Hey guys. So two weeks ago I took a day off work to go to the BMW Ultimate Drive for the Cure. Its a great event that benefits breast cancer research. Its held all across the country every year. You get to drive all the majority of BMW models without sales pressure. It's fun and a worthwhile cause. You should check it out when its in your town.
I wanted share my driving impressions and the pictures.
Remember these are only my opinoins and I am a Benz driver so I am somewhat biased.
335i- Amazing engine. Its very fast and handles well. I didn't like the 3 series dash without the iDrive screen though. Not that I like iDrive but it looks better with the screen than without.
X3- I wouldn't buy an X3 with your money. The size was okay. But i'd be happier in an Explorer or something.
X5- Looks better in person than it does on paper but I think the front end styling is a bit busy. The interior was a good size and it was comfortable enough. Although I think the 3rd row seat was a joke. The 4.8 engine felt particularly strong in this one too.
528xi- If you like the 5 series styling its cool. But it seemed heavy and slow to me.
550i- Great body kit, made it look like an M5. Engine ran like a scalded dog.
650Ci- Last year before I bought my CLK 550 cabrio I test drove this. I think it looks good in dark colors but the interior seems really small to me. Especially the rear seat area. Its fast enough but I don't get the same visceral feel that I get when I drive my car. Once again I just don't like iDrive and the interior just isn't for me. And $78,000 is waaay to much money to spend for a car you don't love.
750Li- To me it was just too much and once again I didn't like the interior too much. It worked okay but I felt like I was driving the Starship Enerprise. I felt like I sat on the interior and not in it. Smooth and comfortable ride though and was deceptively fast.
Hydrogen 7- This was a treat. I didn't expect to see this car there and especially not to drive it. It drove justlike a 750 but only much slower. Around town it was fine but if you ever really need to move you might be in trouble. The color combination of the interior was beautiful though. Piano black wood with light cream colored leather was very nice. The headliner was a really pretty suede too. If I liked the 7 I would definitely buy one with this interior. One odd thing though. This car had no sunroof and the upper light cluster seemed as if it had come from another lesser car. I thought it was really odd. It wasn't the same as in other 7's.
My overall impression of the BMW line is that I really don't care for their interiors but I love the engines and the handling. If you like BMW design language they have a nice lineup right now.
T