]

The routes it takes (wait until you've had it a good while) will infuriate and anger you. It's utter garbage. If it wasn't for the fact that it's an almost essential item on certain cars in residual respects, I'd use a third party device.

[CarMad]

I've tried it back to back with the tomtom and they aren't that different. Yes the BMW on a couple of occasions tried to go a bit of a strange way but it wasn't terrible. You get differences between different tomtom's due to them using different maps, none are perfect.

I wish there as more TMC data being collected so it was even more accurate for more roads, I guess it will be in the future. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[MrMe]

The most irritating aspect of it, in my opinion, is actually the POI's - particularly fuel stations. In my experience it is notoriously unreliable. In Scotland, earlier this year, on Q2/06 DVD, it took me to no less than 3 fuel stations...that didn't exist, and one of them never had done! This was witnessed, embarassingly, by 5 other vehicles following me to get fuel. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelrotflmao.gif[/img]

Perhaps more worryingly, or pleasingly for some, it attempted to get me to cross a swift flowing river at the end of an undriveable road, about 20-30ft deep I'd say...when the bridge has gone about 20 years ago.[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelrotflmao.gif[/img]

I made a human brain invoked decision not to follow the 'Computer says YES' instruction on this occasion.

The integration features are nice, and TMC is indeed very good on it. The display is top notch. My major gripe is the input. It's too slow, too fiddly and as you mentioned the lack of postcode suffix is ridiculous.

Unfortunately, I was told the latter will not be changed until BMW do a complete overhaul of the SatNav systems. That's disappointing.

I'll give them credit for one thing though - the Journey Computer on SatNav Pro is fantastic. The MPG calculations (I have an obsession with checking them manually) are incredibly accurate.

I'm still a bit miffed that the clouds don't move in Perspective View though...[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Tizzy]

I wonder if they've made some improvements since your version? Mine's got the 07-02 disc and doesn't seem to exhibit many of the foibles that you've described - that said it's not as good as the Audi system as I said elsewhere. On one occasion it has tried to route me through Nottingham rather than round it, but then it seemed to "learn" that and has never tried to do so again (and it's a route I do several times a week). The POI's seem to be improved on this version as well, but you're right about the postcode search - although the Audi system had that problem as well. The TMC aspect is far superior to the Audi version though, as is the Dynamic routing option.

[MrMe]

No, the disc you describe is no different to mine in functionality - as I've been to the dealers this morning and asked them (was actually there for something else).

[CarMad]

The maps and functionality improve with each version. I've tried a newer disk than I originally got and have had improvements, for example the postcode functionality improved but still isn't full 6 digit. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/169144-ok.gif[/img]

You can also download the ISO's of the disk with speed cameras as well. It doesn't warn near them but they appear on the map. You can download newer disks and rip them to a DVD but you need to pay for the original to be legit.